Sonus faber Amati Tradition Review
What a beauty. Sonus faber once again brings out the best that the workshop in Italy has to offer. The Amati Tradition is the current top model of the “Tradition” line. Noble wood meets fine leather. Too good to be true?
Andreas Günther
A man speeds across the lake in a boat. The sun glitters on the surface of the water. He is about to reach his destination. Here, a stunningly beautiful woman is already waiting with a cocktail in her hand. The man steers the boat to the dock and swings himself out. The lady hands over the cocktail. The dock is laid out with a carpet, on which stand a sofa and two Sonus faber loudspeakers: the Amati Tradition model. The man takes a seat on the sofa, sips his cocktail, and listens to the music. End of scene.
That’s exactly how Sonus faber presented it in a video clip for the new model series. We marvel and ask ourselves: Is that what the target audience of the Amati Tradition looks like? Probably yes. After all, the price is close to that of a speedboat: $32,000. Conversely, if you don’t own a nice speedboat, you have no right to an Amati Tradition. That would be too much of a good thing. But who is actually interested in the new Sonus faber? It’s people who have the money and are enthusiastic about beauty and technology.
Because these are the core values of Sonus faber. Again, we marvel at a wonderful finish. The side wooden planks shine under multiple layers of lacquer, the complete front is wrapped in fine leather. Only the Italians can do that. It’s truly breathtaking and immediately triggers the desire to possess.
In-house Manufacturing
But technically, this speaker also has deeply delightful aspects. In the old days, Sonus faber simply purchased their chassis. Those days are over. Now they are manufactured on customer order and even on their own workbench.
For example, the midrange driver: It comes from in-house production. It bears the plain abbreviation M15 XTR-04 and is a 15-centimeter system with a neodymium magnet. It is supposed to sound as ultra-dynamic as it is linear. Overall, we have a 3.5-way design before our eyes and ears. This means the lower woofer acts as a “half” way and serves as a pure sub-bass supplier. It plays up to 80 Hertz, while its identical companion above runs linearly up to 250 Hertz. The chassis come from Seas, custom-made and thus only available from Sonus faber. The diameter is 22 centimeters. Membranes made of a foam core plus cellulose surfaces vibrate.
The smallest membrane is the 28-mm silk dome, also made by Seas. Sonus faber places it in front of a rear chamber, which in its form is supposed to resemble an acoustic labyrinth, all made of natural wood. There are many loud technical terms that Sonus faber has come up with. For example, “Stealth Ultraflex System” or “Zero Vibration Transmission.” Essentially, the Italians are referring to a central rod through which the housing is screwed and braced to dampen vibrations.
You don’t need to know all that. This speaker doesn’t want to be intellectually deciphered. It wants to be loved, primarily because of its appearance. And indeed: This was one of the most beautiful speakers that ever visited our listening room.
How to approach this beauty? With what music? Of course, it has to be opera, Italian opera. Recently, Decca remastered one of their old magnificent recordings. The result is probably the best-sounding “Turandot” in the current discography. Above all, it’s a festival of singers. The London Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta is in great form. The soundscape is dripping with blood and bass attacks. Right from the first bars, the big drum is heavily employed. These are ultra-deep bass beats, which did not cause the slightest effort for the Amati Tradition in our test.
Especially the bass is one of its strengths. It was deep and perfect, hit right in the diaphragm without booming. In addition, the Amati Tradition could get really loud. During the entrance of the Emperor of China, Zubin Mehta takes the first bars with pressure and joy of playing—to ignite the big dynamic rocket in the second verse. The volume jumps up by 20 decibels. Some poor speakers fail completely at this moment; even more speakers begin to scream. Not so the Amati Tradition, which stayed strictly on course and practically rejoiced over the dynamic peak.
This is a beautiful body with a beautiful soul. Whoever wants it is on the right track and should trust their intuition.
DALI Epicon 6 Review
Founded in July 2014, 7Review is a free audio resource for beginners, and we're dedicated to helping you create the ultimate movie-watching experience right at home. We pull insights from top audio magazines and trusted industry sources to bring you well-researched, reliable reviews and tips. Whether you're a home cinema pro or just starting out, we aim to give you the info you need to make the best choices for your setup.
