I performed my usual set of measurements using DRA Lab's MLSSA system. The 2009 sample of the Mani-2 offered an estimated sensitivity of 84.0dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is within experimental error of the 84.5dB I found eight years ago. Nevertheless, this is 3dB below average, implying that the Mani-2 needs to be used with an amplifier offering at least 50Wpc. Its impedance (fig.1) was very similar to that of the earlier samples and dropped to 3.5 ohms in the midbass and lower midrange, confirming that a good, 4 ohm–rated amplifier be used. The shape of the impedance curve…
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Sonus Faber provides a fascinating and challenging insight into the art of high-quality sound reproduction. This Italian company makes two costly two-way stand-mounted speakers that couldn't be more different from each other.
Sonus Faber's big reference model is the extraordinary Extrema (footnote 1). Stereophile's writers voted the Extrema their 1992 "Loudspeaker of the Year," appropriately so, I feel, considering its amazing looks and equally remarkable performance. The $14,000/pair Extrema is built like a tank, and is capable of producing a seriously big sound, even in quite large…
However, Serblin's putting the music first, coupled with the novel and acoustically optimal cabinetry, has resulted in a speaker that's not only superbly musical, but also Sonus Faber's most accurate to date. As an acoustic engineer, I find that particularly rewarding (footnote 3).
Whether just sitting there or playing music, the Guarneri is never boring—it's fundamentally true to the spirit of the music it plays.
Musical instruments
The Guarneri is loosely based on the "larger-than-life" Sonus Faber Minima Amator (reviewed in December 1993, Vol.16 No.12, p.174), which costs…
The review samples were loaned to me by Ricardo Franassovici of Absolute Sounds of London, who gently suggested that perhaps lab tests would be inappropriate in a "concept" speaker such as this. I see his point: It should be the sound that counts, aside from any prejudices imparted by an interpretation of lab test figures. (Reviewers know only too well that both the design of test methods and the interpretation of their results are subjective.) On the other hand, a well-designed test program can reveal not only flaws (if present), but can also help to define a product's performance envelope…
Sound
Once everything was in place, the Guarneri really sang. Forget mainstream hi-fi; forget head-banging levels; forget gut-wrenching bass; forget the garage-door slam! Instead, remember the purity, unmistakable sense of liveness, scale, and sense of presence of real sounds in the listening space—this is what the Guarneri is all about.
Once everything was in place, the Guarneri really sang. Forget mainstream hi-fi; forget head-banging levels; forget gut-wrenching bass; forget the garage-door slam! Instead, remember the purity, unmistakable sense of liveness, scale, and sense of presence of real sounds in the listening space—this is what the Guarneri is all about.
In these abilities, the speaker that comes closest to the Guarneri is the Quad ESL-63. I admire the Guarneri's ability to conjure up a Quad-like, electrostatic sound from a pair of moving-coil drivers, even if they're encased in a truly remarkable…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Limited-edition, two-way loudspeaker with matching stand. Drive-units: 1.1" (28mm) silk-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) polypropylene-cone woofer. Manufacturer's specifications: None. Measured specifications: crossover frequency: 2.5kHz. Electrical crossover slopes: 1st-order, 6dB/octave. Frequency response: 55Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 86.5dB/W/m (2.83V). Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Power handling: 100W peak program.
Dimensions: 15" (381mm) H by 7.5" (190mm) W by 14.75" (375mm) D. Approximate internal volume: 10 liters.
Price: starting at $9000/…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Guarneri's reflex-port tuning was set at 52Hz—a region where the power handling was enhanced for heavy midbass inputs on typical program material. Deep bass was beyond the compass of this system, and the -6dB bass rolloff point was at 49Hz, giving the potential for satisfactory in-room bass reproduction down to 42Hz—the lowest note of both the orchestral double-bass and 4-string Fender bass.
Fig.1 shows the overall low-frequency output in the nearfield (upper trace); to achieve the moderate bass extension, there is no need for the low-frequency…
Examining the transient responses, the Guarneri's impulse response (fig.7) indicates a quick signature, the minor ringing due mainly to the grille. The infinite step response calculated from the impulse data reveals an out-of-phase relationship between high- and mid-frequency drivers, chosen by the designer to provide a well-integrated output over the designed listening window. The high-pass nature of the speaker's low-frequency response causes the step to decay to the zero line after several milliseconds—this is normal. The step's appearance was changed very little by the grille [presumably…
Good Lord, it's 2000. Happy New Year, everyone!
And what's the hot audiophile topic of the new millennium? Looks like e-commerce to me. To what extent can a specialty audio manufacturer, whose business model has traditionally depended on bricks-and-mortar retailing, define and protect its market? It's a dilemma, all right. Companies such as Equity (B&W and Rotel) are rabidly against e-commerce. They take great pains to track down unauthorized online sales and the offending dealers shipping product out the back door to these sites. VTL's Luke Manley points out that his company's…
Got a garage, a router, and a band saw? Poof! You're a speaker designer. How many audiophiles dream of buying some raw drivers, some MDF and veneer, building a baffle, soldering up a computer-designed crossover, and assembling the Shmendrick Audio 2001? Plenty.
The rest of the fantasy goes like this: You book a room at the Consumer Electronics Show and, driving the new speakers with your home stereo system, you wow the journalists, the dealers, and the foreign distributors. Your speaker is the talk of the show. You head home with a half-million dollars in orders and quit your day job.…