Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano Tower Speakers, any good?

[mcgjohn]

I was going to try and drive it with my Hafler 220, do you think that would be enough power to drive these successfully?

should be more than enough.

 

[selfilm]

They aren't the most efficient but aren't hard to drive. While most Sonus faber speakers have impedance rated at 4 Ohms nominal, these are rated at 8 Ohms. All of the SF speakers I've heard sound really good at lower volume levels and really shine as the volume increases. Of course, an amp that has high current capability with the ability to handle 4 Ohm loads would be preferred to get the best out them, but your Hafler 220 should do just fine.

Thank you @jayvis

 

[selfilm]

That amp should do just fine.

Way back when..I had a Hafler DH200 and DH101 that I bought from the original owner who built the kits. Those were my very first separate components.

@RVT1K that's a pretty cool story - the amp, for its simple look and controls, has a very clear and powerful sound that often surprises me

 

[selfilm]

The the accented highs of the tweeter I would want a very smooth amplifier. Maybe a MC 1502 or if in a smaller room a MC 275. Older MC 7200 or MC 7150 SS amps could be a good choice. Maybe you could get the desired sound using a SS amps with a tube preamp. Maybe one of Mcintosh Hybrid integrated amps might work, too. MC 2275 for instance. I would stay away from Mac's bigger SS recievers and SS amps even if they all have Power Guard. You are going to need to experiment getting the right balance in the bass to get the extension below 40 HZ and slightly be off axis to calm down the tweeters.

Thank you @twiiii

 

[selfilm]

should be more than enough.

Thank you @mcgjohn

 

[selfilm]

In the end, the seller kept strong on price - they were asking $1,400 and willing to go down to $1,100. For the risks involved in taking on such a big speaker with potential repairs, plus the fact that I did not like their look and basically would have been enjoying them in my basement or similar, I decided the purchase did not make sense. But this was a very helpful set of information and feedback for future speaker purchases of this magnitude. Thank you to everyone who donated their time here! - Thanks, Scott

 

[mcgjohn]

In the end, the seller kept strong on price - they were asking $1,400 and willing to go down to $1,100. For the risks involved in taking on such a big speaker with potential repairs, plus the fact that I did not like their look and basically would have been enjoying them in my basement or similar, I decided the purchase did not make sense. But this was a very helpful set of information and feedback for future speaker purchases of this magnitude. Thank you to everyone who donated their time here! - Thanks, Scott

no problem. Keep an eye out for other models. Pretty good sounding speakers.

 

[F1nut]

In the end, the seller kept strong on price - they were asking $1,400 and willing to go down to $1,100. For the risks involved in taking on such a big speaker with potential repairs, plus the fact that I did not like their look and basically would have been enjoying them in my basement or similar, I decided the purchase did not make sense. But this was a very helpful set of information and feedback for future speaker purchases of this magnitude. Thank you to everyone who donated their time here! - Thanks, Scott

Hmmm...you originally stated, "I have an opportunity to buy them pretty inexpensively (sub $1,100)"

Those are very well built, beautiful looking and wonderful sounding speakers. The only problem is the broken binding post plate for which there are easy solutions. However, if you don't know how to repair the issue then walking away was the smart thing.

 

[hifiguy100]

Hello everyone, I am new to Audiokarma but wanted to ask if anyone has spent time listening to Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano tower speakers? I have an opportunity to buy them pretty inexpensively (sub $1,100) and wanted to get everyone's take on them?

Thanks for any input,
Sincerely, Scott

Hello. I realize I'm late now but wanted to throw in my two cents. First, The SF GP is a wonderful speaker. 2nd, as an owner I can confirm that the cracked corners on the terminal plate is a VERY common occurrence with the model. I think the crossover network was a bit too heavy for the plastic and over time they cracked. This happened to mine. I simply epoxy'd them and re-installed the plate. There are no negative impact on performance. I can't say that the upside install on that plate is not a result of another problem but I would guess not.