Sonus Faber

[plastic penguin]

Just curious about the Venere 2.0 speakers. The turntable is priority - more than happy with PMCs - but those SFs look gorgeous.

Has anyone heard these speakers, and if so, what amplification?

 

[Al ears]

Just curious about the Venere 2.0 speakers. The turntable is priority - more than happy with PMCs - but those SFs look gorgeous.

Has anyone heard these speakers, and if so, what amplification?

Seen, and I agree with your synopsis, but not heard unfortunately.

 

[Infiniteloop]

SF's are always beautifully designed. Fortunately they are generally one of those rare products where the SQ lives up to the aesthetics.

 

[nopiano]

SF's are always beautifully designed. Fortunately they are generally one of those rare products where the SQ lives up to the aesthetics.

I'd second that! I've not heard any of the Venere range, unfortunately. I know they were a change of direction in that all were made in China, until the S model was announced and that is Italian made. The range has been well reviewed though I recall there were sone observations to the effect they were a little brighter or more forward sounding than sf traditionally are.

Worth seeking out, I'm sure.

 

[drummerman]

I would have thought the two, PMC and Sonus Faber are like chalk and cheese.

 

[drummerman]

... or like a low fat spread and a Vacherin Fribourgeois.

 

[drummerman]

... perhaps a Lotus Elan and a Mercedes S Class?

 

[Womaz]

I have not heard the venere range but I moved from my PMC 23s to the Olympicas 2 just over a year ago. The Olympicas are more musical in my opinion, with a love,t sweet treble . Acoustic guitar is excellent and they are a smooth speaker .

i loved my PMCs so at the time of purchase I also had the 26s but the Olympicas in my opinion were a much better speaker.

 

[plastic penguin]

Ultimately then it's about what presentation is preferred.

Think the 'i' series is different to the Twentys. Have heard the 23 but not side-by-side with my TB2s. Therefore I'm not sure what comparison, if any, I can draw from the above comments.

 

[Womaz]

Yes I agree. For me the Devialet and Melco pairing is very detailed and my PMCs just sounded a tad bright to me. The Olympicas tamed that and more.....but of course an audition would be the way to go if you can

 

[Gazzip]

... perhaps a Lotus Elan and a Mercedes S Class?

PMC loudspeakers have a much longer warranty than a Mercedes S Class...

 

[seemorebtts]

I had a listen to the 1.5 Venere and loved them.look fantastic very well made. The tweeter is so smooth and silky sounding.vocals sounded gorgeous.midrange is good too.the only thing is the bass(there's not a lot of it).I think these speakers are a bit like Marmite you either love em or hate em.we were using a bel canto amp but they were not hard to drive and would fit most amplifiers just as long as it's not to relaxed.

 

[plastic penguin]

Yes I agree. For me the Devialet and Melco pairing is very detailed and my PMCs just sounded a tad bright to me. The Olympicas tamed that and more.....but of course an audition would be the way to go if you can

Think you need to keep in perspective. The 23s retail for around £2500, while the Olympica 2 retailed for about 7k. This is why I was drawn to the Venere 2.0. They retail for about £1600 and the TB2is price was around £1300. That could be a good comparison... perhaps.

 

[Womaz]

Yes I agree. For me the Devialet and Melco pairing is very detailed and my PMCs just sounded a tad bright to me. The Olympicas tamed that and more.....but of course an audition would be the way to go if you can

Think you need to keep in perspective. The 23s retail for around £2500, while the Olympica 2 retailed for about 7k. This is why I was drawn to the Venere 2.0. They retail for about £1600 and the TB2is price was around £1300. That could be a good comparison... perhaps.

No like I said I had the 26s on home audition at the same time as the Olympicas. The 26s were very good speaker but I favoured the SFs as they had a smoother sound and a sweeter treble

 

[Diamond Joe]

Great looking speakers PP, bit surprised how huge they are though (IMO). I've only ever heard one pair of Sonus Fabers I think they were the Guarneri, needless to say, I want a pair *man_in_love*

 

[avole]

When Frank Serblin left and a venture capital group took over the company, the sound and the ethos changed for new designs, no to mentio where they were made. The Venere and subsequent designs are not to be confused with the classics upon which SF built its name.

That isn't to say they make bad speakers, only that, if you like the Guarnieris of old, then the newer Olympicas, for example, are not going to have the characteric sound of the previous speaker and should be judged without reference to that classic model.

 

[nopiano]

When Frank Serblin left and a venture capital group took over the company, the sound and the ethos changed for new designs, no to mentio where they were made. The Venere and subsequent designs are not to be confused with the classics upon which SF built its name.

That isn't to say they make bad speakers, only that, if you like the Guarnieris of old, then the newer Olympicas, for example, are not going to have the characteric sound of the previous speaker and should be judged without reference to that classic model.

And, as you may know, Franco Serblin set up independently before he died, and that brand is still around. I think they make three models.

Sf are part of the group that makes McIntosh, Wadia and others now, I believe.

 

[kukulec]

Just curious about the Venere 2.0 speakers. The turntable is priority - more than happy with PMCs - but those SFs look gorgeous.

Has anyone heard these speakers, and if so, what amplification?

I heard them with Primare i32. It's a correct speaker for classical music, however for everything else I found it too laid back, and honsetly the amount of bass is quite low. To me it seemed to be overpriced, but they are beautiful.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I've had a few enquiries with regards to Sonus Faber Venere speakers recently - have they had a good review somewhere?!

As a hi-fi speaker, I found it a good alternative for those that thought that KEF R Series was a little soft and laid back for them (probably incorrectly demonstrated, in my opinion). Imagine a "tilt" tone control which has been tweaked a notch or two in favour of HF in comparison to the R Series. This means they're lighter in the bass department, but a brighter sounding speaker. Obviously, personal preference is king.

My major gripe though was with AV. As a package, the Venere range fell woefully short of R Series, failing to gel as seamlessly, and sounding a little strained when the going got tough. For me, it just didn't work.w

So as a hi-fi speaker they sounded fine if that was your preference, but not a range to look at if AV was to be taken into consideration.

Just my personal findings.