Sonus Faber Lumina III Review
Sonus Faber’s Reference and Tradition series are indeed desirable, but they are expensive and difficult for ordinary people to get close to. Is there a more cost-effective product? Along the way, Sonus Faber does have affordable speakers, such as the Toy series ten years ago and the Chameleon series later. Now, Sonus Faber once again presents a new affordable series Lumina. And in this post, I will review the Sonus Faber Lumina III.
Sonus Faber does have a deep focus on the Lumina series. In addition to controlling costs, the brand elements of Sonus Faber are poured on it as much as possible. A layer of leather is stretched around the box. This is a classic design of Sonus Faber. A patented waveguide is added to the front of the tweeter, a tulip-shaped tweeter frame. The words SF on the dust cover of the midrange and woofer, The horizontal metal trims on the front tent, etc., are the same brand characteristics.
Even more surprising is that the Lumina series, an entry-level series, is still made by an Italian factory. How can this kind of sincerity work not make people look forward to it?
Design
As the most affordable entry series, Lumina has launched three models, floor-standing speakers Lumina III, bookshelf speakers Lumina I, and center speakers Lumina CI. This is a series suitable for music and theater. The big brother Lumina III of the series is a 3-way, 4-driver, bass-reflex hole design.
The tweeter is slightly larger and is a 29mm silk soft-dome tweeter produced by the German monomer manufacturer Dr. Kurt Mueller. This tweeter is called D.A.D. (Damped Apex Dome).
The signature DAD™ technology (Damped Apex Dome™) tweeter is perfectly located on the upper half of the speaker cabinet, which is the same as the monomer used in the higher-end Sonetto series, using Kurtmueller’s hand-coated 29mm spherical diaphragm.
The chromium alloy damping design directly in front of the diaphragm can prevent the diaphragm from being distorted and effectively diffuse the sound in a balanced manner. It is also one of the most significant designs of Sonus Faber.
The surface of the diaphragm has a special coating, and there is a waveguide in front of the tweeter. This single unit is the same as the tweeter used by the previous Sonetto series (which makes people fall in love with the sound of Sonus Faber-Sonus Faber Sonetto V floor-standing speakers). Again, precisely the same, and the extensibility is quite good, up to 24kHz.
The midrange unit is a 150mm paper cone midrange. The cone diaphragm made of natural fiber is a long-standing tradition of Sonus Faber. The dust cover with the word S.F. printed in it looks the same as a high-end speaker.
This mid-range unit of Sonus Faber Lumina III also comes from the Sonetto series. From this point of view, the Lumina series inherited the essential genes of the Sonetto series and used the decentralized technology in the entry series.
Two 150mm paper cone bass are located below the midrange, with the bass reflex hole located at the bottom of the speaker. The low-frequency response can reach 40Hz, which is not simple for a small floor-standing speaker such as Lumina III.
The crossover of Sonus Faber Lumina III is made of carefully selected capacitors, resistors, and inductors and is designed with a “semi-balanced” (semi-balanced) circuit called Para-Cross Topology. The crossover point of the treble and midrange is set at 3,500Hz, while the midrange and bass are set at 350Hz. The crossover optimizes the phase of each frequency band of the speaker to the best time and phase.
Other Features
Sonus Faber Lumina III looks like a closed design from the outside, but it is not. It has a bass-reflex hole at the bottom. In addition, there is a metal base at the bottom of the speaker. After adding a metal stand, there will be a certain height from the ground, and the energy of bass-reflex is thus Spread out 360 degrees. This design also increases the degree of freedom of placement. Whether close to the wall or placed in a wide space, it can have an even and fixed amount of energy.
The speaker binding post provided by Lumina III is divided into two groups: high-midrange and low-bass. When only a pair of speaker cables are used to connect, you can use jumpers to connect. Usually, the speaker is directly connected to the frequency band. You can also use Bi-Amp or Bi-Wire connection. The angle of the speaker binding post makes the connection of the wire very convenient.
The speaker of Lumina III has a height of 989mm, a width of 228mm, and a depth of 277.7mm. Therefore, it is not a large speaker and can be easily placed in a general home space. The impedance is 4 ohms. The crossover point is 350Hz, 3500Hz three-tone design speaker. The recommended amplifier power is 50W~250W.
Sound Performance
The sound of Sonus Faber Lumina III has excellent texture, clarity, and fineness, with a level of density, sound field openness, three-dimensionality, and energy. Coupled with the design, artistry, brand image, it isn’t easy to find a competitor at the same price. Perhaps it can beat Lumina III in one or two features, but overall, it is indeed quite powerful work.
LSonus Faber Lumina III continues Sonus Faber’s excellent traditional features, delicate texture, natural flavor, precise and open in listening to string, piano, and other instrumental music. In addition, you can hear familiar performances from Anne-Sophie Mutter’s “Carmen-Fantasie” The details, the exquisite sound lines, and the melodious three-dimensionality of the space, and Lumina III can be said to present excellent music content without reservation.
The famous “Cantate Domino” is an outstanding fever film, recorded in the church choir singing to achieve good sound effects. Through Lumina III, you can hear the extraordinarily natural and harmonious bel canto. The choir’s singing is solemn and majestic, recreating the echoes of the vast space on the scene and recreating the depth and level of the sound field. Even the height of the church’s sufficient space can be felt.
The details and positioning of the singer are still accurate. The texture of the sound allows the listener to experience the height, purity, and prudence of the hymn. Listening to a larger speaker may have a more majestic auditory effect. The height of Lumina III is only about 100 cm. Although it does not have the grandeur of a big speaker, the sound diffusion is quite good.
There is no pressure on the sound, and the volume can be adjusted freely. Lumina III is also suitable for listening at a high volume in a small space. The low volume can also reproduce great details and dynamics.
Sonus Faber Lumina III is indeed a pair of speakers that are very suitable for medium space and below. Refer to the purchase and use for audiophiles who are unwilling to give in to ordinary sound quality.
Play the <千と千寻の神隠し> from “Hayao Miyazaki & Hisaishi Original Soundtrack>. Although Lumina III is not as powerful as a large floor-standing speaker, the sparrow is small and well-equipped so that you can listen to the momentum of a large orchestra. Not to be underestimated.
The balance of high and low frequencies and the breadth of the sound field are satisfying. The dynamic performance is not only sufficient but also the surprise of the details can be heard. The 19th track of “千と千寻の神隠し”, the main melody part is played by the big orchestra and the piano. , You can listen to different characteristics in the sense of hearing. The piano sound is clear and clean, and the small foil with orchestra accompaniment makes the piano sound extraordinarily bright. The pulsation of each note can be heard through the playback of Lumina III. sound.
Sonus Faber Lumina III handles the music of each voice very finely, and it’s very touching to regain similar memories. It’s great.
Conclusion
Sonus Faber Lumina III has a slender figure, and considering the advantages of Made in Italy’s production area, it also brings the market at the same price, showing its highly persuasive power. If you dream of a pair of Sonus Faber, the Lumina series is an opportunity to realize your dreams. You can also appreciate the classic Italian elegance without spending a lot of money.
Sonus Faber Lumina III Specs
- SYSTEM:3-way floorstanding loudspeaker system.Vented box design
- Tweeter: Ø 29 mm high definition DAD™ driver
- Midrange: Ø 150 mm paper cone driver
- Woofer: Ø 2×150 mm paper cone drivers
- CROSSOVER: Optimized amplitude/phase response for optimal space/time performance “Para-cross topology™”. Crossover frequencies: 350 and 3500 Hz.
- FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 40 Hz – 24.000 Hz
- SENSITIVITY: 89 dB SPL (2.83V/1m)
- NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 4 ohm
- SUGGESTED AMPLIFIER POWER OUTPUT: 50W – 250W, undistorted signal
- DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 989 x 228 x 277,7 mm / 38.9 x 9 x 10.9 in
- WEIGHT: 15,9 Kg each / 35.1 lb each
