Let’s discuss the performance first, since that’s honestly what most are interested in. The Sonus faber Sonetto VIII speakers are the very definition of “balanced.” They have no specific emphasis or lack thereof in any frequency range. Were you to close your eyes, you might think, from audition alone, that these were some of the very best British speakers or American “New England” style speakers. But three things argue with that simple assessment – the dynamics, the treble, and the bass.Unlike some popular and very pricey metal-domed British speakers (that shall remain nameless), the Sonetto VIIIs add no “sparkle” to the treble, a hi-fi affectation that ultimately detracts from the music. Instead the Sonus fabers sound extended without sounding bright, clean without sounding harsh, and delicate when the music demands it.The bass, somewhat reticent initially, fleshes itself out within a day or two of service, and the three woofers per side provide a more extended bottom than the 38Hz, -3dB down-point specification would lead one to believe. I listened to them both with and without subwoofers, and ultimately preferred them without. Make of that what you will.The dynamics of the Sonus faber Sonetto VIII speakers are dependent on the amplifier used. But with a good amp (my favorites were the Emotiva PA-1 Class-D amplifiers), the dynamics could be startling.
Looking at the Sonetto VIII speakers once they’re set up, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were a sealed box design. But that isn’t the case. The port on these speakers is on the bottom, given room to breathe by the outrigger feet. I heard no chuffing or any other port noise at all during the review, and the bass response, in my room seemed to stretch all the way to the low 30s. The three aluminum cone drivers are more than sufficient to play in a LARGE room without breakup.
Peering into that cavernous port, coils of large-diameter wire are visible, indicating that Sonus-faber didn’t skimp on the crossovers.
The midrange cone is made from paper pulp with some stiffeners. I was initially worried that the paper cone would announce its presence audibly but was pleasantly surprised that the midrange blended very well with both the woofers and the tweeter. The midrange, obviously, is in its own sub-compartment to prevent interference with the woofers’ back-pressure waves.The tweeter may be the most surprising driver in the Sonus faber Sonetto VIII. Looking at the large-ish size of the tweeter, I had expected severe beaming at its upper ranges, but I heard no such thing. The tiny diffuser in front of the tweeter works a treat and the treble was clean and clear whether on axis or off.The binding posts are high-quality, five-way connectors with jumpers, allowing for conventional hook-ups with a single hot and ground wire. By removing the jumpers, bi-wiring or bi-amplification are possible, should the owner choose. I did try bi-wiring the speakers but heard no audible difference.The speaker terminals use high-quality nickel-plated nuts with plastic backing-ferrules. The backings are made of black or red plastic to identify polarity. While crawling about at floor level, behind the speakers, the colored ferrules can sometimes be hard to see. I wish that Sonus faber had used wide, solid red and black plastic bands around the nickel-plated nuts to ensure easy and positive identification. But regardless of markings, the terminals are beefy and have a very pleasant knurled surface for good grip.
The cabinet of the Sonus faber Sonetto VIII also bears mentioning. The mounting board for the drivers is as narrow as possible, with the cabinet swelling at each side and then tapering to a narrow rear. The entire cabinet is veneered in elegant-looking walnut. Although white and black are both available, unless you’re looking for “stark,” walnut is definitely the way to go! In addition to looking sensuous, the Sonetto VIII cabinets are some of the most inert I’ve encountered. The knuckle-rap test results in nothing but sore knuckles.
The Sonus faber Sonetto VIII speakers arrived in not one, not two, but three layers of boxing. Apparently, the shipping services in Italy are no gentler with large, heavy packages than are the U.S. services. And so, despite some damage to the outer boxes, the speakers arrived safe and sound.But when I went to set up the speakers, I encountered some disappointments. First, Sonus faber provides spikes to better couple the speakers to the floor in rooms with carpet. The spikes and outriggers are absolutely necessary to elevate the speakers a specific distance, providing adequate clearance for the bottom-firing port. But the Sonus faber solution for hard floors is to supply some 1.5-inch diameter metal discs with a tiny center indentation on one side, where the spikes are supposed to fit. The other (floor) side of each disc has a rubber coating.I found out after the review that Sonus faber recommends using some newspaper or napkins under the discs until the proper position is found (being the best compromise between smooth bass response and best imaging). Once the proper position is determined, Sonus faber then recommends removing the paper and letting their disc coating “lock” the speakers in place. Once locked, the threaded spikes can be used to level the speaker or to tilt it so that the tweeter fires at the ear-level of the listener(s). The only improvement I can think of to this process would be to use waxed paper under the discs for easier sliding.
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