Sonus Faber Question


I spent (wasted?) a lot of time switching amplifiers in and out of my system, never quite achieving the sound I was chasing. There were a lot of sideways moves. Then I purchased a demo pair of Sonus Faber Sonetto III's. After playing these through my system I finally feel I'm headed in the right direction. This speaker sound signature is the type of sound I've been seeking out. However, I get the feeling these speakers are really just scratching the surface of what Sonus Faber can offer. Unfortunately, I'm not independently wealthy. So the question is what speaker would you recommend as the next appreciable step up to capture more of the Sonus Faber essence / what should I expect to have to pay on the used market to get there? Thanks in advance!  

 

Current Equipment:

Sonus Faber Sonetto III's

HiFi Rose RS250A

Denafrips Pontus II 12th

Rega P6, Neo PSU w/ Hana low MC

Rega Phono Pre

PrimaLuna Evo 300 Integrated

Kimber Cable Cables, Interconnects, Etc.

jdm11

Sonus Faber needs power if you are using solid state. They are easily driven by tube amps. I am using 70 wpc with my Audio Research Ref 160s (triode mode). They sound fantastic at low volumes and can play without compression or loss of dynamics to crazy loud volumes > 95db. Most are 90db efficient. I have hear Olympica Nova 3 with an Audio Research i50 (50wpc) … sounds fantastic.

@ghdprentice  Since you heard the i50 with the Olympica Nova 3 and liked the result would you think my PrimaLuna Evo 300 would pair well with the Olympica 3? I know you it was the Olympica Nova 3 with the i50 (and I know PrimaLuna isn't Audio Research) but as they are both tube integrateds at similar price points and the speakers are the same line (albeit at different evolutions) would you think the pairing would make sense as there are a lot of similarities, it seems (PrimaLuna Evo300 with Olympica 3)? 

@jdm11 ,

Stillpoints Aperture II panels are on expensive side but you need just a few of them instead of covering most of the walls and ceilings with cheaper and uglier diffusers and absorbers. At the end you are not spending more because you'll need just a few panels.  WAF is a big plus also.

Give a call to Stillpoints for a free consultation - even if you are not going with their product, they will share a wealth of the room acoustic- related information with you: very educational.

 

If your main listening position on the couch is too far back maybe get a side chair and just place it in the sweet spot for critical listening and put it back off to the side for proper WAF.  How about putting some casters on an Eames chair and rolling it when you want to listen??