Sonus faber
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frperdurabo
AK Member
They remind me of very, very attractive Vandersteens...a warm, comfortable sound that succeeds by not doing anything wrong. Expensive, but if you can afford them....
reggaenaut
Addicted Member
Great looking and sounding speakers, but I would shop around first.
If I could afford a pair I would own some. Great sounding, great looking, and have a good reputation for being reliable. I think they will hold their value over time on the used market.
$900 is top dollar but not a bad value with a known history.
$900 is top dollar but not a bad value with a known history.
I had a pair of piano black Concertinos in mint condition (the newer type with single connectors) mated to an Onix SP3 (38 watts per side all tube integrated with top-notch NOS tubes) for about 10 months and I enjoyed my time with them. I sold them for $900 as well. It's strengths... easy to listen to all day long... surprising bass considering their small size... very musical... sweet high end... lovely to look at. Their faults... not very detailed at all... limited complexity/layering of the soundstage... inefficient. My recommendation overall is that you can do FAR FAR better with 900 clams, especially in these deep dark times... that is, if sound quality is your key paradigm. The Concertinos are small, gorgeous looking, and easy on the ears. If those are your main concerns, then you will be happy indeed!
reggaenaut
Addicted Member
can go Far Far better with 900 clams: My feelings too.
not very detailed at all...limited complexity/layering of the soundstage: Could not this be related to the low wattage amp, given the speakers' ineffiency.
I had the Concertos for a while. They are beautiful speakers, but hey are the budget line. And frankly, I was very disappointed with my Concertos. The highs were very fatiguing and I felt they were unbalanced with peaky highs and excessively euphonic mids. I can get better euphony from a pair of vintage ____, get a better deal and still get handsome walnut cabinetry.
I have little doubt that they improve further up the line, entering the $6k mark, but I would stay away from the Concertinos. They are not horrible, but fall short of the mark in their price range.
I think you would do better with some used Proacs. I got mine for $700, and they far outshine the SF. They are a warm speaker as well.
I have little doubt that they improve further up the line, entering the $6k mark, but I would stay away from the Concertinos. They are not horrible, but fall short of the mark in their price range.
I think you would do better with some used Proacs. I got mine for $700, and they far outshine the SF. They are a warm speaker as well.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
What is average sound? Just curious.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
http://www.stereotimes.com/speak030800.shtml
I would pay $650-700 tops and make sure you have the amp to get the most from them.
I would pay $650-700 tops and make sure you have the amp to get the most from them.
Possibly. I never drove them with any more power than that, but I had other speakers that were also inefficient that sounded significantly better with those same Onix watts... an ACI Sapphire III pair for example that I bought off Ebay for $204.00!
OvenMaster
Baby, you're my winterblue
A few years ago I walked into my local Tweeter before they closed. I remember hearing this absolutely gorgeous sound and started looking around for some big, tall MartinLogans or something. My jaw dropped when I saw the sound was coming from a pair of stand-mounted Concertinos.
I dare say that, so far, they were the best speakers I'd ever heard in my life.
Tom
I dare say that, so far, they were the best speakers I'd ever heard in my life.
Tom
Arthroscope
Member
I saw a great sweat shirt on a guy once "Sonus Faber and McIntosh-where good sense ends". Probably true.
Mystic
We're all born mad
dogscanskate
Super Member
I owned Concertinos for a few years and then Grand Pianos. For whatever reason, I just don't like SF speakers. I've heard the whole range on a wide variety of high end gear (latest listen was a 70K cdp, 45K amps and 50K SF speakers) and I'm happy I got rid of them.
No matter which gear they were paired with, they sound ragged and boxy to my ears. They are gorgeous to look at but simply not my cup of tea. It may just be me but I owned SF for 5 years and I never got into them. The reason I kept them so long was trying to find the right deal to minimize my losses.
Otoh, some love them and swear by them. You have to listen for yourself and decide if they are for you.
No matter which gear they were paired with, they sound ragged and boxy to my ears. They are gorgeous to look at but simply not my cup of tea. It may just be me but I owned SF for 5 years and I never got into them. The reason I kept them so long was trying to find the right deal to minimize my losses.
Otoh, some love them and swear by them. You have to listen for yourself and decide if they are for you.
That's how I ended up spending $2500 on a pair of Concertos with stands. I was floored. I took them home a drove them with an old Threshold s-300. Not the best, but certainly no slouch in amplification. Over time, the detail and warmth that I loved in the store revealed itself as very colored, fatiguing and not appropriate to a lot of recordings. Lesson learned.
