Review: Sonus Faber GUARNERI EVOLUTION Monitor


Category: Speakers

I imagine today is the great day for me compromises on my first impressions of high end speakers by Sonus Faber the Guarneri Evolution. First notices, packing: 3 boxes of nearly 100 pounds each one. Packing is of a quality except standard. Thank's to the wooden crate for the heads. Disappointing, the instruction manual which is miserly details on the assembly of the mounting with the heads. The brochure included is pure piece of art. The reward appearances of the evolution high beyond reality. Sonority now it should be mentioned that the h.p. are greedy because my amplifiers become hotter than with my previous Egglestonwork ANDRA 3. The whole of the system being as follows: amplifiers LAMM M 2.2. (hybrid design of 220 wpc) preamplifier LAMM L2 reference, transport CEC TL0X been next to with an audionumerical converter FORMERLY JS1 MK3. Wiring is ensured by cables: PURIST AUDIO DESIGN out of Bi wiring for high the speakers. Power cord by TARA LABS (the one) supply the power amplifiers. Sonority is very soft like envisaged. In the sound there are much air, staging,finesse and delicacy. The timbral respect is with return. The produced effect is very holographic and allows an excellent legibility of the musical passages. You can really feel the area where the event of the recording took place. The tweeter is very discrete although it goes up at a frequency of 30,000 hertz. The low frequencies are not remain and fill up an overflow room well about it of average size to large, mine being of 23 feet by 23 feet with a ceiling of 8 feet. There is much of depth in the sound and dynamics is very present although discrete. That to say of other, more at ease with certain types of music yes it is true. The speakers take advantage reproducing natural instruments, voices and small scale music but could be also very confortable with complicated classical passages. An approach which emphasizes the average frequencies and the low average frequencies, where all the action proceeds. Per example voices are really "chesty" with meat on the bone. The voices not need to mention it are soft, present and magic, the staging of the musical instruments is incredible a little as if the rate/rhythm were with the idle. The speakers now enable me to appreciate the presence of the 15 tubes in my system. Preferably, the Evolution appreciates wattage of quality for good to be expressed. Tubes or transistors it is your taste, I prefer the hybrid design of the LAMM. They offer in a part of listening room of decent average size a very full sound did not fear. Better than my old ANDRA 3 can be ?, difference it is certain and surely less analytical and less ahead. To summarize the Evolution its better more than one high end speaker they are genuine musical instruments to the service of the demanding music lover. The sound is high, broad with much spatiality, the sound is really floating with a lot of decay. The depth in sound is also very realistic. Pushed with high volume they are effortless with nice control. They disappear literally from the living room and become like phantoms. I do not test the need to add sub woofer if that can answer the question of several among you. Is what the Evolutions will be my last enclosures? For the moment they have a serious subscription with me. With Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolution you do not listen to a sound reproduction you belonged to event. You will excuse the quality of the text my language first being French. Yes, I forgot my H.P. are of red color violin. Don't forget there is surely "MAGIC" going out of these "small monitors". Une main de fer dans un gant de velours... I am sorry now i have to return back listening to the "Cowboy Junkies", "the Trinity session"!!!

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Beautiful system. My friend has them and his REL Gibraltar does integrate quite well adding bottom to the amazing sound stage.
Austinbob, I am thinking about adding a REL to my setup as well. Of course each room is different but I would be very interested to know at what cross over point did he use and any other integration settings he used. Thank you very much!
Great review. Until you try a sub, I don't think you will know if you are 'missing something'. Hopefully the dealer that sold you the speakers will accommodate with a trial of subs, maybe two. Who was your dealer?
The dealer is a very well kept secret, because of the discount....Before, with my previous set up, i had very bad reliability and integration problems with some REL B-2 SUB's; to answer your two questions. No more sub needed for now sorry !!!!!
Great review, thanks!

Can you give some informations about the Guarneri Evo and power amp combo. How much does the speakers demand from the amp. Can a good tube amp (50w) handle the speakers or is that not powerfull enough?

Pierre
Not to late to answer. My actual power amps are a pair of LAMM M 2.2 rated at 220 WPC. Stereophile report them to be real 300 WPC and 41 WPC in pure class "A". I think on my system they only goes in pure class "A". I guess a pair of NAGRA tube at 50 WPC may do the job. Also the LAMM M 1.2 at 110 WPC of pure class "A" will be a nice match too. No need of sub's even if i lack the real bottom octaves the sound for me seem to be very full.

J'ai vu dans votre article que votre langue était le français. Je suis québécois de Montréal. Possédez vous toujours vos Guarneri Evolution? Il y une paire à vendre dans ma région. Voici mon système: JEFF ROWLAND AMPLI 925+PRÉAMPLI CORUS+PSU+DA C AERIS+ CONVERTISSEUR USB À SPDIF (on dit que l'aeris joue mieux en spdif)+SERVEUR INNUOS S. Je me demande si mon système pourrait bien joué avec les Guarnéri, ¸puisque je n'ai rien à lampe.
Merci.
n.b. mes enceintes actuelles sont des électros statiques DAYTON WRIGHT complètement reconstruites.