Natural, neutral, very fine bass for their size.

Need a very smooth sounding amp, can't go very loud, need air to breath.

Ok, I'll stick to my old story. These are still the best loudspeakers I have ever heard at that price, period !

Some people here comment alot on thin & low amount of bass but I'm not very sure where that came from. Only B&W CDM1SE
have more bass then cocnertinos, but cdm's are bigger, and considering the size, concertinos have plenty of bass.

My system didn't change, it's still NAD 312 (25WPC) and Marantz cd67se, although I'm thinking about something like Naim Nait 3 etc.

Buy them, you won't be sorry.
E-mails welcome!

Similar Products Used:

Concerto/Minima Amator/Parva, B&W CDM1SE, KEF Q55 etc.

Detailed, airy, vivid, dynamic sound

For the price I payed and the size: none.

Two weeks ago my Concertino's arrived, which I ordered by mail-order as a clearance bargain from Germany. I payed for the pair DM 890, about 450 USD. The Concertino's constitute with a good Philips integrated and a Rotel RCD 990 CD-player my second system for my study-room, apart from the high-end stuff in my livingroom. They replace Mission 750 LE speakers, which could not satisfy me (too even mid-fi sound). That study-room is relatively small (3 x 4.5 meters); the concertino's are placed on stands, somewhat before the short wall. I have a feeling the Concertino's fit in nicely; Concerto's perhaps would already be too big (please confirm this; otherwise, I might feel guilty for not having bought Concerto's ... ). BTW, a pair of Concerto's goes now for about 700 USD ! So far, I like my babies very much. I have to confirm all the good that has been said about the sound; there's no point in repeating. However, I'm somewhat more critical as material value is concerned. It took me only four hours of websurfing to find out that the drivers are made by SEAS from Norway and that such a tweeter costs 18 USD and such a woofer 33 USD. Speaking of bargains, what ? The drivers are good, but standard -nothing special, really. The cabinet is crafted and finished nicely, but is not made of gold. It is made of wood -stuff growing just outside your door- and plastic, which costs virtually nothing and which, strange enough, most people refer to as leather. Almost 1 K for these just seems too much, a handy person could make them for ... (calculate yourself). The price I payed seems more appropriate; even then, some profit will be made somewhere. They're not giving them away ! But then the Concerto ! Same design, somewhat bigger box and a somewhat bigger woofer, also -I presume- standard, bought off the shelf. Do these really cost almost 2 K in the States ? Ridiculous ! Where does that price-difference come from ? One or two hundred more does the trick, I would say. Don't get me wrong. I like my speakers very much and I'm sure the Concertos sound fine also. And I'm sure there are a lots of speakers that cost even more and sound less. I just want to put all that talk about good value and bargains in perspective. In the States you folks pay for the very same product twice as much as in Europe and four to ten times the material value; as long as you are happy with that, I guess there's no problem. Tap your dealer on his fat belly and enjoy your system !

Similar Products Used:

Mission 750 LE

If you love music and listen to it only for pleasure, buy these speakers with confidence, there's nothing better at this price. If you are looking for something to ANALYZE and CRITICIZE your records and your hi fi equipment, forget it!! Concertino is a coloured loudspeaker, sure, but in the way that you can listen to it for 10 hours without stress. Sonus Faber knows how to involve audiophiles, and Concertino is the most involving loudspeakers on the earth.5 stars for Sonus Faber, 0 stars for who still believe that these speakers are "correct".

Detailed and airy midrange

Lack of low bass below 40Hz!

Awesome speaker for those listening to jazz, classical and acoustics. Techno and rockers look elsewhere! Very coherent and huge soundstage with an out of this world midrange that surpass anything this side of US$1000. Clear highs! I would recommend this set of speakers to anyone and the build quality is like Pinnochio! 5 STARS!!! SONUS FABER makes one of the best looking and sounding speakers on earth!

Uso las Concertino como pantallas de efectos para AC3 y DTS. Son excepcionales, siempre y cuando se monten sobre pies muy rígidos entre 30 a 50 cm. por encima de la linea de escucha.

Medios y agudos sorprendestes, los bajos algo débiles pero subsanables con un buen altavoz activo de graves.

Muy musicales y abiertas para grabaciones multicanal musicales, sobre todo en DTS.

Mi equipo se compone de: Yamaha DSP-A1, Audiolab 8000 S (para estereo y amplificaión principales en multicanal), pantallas principales Vandersteen 1C, central Sonus Faber Solo, efectos SF Concertino sobre pies de hierro relleno de arena y pedestales de granito, cables de modulación y pantallas Van Den Hul

Similar Products Used:

Totem MITE, Pro Ac, CDM1 B&W

Exceptional natural representation, easy to follow musical passage, seductive midrange

Bass not as tight as I want them to be. Low Sensitivity

After a very lengthly auditioning period, I finally settled on these babies. Let me tell you, don't expect these to be love at first heard. These are the kind of speakers that grown on you, the longer you stick with them, the more you will love them.

From all the speakers I have auditioned (Above list), the Dynaudio Audience 50 and the Concertino are the 2 that stood out. I love the dynamics and clarity of the Dynaudio, in fact, I nearly took them home. But I restrained as the rather up-front presentation proved a bit too fatiguing to me in the long run. In the end, I choose the COncertino, with the right AMP and source, this babies really shines!!!
Utterly emotional and nautral, very easy on the ears. The good sonic virtues is further enhanced by the great looks. What a package!!! Best buy material!!!

Similar Products Used:

Dyn Audience 50, Proac Tablette 50, Focus Audio FR6, Mission 771e, 780, 782, KEF Q15.2, NHT Super one, B&W CMT1

superb mids and highs, half-way decent bass for a bookshelf, very attractive appearance

lows could be stronger, a sub is a definite neccesity along with these

I upgraded to these bad boys from a pair of Boston CR8s and the difference is (of course) incredible. I looked at these, the Vienna Accoustics Haydns, and B&W CDM NT1s. I would have preferred the Viennas, but when the price of the Concertinos dropped from $1000, to $600, it was an obvious choice. After listening to speakers like Bostons and Klipschs, these sound perfect in the high and mid ranges. Don't waste your money on the fancy stand that they try to sell with them - I grabbed a pair of cheap Sanus stands and drilled them to match the Sonus Faber holes in the speaker, buy some metric bolts, fill the stands with sand, and you're all set. If you're lucky enough to come across the floor models being sold at $300 GRAB THEM! Solid bookshelf speaker all around. Excellent value.

Equipment used:
Denon AVR2400
Kenwood 103CD (soon to be Denon DCM270)
Sanus stands
Monster 1300 MKII interconnects
Monster speaker wire
ApexJR/Madisound sub (DIY project)

Similar Products Used:

none even close....Boston Accoustics CR5, CR6, CR8

Fantastic sounding, elegant looks.

Fairly delicate. My 16-year-old nephew blew one speaker playing the bassy “Incubus” CD one week after I bought them. The store replaced them with no questions asked. Use only with a nice subwoofer, however you will still have to keep an eye on them.

In my opinion, these speakers are wonderful for all music styles played at low-to-moderate volumes. If you listen to hard rock, R&B, rap, or other bassy music, or if you have parties where loud music is played, these speakers are not a wise choice. I set my amp so that I actually augment these speakers with another, lower-end set, plus a subwoofer (for others who play music when I am not around). When I am alone, I set my Marantz SR 7000 so that I play only the Concertinos with the subwoofer. I have enjoyed the crystal clear sound very much. Loreena McKennitt’s, “The Book of Secrets” sounds incredible, as do any quality recording. The “Gladiator” soundtrack is another gem. I have a couple of high quality Flamenco recordings which are worth mentioning as a Concertino litmus test guinea pig, as are certain Beatles tunes such as “Let it Be” and “Here comes the sun”. The bongo drum at the opening of Led Zep’s “Ramble On” actually sounds live from across the room.

silky smooth midrange; pinpoint imaging; gorgeous looks (piano black gloss with black leather)

lack of deep lows

My set up for this system:
- Sonus Faber Concertinos, on SF stands (filled for vibration deadening)
- Sonus Faber Piccolo Solo center channel speaker
- Custom built subwoofer using VMPS 'small' subwoofer configuration, a passive (unpowered) unit with 12" carbon fiber 'megawoofer' and 12" passive radiator
- Marantz AV9000 preamp
- Marantz MA500 monoblock 125wpc amps (two for Concertino's)
- Marantz MA700 monoblock 200wpc amps (two for subwoofer and center channel)
- Marantz DV18mkII reference series CD/DVD player
- Better Cables Silver Serpent interconnects
- Kimber Kable 4TC speaker cables biwired to Concertinos and Piccolo Solo
- Kimber Kable 8TC cable to subwoofer

Technically, this is a "home theater" system hooked up to my Proscan TV, but in reality, the components were selected and set up for use as an audio system about 90 percent of the time. The center channel is only used when the TV is on, and I don't even have any rear channel speakers. So for the vast majority of listening, it's 2-channel stereo input, out to the Concertino's and the subwoofer. While not quite a golden ears (golden priced) audiophile system, the electronics are about as good as they come from mass market manufacturers.

Regarding the Sonus Faber Concertino's specifically, my first comment is that I wish people in this forum would please, please, please stop referring to them a "bookshelf" speakers. While they may be sized similarly to many so-called bookshelf models, they are clearly not intended to be placed on bookshelves. SF's marketing literature and the instructions that come with the speakers plainly state that they are intended to be used on speaker stands. (Considering the price of the matching SF stands, I don't care whose stands you use with them, but please put them on sturdy stands that don't vibrate and do maintain very solid contact with the floor.)

The SF speaker instructions describe that the optimum placement for the Concertino's requires a lot of "air" around them, and this is born out by listening. They genuinely sound better when placed well away from walls (or the floor for that matter, hence the need for stands). So, placing them on bookshelves is a bad idea.

My living room where this system is located is about 16 x 20 feet, with 9 foot ceilings and hardwood floors, so there's plenty of air to work with (unlike bookshelf speakers which tend to be used in small rooms).

When properly positioned, the Concertino's virtually disappear as the physical sources of the sound. That is, sounds seem to materialize out of thin air, not out of those slick little black boxes on top of the stands. Many sounds seems to originate in front of and behind the speakers and even beyond the width of the space between the two speakers. Imaging of individual instruments is crisp and tightly focused, rather than smeared across an undefined space. And vocals, particularly from female jazz singers, are incredibly life-like. (Check out Patricia Barber's live "Companion" CD, where you'd swear her quintet and even the audience is sitting in your living room.)

In general, mid-range reproduction from these little guys is as good as I've heard from any speakers at two to three times the price. I would rate the highs as very good to excellent (my old Snell EIII's that I still use in another system are better at the extreme highs). But alas, the chief deficiency of the Concertino's is indeed the lows. Don't get me wrong. It's amazing how good and tight the lows sound from such tiny boxes, but they just don't go down very far. So, my opinion is that the Concertino's should not be considered full range speakers at all, but specifically as mini-monitors for use with a subwoofer. When the Concertino's are used with a subwoofer and crossover, their own little woofers are relieved of the strain of going low, and that let's their midrange shine even more. (In my system, the preamp has a fixed internal crossover for the subwoofer at 80Hz, as required for THX certification of the preamp. This sounds as though it's a good point to crossover, but I don't have any means of trying it slightly higher or lower.)

Mate the Concertino's with clean electronics and a good subwoofer, one that is truly musical like those from VMPS (which you've probably never heard of) or REL (which you probably have), and you can amaze even your real audiophile friends. One of my hard core audiophile buddies has been asking me to bring the Concertino's over to his house to check out in place of his $5000 KEF reference speakers, but I haven't done it because he doesn't have a subwoofer and I don't want to lug over my 100 pound beast of a box.

At times I am literally filled with wonder at how good the Concertino's can sound. I say "can sound" because my system is quite revealing of flaws in bad recordings. But with great input, I can hear nuances that I never previously knew existed in the music. As other reviewers have noted, listening to these fine speakers becomes an emotional experience. What more could you ask for at under $1000 a pair?

They have very clean high's and tight bass that go well with my Boston Acustic's PV1000 sub.

I'am glad to say that i hav'ent seen or herd anything but the classiest speaker for the money.

I perchased a pair Sonus Fader's to go with my Denon 3600 and Boston Acustic's PV1000 sub.I also have a pair of Boston 960's for my front's. In the precess I had the presents of mind to perchase a set of high end monster cables for the speakers and the CD player. This made a my system sound great from the stereo end. I got very clean high's and extremely deep tight bass for my low end. All I need now is a Pioneer ES single play CD player and a good center channel speaker. Overall I'am very pleased with my Sonus Fader's,you can't beat them for a grand.

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I had a pair of polk M5's that sounded like cardbord in comparisom.