Totem Forest vs. Sonus Faber Home or Domus Lines

this one is tuff. they are 'all' well made and well designed (even your snells)and all all good allrounders. the forests get the nod. along with the castle harlech, they are my favorite 'current production' floorstander. a real hi-end speaker and a good buy to boot.

If your ceiling isn't too high, I would look into some used Cremona Auditors (around 3k). Try to audition these - they are awesome in the right room. I would also consider a used pair of PMC OB1s (under 3K). Quite different sounds, but both excellent speakers.

Thanks Jaybo and Newmanoc.

Newmanoc, I have not heard the Cremona Auditor's but I know they have a great reputation. I was a little concerned about the price, though. The Domus Concerto's are $3,450, and I thought that the Cremona Auditor's were way above that due to the cabinetry, etc. Do you own Auditor's? Where did you get that price?

Thanks

Auditors are $3995.00 and their dedicated stands (which Sonus Faber claims are essential) are $800.00. The Auditors are quite revealing and open with lots of detail, maybe a bit too much for my tastes. They sounded (with Linn electronics which may have been part of the problem) a little lean and overly revealing, a bit mechanical. The Concertino Domus sounded superb with the same Linn stuff and I actually liked it better than the Auditors at the store. I've been meaning to borrow the Concertinos for a home audition but the store makes that a bit difficult. Have to take them late Saturday afternoon and have them back 11am Monday.

I just purchased the SF Auditors along with the Ayre cx7e cd player & JRDG Concerto int. amp. I agree the speakers are VERY revealing of all the details. You have to really like the electronics and recordings to enjoy this speaker as any and all flaws will be exposed. Room placement will make or break the sound. I have owned Linn in the past (Ikemi, Kairn, Klouts - aktiv) and believe the lesser expensive stuff to be dissapointing. Have not heard the Concertino Domus, perhaps I should.

Sonus Faber speakers are great at lush, wide sounds, which is why many people who love classical music are attracted to them. I love them for dreamy, spacey rock/pop/electronic for the sheer ambient environment they're capable of portraying. After hearing the $40,000 Stradivari a few months ago I even gave serious thought to buying them (and risking a divorce) until...

I found that they really don't rock, which I haven't heard anywhere in the SF line. Put in some faster music (I used the Clash's London Calling in the demo) and it just didn't have the drive that my mid-range Totems have at home. I've never heard the Clash sound so warm and inviting :)

They're wonderful speakers, but I'd only recommend them to people who listen to Jazz and (especially) classical. They excel like no others in that respect.

I'd say go for some Hawks or Forests and enjoy a wider range of music for less money.

My price quote for Cremona Auditors was the price they can be had used -with stands - from reputable people on Audiogon (through careful, patient shopping). I do admit that speakers are the one thing I find a particular pain to deal with on the used market due to size, weight, and fear of damage with shipping. Still, it is how I picked up my current speakers (JM Labs Electra 926s). If you are willing to buy used, your speaker options open up incredibly as it essentially doubles your price range.

Newmanoc, how do you like your JM Labs? They are the other speakers I had thought about. I've listed to the 907BE. Your feedback would be appreciated about the 907 and any other models you previewed.

Thanks.

Coviellop01:
You asked a complicated question for me. I absolutely loved my Electra 926's for a long time after I bought them. My wife did too, which was very important at that critical point of my audio adventure. I still like them a lot overall and consider them a must to audition in their price range. But, I would offer a couple of caveats that may or may not be relevant to you.

First, they are a bit light on bass in big rooms/ open spaces. My room is not too much bigger than yours (24 x 18), but I have a ceiling that is around 16 feet at its highest, and the bass is definitely a tad on weak side. I have yet to try a Rel sub with them, though plan to in the near future to see what that does for the problem. It may end up making a huge difference.

But a larger issue for me now is that these speakers have a distinct personality and sound. In that respect they are very much like the Sonus Faber line, such as the Cremonas. They do some things exceptionally well, even magically (vocals, jazz)but others less well (rock), though not necessarily poorly. But I have begun to notice that they are influencing the music I listen to, pushing me towards what they do well. That is not a good thing in my judgment.

But this complaint is really just a reflection of my changing tastes and preferences as I develop a sense of what I personally want out of audio. I have no guarantee that if I switch to another speaker that I wont end up coming back to the Electra 926. They really are special in many respects.

Regarding the 907BE I actually did NOT like these very much at all. I found them too bright, at least when paired with the equipment they were demo’d with.. The 926s are a completely different speaker to my ear, and greatly superior. New, they are out of your price range, but used they can be had for around 2K or so. In fact if you live anywhere near Michigan, I might have a pair for sale sometime in the future. : )