Have not read it yet; so don't know if it's worth posting...but here it is

AVguide.com

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MC7300 x 2; MG 3.6R; Marchand XM-44; C-38; Linn Genki; Transparent Plus; RG400Pro

It looks like Sonus Faber is trying to penetrate the HT market a little deeper with a lower cost line, including center channel. $6K each for the Liuto.

:: SONUS FABER ::

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Dan


Living Room System: McIntosh C2300, MC601 (2), MCD1100, MS750, MR85, Sony DAT 60ES, Nakamichi BX-300, Micro Seiki DD-40, Ortofon 2M Black, Sonos ZP90, Oppo BDP-83SE Blu-ray, PMC EB1i, Fathom f113 w/ Sound Anchor stand, Power Plant Premier (2), PS Audio Soloist Premier SE (3), Rollerblock Jr.'s, Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's & PC's, Kimber 8TC with WBT Solid Silver Angled Locking Banana Connectors.
Studio System: McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MCD1100, MR88, Michell Gyro SE w/SME 309/Ortofon Cadenza Black, Sonos ZP90, PS Audio Power Plant Premier, PS Audio Soloist Premier SE, Sonus Faber Amati Anniversario, Rollerblock Jr.'s, Wireword Silver Eclipse IC's & PC's, Wireworld Silver Eclipse speaker cable.
Studio Home Theater System: McIntosh MX120, MC452, Oppo BDP-95 Blu-ray, PS Audio Soloist Premier SE, JBL LSR-6332 (2), JBL LSR-6328P (3), McIntosh XLS112 (2), Sony 52XBR9, Tributaries Silver IC's, Wireworld PC's.
Vintage: McIntosh MA5100, MR74 tuner, JVC XL-Z1050 K2 CD player, Wyred 4 Sound DAC2, Tandberg 3008A and 3026A, JBL4312A , McIntosh 4300V for deck speakers.

I heard it when it first came out, and a number of times since. While I like SF speakers this one does nothing for me.

For 6 k a mint used SF Cremona would be the way to go.

David,

We know you can get a mint pair for less than $6,000, and that would be a much better buy.

There is a full review of the Liuto in the TAS January issue.

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System 7.1:
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Krell S1200U pre/pro
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McIntosh MS300 music server
EAR/Yoshino Acute III tubed CDP
Transparent Ultra cabling
JL Audio F212 Sub
Lumagen video processor
JVC RS-35U projector
Stewart Screen

Hey guys, I'm waiting on my local dealer to get the Liuto's and Cremona Auditor M's in for demo. Have any of you compared these speakers? I know one's a tower and the other a bookshelf but they're the two I'll be looking at. Typically in the past I've leaned towards high quality bookshelves (used to own Reference 3a MM Decap I's). I'm just interested to hear other peoples thoughts on these. Thanks in advance.

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MBL 4006, MF A5cr, Wadia 170i, Verity Audio Rienzi, WireWorld Cables

It's my first post to this illustrious forum, and I'm an audiophile newbie. Having heard the sounds of Mcintosh and Sonus faber for the first time last July, I am now saving to begin a long and beautiful musical journey with this gear.

To the point, yes, I have heard the Cremona Auditor M and the piano-black Liuto floorstanders. And although I don't in any way consider my ears as cultivated as the many AA members who live with such delicious high-end gear, here is what I heard.

I visited the Mcintosh dealer in Thailand to listen to tubes - for the very first time, actually. I listened to the MC275. It was connected to a C2300. I'm sorry, I don't remember what CD player they were using, but I had brought along a sample CD I burned with: an invention by Bach for piano, vocal music by Vivaldi, a tune from Ray Charles and Betty Carter, and "The Year of The Cat" by Cat Stevens.

I listen to the Sonus faber toy tower first and was not impressed. I then listened to the Cremona Auditor M. Wow, I was almost in tears listening the each of the songs I had brought. I then asked if I could hear the Liuto floorstanders. I was knocked-out by these, too. From the get-go, they won me over. What was completely different about these two wonderful speakers was that the Bach on the Liuto sounded like a real piano; On the Auditor M, I felt a speaker was playing the sounds of a piano.

I am still saving for my first Mcintosh/Sonus Faber system, but at the moment, I prefer the Liuto over the Auditor M.

Welcome to AudioAficionado bachrocks.

Have you compared the Liuto floorstanders to Cremona floorstanders M? The Cremona Auditor M doesn't go quite as deep (50Hz) compared to Liuto floorstanders (40Hz). Perhaps this is one of the reason you felt the Liuto sounded more lifelike.

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McIntosh MVP871. Luxman C-383, M-375. Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento. Oyaide R1, WPC-Z, P/C-004, MTB-6. Siltech Ruby Hill II. HiFi-Tuning fuses

Thank you for the welcome TommyC. I did see the higher-end SF speakers at the dealers, and they looked so exquisitely beautiful, but they are out of my price range so I did not bother the dealer to bring them over for a listen.

Yes, possibly it was the lower end of the Liuto floorstanders that impressed me. When I heard the Bach Invention on them, I immediately pictured one of the larger (bass) piano strings vibrating to produce the sound coming from the speakers. I can only imagine how incredible the Cremona floorstanding speakers must sound. Of course, the Auditor M was in a league all its own. When I listened to the piano opening of Cat Stevens' "Year of the cat", I felt something magical in my ears and heart. Really, the music was pulling me in and seducing me. I can't ever recall hearing music reproduced so sweetly, in the most positive sense of the word. And I don't recall whether the Liuto had such an effect or not on that passage. By the time I listened to the same piece, the 4th on the CD, I was in another world. My reasoning had stopped. I felt like I was 16 again and had just been kissed by a beautiful girl.