I Own Olympica III's - Which Models Above Those Can Work Well In A Smaller Room?
 

As the title says, I am the current owner of a one year old pair of Olympica III's. I absolutely love these speakers, and they play beautifully in my room. Of course, you always wonder if even more Sonus Faber magic could be available?

If I were to move to upgraded Sonus Faber speakers, I would certainly purchase them used, with an absolute maximum budget of, say, $18k. The following floor standing speakers can, at various times, be found between, 12k-18k, on a very good deal, used:

Elipsa SE
Amati Anniversario
Amati Futura
Stradavari Homage


Would any of these be capable of working well in my relatively small room? The room is 13x15x8. The Olympica III's were professionally set up so that they are 9 feet from the listening position, just over six feet apart, 3.5 feet from the sidewalls and two feet out from the back wall.

I suspect the Elipsa SE's are eliminated immediately based on what a Sonus Faber dealer told me about them simply not working in a small room.

Thanks for any expertise and assistance on this, it's greatly appreciated. It might well end up that nothing larger than the Olympica III's will perform optimally in my room, but it's important that I know, one way or the other.


John

I had the strads in a slightly bigger room, they did not work as well as the O3.

Bass of the O3 is my biggest drawback, it is not articulate enough... I would think the Futura would be fantastic.

Although a few feet longer, my room is the same width as yours and my Futuras are on the long wall. They work splendidly.

I've set up a couple of pairs of O3's for friends. They are hard to get dialed in, but they sound great when they're positioned correctly.

They are mini Amati Futura's. If you like the O3's, you'll love the Futuras. I sit 10' from mine. They can be had for your budget.

Tom

What about the Serafino? It's the same size as the O3.

I have owned the Q3 and now enjoy the Futura. I would recommend the Guarneri Memento, or maybe the new Guarneri Tradition. You will get all the magic of the SF, but with out the possible bass problems that I think will occur with regards to the size of your room if you'd choose the Futura.

Bass problems were my concern with a larger Sonus Faber. It has also been suggested to me that I simply add two "music oriented" subwoofers to the Olympica III's. Wouldn't you also need subwoofers if one went with the Guarneri's?


John

It is always tricky to give suggestions without having heard the room. With the size of the room you have the Guraneri should be able to pressurize it nicely. And the top half of these speakers are far superior to the Q3s IMO. More 3D, finesse and less "grain". Then, if you at any time would miss the lowest notes you could always introduce a sub later on. What kind of music would you like the speakers to excel in?

The Guarneri's are a great suggestion if they are stand alone. Adding subwoofers to great speakers is pretty hard to get right, comments from sub manufacturers to the contrary!

Do you find the O3 bass lacking? Or is it too much?

Tom

In a room slightly larger than yours (13x18x8.5) i've used Elipsa, Elipsa SE, Amati Futura, and Guarneri's. All of them worked well.