From Sonus Faber Extrema to...

I cannot imagine that almost 30 yrs in speakers development wouldn't have brought any advantage on the table. 

@robertofabbri - yes, there have been improvements and yes, you can get better sonics “for a price” by simply going up the SF product line.

No, there are no short cuts - we cannot tell you if:

1. You’ll like the change
2. if the change is worth “your” money

The best lowest risk is to do nothing, sonics stay the same.

The next best least risky option is to demo within one’s own system while keeping the old component for comparison, otherwise the risk of sideways or less is unavoidable. Only “you” can decide what’s best for “you”

The riskiest is to sell your current speakers first, then hoping the next speakers are a “subjective” sonic upgrade.  One can buy and sell used to minimize costs and try different speakers, but shipping and handling speakers can be a pain.

If I had a set of Extremas, I think the only speakers that I might move to in their place would be a pair of SF Elipsa SE's.  

I owned a pair of Extremas a while back and made the mistake of selling them. Really think hard about getting rid of the, They are spectacular speakers!

as much as I’ve read about the Extremas, if it were me, I’d be hard pressed to sell them

having owned Olympica III’s, and based on reviews and comments re: the Extremas, it sounds like a couple of sonic characteristics are part of the SF house sound:  1) big, wide, deep holographic soundstaging which provides an immersive listening experience, 2) a natural, relaxed (for lack of a better word), engaging sound quality that includes detail, image specificity, instrument and vocal spotlighting, yet doesn’t wear one out at higher volumes  -  they are forgiving speakers that have a knack for making most anything sound good

the craftsmanship, materials, and architecture of SF speakers is unmatched IMHO; I am of the opinion that most speakers are just not very attractive, period: robots, stands, huge draperies, metal boxes, obnoxious horns, exposed drivers, multiple drivers, alien looking things, etc., but….SF speakers?  I can look at them all day long

I am wondering why Vandersteen models are not being recommended?