Sonus Faber Venere S and room size

[LDTM]

Hello everyone. So after more years I care to admit, my doctorate is complete and as a reward I'm thinking seriously about upgrading my Monitor Audio GS20s for something rather special. Considering a few different options:

Dali Epicon 6 - auditioned: really impressed

Brodmann F2 - auditioned: also really impressed, just a bit worried they might be a bit on the small side.

Sonus Faber Venere S - trying to find a pair to audition.

Having read the review from the good folks at What HiFi I note they caution room size and I'm wondering if my listening room would constitute a big enough room to accomodate them. The room is about 26 sqm, carpeted, thick drapes, moderate level of acoustic treatment, sparsely furnished (really just the kit, chair, chaise longue, and CD rack). Currently the speakers are about 80cm from side and rear walls. Listening chair more or less in the centre of the room.

Thank you all for your consideration and input.

(Dr) LDTM *biggrin*

 

[insider9]

First of all congrats!

Secondly, what are the rooms dimensions? Where are the speakers placed?

I've heard the Epicons (6 or 8) in a room similar size or possibly smaller. Sound was magnificent.

 

[LDTM]

Thank you, sir

The room is 'L' shaped: the main part being about 5.3m by 3.4m. The 'return' part is roughly 3.1m by 1.8m. Speakers are positioned in the centre of the main area firing down the long wall. Speakers are about 1.5m apart and 2.4m from the listening position.

Much obliged.

LDTM

 

[Vladimir]

Thank you, sir

The room is 'L' shaped: the main part being about 5.3m by 3.4m. The 'return' part is roughly 3.1m by 1.8m. Speakers are positioned in the centre of the main area firing down the long wall. Speakers are about 1.5m apart and 2.4m from the listening position.

Much obliged.

LDTM

I have similar size L shape room and similar size tower speakers and they dominate in presence and can overload the room with bass easily. Listening multidriver tower floorstanders at <2m distance is less than ideal.

Give the Amphion Two15 an audition as well, if you can. When studio pros want to fluff up their ego and treat themselves, they buy these.

 

[LDTM]

I heard a pair of Amphion 7s at a show a year back and really liked them. I hadn't heard of the studio range until you mentioned it, could be an interesting wild card to look at. Have to admit though, the Sonus Fabers are exceptionally pretty to my eyes. Lol

 

[Al ears]

I heard a pair of Amphion 7s at a show a year back and really liked them. I hadn't heard of the studio range until you mentioned it, could be an interesting wild card to look at. Have to admit though, the Sonus Fabers are exceptionally pretty to my eyes. Lol

Personally, and it is only my opinion, but I think those Sonus Fabers would be just fine in that room.

And congratulations on obtaining your doctorate.

And note the positioning in this review (room size not specified but it's possible to guess)

http://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/728-sonus-faber-venere-s-loudspeakers

 

[Vladimir]

I heard a pair of Amphion 7s at a show a year back and really liked them. I hadn't heard of the studio range until you mentioned it, could be an interesting wild card to look at. Have to admit though, the Sonus Fabers are exceptionally pretty to my eyes. Lol

Not pretty, but absolutely gorgeous. No doubt.

 

[CnoEvil]

I am totally unfamiliar with your amp and how it can drive difficult loads....but I would add

- Kef Reference Range (Ref 1s have plenty of scale)

- Sonus Faber Olymica Range

- Spendor ST

 

[Al ears]

I am totally unfamiliar with your amp and how it can drive difficult loads....but I would add

- Kef Reference Range (Ref 1s have plenty of scale)

- Sonus Faber Olymica Range

- Spendor ST

The Sonus Faber Venere S is a difficult load?

 

[CnoEvil]

I am totally unfamiliar with your amp and how it can drive difficult loads....but I would add

- Kef Reference Range (Ref 1s have plenty of scale)

- Sonus Faber Olymica Range

- Spendor ST

The Sonus Faber Venere S is a difficult load?

I was really referring to some of the speakers I was listing.....eg The Refs do need an amp that can handle them....and I suspect the Olympicas do also.

 

[seemorebtts]

You said you wanted something rather special and the sonus Faber are just that. I listened to the Venere and fell in love with that sweet top end. Magical

 

[Al ears]

I am totally unfamiliar with your amp and how it can drive difficult loads....but I would add

- Kef Reference Range (Ref 1s have plenty of scale)

- Sonus Faber Olymica Range

- Spendor ST

The Sonus Faber Venere S is a difficult load?

I was really referring to some of the speakers I was listing.....eg The Refs do need an amp that can handle them....and I suspect the Olympicas do also.

Apologies, thought you were talking about the OPs choice.

 

[LDTM]

Although Cnoevil was referring to his own recommendations, just as a matter of conversation the Onkyo amp is quite a machine (in relative terms of course): 80W into 8 ohms, 150 into 4 ohms. Very big box with very big VU metres; keeps me entertained. *biggrin*

I'm toying with the idea of taking off to Tokyo for a weekend and see if I can have a look, in which case I'll also see if I can audition the other speakers you've all kindly recommended. But still, those Sonus Fabers...so pretty... (is there an emoji that depicts a love-struck big-eyed simpleton?)

 

[Vladimir]

TBH I'd get those Venere S'.

The heart wants what it wants.

 

[nopiano]

I had my Sf Concerto Grand Piano speakers for twenty years, and they are still wonderful. The Venere S is pretty large, but there are always the 3.0 and 2.5 if they sound too large in your room. They're all available in the wood finish you've probably seen the S pictured in. I don't know where you are based, but all U.K. dealers would demo them in your home, and you shouldn't settle for anything less, whatever country you are in! Allegedly they need careful setting up re the downward port, so make sure the dealer is game.

 

[LDTM]

So I bumbled in to a local dealer who had a pair of Venere 3.0 ages back, on the off chance they might have the S version. No luck so asked them offhand what could be done should I want to audition them; they offered to call the distributor and arrange to have a pair loaned out. Scheduled to have a look next Thursday - looking forward to it!

 

[nopiano]

So I bumbled in to a local dealer who had a pair of Venere 3.0 ages back, on the off chance they might have the S version. No luck so asked them offhand what could be done should I want to audition them; they offered to call the distributor and arrange to have a pair loaned out. Scheduled to have a look next Thursday - looking forward to it!

Nice! Do keep us posted...

 

[Infiniteloop]

You said you wanted something rather special and the sonus Faber are just that. I listened to the Venere and fell in love with that sweet top end. Magical

I've said this before, but it's worth repeating:

I've never heard a Sonus Faber I didn't like.

 

[LDTM]

So the good people at Antiphon hooked up the Venere S in their demonstration room.

CD = Wadia two-box set up

Pre/power amp = phasemation (can't remember the name but it was a monster amp)

Room size = Give or take 20sqm (12-jyo). Front and rear walls covered in diffusers, no absorbers (surprisingly). Room was fairly lively, hard surfaces all round - even the seats were metal/leather.

Music:

Loreena McKennit - An Ancient Muse (folk)

Joe Satriani - (self-titled) (rock guitar)

Rachmanioff Piano concerto #2, Lang lang

Orden Ogan - (self-titled) (power metal)

Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful (symphonic metal)

Days of the New - (Green album) (acoustic alternative)

Blues Brothers soundtrack

Tape Five - Circus Maximus (Electroswing)

Pat Metheny - Speaking of Now (Jazz)

Appearance:

Like many others have said, these speakers are so much prettier in person than in magazines. I knew they would be large and was not surprised in that respect but they are graceful. Fit and finish was excellent, all the lines joined up beautifully and the edging on the plinth and drivers is very pleasing.

Sound:

I've spent the better part of 8 years with my GS20s and if I recall Whathifi's review correctly, they are said to dig up enormous amounts of detail from a track. In the same breath, the Sonus Fabers have been said to not be as analytical as price-matched competitors (GS20s are about half the price) so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Nevertheless, listening to tracks I had heard many, many times (the Days of the New album goes back to my high school years in the 90s) there were textures and nuances in the music that I had never noticed before. The strings on the opening of Alpenglow (Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful) had such a depth to the soundstage I acutally caught myself cursing under my breath.

Standmounts are often argued to have extraordinary imaging and I'm certainly not going to argue otherwise. Still, the image produced by the Venere was by far the most convincing I've heard in a very long time. Echoing the words of others, voices and acoustic instruments sound so natural its hard to imagine they are coming out of a transducer.

The metal-head in me looks at that battery of 7-inch woofers with good dose of manic glee but there is tight control over the bass and it is wonderful. There's a satisfying 'thwack' to kick drums that lets you know all those diaphragms are flexing their muscles but without grabbing your shirt collar and punching you upside the head. Rather than overbearing - even in a 20sqm room - the bass is tight and clean. Tape Five's 'Circus Maximus' has quite a difficult bass line and it can be difficult to hear each different note in some applications. The Veneres track each bar with agility and poise.

If ever there were a textbook example of the merits of a dedicated mid-range driver, the Venere S would be a good reference point. Such clarity, such depth. The guitarist from Nightwish has a particularly chunky crunch to his sound that has - until now - never been rendered in quite so much detail; there's a rasping, grinding sound that these speakers convey wonderfully.

The treble is also very sweet. At higher volumes on the heavier songs it did become a touch harsh but we were playing it very loud, and as noted above, the room was very lively.

Overall, I would say that the Venere S are beautiful to look at and beautiful to listen to. I'm very tempted to buy a pair - even over Dali's Epicon 6.

 

[CnoEvil]

The only caveat I would mention, is the very high quality of the partnering equipment in the demo, which will have a huge impact on how the SFs will sound.....so all I would say, is that's it's vital to hear them on the end of your own kit (which isn't half bad, but not at the the level you heard at the dealer).

 

[nopiano]

Super write up, and what I'd have hoped too. Reminds me very much of my experience with my Grand Piano models in 1998, somewhat of a revelation. 100% agree with Cno however, as Sf invariably partnered with excellent sources (hence my purchase of Krell amp and CD player at the time).

I didn't hear the S in my recent change of speakers, just the rather more modest 2.5, which was similar to my old ones. I don't suppose you have ever heard ATC, have you? They aren't so beautiful to look at but are very accurate and musical performers.

 

[Vladimir]

You could have just said "love at first sight*". *man_in_love*

*and listen

 

[LDTM]

I wrote 400+ pages about multiplayer multi-issue negotiation modelling vis-a-vis postal privatisation; consider yourself lucky (tongue firmly in cheek).

But yes, you've got a point there, mate.

With respect to the other comments - very true, thank you. I failed to mention it earlier but one thing I noticed during the audition was a perceptable high pitch mechanical hum. I stopped the music and asked the others if they could hear anything - and realising I might cause a bit of embarrassment, attributed it to the air-conditioning. When the chap was otherwise occupied I went up to the speakers and sure enough it was coming from the right channel. There was an awful lot of gear in the room, much of it powered, so I can only assume that there was some electrical noise somewhere being picked up.

As I write this, I'm sitting in my listening room playing the same songs (in the same order). Bass extension in my room is perhaps a little deeper, and much less lively (heavy carpets/drapes). I can appreciate what the WhatHifi reviewers said about the GS20s being a little 'too polite' now. The Sonus Fabers are a definite step up in my humble opinion.

Oh, yes, almost forgot: yes, sir, I have heard of ATC and actually have had the chance to audition some of their stand-mounts. Fabulous sound, no question, but I'm afriad the aesthetics don't entirely suit my tastes. Thank you for the suggestion, however.

 

[CnoEvil]

Can you take your GS20s and hear them on the end of the dealer's system?....it might give some sort of benchmark/baseline as to what the dealer's system and room is contributing to the sound, compared to yours (with the same music you are using and familiar with).

 

[Romulus]

So the good people at Antiphon hooked up the Venere S in their demonstration room. 

CD = Wadia two-box set up

Pre/power amp = phasemation (can't remember the name but it was a monster amp)

Room size = Give or take 20sqm (12-jyo). Front and rear walls covered in diffusers, no absorbers (surprisingly). Room was fairly lively, hard surfaces all round - even the seats were metal/leather.

Music:

Loreena McKennit - An Ancient Muse (folk)

Joe Satriani - (self-titled) (rock guitar)

Rachmanioff Piano concerto #2, Lang lang

Orden Ogan - (self-titled) (power metal)

Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful (symphonic metal)

Days of the New - (Green album) (acoustic alternative)

Blues Brothers soundtrack

Tape Five - Circus Maximus (Electroswing)

Pat Metheny - Speaking of Now (Jazz)

 

Appearance:

Like many others have said, these speakers are so much prettier in person than in magazines. I knew they would be large and was not surprised in that respect but they are graceful. Fit and finish was excellent, all the lines joined up beautifully and the edging on the plinth and drivers is very pleasing.

Sound:

I've spent the better part of 8 years with my GS20s and if I recall Whathifi's review correctly, they are said to dig up enormous amounts of detail from a track. In the same breath, the Sonus Fabers have been said to not be as analytical as price-matched competitors (GS20s are about half the price) so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Nevertheless, listening to tracks I had heard many, many times (the Days of the New album goes back to my high school years in the 90s) there were textures and nuances in the music that I had never noticed before. The strings on the opening of Alpenglow (Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful) had such a depth to the soundstage I acutally caught myself cursing under my breath. 

Standmounts are often argued to have extraordinary imaging and I'm certainly not going to argue otherwise. Still, the image produced by the Venere was by far the most convincing I've heard in a very long time. Echoing the words of others, voices and acoustic instruments sound so natural its hard to imagine they are coming out of a transducer. 

The metal-head in me looks at that battery of 7-inch woofers with good dose of manic glee but there is tight control over the bass and it is wonderful. There's a satisfying 'thwack' to kick drums that lets you know all those diaphragms are flexing their muscles but without grabbing your shirt collar and punching you upside the head. Rather than overbearing - even in a 20sqm room - the bass is tight and clean. Tape Five's 'Circus Maximus' has quite a difficult bass line and it can be difficult to hear each different note in some applications. The Veneres track each bar with agility and poise.  

If ever there were a textbook example of the merits of a dedicated mid-range driver, the Venere S would be a good reference point. Such clarity, such depth. The guitarist from Nightwish has a particularly chunky crunch to his sound that has - until now - never been rendered in quite so much detail; there's a rasping, grinding sound that these speakers convey wonderfully. 

The treble is also very sweet. At higher volumes on the heavier songs it did become a touch harsh but we were playing it very loud, and as noted above, the room was very lively.

Overall, I would say that the Venere S are beautiful to look at and beautiful to listen to. I'm very tempted to buy a pair - even over Dali's Epicon 6.

In regards to Nightwish, who is your favourite lead vocalist? Mine is Tarja, I adore her operaitic style which swaves over the melodic symphonic rock backup.