Sonus Faber Concertino HOME

[Ken McDaniel]

I'm a bottom line up-front guy so I'll open with this: It's sinful that these speakers are going to the surround position in my HT. I have about 26 hours of listening with the new Concertinos in the front position. It's safe to say that if there was any breaking in to be done, it's there; but I'll get back to that a little later.

First, fit and finish. The reason I Sonus Faber first caught my eye (literally) was their apparence. I don't think anyone around these days makes a more attractive product. I'll stand by that statement. Leather and hardwood go with any decore.

Build quality is on par with certain armored vehicles I deal with on a regular basis. Knocking on the speaker (we all do this, admit it) yields a dead yet somewhat musical thump. Sonus Faber's philosophy is that the cabinet itself should resonate much like a fine musical instrument. It's a philosophy I find little fault in.

Out of the box the first thing I noticed was the new binding posts. Solid metal and 8-way; at first look it appears Sonus Faber has transferred the same posts from their Signum speaker. I liked the upgrade. Instantly I hooked them up with a pair of bannana plugs and started running sound through them. I moved through my usually assault of Metallica, Eddie Van Halen, and Monte Montgomery.

I caught the feeling that these were special speakers. I ran the cables back and forth between my Grand Pianos and the new Concertinos. I noticed that the new driver and tweeter design are faster and more precise. Bottom line, this a one great speaker right out of the box. I can say is that they've made some definite improvements in the line. Better bass extension, fantastic imaging, and that famous sweet midrange that never tires your ears.

If you find a good deal on these things then it's a steal. I purchased mine directly from Italy. It's still unclear when Sumiko will begin importing the new Concert line. Rumor has it that until they unload their current inventory, they will not offer the new line.

I like these speakers. They sound great. They performed admirably as mains. It's become painfully apparent that they are too talented for the back of my theater. I may find a way to build a seperate two-channel system around them. Pair them with a quality sub and it would be tough to beat without spending a large amount of cash. The older Concertino went for about $950 retail for the pair. Again rumor has it that the new models will increase about %15 when they become available.

But, we always have our ways around retail don't we........




Ken

[Lexman]

Great review Ken. Sorry it took me so long to get over here. It just seems you can't be all places all the time.

I agree with everything you said about Sonus faber. In fact, the Sf speaker cabinets do approach the quality of a fine musical instrument, and the cabinet resonance makes for a very beautifully sounnding speaker. Fact is, this is true in the entire Sf line. Most everyone that has discovered Sf have discovered that nothing else in the price range usually compares for being as all around a musical speaker. It's true of my Grand Pianos, my Concertos, and my Solo center. One person that heard my theater once said. "You know, I never knew a great center speaker could make so much difference in movie presentation". Later, this person did upgrade centers, though not to Sf. But again, this is the general presentation that all Sonus faber speakers lend themselves to. I too feel that my Concerto sides are so very underutilized. It seems almost a sin to not allow them to sing front and main. :B

Lex

[Lexman]

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[Lex]

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