Sonus faber Launches Sonetto Speaker Collection

The Italian loudspeaker manufacturer Sonus faber is perhaps the perfect example of the luxury side of high-performance audio. While other brands strive to build the audio equivalent of a Formula 1 racer, Sonus faber caters to the Bentley crowd, where performance is only one part of a complete, luxurious experience. Like its iconic sister brand, McIntosh (both companies are part of the McIntosh Group conglomerate), Sonus faber knows that its customers are willing to pay a premium for stylish design, beautiful materials, and exquisite craftsmanship. The company’s $120,000 flagship Aida loudspeaker (which was completely re-engineered last year) is as gorgeous as its price would suggest. But in order to reach a wider audience, Sonus faber has in recent years expanded its more affordable offerings by moving some manufacturing from Italy to China, starting with the popular Venere series in 2013. The company’s new Sonetto collection, which is slated to arrive in American stores in late August of this year, splits the difference between the very expensive and the made-in-China affordable.

Like its costlier siblings, the eight-speaker Sonetto collection is both designed and built in Vicenza, Italy. The collection includes a couple of two-way stand-mounted options (the $1,785/pair Sonetto I and $2,379/pair Sonetto II), and a triumvirate of three-way floor-standing models (the $4,164/pair Sonetto III, the $5,354/pair Sonetto V, and the range-topping $7,138/pair Sonata VIII). Luckily for home theater fans, the Sonetto collection also includes two center-channel speakers; the two-way Sonetto Center I will cost $1,190 each, while the larger three-way Sonetto Center II will sell for a heftier $2,141 each. Lastly, the two-way, wall-mountable Sonetto Wall model will cost $1,190/pair. While most users will employ the Sonetto Walls for the surround channels in a home theater, Sonus faber says that the smallest Sonettos can be used to great effect in stereo applications where floorspace is at a premium.  

All of the Sonetto models include aluminum alloy woofers, Sonus faber’s exclusive damped apex dome (DAD) tweeters, and new enclosure-tuning techniques. The three-way models also employ midrange drivers made from a blend of natural fiber and air-dried cellulose. And of course, particular attention has been paid to aesthetics, drawing on industrial design elements from the company’s more expensive Reference, Homage Tradition, and Olympica collections. The front baffles of the Sonetto speakers are integrated into the cabinet design, resulting in a flawless seam between the baffles and the speakers’ curved sides. All Sonetto models include a hand-sewn leather top with an embossed Sonus faber logo, and are available in a walnut-colored wood veneer, a contemporary matte white finish, or a classic piano black lacquer.

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