Please save me from an expensive mistake! Sonus Faber Amati Futura longevity concerns...
Hello everybody! I would really appreciate your informed advice before committing to an expensive purchase. I'm strongly considering a pair of the speakers I've enjoyed the most among all I've heard, Sonus Faber Amati Futura. Now, these are my dream speakers and I'll get the chance to test them at length before buying, but even at used prices they are a very serious stretch to my finances.
I'm not concerned about sound, I'll figure that part myself, but I do worry about any future maintenance issues because they are 10 - 15 years old and I need them to last. I don't know if, or when, will I be able to buy something at this level again, so I need to keep them in good order for the next 20+ years. Down the road, this might require replacing the ferrofluid in the tweeters, replacing the rubber surround of the midrange drivers (the 4 woofers have just been replaced with new ones by the dealer, not sure why, but they should not be a problem I guess) or replacing some aged crossover components, for example.
Is any of you aware of any reason why the above mentioned maintenance operations might not be possible for this particular model? For example if the crossovers are resin potted or for any other reasons? I'm "getting married" here folks, if there is any reason why I should not do it please speak now or be silent forever! :)
Seriously now, I'm worried sick... Please advise!
Thank you!
Maybe approach it this way: 25+ years ago I purchased Infinity Renaissances 90 speakers. Then I went to Harmon and bought the last 2ea EMIT tweeters they had just in case. I still have them unused. 12 years ago I bought a spare set of the speakers cheap as spares. Never needed them so sold them 5 years ago. I still have the original speakers and they sound tremendous. Point being, maybe see if you can procure some spare parts and stash them away just in case. -John |
What's buy back, consignment?
That's probably the most expensive replacement out of the way. As for the other parts, I think you're over-thinking it. You could buy the replacement mid-range, tweeter, crossover now and keep them in storage. The crossover would likely last longer than you would care. If you're that concerned, ask the dealer if they could work out a price for it.
I believe the D.A.D. tweeter started with that generation. That's something I'd consider at loud volume. |
@mgrif104 It stabilizes dome vibration to minimize distortion at high volume, which also helps to extend frequency response. |
I am not qualified in any exceptional way to answer, but I feel that your worries may haunt you even if nothing happens. I would be wondering why they replaced the woofers and what kind of life they had before going back to the dealer. On the other hand, you may not be like me at all. I once had a Porsche Boxster and because it had a chance of total engine failure, and if it did fail, I would have to pay for it because there’s no dealer coverage or anything, I ended up selling it because all I did is worry if it might fail. I read too much maybe but I just felt like on a teacher salary I could not afford such a thing. Maybe your instincts are right and you should keep looking and see if you can find some sort of giant killer that would work for you. But, if you are definitely in love with this and know that it’s the best thing for you then maybe you should go for it. But do you listen to your inner voice especially if it will not shut up after you buy them. I would hate for it to take your listening experiences because you have to be concerned about the future. And then these days getting any help at all from dealers or manufacturer, seems to be difficult. But again that’s just my two cents and they may not be worth even 2 cents. I appreciate these real world types of posts, because these are concerns that I think many of us struggle with. Good luck! I hope you get Audio bliss in whatever direction you go! |
