The whole Sonus Faber line are beautiful looking speakers for sure! I've never heard the Operas, but they look like fine furniture as well.
When I got my Concertinos at the beginning of 2001 I couldn't believe they were just $995. On looks and construction alone I thought they should be more expensive. At the time I was considering the Vienna Acoustic Haydn as well, which were also gorgeous, but I preferred the more open sound [in my system] of the Sonus Fabers.
During that year I was able to do a head-to-head comparison with a pair of Concertos at a friend's house. This was in 2001 so it was before the HOME versions were released. I thought as a whole big brother and little brother sounded very similar except that the Concertos sounded fuller and could be driven harder with less strain. Otherwise, I was happy that I'd spent half of what a new pair of Concertos would have cost. I didn't think they were twice as good as the Concertinos.
Although I've gained much more experience since then and I've become a pickier listener, I've always strived for a balance between musicality and accuracy. My memory of the Sonus Fabers is that they were more on the musical side than accurate. They had an organic, almost 'woody" sound to them. With the Concertinos I was using a Simaudio Moon I-5 and Electrocompaniet ECI-3 at the time and a Blue Circle BC21/BC22 combo a little later.
I eventually switched to ProAcs which also straddle that musical/accurate demarcation, but in a different way from the Sonus Fabers. The Concertinos created a large soundfield, but I felt my ProAc Tablette 50 Signatures had a much more holographic and precise presentation while still sounding warm.
One thing I was always impressed with was that the Concertinos needed very little maintenance to keep them looking beautiful. I never oiled the wood or leather and they always looked brand new. I did however as I always do with monitors is put pillowcase covers over them when not in use. Since the leather wraps under the bottoms of the speaker as well, I never used kneaded erasers [I prefer them to Blu-Tak which mars finishes] under them on my speaker stands. Unlike my ProAcs which need more care, the undersides of the Sonus Fabers showed absolutely no sign they'd been on stands. The AudioGoner I sold them to remarked how he and his wife thought they were beautiful and even looked brand new.
Overall they are warm sounding speakers with a nice tone, but even then they can sound slightly bright under less than optimal conditions. I was surprised to hear a set of Concertos sound bright when driven with Conrad Johnson and McCormack electronics, but I'm convinced that had to do with poor room acoustics, because my Concertinos didn't sound right there either.
If I ever were to get a pair again I'd also grab a set of adjustable Sonus Faber walnut stands which look super neato and elegant too.
Have fun!
Dean
When I got my Concertinos at the beginning of 2001 I couldn't believe they were just $995. On looks and construction alone I thought they should be more expensive. At the time I was considering the Vienna Acoustic Haydn as well, which were also gorgeous, but I preferred the more open sound [in my system] of the Sonus Fabers.
During that year I was able to do a head-to-head comparison with a pair of Concertos at a friend's house. This was in 2001 so it was before the HOME versions were released. I thought as a whole big brother and little brother sounded very similar except that the Concertos sounded fuller and could be driven harder with less strain. Otherwise, I was happy that I'd spent half of what a new pair of Concertos would have cost. I didn't think they were twice as good as the Concertinos.
Although I've gained much more experience since then and I've become a pickier listener, I've always strived for a balance between musicality and accuracy. My memory of the Sonus Fabers is that they were more on the musical side than accurate. They had an organic, almost 'woody" sound to them. With the Concertinos I was using a Simaudio Moon I-5 and Electrocompaniet ECI-3 at the time and a Blue Circle BC21/BC22 combo a little later.
I eventually switched to ProAcs which also straddle that musical/accurate demarcation, but in a different way from the Sonus Fabers. The Concertinos created a large soundfield, but I felt my ProAc Tablette 50 Signatures had a much more holographic and precise presentation while still sounding warm.
One thing I was always impressed with was that the Concertinos needed very little maintenance to keep them looking beautiful. I never oiled the wood or leather and they always looked brand new. I did however as I always do with monitors is put pillowcase covers over them when not in use. Since the leather wraps under the bottoms of the speaker as well, I never used kneaded erasers [I prefer them to Blu-Tak which mars finishes] under them on my speaker stands. Unlike my ProAcs which need more care, the undersides of the Sonus Fabers showed absolutely no sign they'd been on stands. The AudioGoner I sold them to remarked how he and his wife thought they were beautiful and even looked brand new.
Overall they are warm sounding speakers with a nice tone, but even then they can sound slightly bright under less than optimal conditions. I was surprised to hear a set of Concertos sound bright when driven with Conrad Johnson and McCormack electronics, but I'm convinced that had to do with poor room acoustics, because my Concertinos didn't sound right there either.
If I ever were to get a pair again I'd also grab a set of adjustable Sonus Faber walnut stands which look super neato and elegant too.
Have fun!
Dean