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Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker Sam Tellig January 2003

Sam Tellig wrote about the Cremona in January 2003 (Vol.26 No.1):

"My aim is to arrive at a musical instrument."

So said Franco Serblin, designer of the Sonus Faber loudspeakers, as we talked last fall at the 2002 TOP Audio/Video show in Milan. He continued:

"It is usual in hi-fi to say, 'Ah, incredibly good sound, just like live.' But no—my idea is different. My idea is that it is possible to invent new emotions in terms of sound reproduction.

"Sometimes it is possible—with a good speaker, careful setup, and a high-quality amplifier—to experience a different…

Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker Sam Tellig part 2

I first heard the Cremona in late spring 2001, when I visited the factory in Vicenza. My visit was impromptu. I was in town to visit amplifier manufacturer Pathos Acoustics—not realizing that the same city was home to Sonus Faber. Paolo Andriolo, of Pathos, called Franco on my behalf, and a factory visit was hastily arranged.

From Franco's point of view, my visit may not have been well-timed. He was busy voicing the Cremona, working closely and intensely with Lars Goller, development manager of Vifa-ScanSpeak, of Denmark. From my point of view, however, Lars's presence couldn't have been…

Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker Sam Tellig part 3

I thought the soundstage was excellent, and listened contentedly for several weeks, using the Musical Fidelity NuVista 3D CD player and the Unison Research Unico integrated amplifier. I also tried the YBA Passion Integré which proved a perfect match. Ditto the Musical Fidelity A3.2CR pre- and power-amp separates that I wrote about last month, two more good choices. My listening-room system went largely unused.

Then Giovanni Cacciatore (that's how Franco Serblin refers to John Hunter) arrived from Sumiko, along with his associate, Patrick Butler, or Pasquale Maggiordomo. Giovanni was…

Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker Wes Phillips, June 2005

Wes Phillips wrote about the Cremona in June 2005 (Vol.28 No.6):

As I had a pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas on hand, and it seemed natural to compare and contrast the Canton Vento 809 DC with this $7495/pair Class A contender. The Cremona, too, is a ported floorstanding three-way with a curved cabinet profile. I level-matched the speakers for the comparison.

Having spent a fair amount of time listening to both speakers individually, I expected that they would tell essentially the same story, with only minor differences in lower-midrange tonality, where I had always felt the Cremona…

Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 3: Specifications

Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) ring-radiator tweeter; 5.5" (140mm) paper-cone midrange unit; two 6" (153mm) paper-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: not specified. Crossover filters: first-order, "optimized for acoustic phase response." Frequency range: 32Hz-40kHz. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Power handling: 50-300W without clipping.
Dimensions: 42.9" (1090mm) H by 8.9" (225mm) W by 18.1" (460mm) D. Weight: 75 lbs (34kg) each.
Finishes: Solid and laminated maple, with a…

Recording of October 1993: <I>Give It Up to Love</I>

MIGHTY SAM McCLAIN: Give It Up to Love
AudioQuest AQ-LP1015 (LP), AQ-CD1015 (CD). Joe Harley, Sam McClain, Lorne Entress, prods.; Michael C. Ross, Dan Bosworth, engs. AAA/AAD. TTs: 47:46, 54:06

Ever wonder why Stax, Volt, Atlantic, and the other great and near-great soul and R&B labels can't, or won't, make records like they did 20 or 30 years ago? Well, don't. AudioQuest is doing it now. Mighty Sam McClain's Give It Up to Love is one of the great soul records. And, unlike all those soul classics of yesterdecade, it sounds just as great as it is.

Mighty Sam has not had an…

Bel Canto PL-1A universal disc player

I recently had a house guest who is a music lover and amateur pianist but who had never heard of the SACD or DVD-Audio formats. I explained what they were and demonstrated examples of both, to his amazement. He then blew them off, saying that my system always sounds great and that the average person couldn't or wouldn't afford the kind of equipment I have. But when I told him that there were universal players available for less than $200 at retail and that, in fact, the player I was using was based on a transport drawn from a similar mass-market product, his interest was piqued. Of course, I…

Bel Canto PL-1A universal disc player Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Universal disc player, two-channel and multichannel: CD, CD-R/RW, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD, data discs with MP3 and MPEG files. Audio decoders: Dolby Digital, DTS, MP3. Digital audio outputs: TosLink, BNC, RCA, XLR. Analog audio outputs: 5.1-channel RCA, 2-channel XLR. Video outputs: progressive or interlaced component (RCA), S-video, composite (RCA). RS-232 control port. Audio output: 200mV RMS (1kHz, –20dB, all analog outputs). THD: 0.001%. Signal/noise: 118dB. Frequency response: 4Hz–44kHz (DVD sample rate of 96kHz), 4Hz–…

Bel Canto PL-1A universal disc player Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Main System
Digital Sources: Sony XA-9000ES SACD/CD player, Simaudio Moon Orbiter universal player, Theta Gen.VIII DAC.
Preamplifiers: Bel Canto Pre6, Sonic Frontiers Line-3.
Power amplifiers: Bel Canto eVo6 & eVo4, Classé Omicron monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: B&W N802D, Revel Ultima Studio (LCR), Paradigm Studio/20 (surrounds).
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDVX. Interconnect: Crystal Cable Cinemax multichannel, AudioQuest Cheetah/DBS balanced. Speaker: AudioQuest Mont Blanc/DBS biwire. AC: JPS Aluminata.
Multichannel System
Digital…

Bel Canto PL-1A universal disc player Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I hooked up the Bel Canto PL-1A to a TV in order to reset its defaults. I then disconnected the TV for the measurements, relying on the front-panel display. The maximum output level at 1kHz was the same for CD and DVD playback, at 2.13V from both the balanced and unbalanced output jacks. It was 1.5dB lower for SACD playback, however, which will be very audible in direct comparisons. Absolute polarity was preserved for all three media, and the source impedance was a low 20.5 ohms from the unbalanced jacks and twice that from the balanced XLRs, as expected. Error…