Cremona M worth it?

Well, I've been living and breathing with this speaker for a couple of days now, which is not very long, I know, but bear in mind that I've extensively heard this speaker in four different locations already and that first impressions with audio in my case usually stick and stand.
In my view the Cremona M is a very nice speaker, beautifully made and even so to look at. It has great detail and seperation, which according to me are it's best trades. However... I must admit it's not my kind of speaker. It's just too laid-back, too subdued, too reserved, esp. with vocals. I always feel just outside the room instead of inside the concert hall. I've once read in an interview with SF that they reduce the frequency output of the the mid range to avoid listening fatigue and this may very well be the reason for my lack of involvement. There's just always this veil between me and the music, sadly. Furthermore I think it's a bit slow and lacks a bit of dynamics.
Before the Cremona M's I've had the Living Voice IBX/R2 in my home for two weeks and this speaker outperformes the Cremona in all areas, except detail and seperation. It had better and tighter bass, better imaging, more dynamics and much much more involvement. It's more up front, it makes me feel not only inside the concert hall, but on one of the front rows! I must admit I kinda loved the Living Voice apart from their cheap appearance. If you place them next to the Cremona's and had to guess their price range just by their looks, you would say they're 5 times cheaper than the Italian beauty's... Still, it's all about the music and no way the Sonus Faber wins it in that regard.

In short, the Cremona is a nice speaker if you love laid back sound that always stays a little in the background, particularly vocals. If that's not your thing, then don't buy them. I've heard these lady's with Krell, Mystere, Audia Flight, Electrocompaniet, Perreaux, Naim, tube and solid state... The results stayed more or less the same. Hope this helps.

Sonus Fabers are nice speakers which give a warm and colored sound. Most folks who like this laidback, warm, liquid and glowing sound will adore the speakers. I have owned Grand Pianos and have experience with the Cremona line and Extrema. In short, I agree with Huslkof's assessment. Although I have not listened to the Cremona M or the new Domus line of speakers, I have read that the speakers still retain the colored character of the old line of Sonus Faber speakers. I believe the only neutral speaker in the Sonus Faber line that has extremely low coloration is the Guarneri Homage.

In other words, establish what sort of sound you are looking for, whether you would like to settle for the warm, nice and laidback sound of the Sonus Fabers or a less-colored/neutral speaker with the correct tonality which will exhibit a more natural sound. No matter what amps that are used to match the speakers in "skewing" the tonality to the desired configuration, the house sound would be more or less retained with the inherent characteristics of the speaker itself.

The impressive build quality in the lute-shape form and a combination of solid and laminated maple wood used for the cabinet construction does provide a classy appearance and fashion statement to the speakers. The Cremona M may be the ticket for those seeking for a pair of nice-sounding and equally beautiful speakers with fine Italian craftmanship.

Take it from me that the M's are a lot less colored and warm than the old model was. They are still on the warm(ish) side, but nowhere near as before. It's the laidback character that I have trouble with. I just like a more up front speaker I guess.

I second Ryder and Hulskof - good description of the Sonus Faber sound.

Thanks Hulskof for your very useful viewpoints. What you have said is also my worries, I am not sure paying so much more for the change over is justified as there are still things the Thiels can do better. I am thinking of using the money to buy an older or smaller model like the Auditors and use as a 2nd speaker would gain more than a direct replacement.