I'm a Chario Ursa Major owner myself, following some extensive comparisons to similarly priced offerings from SF (Cremona) and Opera (Grand Callas); all three are beautifully built and finished, share many common traits sound wise but it was the slightly better bass speed and extension of the Charios that proved the clincher for me. That being said, I have lately been very impressed by offerings from even lesser known Italian brands such as Eventus (the Metis is a sublime speaker) and Rosso Fiorentino.
Italian speakers:Sonus Faber,Chario,Diapason,Opera
I want to hear from those of you who have owned different Italian speakers from Sonus Faber, Diapason, Chario, or Opera. Which one is your favorite and why? We all know that Sonus Faber is by far the most popular in the US, but has anyone had a pair of one of the other 3 and liked them better? I have owned Sonus Faber Extrema, Guarneri Homage, EAI, and Diapason Adamantes III in the past. My favorite was the SF Extrema, but the Diapason Admantes were IMHO the best looking of the bunch. I don't want to hear from SF lovers who have never heard one of the other 3 speakers. I know SF well enough, just want to see if any others like one of the other Italian speakers better.