Sonus Faber Sonetto V G2 Review
The “Camelia” midrange driver, derived from Sonus Faber’s mega loudspeaker, is intended to give the new Sonetto V G2 a natural timbre and an airy flair. It defines its high-fidelity karma.
Musical expression – is that what you expect above all else from your loudspeaker? Then you are reading exactly the right thing here! Because the new Sonetto V G2 from the Italian manufacturer Sonus Faber offers such expression to a surprising degree, far beyond what is usual for its class, which, at a pair price of about $6,900, is certainly already committed.
Sorry for bursting straight in like this, but the expressive potential of the mid-level model of three floorstanders from the newly refreshed and extensively revised Sonetto series is astonishing. It’s impressive how these slender, 109-centimeter-high columns, whose cabinet is shaped like a lute, projected Esther Fellner into the listening room with “Ma Chanson De La Rue” in a vivid, lifelike manner.
The recording reproduces the singer precisely, razor-sharp, and convincingly. Unfortunately, often enough this comes across as too cool or even slightly icy. None of that with the Italian speaker, which, in addition to all the required clarity, ensures a seamless transition to the lower midrange, remaining clearly focused and natural, thus avoiding any hint of the technoid edge often prevailing in this piece.
The treble range is pure poetry
The Sonetto V G2’s skill in the oh-so-critical midrange is shown even more strikingly with CC Coletti’s version of the Led Zeppelin classic “Rock And Roll.” The extremely direct binaural recording from the New York high-end label Chesky Records is a tough test for any system, and especially for the loudspeakers.
The artist, with a cutting tone to her powerful voice, apparently stood right in front of the microphone and fires her performance straight at the listener. This can quickly become pushy or even annoying at higher volumes. Yet the Sonetto V G2 preserves the immediacy and intensity, but denies the often-heard overemphasis and harshness. Bravo, because such balanced, mature, and thus expressive reproduction is more commonly encountered in larger and correspondingly higher-priced boxes.
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And it is precisely from such a model that the component originates, one that attracts all the attention around the new Sonetto and will spark debates in audiophile circles: the “Camelia” midrange driver. It got its name from the camellia, which belongs to the tea plant family and whose flower shape is reminiscent of the visually striking, white, untreated cellulose membrane. With a diameter of about 16 centimeters, it even matches the size of the two woofers below it, and sits together with the tweeter dome in a shared, Sonus Faber-style leather-clad module.
To protect it from the pressure waves of the woofer duo, there is a rounded, closed chamber made from recycled cork behind it, which prevents disturbing reflections. In extensive tests, this material proved to be acoustically ideal.
TEST EQUIPMENT
Turntable: Technics SL-1300G
Cartridges: Hana SH MK II, Sumiko Amethyst
Media Player: T+A MP 2500 R
Pre-/Power Amp: Audio Research REF 6 SE/Accustic Arts AMP VI
Integrated Amplifiers: Audionet SAM 20 SE, McIntosh MA 5300 AC “45th Anniversary”
Cables: HMS Suprema, Synergystic Res. Theta
Parts transfer from the flagship
The “donor” for these parts is Sonus Faber’s mega loudspeaker system Suprema, consisting of two man-sized floorstanding speakers plus a pair of exceptional subwoofers at a total price of about $930,000. This is where the “Camelia” driver was developed as the ultimate solution for the midrange sector of the frequency spectrum, to which the human ear is particularly sensitive. No wonder, since it includes voices and the essential natural sounds important to us.
In the center of the midrange driver, a slightly protruding round phase plug is positioned to prevent signal peaks or cancellations. These occur mainly in the shorter wavelength upper range of the transmission band when the membrane surface exceeds a certain size. And the “Camelia” driver, starting from around 280 Hz, works up to about 2,500 Hz. The Sonetto V G2 is, by the way, the least expensive model in the modernized Sonetto line with the “Camelia” driver. The line also includes two other floorstanders, bookshelf speakers, as well as wall and center speakers for AV applications.
Because of the “Camelia” coup, it’s easy to overlook that the 2.5 cm diameter “DAD” tweeter also contains innovations. We have already been convinced by its gentle clarity in other loudspeakers from Vicenza. “DAD” stands for “Damped Apex Dome” since its slightly protruding fabric dome is spanned by an arch, in the center of which a tiny pin just barely contacts its surface. In this way, unwanted resonances of the membrane are prevented, which apparently works great in practice. In any case, no hardness or sharpness is heard, and the highs are excellently integrated into the organic sound image intended by Sonus Faber.
Richer in tone than expected
Tonal thinning and noble pallor have no place in the Sonetto V G2’s presentation. This loudspeaker always has some “meat on the bones.” It comes across more powerfully than one would expect from its size. We experienced this when first setting it up in the listening room. Placed where speakers of this size usually stand, the sound was too full, so it wanted to be moved to where more expansive models are normally positioned.
Its double woofers are supported by a downward-facing bass reflex opening. Four metal bolts ensure an exact distance from the floor plate, which here is made of concrete and guarantees the Sonetto V G2 a secure stand. The amorphous nature of the material also counteracts any resonance.
In the underside of this massive base, which contributes to the total weight of a good 33 kilograms, there are four metal threads into which you can screw flat spike cones. These should definitely be used as they improve precision, not only in the lower registers. Especially if the included locking nuts are firmly tightened after leveling the box with the supplied wrench. Even if it’s a bit tricky to slide the protective pads underneath because there isn’t much space under the cabinet, you should not be tempted to do without the spikes.
As usual, the Sonetto V G2 has a bi-wiring terminal with separate binding posts for the two woofers and the mid/high unit. If you use spade connectors instead of bananas, you can cover the contacts with a silvery cap bearing the Sonus Faber logo. In any case, consider using either a bi-wiring cable or, in the case of single-wiring, cable jumpers to replace the simple metal bridges provided by the manufacturer. These thin strips limit the sonic result in many ways and mock the elaborate effort made with the drivers. Naturally, we removed them immediately.
“SONUS FABER HAS SUPERBLY CONCEIVED THE SONETTO V G2 AROUND THE ‘CAMELIA’ DRIVER.”
Keeping tradition in mind
Like every high-quality loudspeaker, the Sonetto V G2, which prefers free placement, requires care in positioning it within the room. On the other hand, it is no more demanding than others. It was pure pleasure to give full scope to its capabilities by fine-tuning the distance to the walls, the width between the speakers, and the angle of toe-in.
Once optimally positioned, the Italian speaker delivers lavishly proportioned and well-balanced portrayals of musical events in terms of image size and tonal colors. Thus, it ties in with the tradition of Sonus Faber under the aegis of Franco Serblin, who founded the company in 1983 and committed himself both to the craftsmanship of local violin makers and their highest demands on sound. Serblin understood his loudspeakers not least as instruments.
However, while Sonus Faber’s models from that era and up to the sale of the company in 2006 were often slightly voiced for sonority, leaning towards a certain sweetness, the Sonetto V G2 is not even remotely “dimmed” in the upper ranges. Rather, these sparkle in just the right amount, avoiding any hint of dominance, always maintaining a delicate nonchalance.
For example, with cello concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, the music emerged before the listener as an agile, lively, multifaceted construction entangled in artful flourishes. The Sonetto V G2 let Sol Gabetta’s spirited “Cappella” bloom with shimmering, scintillating virtuosity, providing “Italian moments” full of zest and feeling, especially in the rising, driving Allegros.
Here, neither the subtle harpsichord chirping in the background of the neatly organized stage was lost, nor was there a break in the connection to the pulsating lower midrange that supplied the flexible foundation.
Performance from gentle to hard
The new Sonetto floorstander reproduced the creaky, resinous coloring of Ralph Rousseau’s viola da gamba on his wonderfully atmospheric solo album “A Pritty Thing” just as convincingly as it did Lenny Mac Dowell’s ethereal, drifting flute notes on “The Farthest Shore,” where the Sonetto V G2 also demonstrated its spatial imaging capabilities – for example, the precisely staggered depth in the live track “Saturday Night” by the Red Norvo Quintet. The longer we listened, the more we cherished the Sonus Faber.
The ultra-fine, delicately plucked instrumental texture of “When I Feel The Sea Beneath My Soul” by Tiny Island danced before us with exquisite finesse. Beat Kaestli’s whispered “Day In Day Out” detached completely from the cabinets, including the percussion and cornet that appeared clearly to the left beyond the speaker base, standing free and shimmering in the room.
On the other hand, the Sonetto V G2 knew how to hit precisely with the nasty, steep impulses of Monty Alexander’s “Moanin’,” and it wasn’t fazed by the volume attacks from Accustic Arts’ mighty Amp VI, which clamped onto the Sonus Faber’s woofers like a vise. Usually, in this speaker class, you have to choose between fullness and maximum volume, since the concept with smaller woofers doesn’t allow both at once. But the Sonetto V G2 doesn’t seem limited in either aspect and even reproduced the ultra-low tone at the end of Jheena Lodwick’s “A Groovy Kind Of Love” reasonably well. Respect!
In fact, you don’t need ultra-amps to spur the electrically easy-to-drive and sensitive Sonus Faber to strong performance. A good, smoothly sounding integrated amplifier is enough to discover that the flowery, richly shaded, and homogeneous performance of the “Camelia” midrange driver is just one of its many advantages. Nevertheless, this driver forms its acoustic center and shapes its musical impetus. Boy George would surely have sung about “Karma Camelia”!
Tech Specs
Product Details
- Product Type / Price Class: Passive floorstanding speaker / €5,000 to €10,000
- Website: www.sonusfaber.com
- Dimensions (W x H x D) in cm: 109 x 31 x 41.5
- Weight in kg: 33.4
- Design Principle: Three-way, bass reflex
- Terminal: Bi-Wire
- Recommended Placement: Free-standing
Sound (KLANG) – 60% weight
- German rating: “sehr gut 1,5” (very good 1.5)
Approximate conversion to a 10-point scale: about 8.8/10 - Sound Quality Description:
“So vibrant and punchy, yet well-defined and breathing reproduction with natural midrange.”
Measurements (MESSWERTE) – 15% weight
- German rating: “gut 2,1” (good 2.1)
Approximate conversion to a 10-point scale: about 7.3/10 - Frequency Response: Good, quite linear, noticeable directivity in the highs
- Reference SPL (in dB): Good (89)
- Transient Response: Still good, slight reverberation
- Minimum Impedance: Good (2.94 Ohms at 110 Hz)
- Distortions at 63/3k/10k Hz (in %): Good (0.67 / 0.19 / 0.13)
- Compatibility: Still very good
Features & Handling (AUSSTATTUNG & HANDHABUNG) – 25% weight
- German rating: “gut 2,5” (good 2.5)
Approximate conversion to a 10-point scale: about 6.3/10 - Setup: Simple
- Manual Quality: Satisfactory, but thorough with practical tips
- Initial Operation: Simple
- Sound Correction Possible: No
- Available Finishes: Three
- Scope of Delivery: Grilles, spikes with washers, rubber feet
- Haptics / Build Quality: Still very good
- Warranty (in years): 3
- Upgradeable: No
Verdict
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Best Speakers $5k-$10k: Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 review
A beguiling combination of delicacy and dynamic coherence, needless to say Tom is impressed.
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