Sonus faber Amati Anniversario Review

[jdandy]

Current photo of the system



The wait for the Sonus faber Amati Anniversario speakers to arrive seemed like forever. It actually wasn’t that long, but anticipating their arrival reduced me to an anxious child on Christmas Eve. The day finally arrived, and after some serious physical exertion I had the Amati Anniversario’s unpacked and standing before me in all their astonishing glory. For those who saw these speakers in Cape Cod at the Extravaganza, you already know how breathtaking they look, and how convincing is their performance. For the remainder of our readers, you will have to exercise your imagination. Sonus faber finishes their Homage series speakers to a premium level that exceeds nearly every other speaker maker, dare I say all other speaker makers. This pair of Amati Anniversario’s is finished in the ultra sensual Graphite color. The high gloss finish looks so deep it seems you could easily plunge a finger beneath its surface. The fit and finish of the Amati Anniversario represents Italian craftsmanship at its finest. Even the black powder coated speaker bases and finely tapered spiked feet are precision metal pieces of art. The famous and often copied Sonus faber string grills add the perfect touch of understated Italian flamboyance and unique driver camouflage to the beautiful hand built cabinets. The soft black leather behind the grill from top to bottom offers a luxurious compliment to this amazing masterpiece. The entire Amati Anniversario speaker generates an intense allure and radiates an elegant presence in any room.

There are only two terminals on the rear of the Amati, so the designer’s intent is to feed these fine floor standing reproducers with a full range audio signal. The speaker is a three-way design that uses four separate drivers. The tweeter is a 25 mm ring radiator driver with a dual toroidal wave-guide. The midrange is a 150 mm ultra linearity driver installed in its own vented acoustic chamber. The two woofers are each 220 mm lightweight aluminum/magnesium alloy cone drivers in an acoustically amorphous vented chamber. Looking at the back of the Amati Anniversario you see both the midrange and woofer elliptical shaped vents, with the midrange vent being the smaller of the two. The crossover is a special multi-slope structure with optimized phase/amplitude response. The impedance at low frequencies is controlled for amplifier friendly performance. All internal wiring uses a unique structured precious metal alloy conductor throughout the entire signal path. The crossover points are 350Hz and 4000Hz with an efficiency of 92dB at 1 watt input. The power handling capability is rated at 30 watts to 300 watts without clipping at a nominal impedance of 4 ohms.

The 92 decibel efficiency of the Amati Anniversario is a real bonus. They are 4dB more efficient than the Guarneri Memento’s 88dB rating. Consequently the Amati’s play at the same volume level as the GM’s with half the amplifier power. That’s like doubling my amplifier’s headroom. Any way you look at it, that’s a nice gift. In addition, the higher power handling capability of the Amati allows them to produce concert level volume in my studio at well under 100 watt peaks. The McIntosh power meters scarcely tap 4.5 watt peaks to produce 94 to 96dB sound pressure levels as measured on my Extech sound pressure meter. The amplifier is loafing along and so are the speakers while producing a satisfying, comfortable, and room filling volume level.





It did not take long to make the amplifier connections from the McIntosh MC452 amplifier using Kimber 8TC speaker cable terminated with WBT Nextgen solid silver angled locking banana connectors. Associated equipment included the McIntosh C2300 preamplifier with Telefunken tubes and the McIntosh MCD1100 SACD/CD/DAC. Interconnects and power cords are Wireworld Silver Eclipse and Silver Electra, respectively. Initially I made a rough guess at speaker placement in the studio, essentially using the locations I had marked with blue tape before moving the SF Guarneri Memento’s from the studio. As luck would have it, this was an excellent starting point from which to begin fine tuning the final positioning. I selected Sarah McLachlan – Surfacing CD using the track “Angel” to help dial in the Amati Anniversario’s placement, making adjustments to speaker locations until the sound stage locked in. Once I arrived at a defined sound stage I selected another CD, Johnny A. – Sometime Tuesday Morning, using the track “Wichita Lineman” to further tweak the Amati’s positions until the bass frequencies uniformly loaded the room and were well defined. A slight adjustment to toe in and it was a wrap. The time spent performing these exercises is paying huge dividends with a sound stage of full width and depth, portraying a three dimensional presentation that often exceeds the Amati’s physical locations in the room. In a word, the sound stage is astonishing. It equals the Guarneri Memento’s with its ability to allow the speakers to seemingly disappear. I see the speakers sitting in the room, but I don’t hear them because the performance is taking place between them and beyond them. It is extremely exciting to hear the Amati Anniversario’s when properly set up.

The speakers have approximately 210 hours on them. I was informed they had 130 hours on them when I received them, so it is safe to say they were not completely broken in. I cannot state with firm conviction that the Amati Anniversario’s are fully broken in right now, but I can say they are sounding well defined, revealing rich harmonic textures, airy midrange with plenty of slam when called for, and a deep, solid bass frequency range that belies the size of the twin woofers in each cabinet. The bass is strong, demonstrating a quickness and authority that is quite impressive. I have no need for a subwoofer with the Amait’s in the studio, and have removed the Bryston 10B sub active crossover and the two McIntosh XLS112 powered subwoofers I previously used with the Guarneri Memento speakers. The Amati Anniversario’s have plenty of bottom end power with no need for additional low frequency support from a subwoofer. Whether the speakers will open up more as additional hours are put on them is yet to be heard, but the Amati’s have blossomed since I first put sound through them, even with the 130 hours already logged on them when they arrived. I noticed the opening up of the speakers most in the increased space that separates voices and instruments, not that they were ever smeared, but details, air, and dynamics have improved as more hours have been pressed on them. In particular, solo piano has grown more open. Chords now deliver clearer definition of the keys that are combined in the chord, and individual piano notes have a vibrant ring created when felt covered hammers strike the strings. Diminishing notes linger effortlessly in the air as though an actual piano were present. The Amati Anniversario’s resolution is so clear I can easily hear a piano’s foot pedals being pressed and released, or a creak in a piano bench when an artist shifts position. Room ambience comes through in spades. Tone is so rich and readily identifiable that I can say with a measure of certainty that I think the guitar amplifier Larry Carlton used to record Deep Into It was a tubed Fender amp, possibly the Fender Hot Rod. The Amati Anniversario’s are revealing, both for the good and the not so good recordings. When a recording is great, that is clearly presented. When a recording falls short, the Amati’s do not sugar coat the poor recording quality. Truth is always my preference in a speaker.





I have played everything from rock to jazz, classical to solo piano and guitar on the Amati Anniversario’s. I have played male and female vocals, drum solos, and vocal ensemble performances without any instruments. Every performance has been reproduced in a thoroughly convincing fashion. There is no glassy shrillness to the midrange, none of the hash or frying noise when cymbals are lightly tapped or crashed, only clear ringing metallic brass shimmering in the air. Dynamics leap from the sound stage without reservation, yet the softest, most subtle sounds appear from blackness with the same clarity and definition. Bass is room filling, strong, lightning quick, and goes deep without a hint of struggle getting to the bottom or rolling off before every available frequency has had its time in the limelight. The strength of the low frequencies makes me understand why I have heard some people comment that Amati’s can be bass heavy. In my studio that is not the case, but then I have made extensive use of bass traps, acoustic panels, and diffusion. In a room less treated, or untreated the Amati’s might be tougher to effectively place for best low frequency performance. That is certainly not the case in my studio, where the low frequency performance is rock solid, gripping, and richly textured.

It was my hope not to lose the amazing sound stage I enjoyed with the Guarneri Memento’s when the Amati Anniversario’s took their place. I was concerned because the Memento’s were true magicians when it came to the disappearing act. My apprehension was totally unfounded. The Amati’s are also true magicians. I could not be happier with the performance and physical beauty of the Amati Anniversario speakers. They are mesmerizing to gaze upon. The essence of their physical beauty makes sweet music without whispering a single note, and best of all, when they do make sound it is deliriously delicious. The Amati Anniversario speakers are a glorious achievement. I predict these speakers will be with me for a long time.

Note: The first photo above has been updated to a current picture of the studio system. The associated equipment today consists of a McIntosh C1000C/P preamplifier, MC2301 power amps(2), MR88 tuner, Aurender N10 music server, Esoteric K-01X player/DAC, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000 AC regenerator, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE turntable with Michell Never Connected PSU, SME 309 tonearm with Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge, and the Sonus faber Amati Anniversario speakers with Wireworld Silver Eclipse speaker cables.

[Vintage Pete]

Great review, Dan....superbly written, as always. I have no doubt these are magnificent loudspeakers. I look forward to hearing them one day.


Congratulations again....I would think these would indeed be with you for a long time. As Ivan pointed out, they really do appear to be perfect for the studio listening area.


Congratulations!!!

Pete

[Volks]

Great to hear you like the sound thus far Dan!

[Rafale]

Dan, I love the graphite color, incredibly beautiful speakers, congrats and thanks for sharing

[miner]

Dan,
Another great point of view review. Beautiful pics too. I have enjoyed the experience through you. Party on, Dan.

[Jerome W]

Dan,
great review as always ! Well done my friend !
I'm glad that you enjoy them so much !
So, when will you throw away these horrible EB1i in your living room to make room for the Amatis ?

[chessman]

Dan, congrats!! Having seen seen these in the flesh, I can attest that they are real beauties. They sounded great at Ivan's house and I bet they sound great at your house. I was walking past them at Ivan's on my way to another area when the music I was hearing caused me to stop and do a double take. When I realized it was the Amati's playing, I sat and listened for a while with a big grin on my face. They are wonderful - congrats again!!

[Still-One]

Dan
Nice write up as usual. I was thinking about you yesterday when I stopped by one local dealer. I saw an un-opened pair of the Anniversario’s in Graphite sitting in the hallway.

Jim

[hkval]

I think the music presentation in that room must have reached audio nirvana. Your review and the speakers are both works of art. Sitting in front of those beauties and the MacRack must bring you incredible satisfaction and enjoyment. Reading everything you have posted has made me feel a part of this adventure and it has been pure enjoyment.
Best of everything Dan, you certainly deserve it.
Howard

[jwhite613]

Dan... The speakers are amazing to look at. I can only imagine how much nicer they look in person. Another well written review as always. Now sit back and enjoy the music.