I own these speakers since Christmas and I think you've summed up their qualities very nicely. For me, it's the best thing I've spent money on in my long hi-fi life. Sonus faber has achieved a very big success here in my opinion. What I would like to add: although the workmanship is so excellent, you still spend your hard-earned money on sound quality, not on a beautiful piece of furniture. That you get for free, so to speak. I listen with slightly older Accuphase equipment and I think it fits perfectly. My listening room is 17 square meters.
I am a " new SF fan " haha just started doing hi fi and I started my jorney with the Sonus faber sonetto III ( 1 gen. ) and LOVE them! :D so I can just imagian how amazing thies must be!
Great review Adrian and Lewis. "Like a beautiful cup of coffee with a lump of sugar" greatest sound description ever Adrian! I've been beguiled by the look of these Maxima Amator for the past several years. Might consider them as part of a final end game system for me. Thanks again for all these videos.
I’ve heard these at an audio show in the Netherlands (DAE) and was amazed! I couldn’t believe there was no hidden subwoofer. The demo was in a room of about 10 by 25 meters and the amp was from Chord. One of the best demos of the event.
Adrian, thanks for this review. I purchased my first Sonus Faber speakers (Grand Piano Home - Walnut) in 2001. I finally bit the bullet on an upgrade last May with the Maxima Amator. As much as I enjoy the Grand Pianos, these new speakers add a wider dimension to my sound, something I was initially skeptical about moving to a 2-way speaker. Aesthetically, albeit slightly larger than the GPs, they also fit beautifully into our décor which somewhat softened the sticker shock for my wife. Your review provided a welcome validation to my thoughts on the speakers. I have since moved the older Grand Pianos into my office (replacing my KEF LS50 Metas) and paired them with my McIntosh 252 integrated hybrid amp. They have blossomed with the the amp upgrade along with a smaller and less bright room. The Maxima Amator however, are currently powered by a Marantz AV preamp and amp combo which were previously connected to the GPs. They sounds great, but, of course, I am now thinking of upgrading my electronics with a 2-channel set up. You mentioned playing the speakers in the "big boy" room. Any suggestions for what works best with the speaker (tube, solid state) would be welcome.
Review Idea: Maxima Amator vs. Nova III, powered by C22 / MC275. Then, part 2 would be the C22 / MC462 combo-thoughts on the speakers' sound and what amplifier you prefer.
we need to hear more recommendations from Uncle Lewis...HE'S THE MAN! I am from the states and off Great Lake not Ontario ( a few hours away from Toronto) and he is giving many recommendations of music my father played for us growing up. I appreciated that. Always good to watch you two...hope to get up to T-dot to see your store one day
I auditioned Olympics Nova v and maxima. The nova is best for a hybrid use, 2 channel music and HT. The Maxima is the best for 2 channel music. The dealer played Fleetwood Mac the chain which I heard countless times but never heard like how the Maxima played. Its was simply magical. Their room was about 40 x 30 if I recall. I ended up getting the Maxima although my system is a hybrid. Beautiful looking and beautiful sounding speakers.
@@terryy4679HT use too? Do you use a HT receiver to drive the Maximas? What high pass frequency, if any, do you use? And what center channel, if any, did you find that works? Thanks!
I was at AE the other day and demoed these with D'Agostino and I was so surprised at the result. If we just look at their footprint they punch way above their weight. SF has long been known as the classical music speaker. However their ability to handle rock music was surprising. I know that many like to mate them with McIntosh but the pairing with D'Agostino was superb. I own Sabrina Xs and both do great things.
Adrian is correct. The Electa is less neutral with a juicy bass and a bit more treble to balance it. A touch of the “smiley face” frequently response if you will. They are immensely entertaining to listen to. The Maxima is perfectly balanced with much better bass detail and extension. The treble is everything the reviewers state, extended, airy, not sibilant, but if the recording is too hot on top, it will let you know without driving you out of the room. Both are great with sound staging but the Maxima gets the nod likely for its bass extension adding a greater sense of the venue’s space.
The salesperson who delivered and perfectly set up my Maxima Amators owns a pair of the SF Nova V speakers driven by big McIntosh. He spent a good amount of time with me listening to my pair. He said that as superb as the Nova’s are, they don’t disappear like the Maximas do. And the Nova’s slam, rock and party with the best of them. We agreed that the Maxima Amator is a niche product and that in my home, with my amp (a 30 WPC Class A Luxman Integrated) and my tastes, they found their niche.
I had the same thought James......either the Gravis III or the REL Classic 99 would be a good match. I actually think the Rel looks more attractive and matches the Maxima Amator's beautiful walnut finish better, but tastes differ. The REL is also supposed to be voiced more like vintage speakers, and I suspect that voicing would work well with the Maxima Amator.
@@lamaludwig1470 your reply is vague......don't mess it up by adding a sub or don't mess it up by getting a REL sub over a Sonus Faber sub? Note that if you added a sub, you could use it selectively only when needed so I don't know what you would be messing up.
In the many months I’ve had the Maxima Amators, I’ve never felt the need to add subwoofers for music. The Amators in my 22’ x 17’ room do a full throated low C which is 32.7 Hz. The pair of Martin Logan Dynamo 800x subs which mated so beautifully with my previous Bowers and Wilkins 805 D4’s went no deeper as DSP cuts them off at 30 Hz. That being said, when I tried the subs with the Amators, I could not achieve the overall bass quality I was hearing with the Amators alone. I suspect this was due to too much overlap between the subs and the Amators which were driven full range (as were the 805 D4s, but they rolled off in the mid 40’s). Maybe using a high pass filter on the Amators would make for a better blend but I’m wary of adding another box that it might compromise the transparency of the Luxman L-590AxII Class A integrated amp I use. Though if you want high level deep bass for HT or dub or electronica, heed Adrian’s caution and use a high pass on the mains when adding subwoofers. Or maybe the comparatively priced SF Olympia Novas which are very nice, too.
Excellent and interesting review, they sound like a relative bargain, considering the price of top flight speakers. Here's a dilemma for you guys, would you go for ex display Maxima for 11,500, or a pair of customer trade-in, Amati Tradition for 11,500? Is it a closer call than i'd imagine, or a no-brainer for the Amati?
I currently own a pair of Focal Sopra 1 and am considering a floorstander. But why would I switch to a floorstander if it's not a 3-way design? I think for a floorstander, I'd like to have this configuration. The options I'm considering are PS Audio FR10 and Borressen X2, both of which are much cheaper than the Sonus Faber
Wrong! That can only be said by somebody who never listened to these speakers. Here you get value for every penny you pay. If you don't want to spend that kind of money, that's another thing.
The Heritage series is designed to have more "flavor" and less "neutral", although apparently they are using some pretty advanced resonance -reduction technology, e.g. carbon fiber layers with silica sandwich, and an undisclosed inert material in the bottom chamber.
The Armati is a better all around speaker, no question. But the Amator has such musicality that I had to buy the Amators. There’s just something about their sound that’s so unique and pleasing.
@@adrianlow2114 Please don't get me wrong, @MarcinGuitar is popular over here, but I never expected him to be featured in Canada ;-) He was born and lives about an hour from my place. Please keep the videos coming, I love to watch you talking about stuff which I'll never be able to afford probably. I've been to Sonus Faber showroom in Italy (Bologna I think) and those speakers are pure art, breath-taking even not looking at the price.
My Maxima Amators have great synergy with my Luxman L-590AxII which is a class A integrated amp rated at 30 wpc into 8 ohms and 60 wpc into 4 ohms. It has proven to have more than enough power, even for volumes greater than I care to listen to.
Good point! A good comparison is the difference between the B&W 805 D3 and the subsequent 805 D4. Both speakers have the same drivers and cabinet volume but the D3 cabinet is made of MDF and the D4 of multi-ply Baltic birch. Hmmm..
If I am not mistaken they were about $11,000 -12,000 ( please correct me if wrong) range not long ago.....a few years ago around the pandemic period. 22K is very steep. No thanks! Give me the Borresen X2 or X3 any day.
LEWIS! Your music choices are excellent!
I own these speakers since Christmas and I think you've summed up their qualities very nicely. For me, it's the best thing I've spent money on in my long hi-fi life. Sonus faber has achieved a very big success here in my opinion. What I would like to add: although the workmanship is so excellent, you still spend your hard-earned money on sound quality, not on a beautiful piece of furniture. That you get for free, so to speak. I listen with slightly older Accuphase equipment and I think it fits perfectly. My listening room is 17 square meters.
Congratulations!
I am a " new SF fan " haha just started doing hi fi and I started my jorney with the Sonus faber sonetto III ( 1 gen. ) and LOVE them! :D so I can just imagian how amazing thies must be!
@@venosepticgaming3864 Congratulations! Enjoy them
Thanks for the information about the room
Great review Adrian and Lewis. "Like a beautiful cup of coffee with a lump of sugar" greatest sound description ever Adrian! I've been beguiled by the look of these Maxima Amator for the past several years. Might consider them as part of a final end game system for me. Thanks again for all these videos.
Thanks!
I’ve heard these at an audio show in the Netherlands (DAE) and was amazed! I couldn’t believe there was no hidden subwoofer. The demo was in a room of about 10 by 25 meters and the amp was from Chord. One of the best demos of the event.
Thanks for sharing
You’re right! These “little” two ways do a full bore low C (32.7Hz) in my room.
Beautiful speakers.
yes they are
Thanks guys!! I agree!!
Thanks!
Adrian, thanks for this review. I purchased my first Sonus Faber speakers (Grand Piano Home - Walnut) in 2001. I finally bit the bullet on an upgrade last May with the Maxima Amator. As much as I enjoy the Grand Pianos, these new speakers add a wider dimension to my sound, something I was initially skeptical about moving to a 2-way speaker. Aesthetically, albeit slightly larger than the GPs, they also fit beautifully into our décor which somewhat softened the sticker shock for my wife. Your review provided a welcome validation to my thoughts on the speakers.
I have since moved the older Grand Pianos into my office (replacing my KEF LS50 Metas) and paired them with my McIntosh 252 integrated hybrid amp. They have blossomed with the the amp upgrade along with a smaller and less bright room. The Maxima Amator however, are currently powered by a Marantz AV preamp and amp combo which were previously connected to the GPs. They sounds great, but, of course, I am now thinking of upgrading my electronics with a 2-channel set up. You mentioned playing the speakers in the "big boy" room. Any suggestions for what works best with the speaker (tube, solid state) would be welcome.
Review Idea: Maxima Amator vs. Nova III, powered by C22 / MC275. Then, part 2 would be the C22 / MC462 combo-thoughts on the speakers' sound and what amplifier you prefer.
One day I might be able to hear, "MAKE ME SMILE" by CHICAGO, with these speakers. Thanks to both of you for a great review.
Thank you
we need to hear more recommendations from Uncle Lewis...HE'S THE MAN! I am from the states and off Great Lake not Ontario ( a few hours away from Toronto) and he is giving many recommendations of music my father played for us growing up. I appreciated that. Always good to watch you two...hope to get up to T-dot to see your store one day
Yes, he has great knowledge of music from a wonderful era
Well, the SF Olympica Nova III or V are similarly priced, I wished a word of comparison to these.
I auditioned Olympics Nova v and maxima. The nova is best for a hybrid use, 2 channel music and HT. The Maxima is the best for 2 channel music. The dealer played Fleetwood Mac the chain which I heard countless times but never heard like how the Maxima played. Its was simply magical. Their room was about 40 x 30 if I recall. I ended up getting the Maxima although my system is a hybrid. Beautiful looking and beautiful sounding speakers.
We plan to do a comparison, just have to find the time!
In my opinion, the Maxima Amator is much more mature, the Olympica perhaps more versatile if you listen to a lot of rock and the like.
@@terryy4679HT use too? Do you use a HT receiver to drive the Maximas? What high pass frequency, if any, do you use? And what center channel, if any, did you find that works? Thanks!
Best 2 way? Better than the Daniel Hertz Chiara? Great review of one of my favorites!
Smoother and more refined, Maxima Amator or Guarneri G5?
I was at AE the other day and demoed these with D'Agostino and I was so surprised at the result. If we just look at their footprint they punch way above their weight. SF has long been known as the classical music speaker. However their ability to handle rock music was surprising. I know that many like to mate them with McIntosh but the pairing with D'Agostino was superb. I own Sabrina Xs and both do great things.
How about the comparison between Maxima Amator vs Olympica nova III that have similar prices?
have you made a comparison between Electa and Maxima? That would be interesting.
Only in passing. The Maxima is substantially better
Adrian is correct. The Electa is less neutral with a juicy bass and a bit more treble to balance it. A touch of the “smiley face” frequently response if you will. They are immensely entertaining to listen to. The Maxima is perfectly balanced with much better bass detail and extension. The treble is everything the reviewers state, extended, airy, not sibilant, but if the recording is too hot on top, it will let you know without driving you out of the room. Both are great with sound staging but the Maxima gets the nod likely for its bass extension adding a greater sense of the venue’s space.
@@daniannaci3258 great info, thanks!
Lewis is a class act. Had a chance to visit about a year ago.
Yes he is
Beautiful beautiful speakers. How do they stack up to nova 3s or 5s?
Hope to do a comparison video soon
The salesperson who delivered and perfectly set up my Maxima Amators owns a pair of the SF Nova V speakers driven by big McIntosh. He spent a good amount of time with me listening to my pair. He said that as superb as the Nova’s are, they don’t disappear like the Maximas do. And the Nova’s slam, rock and party with the best of them. We agreed that the Maxima Amator is a niche product and that in my home, with my amp (a 30 WPC Class A Luxman Integrated) and my tastes, they found their niche.
Sounds like a subwoofer would benefit especially if you are listening at higher volumes and bass attacks, maybe set at 60hz or so.
I had the same thought James......either the Gravis III or the REL Classic 99 would be a good match. I actually think the Rel looks more attractive and matches the Maxima Amator's beautiful walnut finish better, but tastes differ. The REL is also supposed to be voiced more like vintage speakers, and I suspect that voicing would work well with the Maxima Amator.
no, don't mess it up.
@@lamaludwig1470 your reply is vague......don't mess it up by adding a sub or don't mess it up by getting a REL sub over a Sonus Faber sub? Note that if you added a sub, you could use it selectively only when needed so I don't know what you would be messing up.
In the many months I’ve had the Maxima Amators, I’ve never felt the need to add subwoofers for music. The Amators in my 22’ x 17’ room do a full throated low C which is 32.7 Hz. The pair of Martin Logan Dynamo 800x subs which mated so beautifully with my previous Bowers and Wilkins 805 D4’s went no deeper as DSP cuts them off at 30 Hz. That being said, when I tried the subs with the Amators, I could not achieve the overall bass quality I was hearing with the Amators alone. I suspect this was due to too much overlap between the subs and the Amators which were driven full range (as were the 805 D4s, but they rolled off in the mid 40’s). Maybe using a high pass filter on the Amators would make for a better blend but I’m wary of adding another box that it might compromise the transparency of the Luxman L-590AxII Class A integrated amp I use. Though if you want high level deep bass for HT or dub or electronica, heed Adrian’s caution and use a high pass on the mains when adding subwoofers. Or maybe the comparatively priced SF Olympia Novas which are very nice, too.
@@daniannaci3258 Thanks for commenting on your experience!
How do they compare to the Olimpica Nova 3?
Hope to do a comparison at some point
My dad loved Jim Reeves! Classic.
Ah! Another person who remembers!!!
I was not unable to chose a speaker at this price with a 2 way … I went to Nova 3… may be I was 😑 wrong…
Not wrong if you preferred it. That's all that matters
Love my pair and agree with everything said. (look what is too see when you look through the port at the back !!!)
Congratulations!
Adrian, do you know at what dB level the bass starts to bottom out?
It's not just the db, it's a combination of deep bass and volume. I didn't measure but it was quite loud even for me
Excellent and interesting review, they sound like a relative bargain, considering the price of top flight speakers. Here's a dilemma for you guys, would you go for ex display Maxima for 11,500, or a pair of customer trade-in, Amati Tradition for 11,500? Is it a closer call than i'd imagine, or a no-brainer for the Amati?
Look like beauties. What about vs Daniel Hertz Amber Midnights? They appear to be in a similar space in the marketplace
I currently own a pair of Focal Sopra 1 and am considering a floorstander. But why would I switch to a floorstander if it's not a 3-way design? I think for a floorstander, I'd like to have this configuration. The options I'm considering are PS Audio FR10 and Borressen X2, both of which are much cheaper than the Sonus Faber
Ultimately, the only way to know is to listen. If you have a dealer near you, seek him out. You might be surprised. Or not
These Amators or the Guarneri G5’s for a small listening room?
Depends on how small your room is. If it's 12 x 15 or larger, the Maxima would be my choice
surely they sound great, cant justify that much tho. diminishing returns hit hard above 5K-7K. love your passion.
Thanks
Wrong! That can only be said by somebody who never listened to these speakers. Here you get value for every penny you pay. If you don't want to spend that kind of money, that's another thing.
Don’t you find it bizzarre that diminishing returns always hit hard right above what your are willing to pay?
@@lamaludwig1470Exactly! I never thought I would spend $15k + tax on a pair of 7” two-ways. Until I heard them.
I thought the reason speaker manufactures don't use solid wood for their cabinets is the stored energy, how is it different with these speakers?
The Heritage series is designed to have more "flavor" and less "neutral", although apparently they are using some pretty advanced resonance -reduction technology, e.g. carbon fiber layers with silica sandwich, and an undisclosed inert material in the bottom chamber.
Still waiting for the Sonetto VIII G2 review.
Coming soon I hope. Just have to find the time
The Armati is a better all around speaker, no question. But the Amator has such musicality that I had to buy the Amators. There’s just something about their sound that’s so unique and pleasing.
Are these better than my B&W 803D3?
So pretty. If I have that money I will buy Kef Blade 2
Blade 2 is a great speaker, but both sound quite different.
who is the Canadian distributor?
Sonus faber comes into Canada from their own distributor called Fine Sounds
What if I don’t like sugar in my coffee? What speaker may I like more?😜
Nova
Another pair of sexy speakers, you need a shop in Aventura FL 🤣
Oh ok These speakers are the flavour of the month.
Interesting that Canadian high-end store uses music played by Polish guy, who is not exactly that popular in Poland ;-)
Not surprising. Many artists, actors, engineers, doctors etc had to leave Canada to find success for example.
@@adrianlow2114 Please don't get me wrong, @MarcinGuitar is popular over here, but I never expected him to be featured in Canada ;-) He was born and lives about an hour from my place. Please keep the videos coming, I love to watch you talking about stuff which I'll never be able to afford probably. I've been to Sonus Faber showroom in Italy (Bologna I think) and those speakers are pure art, breath-taking even not looking at the price.
@@ChrisCiapala Thanks for the clarification. Marcin is very talented and his arrangements are very innovative
Does anyone know if they work also with low power amp or tube amp? Thanks !
They don't appear to be very difficult to drive. But if you like high volumes with lots of bass, you will be better off with more power
Thanks for the feedback! I usually listen to low/moderate volume (family constraint….) so that’s good news, thanks!
My Maxima Amators have great synergy with my Luxman L-590AxII which is a class A integrated amp rated at 30 wpc into 8 ohms and 60 wpc into 4 ohms. It has proven to have more than enough power, even for volumes greater than I care to listen to.
@@daniannaci3258thanks for your feedback!
I just don't know why you would buy these over the Nova 5's. To me it would be $2k USD very well spent.
Smart engineering for sure but I guess what you subconsciously hear is also the lack of mdf
Good point! A good comparison is the difference between the B&W 805 D3 and the subsequent 805 D4. Both speakers have the same drivers and cabinet volume but the D3 cabinet is made of MDF and the D4 of multi-ply Baltic birch. Hmmm..
I love Adrian’s intro - short and sweet. Haha!
lol, failed miserably!
I just bought a suv for less than the cost of this speaker 😂😂😂😂
And?
@@legendary82 and you are a idiot if you think speakers are worth that
22k CAD hahaha
If I am not mistaken they were about $11,000 -12,000 ( please correct me if wrong) range not long ago.....a few years ago around the pandemic period. 22K is very steep. No thanks! Give me the Borresen X2 or X3 any day.
@ibakedit5850 list price went up from $15K to $16K USD, so in CAD $22K
Oh here we go again the oldies batchalas club.
You get what you pay for...All looks but sound quality comparable to much much cheaper speakets!!
So did you listen to the actual speaker in question or came up with some BS because you are so smart 😂
@@jiyadas I 've listened to some SFs during the past and I know every speaker has the same philosophy;expensive for it's looks and not the sound.
@@zzt231gr So you don't know, and you are making assumptions. At least say "in my opinion" this way you don't look like a total hater.
You know nothing.