SF Cremonese Q

Sell the clamp and use the winnings to refurbish the 301.

Recently I listened to the Cremonese extreme and did not find their tweeter hot -- if anything it sounded somewhat recessed, but pleasantly so. It seemed to extend very high and the overall result was coherent, such that I sat back and listened to music rather than search for missing details etc. They were driven by a BFA integrated, source was a top-notch digital front end.

I never listened to the earlier iteration so cannot compare the two... but the musical result is excellent. Your Phaethon will drive them well no doubt.

Thanks, folks.

NoRomance: that's funny...and probably true! Just sold LM speakers and Wavac monos (still have my 2nd system: Spendor LS/35As, AirTight ATM300B, some little cheap streaming thing so my wife can have music in the kitchen while she bakes...), so have some spare stereo $ to go get a plinth, finally. Was looking at a Layers of Beauty maybe, ebony arm board, Iso-Acoustic feet recessed beneath...ideas, ideas.

I sold my house a week before the shutdown here in the Chi suburbs and am sitting in a rental waiting for the market to cool to buy another home, so the time has me reorganizing my thoughts on a "final" system (ha!). The spouse says I can put a stereo in a 1st fl great room for our retirement. But will need it to play all genres of music full-range and something that won't make me gag.

I hate metal domes, ceramic drivers (except Tidals, maybe), et al, and when I hear odd reviewers say its still a "modern" "high resolution" sound on the standard Cremonese, and the newer one basically has the tweeter and a couple side woofers replaced, it makes me wonder about the tweeter in the Cremonese standard (Rockport doesn't bother me, and I liked the Serblin-era SF's, but you'll never see a Magico in my home...no offense, please)

Gregm: thanks for the info. I've watched your responses for years - good stuff. Well, that makes sense. The question becomes: was the standard slightly hot in the highs, prompting the new tweeter, or just something to change to have a new model for the 50 lucky guys who just have to have it.

I heard the Cremonese at AXPONA 3 yrs ago, but the room was dead awful and I wasn't paying attention much (the Aida in adjacent room sounded great), but IF the virus ever ebbs sufficiently (I have one lung, need to be more careful than most...) then I'll head to a local dealer to, of course, hear for myself...haven't done a thread here in over 10 yrs, but just thought some people might be able to help in the interim.

Thanks again for you responses.

BTW, noromance: 301 is hammertone, early serial #, already sorted by Dobbins, in all original state...yeah, will set that up, maybe let go of the simple-in-retirement Thales idea. Or maybe have both!!! And so the illness goes...