Sonus Faber Sonetto I
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Sonus Faber Sonetto I Review


As a long-lasting Italian brand, Sonus Faber can stand unwaveringly because the market recognizes it. However, this brand is old, but it is still trying to innovate in design. When developing the Sonetto series, in addition to hiring many designers with aesthetic backgrounds and using a large number of modern craftsmanships, it also combines classical musical instruments and Italian cultural imagery to present it. This makes this pair of Sonus Faber Sonetto I speakers both elegant, low-key, and quite noble. It isn’t easy to find such a beautiful speaker at the same price.

After the first audio system has been used for 3 to 5 years, many audiophiles will think about upgrading the equipment. At this time, people with sufficient financial resources will be able to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment. But many people will still upgrade more stably and consider buying mid-level equipment first.

However, as technology changes with each passing day, many major manufacturers have transferred their flagship and high-end technologies to mid-level and entry-level equipment. Therefore, stable upgrades have a higher cost performance and even have the opportunity to purchase value-for-money equipment. The protagonist Sonus Faber Sonetto I, is a good example.

Sonus Faber Sonetto I review

Because of this, I feel that I must show you the speakers of the Sonetto series again. The Sonetto series has been exhibited at the Munich Audio Fair in Germany. But in the discussion of cheap, intermediate-level two-channel speakers, they are rarely seen.

If the manufacturer’s painstaking work has no chance to be heard by more people, then apart from regret, I don’t know what to say. This pair of speakers is so beautiful, and Sonus Faber’s voice is quite charming. I will elaborate on these two points later.

Let me first introduce the design concept of the Sonetto series. In Italian, the original meaning of the word Sonetto is straightforward, that is, “sound, melody”. However, it also has the meaning of “sonnet”, which is popular in the Ancient European area.

Furthermore, it was usually performed with music in the past, so it also had the meaning of “small ballad” and “minor chord”. The reason why Sonus Faber uses Sonetto as its design is to carry forward the Italian literary spirit.

The Sonetto series is positioned below the high-end Olympica series and above the entry-level Venere series in terms of product positioning. But the price is still affordable, and various types of speakers are available, including floor-standing, bookshelf, center channel, or flat Surround speakers.

Whether your needs are two-channel, or home theater can meet. All speakers in the series are designed with three finishes, black, white, and wood. You can choose according to your preferences.

Design

Then let us look back at Sonus Faber Sonetto I. When unpacking the Sonetto I, I carefully took the speaker out of the box. The touch was so comfortable and supple when I touched the leather with the Sonus Faber brand logo on the top of the speaker in my palm!

Sonus Faber Sonetto I bookshelf speaker

Although the weight of Sonetto I is only 5.5 kg, it is not too heavy. The size is only about 35.9 cm high, 21.9 cm wide, and 30.5 cm deep, which is not too big. I placed it on the tripod. After the two speakers are placed at fixed points, the whole picture can be seen clearly. When I first moved out, I only felt low-key, but after putting it in place, I found that the appearance of this pair of bookshelf speakers makes people like it the more they look.

Sonetto I is not a general piano paint treatment but a matte color design that is not easy to leave fingerprints on. The touch is as comfortable as the top leather, which is relatively smooth. If you look down from the top of the speaker, you can find that the cabinet is designed with a lute to shape popular in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period.

Acoustically, it can avoid the parallel surface of the cabinet and reduce the generation of specific standing waves in the cabinet.

In detail, there is a nameplate on the back of the Sonetto I speaker. In addition to the independent serial number, it is also marked “Made in Italy”. If you value the pedigree of the speaker, this may add a lot of value to it.

The binding post on the back of Sonus Faber Sonetto I is designed with Bire Wire, and the texture is also perfect. From an aesthetic point of view, Sonetto I is like a graceful woman, but at the same time has a calm temperament. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a boutique. At this price, there are very few with this exquisite appearance. If you watched it, you would want to put a pair in the living room of your home. This is what I want to do.

The Driver

After admiring the appearance, let’s take a look at the design of Sonus Faber Sonetto I. Its tweeter adopts Sonus Faber’s exclusive DAD (Damped Apex Dome) design. This is a technology decentralized by the high-end Olympica series. The specific method is to configure a metal waveguide cone in front of the soft hemispheric tweeter diaphragm and a small damping material behind the cone.

Sonus Faber Sonetto I tweeter

So what is unique about DAD design? It turns out that when the soft hemispherical diaphragm vibrates, it does not vibrate uniformly throughout but primarily concentrates on the periphery of the diaphragm, and the higher the frequency, the more the vibration of the diaphragm will spread to the edge.

However, in such a situation, unnecessary vibration and deformation may occur in the center of the diaphragm, which will affect the sound performance and even cause unnecessary sound staining.

The design of the DAD damping material can reduce the probability of deformation of the center of the diaphragm, which means that it can reduce sound dyeing and improve sound performance. It is a very knowledgeable and exquisite method.

In the Sonetto I mid-bass monomer part, the diaphragm adopts Sonus Faber’s signature unique natural fiber mixed pulp construction method to pursue the Voice of Sonus Faber that many audio fans admire.

Sonus Faber Sonetto I woofer

Sonus Faber Sonetto I is warm, soft, and thick in the low-to-mid frequency range if you want to describe it. In addition, Sonetto I’s crossover also uses “Paracross Topology” technology. By using half-balanced frequency division to design the circuit, to install some passive components such as capacitors, inductors, and coils on the negative rail of the course, which can effectively reduce radio frequency interference and make the speaker’s resolution better.

By the way, the bookshelf speakers of the Sonetto series all have the bass reflex hole at the bottom of the speaker’s front and are designed into a carefully calculated long strip shape that spreads to the left and right. This approach will strengthen the low-frequency extension and make the overall sound fuller, but at the same time, it can also reduce the sound stain and improve the transient response.

However, besides the sound performance, this design is also quite convenient for audiophiles to make the placement, so you don’t have to worry about being too close to the back wall or too far to affect the sound performance.

Sonus Faber Sonetto I speaker

Sound Performance

Let’s talk about how it sounds. I chose the original soundtrack of the movie “The Pacific” for testing. I was impressed when Sonus Faber Sonetto I played that song. The pair of small speakers can show such an absolute positioning and sense of hierarchy! What I admire is that Sonetto I’s performance in the instrument is excellent and quite complete.

To hear the performance of various types of musical instruments clearly, I then played Perlman’s selection of violin, but I couldn’t stop playing.

Sonetto I’s performance on strings is very good, the violin is oily and shiny, and even the details of the musicians pressing the strings can be heard. And when the repertoire turned and the great dynamic broke out, it was even more orderly.

All the advantages made me forget myself when I heard it. Unconsciously, I had already played five songs. It’s a pity that there is not much test time. Otherwise, if I listened to Sonus Faber Sonetto I all day, I would definitely not get tired of it!

Having said that, why didn’t I mention low-frequency performance again? Because I didn’t hear the overwhelming, overwhelming low frequency in the music mentioned above genres, I couldn’t help but think in my heart.

Although the dive only reaches 45Hz, it shouldn’t be like this. So is there something wrong with the low frequency of Sonetto I? To verify its low-frequency capability again, I chose Micheal Jackson’s “Billie Jean” as a test. This time I heard a solid, complete, and powerful low frequency, only to realize that it is not without low frequency.

Why is this so? Sonetto I’s various designs have minimized its sound staining, so when playing different types of tracks, the performance of multiple instruments will be faithful to the original presentation.

Sonus Faber Sonetto I binding post

General speakers are designed to minimize mid-frequency and high-frequency sound contamination. However, in the low-frequency part, due to the cabinet design, listening space, and positioning method, the speaker’s performance will be affected, so the low-frequency sound Reduction is quite a test of the skill of a manufacturer.

A series of different types of music were played to confirm my inference, including jazz, pop, electronic music, orchestras, etc. After listening to it, I came to the conclusion that Sonus Faber Sonetto I bookshelf speaker is like water. It can change into different appearances with different types of music.

However, since Sonetto I has the bel canto bloodline of pure justice and profit, I still have to listen carefully to see its vocal performance. So here I chose Dianna Krall’s “The Look of Love” album for testing.

I knew it when the singer was about to speak. Yes, this is indeed Italian bel canta. The vocals are concentrated entirely in the middle and the foremost part. The imaging is specific, the transition is not muddy, and the inhalation and exhalation are all heard at a glance. The overall sound is touching and warm.

Conclusion

I can confidently say that Sonus Faber Sonetto I performs quite naturally and outstandingly regardless of various instruments, and even the electrical effects produced by electronic synthesizers also have a good sense of coverage.

And it has a good understanding of hierarchy in multiple music genres and can interpret the excellent hall sound and natural feel of space. Simply put, it is as calm, elegant, and explosive as its appearance. So if the audio equipment in your home has been in use for a while, and you want to upgrade, you might as well give it a chance!


Sonus Faber Sonetto I Specs

  • SYSTEM: 2-way shelf loudspeaker system. Vented box design.
  • Tweeter: High Definition DAD™ driver. DKM dome diaphragm, Ø 29mm
  • Woofer: Custom diaphragm made with cellulose pulp and other natural fibers, Ø 150mm
  • CROSSOVER: 2.500Hz
  • FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 45 Hz – 25.000 Hz
  • SENSITIVITY: 87 dB SPL (2.83 V/1m)
  • NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 4 ohm
  • SUGGESTED AMPLIFIER POWER OUTPUT: 30W – 150W, without clipping
  • DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 359 (1090 stand included) x 219 x 305 mm / 14 (43 stand included) x 9 x 12 in
  • WEIGHT: 5,5 kg – net weight (stand not included) / 12,1 lb – net weight (stand not included)