Summary: SIMPLY AMAZING! This is a keeper. Deep bass (from a small enclosure), very transparent, detailed but not fatiguing, sweet mids and highs. The Concertino's always does a disappearing act, all the music coming from the back curtain. You can't find a speaker this size and price that will sound LIKE or CLOSE to the SF Concertinos. Maybe...add 10 to 150% of the Concertino's price. These speakers are highly recommended. Make sure your amp has enough juice to power it. (50 to 75 watts minimum). LAstly, get a nice pair of sand/lead-fillable stands (if yours did not come with stands), something sturdy coz these little speakers are heavy. I'm using 18 inch PAradigm stand filled with wheel weights (10 lbs per stand).
My setup:
SONUS FABER Concertino
ODYSSEY Stratos amp
Audible Illusions MODULUS 2A
Thorens TD125 MKII
REGA RB 600/ Incognito Wires? Michell weight and VTA adj.
SONY CDP 120 (1985)
CANARE speaker wires and interconnects
TARA LABS Interconnects
Summary: I am blown away. This is the first speaker I've owned that I've fallen in love with. I am done searching (at least for now...).
I have tried many bookshelf speakers at this point and this one really just wins hands down. I've gone through: Linn Kans mk1 and 2, Spendor S3/5, Castle Richmond 3's, ADS, Regas, Totem's. None of them were able to disappear like the Concertinos. None had a modicum of the sweet yet controlled bass. None had the perfect but non fatiguing treble.
They have excellent pitch and great dynamics. I find they can play all types of music very well. From what I understand the Concertino Home's have a little better resolution and dynamic response, but are not quite as sweet and full as these. I strongly dislike clinical or bright sound, but I don't want a boring speaker either. The Spendor S3/5's were a brilliant speaker, but they didn't move me. They were too polite for anything past some calm jazz or the human voice (which was beautiful by the way).
These speakers are keepers. My Rega Mira is able to drive them very well. I think good British amps like the Regas or Naims typically work well with these. They truly sound like musical instruments themselves, which what I think Sonus Faber is after.
Summary: One word -- Magnificent -- is all that is really needed to describe these hand made Italian beauties. I recently bought these along with the SF center and SF rears. I also matched a REL Q201E sub. They are powered and controlled by a Denon AVR-4802. I haven't even had time to play with positioning or xover settings, but if they can get any better... I can listen to an audiency clap, and it doesn't sound like nails hitting a tin roof. Soundstage, directionality, and overall frequency response are wonderful. These have a smooth and even output all the way from 80hz to 20khz, As I said before I haven't had time to adjust the crossover. Also the sub (REL Q201E) matches these speakers wonderfully. All in all it makes everything sound and feel real, and that is my objective.
Strengths: Smooth, Pretty, Very Well built, Even frequency response
Weaknesses: Um...I don't know the answer to this question yet.
Similar Products Used: Vienas, Boston Acoustics, Bose-(yuck), Polk Audio
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Review 4 of 68
, from Phenix City,Alabama,United Sta
Price Paid:
$0.00
Summary: I audition these speakers and think they are wonderful.The highs do not fatigue but seem to convey all the information.Midrange is also very good with these monitors.They throw a huge soundstage and dissapear with the music.The bass is a little thumpy but to be expected from a small monitor.The drivers blend seemlessly with no unnatural sounds.I was very impressed by these speakers perfomance and beauty.No.. I won't be ditching my Soliloquys for them but they sound very similiar.And make me happy with my purchase. A must audition for someone looking for a monitor ..the only speakers I have heard so far to consider besides my own!
Strengths: Silky Highs,Great midrange,Seem to be fairly efficient
Weaknesses: A little pricey but at a good discount hard to beat!
Similar Products Used: Soliloquy,Meadowlark,Vienna Acoustics,Thiel,Paradigm and a few others
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Rating Reviewed by: leon leon(Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date July 13, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 1.54 of 5,
13.00 votes
Review 5 of 68
, from netherlands
Price Paid:
$1100.00
from dealer
Summary: This is my second review of this little performer,2 years later.
I use the croft tube amp with them now,and i can give a good impression yet with tube/faber sound.
To begin with ,this combination sounds even better than with solid state gear.
The sound is absolutely natural,and the instruments and voices are reallife.
Invalvement is the keyword here,expression and soundstage are unbeliefable.
Copper instruments really shine and have power,without sounding harsh or sharp.
Hall dimensions can really be heard in good recordings, translated in your room.
The croft is fore a tube amp very fast and sounds more powwerfull then you would expect.
Voices are lovely sweet but transparent,even in real hight reflected.
And piano...o yeah,really ringing as in reality,you can truly hear the hole thing.
Sometime I switch back to the Accuphase amp,but no way it comes near.
It looks like dead sound,but has in the extreme more power naturaly.
But when you are spoiled with easyness and flow of the croft,there is no way back in my situation.
To all the Tino lovers,who never heard this babys with good tube gear(and can afford it,possibly there is no turning back!)I can recommend you to try this when you have the opportunuty,I think you will be hooked.
musical greetings
Strengths: The tinos give a great impression of the gear you combine them with,in other words they grow allong
Weaknesses: for the price actually non.
Similar Products Used: a whole lot off others,from cheap till absurd prices
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