Sonus Faber Sonetto V’s Thoughts Requested

I literally just shipped my III’s on Monday for a trade up to the V’s. They should be here next week. I bought the III’s unheard and can tell you @ghdprentice nailed it with his “natural house sound” comment. I completely agree! I also agree with @soix as their lack of heft surprised me. I have Revel Be’s in my main system and they’re beasts and solid as a rock. But I too had those same thoughts about Sonetto’s lack of weight. I can tell you I loved the III’s and can’t wait for my V’s. So whilst I can’t speak yet about the V’s with what I heard from the III’s I know I can’t not love the V’s. 
 

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with loving the looks of your gear. I started a thread about this very thing a while back here. I will sometimes just sit and stare at my system and just admire the looks (without anything playing even). And though I love my Revel’s and find them to best the SF’s sound wise , I give the nod in the looks department to Sonetto’s😂. For me looks are a huge factor. I even said in my thread that even if I loved the sound of a particular piece of gear (mostly applies to speakers), if they don’t pass the visual test I won’t buy them. That’s why Revel and SF fit perfectly for me😊!

Best of luck I’ll post my thoughts on the V’s when they arrive…

@soix 

While they do weight only 50 lb. each, Sonus is very clever about their construction. They use the smallest horizontal dimensions possible and break up the wide sides by curving them. While they are not the heavy weights their upper lines are they still perform very well except in the low bass. 

@dbeckwith 

Your amp will drive the Sonetto Vs fine.  However, Speakers like these demand the use of subwoofers. I know you said you do not care about bass, but bass itself is not the problem. It is what it does to the midrange. The crossover point between the woofers and midrange is 235 Hz. The slope is not specified. 256 Hz is middle C and the woofers are still quite audible at least up to 500 Hz which is one octave. Low bass requires small woofers to move long distances, a centimeter is not unusual at modest volumes. This causes Doppler distortion of everything else the woofer carries like the human voice. You are familiar with Doppler Effect. That is when a car passes you honking it's horn the horn changes tone right as it passes you, one tone moving towards you, another moving away. This is exactly what the woofer is doing, moving towards you, then moving away. Bigger woofers do not have to move as far. The form factor is not as modern, but the Klipsch Cornwall is a better speaker in this price range if you do not want to use subwoofers, even if you do not care about bass. 

If you tend to listen at low volumes the Sonetto Vs alone will do fine. If you like to turn it up subwoofers and a two way crossover will reduce distortion and make your amp seem twice as powerful. I do think the Sonettos are an improvement over the Kefs, but I cannot say by how much. 

Question. Do you ever frequent live concerts?

I owned the Sonetto IIs for six-months and loved them. I found them to be impeccable on all levels - including the veneer. I did sell them as my wife redesigned our living room, and the speakers were no longer deemed wife-approved. If it were not for this, I would still have them. I say go for it. I do recommend you buy them lightly used not to take the depreciation hit. Enjoy. 

@dbeckwith It is great to ask others for their impressions, however, it would be best if you can listen to the Sonetto’s as well as many other speakers as you can. Music often appeals to people on an emotional level such that when you hear the ’right’ speaker you will know it is the one for you. I have owned SF bookshelf’s and often listen to the Olympics floor standers at a friends. I have not listened to the Sonettos. Wonderful sound yet I think it depends on they type of music you listen to and your personal preference. These may or may not be the best match and it is hard to know until you listen to them with the type of music you like and compare that listening to other speakers with the type of music you like.  Also consider buying used.  There are some great deals out there that will would put in an entirely different class of speaker.  

Thanks for all of the overnight responses. When I get some time later today I will respond in more detail. Thx again. More are welcome, as well.

DB