Post by cooksferry on Nov 6, 2017 8:54:55 GMT 12
My search for new speakers continues and after dismissing thoughts of smaller stand mounts in another thread I do have a chance on couple of Sonus Faner models.
I have never heard a SF speaker and the online reviews dont help with some mixed messages. The speakers in question are a Guarneri Memento (stunning looks ) and the Venere 2.0.
I'd welcome any feedback on these bearing in mind that my amp is rated at around 48W(enough juice ?) and music choices range from a lot of classic 60's rock , folk, blues into some alt country with the odd side trick to a bit of metal.
I appreciate that there are other similar sized speaker available that will do some, or most, things better than the SF models but much of the appeal so far is to the eye and in that race the Italians have it.
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Post by michaelw on Nov 6, 2017 16:04:35 GMT 12
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Post by Owen Y on Nov 6, 2017 18:15:10 GMT 12
I have listened to the SF Guarneri Homage (the original of the Memento) many yrs ago. However, it was a long time ago, in a difficult room & the impression was apparently not that indelible  I do recall that they were more tonally even & notably sweeter, less bright than older style SFs I'd heard & I think they reward the careful listener with their lovely tone, timbre & soundstaging. (The amplifier used was a Classé SS.) Note that... - bass is not deep (the older small SFs were often paired with biggish tube amps to inject some LF fullness & power to combat lspkr lowish sensitivity). - sensitivity is still not high (86.5dB/W?), so a small/med room could be best (but spacious enough to allow some placement adjustment) - 48wpc should give adequate fairly loud av SPLs & dynamics in a small-med sized room and/or low-med loudness listening. Your Melody 4 ohm output tapping may come in handy, with the Memento's 6 ohm low impedance. - The Mementos may be improved. Again, auditioning at home is the only way to know.
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Pundit
Post by Gryffles on Nov 6, 2017 18:59:47 GMT 12
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 6, 2017 19:03:52 GMT 12
Hi, yes did see them and I know it's shallow but I do prefer wood finish cabinets.
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 6, 2017 19:08:05 GMT 12
Yes, did see them Michael and actually managed to find a review. The 83db sensitivity might not work too well with my amp. Even more than the usual stand mount they look like an acoustic speaker, def not Led Zep material.
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 7, 2017 6:13:58 GMT 12
Did you feel that they imposed too much of their own character on the sound Michael.
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 7, 2017 6:28:21 GMT 12
I have listened to the SF Guarneri Homage (the original of the Memento) many yrs ago. However, it was a long time ago, in a difficult room & the impression was apparently not that indelible I do recall that they were more tonally even & notably sweeter, less bright than older style SFs I'd heard & I think they reward the careful listener with their lovely tone, timbre & soundstaging. (The amplifier used was a Classé SS.) Note that... - bass is not deep (the older small SFs were often paired with biggish tube amps to inject some LF fullness & power to combat lspkr lowish sensitivity). - sensitivity is still not high (86.5dB/W?), so a small/med room could be best (but spacious enough to allow some placement adjustment) - 48wpc should give adequate fairly loud av SPLs & dynamics in a small-med sized room and/or low-med loudness listening. Your Melody 4 ohm output tapping may come in handy, with the Memento's 6 ohm low impedance. - The Mementos may be improved. Again, auditioning at home is the only way to know. The problem with the Memento is a 16 hour round trip to have a listen. Getting a couple of positive owner reviews of the Venere 2.0 on another forum and they'd probably work out around $3000 less than the Memento although not that beaut hand crafted in Italy finish. In the end it may come down to a toss up between the Venere and the Tannoy XT6f which is still on my radar. If I went with the SF a sub could always be added later as the Melody has a dedicated line out for one. This speaker hunt has caused me to take stock of the music room and a more drastic revamp may be in order which would involve getting a sparky to fit a new wall plug. Unfortunately the cable on my AV protection unit wont stretch far enough to a new location.
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Post by colinf on Nov 7, 2017 23:00:10 GMT 12
I've heard quite a few SFs over the years and owned a pair of Guarneri Homages in the mid 2000s. What I loved about them, apart from their tasteful looks and satisfying cabinet finish, was that unique underhung voice coil on the woofer. It resulted in fast transient response and lower distortion than normal voice coil arrangements. It was wonderfully open in the midrange and the top end was liquid and crisp. However IMO most SFs including the Homages had a slightly disjointed sound. You could hear that the tone from the woofer was different to that from the tweeter. The later SFs improved slightly. I heard the Mementos briefly but couldn't really tell what they were like as they were in a system I didn't know. My current speaker is the Focal Electra 1008be. I decided I can't live without the brilliant beryllium tweeter. It's so clear and cymbals shimmer, quite difficult to get in any speaker. The next step up I'm considering is the Focal Diablo Utopia which has better-controlled bass and is a tad faster in the midrange. It's also a sensitive speaker at 89db/w which would work well with your 48w. Another to think about might be the Usher Be-718.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 8, 2017 6:22:52 GMT 12
I've heard quite a few SFs over the years and owned a pair of Guarneri Homages in the mid 2000s. What I loved about them, apart from their tasteful looks and satisfying cabinet finish, was that unique underhung voice coil on the woofer. It resulted in fast transient response and lower distortion than normal voice coil arrangements. It was wonderfully open in the midrange and the top end was liquid and crisp. However IMO most SFs including the Homages had a slightly disjointed sound. You could hear that the tone from the woofer was different to that from the tweeter. The later SFs improved slightly. I heard the Mementos briefly but couldn't really tell what they were like as they were in a system I didn't know. My current speaker is the Focal Electra 1008be. I decided I can't live without the brilliant beryllium tweeter. It's so clear and cymbals shimmer, quite difficult to get in any speaker. The next step up I'm considering is the Focal Diablo Utopia which has better-controlled bass and is a tad faster in the midrange. It's also a sensitive speaker at 89db/w which would work well with your 48w. Another to think about might be the Usher Be-718. Thanks for that Colin. Still tossing and turning between three possible purchases. I feel I've moved on from wanting pin point accuracy to some thing that just pleases the ear and if it's a bit coloured so be it. I've spent (too) much time on YouTube trying to get a feel for some of the targets but that's a search in vain due to so many factors influencing what I finally hear ,and why the hell do these people play such safe, anemic music to demo their speakers.
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Post by michaelw on Nov 8, 2017 16:12:05 GMT 12
the electa amator 2 i heard were not pin point accurate and were pleasing,
but not very detailed, somewhat dark sounding and had after a while had a homogenizing quality.
grand piano floorstanders was just blah, totally forgettable.
best sonus faber i've heard were the old extremas.
they looked like darth vader's helmet and were almost as insensitive as the stax f81 but were transparent and detailed, with good soundstaging and neutrality.
very listenable.
like a wilson watt that worked !
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Pundit
Post by tonyd on Nov 8, 2017 17:04:31 GMT 12
Guarneri definitely (IMHO of course).
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Post by foveaux on Nov 8, 2017 17:18:47 GMT 12
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
850 posts
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 9, 2017 3:46:31 GMT 12
Pity the importer doesn't list anything on their site. I can't understand why you'd bother with an online presence and not layout your products instead of just providing links to manufacturers literature.There are a few NZ audio retailers who do this and don't get to be a starter for me. I doubt that keeps them awake at night however.
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 9, 2017 11:02:29 GMT 12
After all my ducking and diving from one possible speaker to another I've miraculously managed to make a decision and decided to go with the Tannoy XT series. With the range of music I listen too I feel that those speakers will offer a better result over all and present a more friendly load to the amp.
Originally the choice was the XT6F but just maybe the 8 might get the nod. Further discussions with Terry@Audio Reference needed but next shipment not due till early December I'm informed. Also adding some Tellurium Q cables at the same time.
Thanks to all those who replied, as I've said before, it's very helpful for me to be able to throw my thoughts out there and get some reaction and much better than driving my wife up the wall.
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Post by michaelw on Nov 9, 2017 13:15:21 GMT 12
they look good and should be more versatile than the previously mentioned speakers.
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Post by Owen Y on Nov 9, 2017 14:25:25 GMT 12
You're welcome, always satisfying assisting with hifi acquisitions
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Post by deano1974 on Nov 9, 2017 20:48:09 GMT 12
Always welcome brother, and I hope the Tannoys bring you all the happiness you seek
Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI
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