Originally Posted by esteban (Post 976080)

Anybody else noticed the Sonus Faber Olympica *Nova* ad in the latest Stereophile? A completely re-designed line that looks essentially like a cross of the original Olympicas and the latest Tradition line.

It's not the first time they do this, of course. The Cremonas and Cremonas M come to mind, and, of course, the "tradition" line is the fourth incarnation of the original Homage series. Not crazy about the Nova aesthetics, however, since it looks like most of the leather is now gone. I had a soft spot for the look of the original Olympicas, and I considered them the best looking SF line since the brand changed hands (yes, I think they look better than the Aida, etc... I thought the side/vertical ports looked terrific, and the leather on the top was a genius idea).

Overall, it looks like they are trying to use the new Amati as the starting point, which I assume simplifies the manufacturing/assembly process and saves on cost.

There is no mention of this revamped Olympica anywhere else, however. At least none that I could find.

Originally Posted by W9TR (Post 981931)

I’ve set up a couple of pairs of O III’s for friends. You can extract some magic from them. :)

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2 (Post 981921)

I was always 'put off' with the over-the-top leather highlights of Sonus Faber (to say nothing of the their "old" sound (to my ears)), which served no purpose. For one, I think it has taken Sonus Faber longer than about any high-end equipment supplier to move into the 21st century. I now find their design, fit & finish second to none these days (on the two higher tiers of speakers) and their SQ thoroughly 'modern' in providing excellent sound.

With the new Olympica Nova III out the predecessor III is hitting the market with some great pricing. Am kicking tires on new speakers and was very impressed with the Olympica IIIs.

Sopra 2s, Wilson Sophia, Canton Ref 5K, Treo CT, JA Perspective ......... so many excellent speakers in the <$10K price range. May even stretch and listen to the Serafino if I run across a pair while shopping. Lots of listening to do over the next several months. The sad part of it is that I will likely never have the opportunity to A/B any of them as they will all reside at different dealers.

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2 (Post 981973)

Tom - thank you for your thoughts.

Craig - Old for me is warm & slow. A rather warm & languid presentation, if you will. Horn & planar speakers were the early providers of a 'faster' sound (with noted deficincies - lack of bass, shrill treble, etc., in many cases). The refinements of box speakers starting in the '90s (computer design & analysis was likely a very big help) and they have pretty much caught up to horn & planar speakers, which have also benefited from computers. To my ears, Sonus Faber was one of the laggards in this regard and did not really turn the corner on same until some years into this century. I can't really say when or what model, as I no longer bothered to listen to them until the last year, or so. However, Sonus Faber had an established 'house sound', as did McIntosh, and were likely much influenced in not wanting to make a big 'step-change' that would result in unhappy long-term customers. As we all have our own ears, YMMV.