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Sonus Faber Cremona vs. Cremona M again, I know

I know this has been debated often before here, but I just wanted to ask yet again since it's been a while since it's come up.
I got a pair of original Auditors for my small 2nd system & like them a lot (their delicacy, vocal texture,and a driverless speak-with-1-voice sound to my ears). I'm really surprised how much I like them because so many speakers disappoint me, even some really high priced ones.

So I'm looking into the Cremona floorstanders for my main system, and wanted some insight in which would be better. I listen to popular music (50's-to-present) with vocals, but like a pure non-rock-concert sound, with controlled bass and non-piercing highs. I like something tame but resolved
and "refined" (I hate to use trite terms, but refined is one I make room for.)
So am I better with the original Cremona or the M?
Thanks.

System: Edge NL12.1 amp, Ray Samuels Tubed B52 preamp (Telefunken 12AU7 tubes, with some ECC802s in there),
EMM CDSA-SE with X-upgrade, Stealth Indra ICs, Cardas Golden Ref. speaker cables, various Shunyata Anaconda power cords, Hydra 8.
rgs92
eujin
33 posts
 
I have the Cremona Auditor M, so take my comments with that personal bias. The M series, to me, balances the things that SF has always done well in terms of tone and texture, but balances those out with a nice dose of neutrality. I think the M version of the Auditor, in particular, provides more focused imaging and is punchier and bigger sounding than the original. I happen to think it also sounds faster. Those traits are also present in the Cremona M, of course. Depending on how large your room is, you might not even need to go for the floorstanding version. My room is pretty large (24 x 16) and I don't really feel like I'm missing anything on the bottom.

You're in a situation where you should probably find a local dealer to work with. You already know you like the original Cremona Auditor sound, so I'd see if you can borrow the Auditor M to do a comparison at home. Or you could take your speakers to the dealer and ask to do a comparison with the current Cremona M. It should at least help to inform your decision.
rugby1
27 posts
 
I had the original Cremona floor standing speakers and they were great.Yes they were different, a little soft and a tad boomy.That said I could listen to them 24 hours a day.I have listened to the M and thought it was missing the musicality of the originals and to much like every other speaker out there.I did change speakers and went to Devore silverbacks ,they have a little bit more detail and bass. The devore speaker is 8 ohm so easy on my shindo amps unlike the cremona. All I can say is that the original is one great speaker for the guy that just wants to relax and enjoy his music.
eujin
33 posts
 
Rugby,

Our tastes may differ, but I think your observations are spot on. I don't know if I would go so far as to say the original Cremona was "boomy" but it certainly had a softer sound than the M. I will say that my Auditor Ms can be made to sound that way by changing something upstream.

The Silverbacks are fantastic speakers and I've heard them with Shindo gear too. If I ever go to an all-tube set-up, Shindo would be right at the top of stuff that I love. The other speaker I seriously considered was the Devore Nines before I settled on the Auditor M. In a different room, with different electronics, who knows? Two paths diverge in the audiophile woods!
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