Sonus fabre Venere s

Stay away from the Venere line.  The cabinets are very light and cheap and limit the performance of the design.  There are tons of other great options out there.  What’s your price range?

@georgehifi — I think you’re confusing the Venere line with SF’s “normal” speakers.  The Venere sound is much more bright and forward than the rest of the SF line — it was made to fit a lower price point and attract a different type of customer.  They bear no resemblance to the traditional SF sound.  I know — I had the Venere 2.5 in my system on an extended audition. 

You want a real speaker? There is a pair of Usher Audio CP- 8571 II Dancers available here now for $2700 (list $7500). They’re gorgeous and their sound will literally astound you. They’re a steal at this price.  You can read a review of them at Absolute Sound if you’re interested. 

You are wrong, the Venere 3 Signature being the top of the Venere line is made in Italy and has a very beautiful and heavy cabinet.

No, you are wrong. They’re not made in Italy, and their cabinets are still crap. Here’s a quote from Soundstage Access in their review of the Venere S:

“The S’s dimensions of 48.2”H x 15.2”W x 18.6”D make it a substantial proposition. Yet its 63.5-pound weight belies its size -- looking at it, I thought it weighed 10 or 20 pounds more. Sure enough, when I rapped my knuckles on a side panel, it responded with a hollow resonance -- the Venere S doesn’t have the most inert cabinet you can buy for $5000.”

Like I said, there are plenty of other excellent options in this price range that don’t have crap cabinets.

My bad.  You are correct.  They are made in Italy.  Color me surprised.