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Sonus Faber Homage Tradition - New 2017 Line

I went in to audition some Sopra 2's tonight and demo'd them against some of the older Sonus Fabers like Olympica III's and the Cremonese (which just happened to be in the room, way out of my budget).  I much preferred the Sopra 2's to the Olympicas which sounded quite veiled and soft in comparison.  The Cremonese had better, more natural bass than the Sopras and threw a bigger 3D soundstage, but it too had the softer, laid back presentation and recessed/reticent vocals that tend to drive me nuts after a while.  I enjoy a dead flat midrange and it turns out i'm picky about it.  The Sopras were hanging in there with these $40k speakers simply because I preferred their tonal balance and vocal placement.

Then, at the end of the night the dealer said why don't we give the new Sonus Faber Homage Tradition Guarneri standmounts a try?

Oh my sweet mother of god.

GONE are the recessed vocals.  GONE is any hint of syrupy overly-warm sound other than how ridiculously smooth these new speakers are.

What is left was a huge and deep 3D soundstage, with perfect tonal balance.  This was far and away the best midrange and treble performance of the night.  The vocals placed perfectly on the stage, with unbelievable tone, clarity, resolution, and all with an uncanny smoothness.  Zero harshness in the treble with the perfect amount of air. They sounded so natural and open. They also play surprisingly deep, but like almost any standmount you are left wishing for that bottom octave which is covered by the Amati and Serafino.

Enough rambling and forget about any old Sonus Faber stereotypes:  these things are special.
emcdade
mmeysarosh
126 posts
 
You might have to move up to the Serafino. Similar driver compliment to the Sopra 2, with what appears to be lower bass specification that surpasses them.

I had seen the measurements from the big speaker in the line, and it was notably differing from past SF designs, having only a small degree of upper treble rise to offset the loss from driver beaming. It helps keep the in room response more level overall.

Both seem to need an amp that is capable of lower impedance, more so on the Sopra. The Sopra goes below 4 ohm in the mid bass to mid range section. The SF's do so in the treble. Sine there is often loss dynamics in the treble, the Focal's are likely to be a bit more demanding with its curve in the meat of the music.
saxguy71
4 posts
 
Interesting, because I've heard the Cremonese and I find that they actually have an incredible midrange presentation when set up properly - but it takes a good amount of time to dial them in, even by someone who really knows how to do so with them.  Vocals are weighty and most certainly not recessed at all.  In addition, once the speaker is placed, the rake needs to be fine tuned.  Also, because of the position of the infra woofers, the speakers should be tried in both configurations in the room - woofers out towards the corners and again with them facing the area between the speakers.  There is a review that mentions the importance of listening on axis vs off axis with the Cremonese.  Trust me, the midrange is there - you just need to get the balance right by playing with their positioning.

The Amati Tradition is an incredible speaker as well.  It has a slightly different presentation than the Cremonese.  Because the crossover is handling the phase alignment, it is easier to place them.  That being said, I would have no problem owning either the Amati or the Cremonese.  Each of them allows the listener to enjoy the music, not just listen for all the "goodies" like sound staging and imaging.  



contuzzi
413 posts
 
Interesting post, but you are all over the place price wise.  A $15,000 pair of stand mounts vs a $14,000 Sopra 2 floorstander.  It's too bad the dealer didn't have the Diablo Utopias, which would have been a little more fair.  Either way, you got me itching to hear the new Homage Tradition Guarneri (even though I find the name kinda pretentious and don't love the look).  

:)
emcdade OP
95 posts
 
Actually I'm within $1k pricewise, one just plays lower and likely with more output.  I think I've got my heart set on Serafino now, we'll see if the budget can stretch that far.
contuzzi
413 posts
 
My point was, that the matching Sopra bookshelf to the Sonus Faber is only $8,000.  You're comparing a lower end Focal to a higher end Sonus Faber.
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