STATUS - SOLD
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Description :
Franco Serblin, founder of Sonus Faber, seems to have a knack for making his speakers sound bigger and richer than expected. His middle-sized compact speakers are often surprisingly well balanced in the low-frequency range, providing a weight and power sufficient for many an audio system. While its ingredients differ, the Sonus Faber Concerto's size and performance parallel those of the more costly Electa Amator, which has seen many years of successful sales. The price may be moderate, but the Concerto's build quality is up to Sonus Faber's usual high standard, with 1 inch thick sculpted slabs of hand-rubbed walnut for the side panels. Echoing the bluff styling of the top-of-the-line Extrema, the rest of the Concerto is covered in black, in this case a fine-grained leatherette. Like the Extrema's the Concerto's front panel has a distinctive rearward slope which results the treble unit will be a little above head height and angled slightly away on their stands. This position is intended to bring it into closer time alignment with the mid driver.

In positioning, placing the Sonus Faber Concerto speakers too close to a side wall added unwanted bloom to the lower midrange. Too near the floor, the upper bass wasn't so articulate. As for the wall behind the speaker, a distance of some 2.5 inches was a fine starting point for adjusting the low-frequency balance according to taste and listener position. With smaller speakers, hard driving tends to produce increased hardness of tone, an increasingly threadbare sound. The Sonus Faber Concerto on the other hand, proved surprisingly gracious and well balanced when driven to high levels. Indeed, it survived 250W peak program short-term, and positively thrived on +100W of clean power. The more the listener listened, the more he will realize how fatique-free the Concerto's design was, and how the midrange tonality countered digital glare to some degree to give better-than-expected stereo perspectives.

One of the most appealing qualities of the Sonus Faber Concerto is rhythm. The music the speakers reproduces, sound as interesting and involving as it should, which is a rare find in this price class. It has rhythm on solo piano, something that is still there on jazz combo, picking up the bass line and bouncing along, providing a well-tuned foundation for the rest of the ensemble. Some speakers achieve this and more, but often at the expense of a natural timbre, with a forced upper midrange exaggerating and accelerating percussion transients. The Concerto's strength is its ability to convey natural rhythm and timing without exaggeration. Power blended with grace, this speaker has been conceived for the most discerning of music lovers. Full bodied, it possesses an effortless ability to catch and hold onto even the grandest dynamic passages. Its subtle inner voicing allows it to recreate acoustic scenes endowed with high evocative value. Altogether, the Sonus Faber Concerto looks more stylish and well crafted than the usual parallel-sided box. As it is, it represents genuinely good value and allows the creation of a moderately priced system that offers genuine musical value.

Specifications :
System...........................................15 litres high speed two-way bass reflex
Tweeter...........................................20 mm silk dome ferrofluid
Mid-woofer.......................................180 mm cellulose carbonium cone magnetically shielded
Crossover........................................First order attenuated
Sensitivity........................................87 dB/1W/1mt
Impedance.......................................8 ohms nominal
Connection......................................Bi-wiring
Power Handling................................30 W - 200 W
Frequency Response........................45 - 20.000 Hz ±3 dB
Cabinet...........................................Conbination of leather and solid walnut or black piano laquer
Dimensions(w x d x h)......................35 x 23 x 36.5 cm
Weight............................................10kg per side

Miscellaneous :
Made In...........................................Italy
Condition.........................................8/10

Product Information :
http://www.sonusfaber.com/databank/owners-manual/owners_manual.pdf (Manual)
http://www.hifi-notes.com/sonusf2/concerto.htm (Specifications)
http://www.hifi-notes.com/sonusfaber1-en.htm

Reviews :
http://www.hometheater.com/content/sonus-faber-concerto-speaker-system
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?26989-LSi9s-vs-Sonus-Faber-Concertino-or-Concerto
http://www.technologyfactory.com/reviews/SonusFaber/concerto_stereophile.pdf (Concerto)
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/bookshelf-speakers/sonus-faber/concerto/prd_120586_4290crx.aspx (Concerto)