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Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage?

i would like to know if the sf strads(or anything really) sound good enough to
justify the price. with tad audio, wilson maxx's, avalon
eidelons, rockports, etc. in that price range, imho spending $40k defies rationality, unless you're trying to move enormous am'ts of air in an unusually large room. if i was a loudspeaker manufacturer, throwing everything i know and the best materials available at the project, i feel i could come up with a pair of speakers for under $30k that could do 20-20 with the utmost transparency and musicality, look beautiful, and complement most living rooms with "average" attention paid to acoustics. i trust m. fremer's descriptions of the sf strads (they image like a "3d curtain wrapped behind the baffles??") about as far as i can throw a piano. the sf amatis at $24,000 didn't make enough bass "in his (stupid) room".
THAT review ended with something like "they were to die for". then he sells those and gets wp-7's. however, the rockport antares, uglier than two 600 POUND(!) gorillas, are his "reference" by which everything else must be judged. so much for s.phile's choice of speaker reviewers... so could any MUSIC lovers who actually owns sf strads comment on their sound, and/or why you chose them over something else? should sf have put a 10 in. woofer in the amati's (i think so.)
should m.fremer do something about his freaking room before they hand him another pair of $40k speakers to review? (i think so.)
btw, have a happy and a healthy....
french_fries

Showing 3 responses by howie

howie
230 posts
 
I believe the Stradivari's would be priced at around $26K-30K over in some overseas markets. Considering that everything made here is about double the price overseas. Shipping alone should slap on $1000 each! Then you have customs and taxes, distributor and dealer's cut not to mention exchange rate.

I would love to own the Stradivaris one day in a nicely decorated living room or something and not worry about whether it's worth the money in terms of audiophile sonics. It's so beautiful! Only thing to worry about is the bass might be too much for the untreated room.
howie
230 posts
 
From reading articles about Sonus Faber, I hope they've made a concerted effort to train a new breed of cabinet makers. That kind of cabinet making skill is going to become a lost art very soon.
howie
230 posts
 
The one thing I keep hearing about these speakers is that they sound unbelievably good considering its room and placement. As statement speakers, if they could perhaps be placed in a position where they look the best and still sound as good as it's capable of sounding, then that would be a real plus. Ya they're super expensive, but they will still be available ten years from now and I bet they'll hold their value and be in more demand than other 40K+ speakers available today.

The more I learn about this hobby, the more I disappointed I am in reviewers and their reviews, especially speaker reviews. I really don't like reviewers who are so sure of their observations that they leave no room for error in terms of mismatched electronics and horrible room acoustics. But I never get mad at them. They're all simply personalities to me. But I think we're best to trust our own ears and judgement. I always pay more attention to reviewers who shares my tastes in what constitutes as good sound. You really got to learn each other's biases.
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