Sonus Faber Sonetto V FloorStanding LoundSpeaker

In fact, all three conditions are met in the listening session. The Sonetto V is the best of all worlds, as it does seem to combine what was good about the Venere – a sense of ‘directness’ and purpose of sound… and the lower price, of course – with the increased refinement and top-end openness of the Olympica models. In addiition, I would put the sound in a new place for Sonus faber in absolute terms, but closer to the Olympica than the Venere in the Sonus faber canon. Disregarding the price point and the place of manufacturer for the moment, its sonic positioning makes it more than just another Sonus faber range. It makes it the sign of a designer moving beyond the company’s comfort zone, to reach a new audience. That’s a bold move.

Perhaps the biggest departure from old is the ‘fun’ element. Sonus fabers have been increasing moving toward a sound that is cleaner and less dark sounding, and the Sonetto continues that tradition, but perhaps more importantly adds in a touch of fun with rock and roll that has sometimes eluded Sonus faber in its quest for musical beauty.

One word that is never uppermost in the Sonus faber lexicon is ‘boogie’. They make a beautiful, full, and dynamic sound, but one of grace and space rather than something a little more down and dirty. The Sonetto V does boogie, however. It has an infectious sense of a beat, and makes ‘Out of the Black’ from Royal Blood’s eponymous first album [Warner] leap at you powerfully. Yes, you know this is just a two piece (like the White Stripes or the Black Keys), but it’s still a full-on metal thrash, and the Sonetto V loves it!

The Sonetto V is at the perfect junction in audio. It draws more than you might think from the Olympica loudspeakers in terms of outright sound quality but does so at a fraction of the cost of a similar Olympica speaker design, and it does all this while carving out its own elegant aesthetic and sonic performance that is extremely entertaining, especially to those who might never fully embrace the ‘live, unamplified music’ ethos of traditional high-end. Perhaps more importantly though, it shows what Sonus faber can do in creating an attainably-priced high-end loudspeaker without having to resort to building the products half a world away.