Sonus Faber Concertino Bookshelf Speakers

Sonus Faber Concertino Bookshelf Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

Bass reflex bookshelf w/ 5.5in woofer, 7/8in. tweeter

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 70  
[Jul 04, 2020]
easystep


Strength:

I bought these speakers two years ago wanting to experience the Sonus Faber sound. I had been using Thiel Audio SCS4’s before I purchased the SF brand. What I noticed right away was a very smooth and silky warm presentation with a well balanced transition within the highs, mid’s, and low frequencies. The Thiel’s failed to balance in these areas. I augmented the bass on the SF’s with a M&K VX-100 subwoofer with great results, this made the instruments come alive and sounded as if they were actually in the room.

Weakness:

None! Very Satisfied!

Price Paid:
600
Purchased:
Used  
Model Year:
1993
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Feb 19, 2011]
PerryC
AudioPhile

SIMPLY AMAZING! This is a keeper. Deep bass (from a small enclosure), very transparent, detailed but not fatiguing, sweet mids and highs. The Concertino's always does a disappearing act, all the music coming from the back curtain. You can't find a speaker this size and price that will sound LIKE or CLOSE to the SF Concertinos. Maybe...add 10 to 150% of the Concertino's price. These speakers are highly recommended. Make sure your amp has enough juice to power it. (50 to 75 watts minimum). LAstly, get a nice pair of sand/lead-fillable stands (if yours did not come with stands), something sturdy coz these little speakers are heavy. I'm using 18 inch PAradigm stand filled with wheel weights (10 lbs per stand).

My setup:
SONUS FABER Concertino
ODYSSEY Stratos amp
Audible Illusions MODULUS 2A
Thorens TD125 MKII
REGA RB 600/ Incognito Wires? Michell weight and VTA adj.
SONY CDP 120 (1985)
CANARE speaker wires and interconnects
TARA LABS Interconnects

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 08, 2010]
Greg
Audio Enthusiast

I am blown away. This is the first speaker I've owned that I've fallen in love with. I am done searching (at least for now...).

I have tried many bookshelf speakers at this point and this one really just wins hands down. I've gone through: Linn Kans mk1 and 2, Spendor S3/5, Castle Richmond 3's, ADS, Regas, Totem's. None of them were able to disappear like the Concertinos. None had a modicum of the sweet yet controlled bass. None had the perfect but non fatiguing treble.

They have excellent pitch and great dynamics. I find they can play all types of music very well. From what I understand the Concertino Home's have a little better resolution and dynamic response, but are not quite as sweet and full as these. I strongly dislike clinical or bright sound, but I don't want a boring speaker either. The Spendor S3/5's were a brilliant speaker, but they didn't move me. They were too polite for anything past some calm jazz or the human voice (which was beautiful by the way).

These speakers are keepers. My Rega Mira is able to drive them very well. I think good British amps like the Regas or Naims typically work well with these. They truly sound like musical instruments themselves, which what I think Sonus Faber is after.

Oh and they are beautiful.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 25, 2003]
dvmobley
AudioPhile

Strength:

Smooth, Pretty, Very Well built, Even frequency response

Weakness:

Um...I don't know the answer to this question yet.

One word -- Magnificent -- is all that is really needed to describe these hand made Italian beauties. I recently bought these along with the SF center and SF rears. I also matched a REL Q201E sub. They are powered and controlled by a Denon AVR-4802. I haven't even had time to play with positioning or xover settings, but if they can get any better... I can listen to an audiency clap, and it doesn't sound like nails hitting a tin roof. Soundstage, directionality, and overall frequency response are wonderful. These have a smooth and even output all the way from 80hz to 20khz, As I said before I haven't had time to adjust the crossover. Also the sub (REL Q201E) matches these speakers wonderfully. All in all it makes everything sound and feel real, and that is my objective.

Similar Products Used:

Vienas, Boston Acoustics, Bose-(yuck), Polk Audio

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 02, 2003]
gmood1
AudioPhile

Strength:

Silky Highs,Great midrange,Seem to be fairly efficient

Weakness:

A little pricey but at a good discount hard to beat!

I audition these speakers and think they are wonderful.The highs do not fatigue but seem to convey all the information.Midrange is also very good with these monitors.They throw a huge soundstage and dissapear with the music.The bass is a little thumpy but to be expected from a small monitor.The drivers blend seemlessly with no unnatural sounds.I was very impressed by these speakers perfomance and beauty.No.. I won't be ditching my Soliloquys for them but they sound very similiar.And make me happy with my purchase. A must audition for someone looking for a monitor ..the only speakers I have heard so far to consider besides my own!

Similar Products Used:

Soliloquy,Meadowlark,Vienna Acoustics,Thiel,Paradigm and a few others

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jul 13, 2003]
leon leon
AudioPhile

Strength:

The tinos give a great impression of the gear you combine them with,in other words they grow allong

Weakness:

for the price actually non.

This is my second review of this little performer,2 years later. I use the croft tube amp with them now,and i can give a good impression yet with tube/faber sound. To begin with ,this combination sounds even better than with solid state gear. The sound is absolutely natural,and the instruments and voices are reallife. Invalvement is the keyword here,expression and soundstage are unbeliefable. Copper instruments really shine and have power,without sounding harsh or sharp. Hall dimensions can really be heard in good recordings, translated in your room. The croft is fore a tube amp very fast and sounds more powwerfull then you would expect. Voices are lovely sweet but transparent,even in real hight reflected. And piano...o yeah,really ringing as in reality,you can truly hear the hole thing. Sometime I switch back to the Accuphase amp,but no way it comes near. It looks like dead sound,but has in the extreme more power naturaly. But when you are spoiled with easyness and flow of the croft,there is no way back in my situation. To all the Tino lovers,who never heard this babys with good tube gear(and can afford it,possibly there is no turning back!)I can recommend you to try this when you have the opportunuty,I think you will be hooked. musical greetings

Similar Products Used:

a whole lot off others,from cheap till absurd prices

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 19, 2002]
lrobillard
AudioPhile

Strength:

Mids...

Weakness:

Would be even better with more volume...

First class balanced speaker...Best midrange ! A long term investment ! Used with SimAudio Celeste PW5000 integrated amp, YBA Integre CD player, MusicHall MMF-5 turnable... Simply magic !

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 21, 2002]
lcrim
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Smooth sound, beautiful center image (I still have to check that the center speaker is off in stereo mode), a midrange that can only be described as excellent, layering and soundstage are very coherent, upper bass is not a problem, extended bass handled by a sub noted for its ability to integrate rather than its all out thump.

Weakness:

Very sensitive to room placement, must be well off the walls. Reveals mistakes in the recording process (please keep the entire drumkit in one place etc.)

I have gravitated toward bookshelf speakers on stands. I have learned through somewhat expensive trial and error that the quality of the upstream components, interconnects, cables etc. make a considerable difference. Presently, while not high end, I have an Arcam AVR200, which is a nice fit for my system providing enough flexibility and musicality. A Cambridge Audio DVD300 serves as my digital source for both CD''''s and DVD playback. It is connected to the Arcam via a Synergistic Research Digital Corridor No.2 connector. I just use the Arcam''''s DAC processors. Speaker cable is Linn K20. I have a Monitor Audio ASW110 Sub for the lowest frequencies. The Cocertinos are set to large as it would be shame to cut them off unnaturally. The MA sub is set to 40 Hz as its starting point and has had its gain pulled down to about 40% to blend w/ the Concertinos. (I wish I could hear a difference in the phase control setting, but since I can''''t I leave it at 0.) I also listen to the music channels on Direct TV, usually #840. Inexpensive interconnects, Copperheads by Audioquest carry the signal from my satellite receiver. I provided the above so that the reader had a truer picture of the total system within which these speakers are being reviewed. The Concertinos are a transparent window into the music. They provide, within certain limits, the ability to look down that street provided by the artist to a degree that astounds me at times. My nine year old daughter usually rolls her eyes at my audio stuff but she actually sits and listens to jazz on the funny looking leather covered speakers. There is no higher complement.

Similar Products Used:

NHT Super Zero''''s, Paradigm MiniMonitor V2''''s

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 19, 1999]
Seng Hui
an Audio Enthusiast

I have own the concertinos for 3 months already. Before purchasing theses babies, I was thinking of the bigger brother too..the Concerto. It is really true that the Concerto perform better in the midrange region and especially in the lower bass part......However, the differnces are not that "great" to warrant the extra money fork out for it. So I stick to the concertinos.
And recently I acquired the REL Strata II subwoofers for USD$150 second-hand!!! And I must say that it has improve the performance of my system tremendously. The quality ( transparency, details, midrange and soundstaging) of the Concertinos are not being sacrificed the slightest bit.The midrange becomes more focused than before, it could now par the performance of the Concertos in this regards, if not better!!! And needless to say, in the bass region, it has added more excitement. Bass is deep and tight, I hear sound not int the realm of small bookself speakers. Bookshelf speakers do have this inherent problem of not producing low bass, and the REL complemented it perfectly. Soundstaging (depth and width) benefits the greatest from the addition of the REL Strata II. Vocals was very good with the Concertinos alone already, and now with the REL, it simply becomes much better.

Well, for the people trying to get out the best from the Concertinos, really, having a good subwoofer is advisable. And for people who decides to change your current Concertinos to a bigger bookself speakers or even the Concertos, why not add a sub to your system??? This is by far the most efficient and cost-effective method to improve the quality of the sound. After I had this subwoofer, I never listen to music without it.


OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Mar 21, 2000]
Frank Faust
Audiophile

Strength:

Easily the best sounding,best looking compact monitor for the money. A gem!

Weakness:

Limited bass response common to all small
speakers. Mate with a good subwoofer &
enjoy the incredible acoustics.

The best small speaker under a grand. The
fit and finish are bar none. The quality of
the speaker elements themselves are top notch. The wood and leather finish is beautiful to look at. Mate with a subwoofer
such as an REL or Sunfire and monster cable
and you have true audiophile sound for far
less than the cost of esoteric models.

Similar Products Used:

Vienna acoustics Haydn(another incredible
gem) Kef RDM series

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 70  

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