I have owned the Minima II and now the Electa III. The Minima is remarkable and worth the price. The Minima is more focused on the upper-midrange band. The Electa III is focused on the lower mid-range with significantly more mid-bass. The Electa III is a better speaker in every aspect. But the Minima's natural timbre, massive holographic soundstage, and surprisingly deep bass will prove to be a worthy speaker for any serious audiophile. Both are worth the full retail price in my opinion. But you can save on the used market quite a bit. Buy both!
Ok, now that I’ve watched the video, I do have a few things to say... 1. Particle board & MDF board are never good choices for speaker cabinets... plywood’s like Baltic Birch is a much better choice. Cross ply or engineered ply are great choices. 2. Brass is not a natural material. I bring this up because you mentioned it in another video as being a natural material, it is not. Brass is an alloy of Copper & Zinc. 3. I do not need a subwoofer with these” & then he shows is setup with not 1, not 2 but 3 subs. 2 REL’s & a KEF. these only go down to 40 Hz, so a nice small discreet sub like the KEF would be nice. 4. The tweeter goes to 35 kHz, with the DAD in place it allows for the extension without breakup or shrillness, that is a nice thing. 5. You did not tell us what you were using to drive these EA III’s with. As a reviewer you know that the electronics & the room are integral to the outcome of the sound. Great sounding speakers do not sound great with all electronics. We can see you have some room treatment, that is specific to your setup. We know that, but what electronics did you like with these, & why? 6. Are these worth, let’s say 3k more than the NOVA 1’s? Why or why not? 7. Are these best for near field listening, or can they fill up a medium sized room & sound good with a tv? With love from your southern cousin.
@@davidslaney65 Hey, Dave, that was a cheeky response, I chuckled, thanks...when you & or Jay reply honestly, I will with gusto & pleasure make a video, let’s say on the virtues of starting your 2 channel listing adventure with a surround receiver. You can then rip it apart if you like, but I won’t be misleading anyone in my video, I promise. & you might want to listen with a sub! With love, 😀🇨🇦❤️ your southern friend. (My intent was/is to make you all think more & ask questions, thus making you all better reviewers. Can you give me one reason why particle board & MDF are bad choices for speaker designs & one reason why they are good?)
1. That can be true. However Sonus Faber uses multiple layers sandwiched together to create a proper and coherent box. They spare no expense or comprise when it comes to the woodworking. Sonus Faber are the kings of this. And one listen and you can hear, they know what they are doing. It works. 2. Very true. But most of the materials, silk, wood, leather, and papers, are natural. Most of the speaker is designed around the natural philosophy. That is the point. Obviously the electronics and other things are not natural! These are a lot more natural than other makers. 3. It depends on the person. Adding a couple subwoofers can help even the largest and most bass worthy speakers to sound more "full" if you will. I use the Electa III's without a sub, and it's completely fine. They actually sound like large floor-standers. Impressive. 4. The tweeter is the exact same one used on the Reference line of Sonus Faber's. It's the best tweeter they use. And it's probably the very best Silk Tweeter ever produced. It's that good. 5. I'm using Bob Carver 275 and Bob Carver Cherry 180 tube amps. I do not like solid-state amps. The 275 (90 watts into each channel) is more than enough to drive the speakers at loud volumes. I can't speak for everyone. But these tube amps sound sweet with these speakers. 6. Yes. They use the Reference Line drivers. The very best crossover components. And they are part of the Heritage Line. The tone is natural, beautiful, and is truly in Sonus Faber spirit. While as the NOVA line is more neutral and doesn't use the reference drivers, for instance. Some may prefer the more neutral sound. But I like the Heritage line more than the others. 7. They will work in any room/space. You would be surprised how the speakers fill a large room with a massive holographic soundstage and punch. The speakers are small enough to sound good in small rooms at lower volumes also. Very versatile.
How different are these, sound wise, to the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 1's? I imagine the Electa Amator III go lower but apart from that, have they got a similar sound?
I got interested in these speakers because of your review whether the Hegel H120 is still the best amp nowadays. Looking at the speakers I thought this maybe interesting and durable, but everything fell apart when you mentioned the price... It was a bit of a let down and my excitement was swiftly extinguished.
Jay- I’m currently looking at the Olympica Nova 3s. In terms of transparency, and overall performance, how does this speaker compare? What are some alternative brands/speakers you’d have me look into?
I have had a demo with this sf speakers on Mark levinson gear. I found them not quit sound open and transparent. A littlebit blend. Maby it was the amp
Joeseph audio pulsar used. Or the new Devore - oh baby. Heck. If you can find a Fleetwood Deville used I would consider the alternatives. Heavy contenders.
@@soundstagenetwork what about his channel soulsik? & the one before that? & he was/is with Audio Excellence of Canadia! It’s like the song that never ends! 🇨🇦
@@darkroom8317 He's no longer with Audio Excellence (left over a year ago), so he's not with that channel. He does our Take 2 reviews and still maintains his own channel here: ruclips.net/user/Jayiyagi
Hi Jay, I intend to buy this speaker but need your opinion whether it is advisable to buy the dedicated stand also. Actually, I am having a 24” Foundation Designer II Stands which I think is much heavier and stable than the dedicated stand. The online manual(2018 version) stated that the weight of the dedicated stand was 9.5kg but currently the website indicated that the weight of the stand has been increased to 11.2kg. Maybe, they have finally realised that the speaker stands should be heavier than the speaker for stability and doesn’t make sense that the speaker should be heavier as the speaker can easily be toppled or knocked over when accidentally kicked at the bottom or accidentally pushed. Would appreciate your prompt attention and honest opinion on this matter. Thanks in advance.
Jay like the review of these sexy Italian speaker.But your Canadian get a set of Refeence 3A Reflector Monitor which 4 years ago was going for $12K USD.Given iut's oprice point my guess is it has something to put on the table.Canuck Pride Eh?
Better than real? You are correct 100%! all SF with come with what I call beautiful Italian string sound MSG. Perfect fine if that’s your thing. None of instruments reproduction sound real except strings. The problem is they can make $10,000 violin sounds like 10 million dollars one. For half of the cost, I will take a vintage JBL L300 ( if I can find one) you used to own and run don’t even look back. Sometimes too good to be true might not be what you want depending what you look for.
Most Speaker companies have no technology innovation this bookshelf is like a selling a carpentry product than audiophile sound. In a 2 way no one can come close than a Purifi woofer and a berrilium or ribbon tweeter. Or at this price get a Dutch & Dutch 8c or Ki 3 These what I call is innovation all other companies just doing carpentry and selling than innovating on sound This guy is talking of taking mesasurement then show it talk data not poetry. Marble to make innocent buyers think it’s high end nice joke.
Not everyone wants a $10,000 pair of loudspeakers, but also know that Sonus Faber makes speakers priced much lower -- down to $799 per pair for the Lumina I.
@@IKnewMickey No problem. You might also be interested in this article on one of our sites: www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1630-sonus-faber-evolved-world-class-loudspeaker-excellence-in-italy
@@soundstagenetwork great article. It was interesting to read about the factory tour and the people behind the company. This is a brand I'll be watching closely
![SahBabii - Viking [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D37cL92JX0I/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi! Excellent Channel! I have Klipsch forte IV, changing for these Electa, is it a big Upgrade? I Listening Jazz rock and metal music to. Thanks !
Great review. I’d be very interested in hearing your take on this speakers little brother the Minima Amator II.
Great idea!
I have owned the Minima II and now the Electa III. The Minima is remarkable and worth the price. The Minima is more focused on the upper-midrange band. The Electa III is focused on the lower mid-range with significantly more mid-bass. The Electa III is a better speaker in every aspect. But the Minima's natural timbre, massive holographic soundstage, and surprisingly deep bass will prove to be a worthy speaker for any serious audiophile. Both are worth the full retail price in my opinion. But you can save on the used market quite a bit. Buy both!
@@jameschristiantaylor123 Thanks!
how are the Minima with rock and do you know if they pair well with Mcintosh tube pream and solid state amp?@@jameschristiantaylor123
Great review as always. I have Buchardt s400mk2 and looking to upgrade.
I bought these speakers, largely in part thanks to your review. Pairing it with a Willsonton R8. Is the Hegel H190 a better pairing?
What can you say about those speakers?how big is your room?Do you use subwoofer to go with them?ty
Thanks for your review. please review the ''Sonus faber Minima Amator II''
That's a good idea
I’ve got the Minima Amator 2, driven by my Rega Aethos amplifier. Match in heaven 😋
@@soundstagenetwork How this Electra Amator III paired with your Luxman LX-380 amp? too warm or just right?
Ok, now that I’ve watched the video, I do have a few things to say...
1. Particle board & MDF board are never good choices for speaker cabinets... plywood’s like Baltic Birch is a much better choice. Cross ply or engineered ply are great choices.
2. Brass is not a natural material. I bring this up because you mentioned it in another video as being a natural material, it is not. Brass is an alloy of Copper & Zinc.
3. I do not need a subwoofer with these” & then he shows is setup with not 1, not 2 but 3 subs. 2 REL’s & a KEF. these only go down to 40 Hz, so a nice small discreet sub like the KEF would be nice.
4. The tweeter goes to 35 kHz, with the DAD in place it allows for the extension without breakup or shrillness, that is a nice thing.
5. You did not tell us what you were using to drive these EA III’s with. As a reviewer you know that the electronics & the room are integral to the outcome of the sound. Great sounding speakers do not sound great with all electronics. We can see you have some room treatment, that is specific to your setup. We know that, but what electronics did you like with these, & why?
6. Are these worth, let’s say 3k more than the NOVA 1’s? Why or why not?
7. Are these best for near field listening, or can they fill up a medium sized room & sound good with a tv?
With love from your southern cousin.
the mic and camera are all yours :)
@@davidslaney65 Hey, Dave, that was a cheeky response, I chuckled, thanks...when you & or Jay reply honestly, I will with gusto & pleasure make a video, let’s say on the virtues of starting your 2 channel listing adventure with a surround receiver. You can then rip it apart if you like, but I won’t be misleading anyone in my video, I promise. & you might want to listen with a sub! With love, 😀🇨🇦❤️ your southern friend. (My intent was/is to make you all think more & ask questions, thus making you all better reviewers. Can you give me one reason why particle board & MDF are bad choices for speaker designs & one reason why they are good?)
Excellent and justified questions...
1. That can be true. However Sonus Faber uses multiple layers sandwiched together to create a proper and coherent box. They spare no expense or comprise when it comes to the woodworking. Sonus Faber are the kings of this. And one listen and you can hear, they know what they are doing. It works.
2. Very true. But most of the materials, silk, wood, leather, and papers, are natural. Most of the speaker is designed around the natural philosophy. That is the point. Obviously the electronics and other things are not natural! These are a lot more natural than other makers.
3. It depends on the person. Adding a couple subwoofers can help even the largest and most bass worthy speakers to sound more "full" if you will. I use the Electa III's without a sub, and it's completely fine. They actually sound like large floor-standers. Impressive.
4. The tweeter is the exact same one used on the Reference line of Sonus Faber's. It's the best tweeter they use. And it's probably the very best Silk Tweeter ever produced. It's that good.
5. I'm using Bob Carver 275 and Bob Carver Cherry 180 tube amps. I do not like solid-state amps. The 275 (90 watts into each channel) is more than enough to drive the speakers at loud volumes. I can't speak for everyone. But these tube amps sound sweet with these speakers.
6. Yes. They use the Reference Line drivers. The very best crossover components. And they are part of the Heritage Line. The tone is natural, beautiful, and is truly in Sonus Faber spirit. While as the NOVA line is more neutral and doesn't use the reference drivers, for instance. Some may prefer the more neutral sound. But I like the Heritage line more than the others.
7. They will work in any room/space. You would be surprised how the speakers fill a large room with a massive holographic soundstage and punch. The speakers are small enough to sound good in small rooms at lower volumes also. Very versatile.
can i get these in unfinished plywood to save a few bucks?
How would it stand up against the dynaudio confidence 20
How different are these, sound wise, to the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 1's? I imagine the Electa Amator III go lower but apart from that, have they got a similar sound?
It would be nice to hear the speakers
Jay, have you listened to the Sonus Faber Minima Amator II ? T can get a pair at a great price, but unable to demo them.
Hello Jay. Have you ever listened to Audiovector speakers?
I got interested in these speakers because of your review whether the Hegel H120 is still the best amp nowadays. Looking at the speakers I thought this maybe interesting and durable, but everything fell apart when you mentioned the price... It was a bit of a let down and my excitement was swiftly extinguished.
How is it compares to bowers and Wilkins 805 d4 or d3? I think they sounds quite close..
Pure class.
Does it sound better than Special 40 from Dynaudio?
Anything sounds better than the special 40s. I sold mine.
Jay- I’m currently looking at the Olympica Nova 3s. In terms of transparency, and overall performance, how does this speaker compare? What are some alternative brands/speakers you’d have me look into?
We haven't reviewed those, and I don't believe Jay has, so a comparison is impossible.
@@soundstagenetwork he did when he was working in the shop, which is why I asked
@@snomofilms Quite some time ago -- perhaps over a year? RUclips is his full-time gig.
Another great review! Sonus Faber is such a great brand with no compromise.
Very unique in the industry.
Is the sound of RP600M vs Sonus Faber Electa Amator III worth paying the sonus price or are they selling us smoke?
Jay, how do these sound compared to the Guarneri’s? Thanks!
I have had a demo with this sf speakers on Mark levinson gear. I found them not quit sound open and transparent. A littlebit blend. Maby it was the amp
Joeseph audio pulsar used. Or the new Devore - oh baby. Heck. If you can find a Fleetwood Deville used I would consider the alternatives. Heavy contenders.
Dude, how many channels do you have? I am soooooo confused!
Jay contributes to the Take 2 series on this SoundStage! channel, plus he has his own here: ruclips.net/user/Jayiyagi
@@soundstagenetwork what about his channel soulsik? & the one before that? & he was/is with Audio Excellence of Canadia! It’s like the song that never ends! 🇨🇦
@@darkroom8317 He's no longer with Audio Excellence (left over a year ago), so he's not with that channel. He does our Take 2 reviews and still maintains his own channel here: ruclips.net/user/Jayiyagi
How is it compare to bnw 805 d3?
Still waiting for that Edifier s3000pro comparison :p
At this price, this or MBL 126? Tone vs realism. Either would do if you HV usd 25k for a digital system....
Nice review, but you do need a blast from an amplifier to get the most out of it.
Grtz Phil
Keep up the good work and how does it compare to Wilson Audio speakers?
I wonder what your impressions of Steinway Lyngdorf’s Model S; said to be the most compact, high performance loudspeaker available.
This is my speakears and i am absolutly agree what you talk about! We have also a hifi youtube channel 😉😉
Hey Jay I am the first commentor in the first Laker I should get a prize for this lol
;)
Hi Jay, I intend to buy this speaker but need your opinion whether it is advisable to buy the dedicated stand also.
Actually, I am having a 24” Foundation Designer II Stands which I think is much heavier and stable than the dedicated stand.
The online manual(2018 version) stated that the weight of the dedicated stand was 9.5kg but currently the website indicated that the weight of the stand has been increased to 11.2kg. Maybe, they have finally realised that the speaker stands should be heavier than the speaker for stability and doesn’t make sense that the speaker should be heavier as the speaker can easily be toppled or knocked over when accidentally kicked at the bottom or accidentally pushed.
Would appreciate your prompt attention and honest opinion on this matter. Thanks in advance.
Jay like the review of these sexy Italian speaker.But your Canadian get a set of Refeence 3A Reflector Monitor which 4 years ago was going for $12K USD.Given iut's oprice point my guess is it has something to put on the table.Canuck Pride Eh?
Interesting that you bring up Reference 3A - we didn't know the brand was still operating, but we looked at the site and it appears to be!
They know. They just are not sponsored. Audio Excellence pushed Faber big time.
Better than real? You are correct 100%! all SF with come with what I call beautiful Italian string sound MSG. Perfect fine if that’s your thing. None of instruments reproduction sound real except strings. The problem is they can make $10,000 violin sounds like 10 million dollars one. For half of the cost, I will take a vintage JBL L300 ( if I can find one) you used to own and run don’t even look back. Sometimes too good to be true might not be what you want depending what you look for.
Beautiful. Bravo
$16,000 in the land down under 😲
You don't like the Sonetto line 😱I bet, that's the actual reason you left Audio Excellence Canada
Most Speaker companies have no technology innovation this bookshelf is like a selling a carpentry product than audiophile sound. In a 2 way no one can come close than a Purifi woofer and a berrilium or ribbon tweeter. Or at this price get a Dutch & Dutch 8c or Ki 3 These what I call is innovation all other companies just doing carpentry and selling than innovating on sound
This guy is talking of taking mesasurement then show it talk data not poetry. Marble to make innocent buyers think it’s high end nice joke.
Cmon’ man…Magico A1’s will blow the screws out of these.
Too expensive for me.
It's not cheap! But Sonus faber also has much less expensive speakers.
10k? Bye
Not everyone wants a $10,000 pair of loudspeakers, but also know that Sonus Faber makes speakers priced much lower -- down to $799 per pair for the Lumina I.
@@soundstagenetwork I did not know that. I've never seen a review of anything from this company priced that affordably. Thank you for that info.
@@IKnewMickey No problem. You might also be interested in this article on one of our sites: www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1630-sonus-faber-evolved-world-class-loudspeaker-excellence-in-italy
Sonus faber Minima Amator 2 is almost the same and much cheaper: $ 4000 pair 😊
@@soundstagenetwork great article. It was interesting to read about the factory tour and the people behind the company. This is a brand I'll be watching closely