I admittedly, went out on a limb- purchased without trying them here locally (there wasn't a store that carried them) - and I'm extremely extremely happy and pleased with my purchase. Build quality feels and looks solid- no uneven or split seams. I'm thrilled with the connectivity options, though initial setup was a bit tricky at first. Finally was able to hook up the TV via a single HDMI cable via HDMI ARC, and streaming everything from Spotify to TIDAL (especially) - sounds wondrous.
It’s official for you and ppgarcia are my two favourite channels. I really like what you’re doing here. You make think different music. Sorry for my English I’m French.
Thanks for the music references and shout outs. The rakes and the horrors have been part of my youth years when festivals and crowded tiny concert halls were appealing to me. It was a great reminder to revisit them, feel young again and enjoy them from the comfort of my living room 😂 It’s the first time I comment on your videos (or any as a matter of fact) but I am a huge fan on your content and you always take me to revisit my music collection, discover new music and learn a thing or two about gear. thanks for that!
I heard an early prototype of these at the Sonus Faber Vicenza factory just before Munich show - the development team was determined to hit it out of the park and it seems they've done so. Merci and Grazie to the staff who welcomed our group in May.
Nice to see Sonus Faber getting some attention finally; I have an ‘old’ pair of Auditors driven by a stunning New Zealand Perreaux 200w Mosfet power amp that leaves every listener dead impressed.
The sound problem is caused by the ESS sabre DAC having low jitter tolerance, I’ve had the same problem with 2 amps (leak stereo 230 and Arcam SA20) using toslink from a tv, both those companies sorted a fix for the jitter adjustment and it was fixed quickly, hope that helps!
excuse my french but😂 i love to hate shazam, sob’s, once they id a song on miPhone i can’t open it in youtube music🤷🏻♂️🤬 apparently only apple music and spotify are kosher 🙄 also siri and google can do it now so…
Maybe you could get in the future a pair of Cabasse Rialto Powered Wireless Bookshelf’s ? They’re similarly priced and fit perfectly in the same category in my opinion…
Ooh, I spy a Shanling cd transport in the background. Look forward to hearing about that. These SF speakers look lovely. Certainly beat the Buchardts in the significant other acceptability stakes.
I heard them at an audio show (they were production units), they sounded every bit as fabulous as you described. This from a passive loudspeaker / traditional setup aficionado... Of course, I do not know about any connection/playback issues - there weren't any at the show.
It would be great to run tbe Buchardts again during your second test but, try some of their other master tunings... as they have that flexibility it would be good to use everything the Buchardts have at their disposal 😊
May I suggest that when you do the Mark ii review of the Sonus Faber active speaker you try to have reviewed the more appropriate active Buchart A10 and compare the two.
I have Sonus Faber Omnia, it's amazing, I had before normal stereo system with Focal Arias and subwoofer SVS and this speaker is so so good...off course it is not the same but still I'm shocked about how it can play, superb option when You don`t have space or don't want to put all the cables etc. Now when I see Duetto I love to have them but the price...Omnia is like little more then 1k and Duettto 4k...whey too much to have upgrade :(
Buchardt won't send me a pair of A10 just for me to compare them to the Duetto. They will expect their own video review. And there just isn't the time for that this year or early next. Sorry.
Great video as usual Don’t use active speakers but do have Olympica Nova 1 stand mounts. Absolutely Love Duetto don’t look nearly so nice and I know these are pre-production but finish did not look up to normal SF in places (eg shot of wood edge on bottom)
Another active speaker enters my price point. Do Sonus Faber offer a 45 day home trial to compare with the Buchardts? I still like the idea of the master tunings and room correction.
I've heard this speaker on a show. My buddy and I were in agreement that this Sonus Faber sounded very good. The bass depth surprised me! Wouldn't it be great if S.F. made an active floor standing speaker. Passive radiators and an extra bass driver..
Would also love to see your thoughts on the Buchardt a10 vs a500, John. Appreciate many things on your list and very little time of course! Found the Zen mic made a surprising improvement to the a500. Glad you mentioned it
Buchardt A10 will be best comparison with Sonus faber duetto, they are similar priced, I hope so that you will do comparison between these two active bookshelf loudspeakers...
I experienced the same audio stuttering issue with my Samsung Frame 2022 when connected via toslink/optical to my Audiolab 6000a. The issue was solved by changing the PLL (phase-locked loop) width, which is possible in the 6000a's settings using optical input 2 only. I understand the issue results from the DAC having a lower tolerance for jitter than is produced by the Frame's optical output, and results in a mismatch in clocking, hence the sound seeming to reset at frequent intervals. I hope this helps - and that the Duettos' PLL width can be adjusted.
Speaking of Duetto. If you havent heard Triangle's Magellan Duetto standmounts.... Omfg You best like detail. The tactile response and attack of these speakers is intoxicating
Thanks for the review. I also have the problematic The Frame TV (2023). So my question is: did the glitches stop on the production version of those speakers?
Just this morning I was wondering if you would do a review of these speakers. My wish came true. I am looking forward to your thoughts on the actual retail speakers. I love SF speakers, although I do not own a pair and was very curious to how their first ever active ones would sound.
The fact that you have reported some .. or any drop outs - connectivity issues at all .. I've decided I am not going to bother. MAYBE .. they will update them .. but I never did trust wireless anyways. Hard wired is the way ..
Mr. Darko, would you ever consider DJing a Tidal Live streaming session so that we can enjoy some of the musical moods you're feeling? One just turns on the feature on the Tidal app and folks can tune in via a shared link
When you use to take screenshots of John’s videos to discover peculiar new music and then…Adriano Celentano’s “24mila baci”. He clearly knows and must be kidding me, right? 😂
darko the latest evolution of the bowser&wilkins headphones has been released, the px7 s2e where e stands for evolved, I hope you will also bring these headphones to the test and I think it is an excellent opportunity to do some laps in the open air... 😉
The cable vomit is a big issue with the Sonus. Much prefer the elegance of the platin hub and the a500. Hope more manufacturers support Wisa. Also just don’t get leather on a speaker. Obviously both subjective points and I’m certainly biased to the a500 I suppose!
John, I see you link below Shanling ET3 transport. will you soon present the review on YT? I am super interested, especially how it compares to giants like Meridian, CAL, CEC etc...
Hi John I have experienced the same drop out with the bluesound Flex when paired with the bluesound pulse M. If I move close to the Bluesound pulse m then the speaker drops out. I couldn’t quite understand why this happening but I am glad you have had the similar experience with the Sonos Farber 😊
👌thanks . What are the stands You have Your Kef and the silvery loudspeakers on? Guess I need to hear them live in a shop. Sounds interesting, since I would like to replace all the amplifier etc.
Everything you said about the Duettos sound makes me wanna have them 🤩 Did you mention their imaging / sound stage capabilities or did I miss that part?
One of the reasons why a I watch this channel on the big screen is due to the pleasing interior design being shown. So I'm a little surprised that the visual design aspect of these gorgeous speakers was pretty much limited to the note on the "cable vomit" and on the cheap grills. Who of you would like to cover that pretty veneer with grills?
The visual design aspect of these speakers was covered by the *extensive* amount of b-roll: we shot this speaker from every possible angle, more than we usually do and more than you'll see in any other review (on RU-vid or elsewhere).
Are you able to make a comparative video with the dynaudio focus 10, cabasse rialto and the buchardt 500? the same style as the one you made with the focuses, kef and buchardt...
Most likely not. I don't know of any powered speakers where you can bypass the internal DAC. Even in those with an analogue input, the sound is digitised then converted back to analogue.
We have a showroom in my city for Sonus Faber and I was surprised by the very same thing in almost every pair of their speakers I examined closely. Small, unsightly gaps and the metal pieces (inlay) weren't always flush. They look great from a distance, but I would expect better finishing for the money.
Because these videos can take up to 50 hours to shoot and edit (and that's excluding listening time) and I am working to a *super*-tight schedule. I can't just delay a review because the manufacturer hasn't sent me something, especially when they believe I already have all that I need. I have to work with - and assess - what I have when the time comes to do the review.
@@DarkoAudio That’s a fair enough answer, however, if your schedule is so tight- which I’m sure it is - just leave the review as it is, problems and all and not mention what ‘might’ happen with stands and a production pair? Sonus Faber will have to accept it, that is what they’ve sent you. I’m not trolling you. I really enjoy your channel and what you do.
As lovely as these are, I would go with the LS60 over them. Thanks to the sale on the LS60 there is £1k between the two making the Duetto look overpriced.
My sonus omnia has similar HDMI issues. Native sound from Apps on the TV work fine but PS5, switch, Xbox all have issues. Tried all new cables but still issues.
Why don’t any of the speakers get compared to the Wilson’s I always wonder because the Wilson audio tune tot was in the background for a little and it’s so revered. Do any of these bookshelf’s eclipse it’s performance?
That is not even close to the quality in the days of Franco Serblin!! When you showed the back of the loudspeaker you see poor quality veneer where it against the heat sink you even see a seam in the middle .... I had the Cremona floor standing LS many years back. This was one of the last Franco Serblin creations and they were amazing pieces of ART this .... sorry looks like Chinese made
As a Sonus Faber admirer I have mixed feelings. The look and finish do not convince me for the asked price. The remote control was simply taken from the Omnia wireless speaker. Also the connection problems are somewhat worrying. I don't care if it's a preproduction unit or not, Sonus Faber was confident enough to ship the pair out for review. A great review nevertheless.
