Help me find WARM speakers a la Sonus Faber

I've never heard the Olympica so I can't, but I do own Cremonas and wouldn't call them particularly warm. I also have a pair of old SF Minuettos (ca 1990ish) in my office and those little guys definitely lean toward a warmer sound. My point is: don't assume that all SF speakers are warm sounding.

Hell with the budget!

Just get what you really want. Even if you have to shop around out of your geographical area for the best price or buy the demo pair or make an offer at substantially less than retail.

Settling for second best could be costlier than doing it right the first time.

Vandersteen has excellent speakers at all price points

I have the Cremona M's and would also recommend them if you can buy them used. Their physical footprint is similar to the Olympica III and asking prices are typically $6k-$6.5k. The Cremona M's are said to be more neutral and a bit less lush and warm than the "old school" SF speakers. However, I would not put them in the "hyper-analytical" camp, either. They are an excellent balance between being warm and analytical, but not overwhelming so at either extreme. Vacuum tubes will bring out more of the warm side, however, and that's what I use.

Can anyone comment on how the Olympica III's sound compared to the Cremona M?

Martykl - I also have original Cremona and for me they are definitely on the warm side compared to many speakers. If you read the Cremona reviews they pretty much all say the same thing. If you look at Atkinson's measurements there is a clear bump in the upper mid range. If you compare them to the Cremona M - they are definitely warmer. Of course, it depends on the electronics. Not trying to question what you hear, but I think most people would say that the Cremona are warmer than many speakers. Maybe the Minuettos are just super warm. I have not heard the Olympia but most recent SF are more neutral that the original Cremona.