Sonus faber
With Sonus faber loudspeakers, it’s all about music and relationships. To become a Sonus faber owner is to bypass the bloodless pursuit of the technical and become immersed in the emotional pleasures of music. Read on to discover Sonus faber – from their attainable range 'Venare' through to their exclusive 30th anniversary 'Extrema'.
To be a Sonus faber reseller is a pleasure and a privilege – for us at Totally Wired, Sonus faber embody all the good qualities of audio which bought us to the business in the first instance. A conscious choice to place quality before quantity. Faultless workmanship combined with originality of thought & design. The disregard for conventional commercial criteria make Sonus faber more than just a brand for us.
Why fight Music? The Sonus faber philosophy
As we see it, Sonus faber are one of the very few loudspeaker designers to work with music rather than against it. Consider this – the characteristics that separate the sound of a cheap violin from that of a treasured heirloom instrument are there for anyone to hear – the tonality, precision, resonance and warmth are readily apparent. The same applies to any musical instrument used in performance – and this is by no means the exclusive province of Classical music – the qualities we associate with voice, drums or electric guitar are all defined by tone and resonance. With any instrument these qualities are direct reflections of the materials and craftsmanship used (with a human voice we may assume a higher source but the same physical principles apply.) So why fight resonance and by implication other musical qualities when designing loudspeakers – for speakers are simply musical instruments we play with a HiFi system. If this makes sense to you, then we are speaking the same language.
But for the technically literate we have to point out that Sonus faber designs can more than compete on a specification level. If you choose to harness music to work for you, rather than devote design resources to eliminating character, then aspects such as phase coherence, frequency response and dispersion become tools with which to produce better sound. Everything happens for a reason and in the physical world you can measure it – you just have to know what to look for and what is actually important!
And much of that judgement comes down to experience and intellect. Sonus faber are a brand able to stand on the performance and quality of their products – no sexist advertising, no numbered ranges designed by accountants, no mass market-a-pair-in-every-home aspirations.
30 years ago Sonus faber was founded by Franco Serblin. His passion is ‘to model wood on waves of music, transforming the speaker into a musical instrument’. Hence the development of these extraordinarily beautiful speakers with sound that is captivating listeners all around the world. Sonus fabers standard of excellence is firmly rooted in old world craftsmanship. They manufacture articles of surpassing beauty employing highly technical processes, but remain dedicated to the understanding that man and his work will always remain the protagonist.
Although a speaker can contain the most sophisticated of electronic components, it’s timbre can only be determined through listening. Their unique philosophy is based on the craftsmanship of musical instruments. With a conviction that a loudspeaker is, in a sense, a musical container like the body of a violin. Traditional hand crafted cabinets are at the heart of the design. Sonus faber put more soul into their smallest speaker than most companies can muster in their entire range. Resolutely handmade in relatively small quantities, by a family (in that special Italian sense), all Sonus faber speakers feature the finest European components nested in a carefully crafted cabinet of selected solid timber with not a veneer in sight.
For Sonus faber there is one very simple principle - the loudspeaker is an instrument to play music. And like any other handcrafted instrument, it follows that the materials used and quality of craftsmanship will have a direct bearing on the sound produced. Sonus faber don’t waste time fighting resonance (and by implication music), they simply employ it to further their pursuit of more enjoyable sound.
So you’ll understand, that the sound of any Sonus faber speaker will reflect this approach. Nothing else has quite the richness, especially when it comes to vocals and stringed instruments. You may well think that this would confine their talents to the realm of classical music - in fact, this richness and generosity of tone works wonders with just about any recording, making the previously mundane suddenly listenable and the well recorded simply sublime.
'Pryma' headphones
If you were to wish for your most desirable headphones who but Sonus faber could rise to the occasion? Recognising that headphones are a very personal procession Sonus faber developed a bespoke design with 'Pryma'. These headphones are handmade in Italy and come in a choice of finish. Made with Italian leather, lightweight aluminium, lustrous copper or stainless steel and using high quality drivers they not only look divine but have a sound described by one reviewer as being akin to the Olympica speakers.
The Amati Futura
The Olympica collection
The Venere collection
The Chameleon collection
The Pryma headphones
Special 30th Anniversary edition of 'Extrema'
The Venere collection
The Chameleon collection
The Pryma headphones
Special 30th Anniversary edition of 'Extrema'
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Sonus faber decided to pay homage to its most "extreme" project, remaining perfectly adherent to the intentions that characterised its creation, but integrating it with the new technological development, electro-acoustic research, design and material use frontiers. Extrema is for performance without compromises and its dynamic lines mirror its character and nature. The art of lute making has always been a source of inspiration for the design of many of Sonus faber most emblematic speakers; it is not by chance that all the precious elements of the Homage collection, from Amati to Guarneri and Stradivari are named after the most famous lute makers in history. The new Extrema pays an important tribute to this antique art. Carbon fibre is used in the chassis and a complex mold with 6 elements creates the speaker frame made to measure, thus the production extremely limited, adding exclusiveness to the character of this loudspeaker that is already a cult object for the most enthusiastic collectors. Only 30 pairs were made,then the mold was broken!. Of course the technological insights gained have found their way into the new Lilim range.
Sonus faber belongs to the Fine Sounds Group, one of the world’s strongest high end audio companies with a penchant for producing only the best. Hence you can be assured that your investment will have on–going support and has a pedigree of avant–garde technology and fine workmanship.
NZ Toll Free
Phone
Cell Phone
Mail
0800 909 101
(+64) 03 4790 444
(+64) 021 963 321
info@totallywired.co.nz
Direct Contact
John Ransley and Carolyn Guytonbeck are the principals behind Totally Wired. It’s our own business and we take pride in building something worthwhile.
If you want to contact us directly per mail:
Related links
- Olympica
- Venere
- Amati futura
- Chameleon
- Pryma headphones
- Sonusfaber.com
- NuPrime
- PrimaLuna
- Pure Audio
- On-line Shop