Have got clue who did put the price of US$6,000 for the EA, it actually cost about US$3000.- brand new, imported by legal agent, price is excluding speaker stand.

I can see a lot of reviewers critize a lot to this speaker but they probably compare to the false price US$6,000.- (Sure I won't pay such high price neither for the SE). Now I would like to hear your comments if agaisnt the price US$3,000-. I think it is unfair if still putting 1 or 2 stars on against this price level.

Transparency, musicality.

Extreme low bass

One of the best designs by Sonus Faber. I have SF Electa for almost 6 years and having upgrade to Electa Amator II, a few months ago, this new model improve on the original Electa's by a large margin.
Amator II are one of the more expressive speakers on the market, the sounds seems to came from just one unit, beeing very revealing yet powerfull, involving, and musical. Transparency is extremely high, one of the best at any price, witch presents the musical event in front of you. They need a good a powerfull amplification to show what they can do at 100%, however they are a easy load and any competent amplifier can drive it.
Only at extreme low end, one can feel a lack of energy, the speaker goes very deep, with a controled and articulate bass, but of course not with the scale of a larger model or a subwoofer type of bass.
Use Sonus Faber own stands, for maximum performance and a tigh bass.

Listenability, Communication

None

Since my original posting last July I added a Krell 150p to drive the bass. This made the bass fuller and deeper and the top and middle became more transparent. Then came the dramatic change. I changed the interconnects and speaker cables to Ecosse (made in Scotland). The effect was startling. The music became totally free and even more natural. If you can get these cables in the US then I recommend you try them. A fellow enthusiast has ditched his Tara Labs for them - praise indeed.
Music is sheer bliss!! These speakers cannot be faulted unless you are into upfront over detailed sound that I know many Hi Fi people prefer. Read the articles 'God is in the nuances' in Stereophile - January and February 2000. I will make you think and maybe reassess what you are really listening to.

Similar Products Used:

ProAc1SC, Tablette's, Ruark Talisman

ouff , maybe the mids

bass

I think you are all exagarating , those who gave 1/5 are underestimating the product , but those who are giving 5/5 are overdoing it . I have lived with the product for a short period , but changed it , I see this speaker beeing reviewed quiet regularly , other wise there are really nicer ones , please explore JMR a French brand known only to the selective audiophiles , or even Totem . I think Sonus Faber , and lately Vienna Acoustics are more fasion than real thing , do not be fooled by the reviews .
I have to say last thing , I found out that there are a lot of technical problems with brands that are momentally selling a lot from one model , usually , these are small companies but suddenly overwhelmed by big orders (following a good review ) , so the result is simple , Bad Quality Costruction .

Similar Products Used:

JMR Trente , Totem Rokk ,

Just about everything. They are extremely neutral and balanced.

I found no weaknesses except that it does not produce total bottom end in all recordings.

Nothing really stands out in this speaker. It does all well without one area being great. This is the type of speaker I like, neutral. Synergy between amp and this speaker are vital but is still quite happily driven by lower powered amps. I've noticed a reviewer that dopesn't seem to think so????....I can only guess that this person has not really tried too many amps with this speaker. It is not how many watts this speaker is powered with but the quality of the watts. Cary doesn't seem to do...neither Krell, but Metaxas, Electrocompaniet, CJ, & Plinius do very well. Check out this beautifully refined version of the EA. Much more refined than the original EA.

best bookshelf in the world

need good amp and SF stands to make it the bst in the world

Reasons to buy:

1. gorgeous sound - transparent/detailed/ in a word "real":
2. looks - fabulous walnut and leather finish
3. stands (though a necessary extra) improve and compliemnt the aesthetics.
4. will bring the best out of your equipment.
5. loads f second hand availability.

This is as good as it gets.




I work them out with :
SF amplifier
Meridian 506.24
Audioquest Argent speakers cable
Audioquest Python interconectors

Naturalness, fluidity, coherence, musicality

Deep bass, resolution (compared to pricier speakers)

Old Sonus fabers like the EA and Extrema never had Dynaudio mid/bass drivers. They had Skanning midwoofers, and the Guarneri had an Audio Technology midwoofer instead. The EA II's tweeter is not Peerless but Scanspeak. What's that crap about the EA II's enclosure as being too small for a passive radiator? A passive radiator is technically just a reflex port (w/ less air turbulence), nothing more. Does that mean all small speakers should not have ports?

I am a long time Sonus faber fan but personally dont like the original EA. It sounds cacophonous and disintegrated to my ears. Like the highs are on a separate plane of existence than the mids and bass, and they stay annoyingly in the vicinity of the speakers. The mids while full sounding is generic and sounds alike for most vocalists. The loudness and speed variations that express the emotional content of music is largely absent. The bass is slow and not punchy enough. It is not really hard to drive but its characteristics make it hard to match up with small power amps that usually do not have enough grip on the bass.

The EA II otoh sounds coherent and natural. It may not be an amateur show-off like its predecessor but it does get under the skin quick and quietly. I've had my EA II for 3 years. It stopped me dead from getting all the way to the Guarneri Homage, and it still does even though there is no doubt to my mind and ears that the Guarneri is the better speaker. I've heard the Guarneris more than a dozen times ever since I got my EA IIs and although each time reinforced my respect for the fabulous speakers, not once did I go home disappointed knowing that I would be listening to inferior speakers. If anything, the moment my EA IIs begin to sing, all the plans to upgrade to Guarneri went away as well.

Similar Products Used:

SF EA, MA, Guarneri, Amati, Dynaudio Confidence 5, Evidence, Wilson WP6, Revel etc

Great sound and looks...

I just upgraded from the Concerto Home. I expected, and got: extended highs, more detail, better imaging, livelier sound all around, even better looks...

What I didn´t quite expect from a similar size box was a very impressive mid-bass, when I play my Ibiza CDs, it makes me feel right there, it rocks...

My system:

TV Loewe Vitros
AV Tag McLaren AV32R
DVD Arcam DV88
AMP Rotel RB-1080 (front), RB-993 (center and surround)

Speakers:
Sonus Faber EA2 (front), Solo (center), Concerto (surround)
SUB 2 REL Strata III

Cables:
Deltec interconnects and speakers
Siltech digital
Chord SCART

Similar Products Used:

Concerto Home

power, poise, natural presentation, sweet treble

fussy placement, best with own (expensive) stands

I found the Sonus Faber EA II totally satisfying. Perhaps not the most suitable speakers for rock and other rough recordings, they truly excell with well recorded jazz, acoustic and classical music. Although they are apparently easier to drive then the original EAs they obviously thrive on top notch quality amplification. My 300 watt RMS Musical Fidelity Nu Vista pre/power amp combo definitely does the trick. I use a Meridian 508.24 CD player and Transparent Audio Musicwave Super speaker cables and TA Musiclink Ultra interconnects. It is important that you use the SF wood/stone stands (pretty expensive) and that the speakers are placed correctly (toed in). That way they sound fabulous, transparent, powerful with a solid, articulate base, sweet, extended treble and a detailed and smooth midband.