Sonus faber Cremona Auditors Arrived

[jdandy]

I couldn't wait any longer to hear the Cremona Auditor speakers perform, so I moved a pair of Bello stands into the studio, parked each Auditor on a stand, and wired them to the MC275 with two 10' Kimber 8TC speaker cables. One cable is not long enough to properly reach the speaker and stay on the floor until it reaches the speaker, but that isn't stopping me, and I have a longer pair of Kimber 8TC cables on the way. I set the stands about 2 1/2 feet from the side walls, with 7 feet between them, and 7 1/2 feet in front of my listening position.

OK. Press play on the MCD500, and sit down. Wow! I was expecting a smaller presentation from the demure speakers. The sound totally belied their physical size. Huge sound presentation, extremely accurate, well defined mid and high frequency range without a hint of nasal quality. The sound is rich, full bodied, and big. It only took a small tweak of the XLS112 sub to dial it into the Cremona Auditors, and it filled the very bottom with the correct weight and authority. I played the Auditors without the sub for a while to listen for the bass response. Surprisingly, the bottom end is impressive and solid, although it rolls off in advance of the frequencies at the lowest range of the audio spectrum. This is where the XLS112 plays its roll, and admirably I might add. It blends perfectly with the Auditors, creating a full range audio experience that exceeds my expectations. Truly amazing.

I can see now why there is so much enthusiasm about the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors, and all models above it. This is a very musical speaker, very enjoyable to listen to, and quite dynamic. After an hour of listening here in the studio, there isn't a hint of listener fatigue, actually quite the opposite. I want to hear more and more of this amazing speaker. I am certain that once I have them on the Sonus Faber speaker stands, and perfectly positioned, the musical presentation will improve to an even greater degree. For now, I am still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. The Auditor is a sterling performer in every respect. Only the extreme bottom needs help, and the XLS112 takes care of that perfectly. The speakers are throwing a gorgeaous sound stage, and they are not yet on their own stands or positioned accurately.

If the only system I owned was the C2300, MC275, MCD500, XLS112, and the SF Cremona Auditors, I would be a very happy and joyful individual. My little tube system is sounding spectacular. I can highly recommend this combination of audio components to anyone.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Stillone

Dan
Are these the Cremona Auditor or Auditor M's? They sure do look nice and from what I remember sound very good too.
Jim

Jim.......These are the Cremona Auditors.

[T-3G]

Dan, congratulations on your first Sonus faber Yes, they are very musical, there's something to SF that draws you to music, not just to the sound itself. I find myself sitting in front of my Elipsas all day listening to music I would love to own a pair of Audior M in graphite down the road.... they are beautiful to look at, too. Enjoy!

[PHC1]

Enjoy the Cremona A's Dan. I sure enjoyed my time with them.

[TommyC]

I'm glad you enjoyed it Dan! I love my SF!
We're using similar speaker cables (I use 4TC).

[1KW]

Dan the SF/Mcintosh synergy is a very addictive sound which I am sure you will enjoy !
It may take a little tweeking to get them in the right the position but it will be worth the effort. I have never spent as much time in front of two speakers that were as listener fatigue free as with my present 2 channel set up. By the way the retail price on your "little system" still puts it in the price range of many a audiophiles main system

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by 1KW

By the way the retail price on your "little system" still puts it in the price range of many a audiophiles main system

And then some!

Pete

[jdandy]

TommyC.......Kimber 4TC was my first exposure to Kimber Kable products. I bought 20 feet of it from Ray Kimber himself in 1980. I was working at a high-end audio store in Beaverton, Oregon, and Ray was there demostrating his new cable. Paid $1.00 a foot. I thought, holly mackeral that's expensive, $20.00 for 20 feet of speaker cable. Now, I wish it were still that price.

I moved up to Kimber 8TC about 15 years ago for the larger gauge. 8TC is 9 gauge for both the posive and negative leads. Lots of pure OFC varistrand copper, very low resistance. The Kimber 8TC is an excellent speaker cable, and a good value, even at todays prices.

[Vintage Pete]

I auditioned a pair of these (I'm pretty sure) a couple of years ago and was quite impressed. They were powered by MC501's and they were up to the task. There was a sub in the loop, not quite sure which but I'm thinking it was perhaps a JL F112 or 113. The SF speakers were impressive indeed-smooth, refined and very transparent. I too can see why the SF line has gained such popularity. They are great sounding, and obviously manufactured to a very high degree of workmanship.

Congrats once again, Dan.

Pete

[jdandy]

Pete.......Thank you. I am still awe struck by the accuracy and sound quality pouring out of the Cremona Auditors. Absolutely floored would be a better description of my impression. These speakers sound good.......very good.