Sonus Faber Olympica III speakers first views

[Ch1mera1989]

Originally Posted by AudioPhilio

The most prominent differences that I heard were the midrange is more accurate and less colored than my Cremona M. Also it is a faster and weightier sound. Being that I am comparing them in two completely different listening environments, it is hard to make a fair assessment of things such as sound stage and dimensionality. I will say however I am contemplating trading my Cremona Ms for these. I LOVE the overall package. My original plan was to keep saving for Amati Futura, but this speaker has caused me to possibly take a detour on that journey.

Okay, sounds good But they do still have the Sonus Faber magic?

[AudioPhilio]

Originally Posted by Ch1mera1989

Okay, sounds good But they do still have the Sonus Faber magic?

Yes! They are still extremely musical. I would say they are still a touch on the warm sounding side of things, but not colored like the Cremona M. I had a chance to listen to Harbeth 30.1 back to back with the Olympica III, and honestly the midrange and highs of both speakers are very similar in characteristic. In fact I was surprised how much so. Obviously, the Olympica goes way deeper, but it was somewhat unexpected to me. In fact, I ordered the 30.1 to replace my Compact 7s. I believe the difference between Cremona M and Olympica III is very similar to the Harbeths: faster, more open, more accurate; but most important to me, same house sound.
I am likely to be writing myself right into upgrading my Cremonas too

[aldinohiend]

I have heard in November the Olympica III and I have gained some good impressions, especially with regard to the low range. The stealth reflex enables low firm and controlled, with no queues or rumble, to the benefit of the rest of the sound compared. In fact, the mids and highs are very clean and natural though a bit 'and aseptic techniques.
The Olympic III have proven comfortable with all genres of music, especially with rock, impact or large full orchestra waiting their high power handling capability.
The scene was very good both in breadth and in depth with a credible revival event.
In short, a good speaker but, in my opinion, not quite able to restore the warmth that others can give. Maybe I would have preferred a greater emotional involvement and a touch of delicacy in most, even at the expense of a little 'technical rigor.

[dznutz]

Blue,

I just posted a visitor message on your profile, let me know if you can assist

[bigblue]

dznutz, sorry for late reply. I have been tied down at work. But here are some pics from the speaker elements. Hope they work for you.




Edit: spelling

[dznutz]

PERFECT! Thanks

[bigblue]

The speakers now have 135 hours on them and it was time for another test. I have been in love with the way the look and sound from day 1. But something has been bugging me with the graphs from bass sweeps earlier in the thread. They did not represent what I heard and I became unsure of what I am hearing (or believe I hear). Some nights ago it became clear to me that it was probably due to a misstake on my behalf. As I am used to calibrate my subs from time to time, I hook up the Velodyne mic through my receiver, a Pioneer LX76.
Time for a new metering session were I connect the signal directly to my amp (Audio Research DSI 200).


Now we are talking. If you compare this graph with the one shown earlier in the thread one can clearly see what a difference it makes. Previously I ran it through the receiver and pre-out to the amp which was set to Processor and acting as a power amp (no pre amp).
Look at the low freq here. This is what I was hearing but not seeing in the graphs. Phew.


I tested different distances from the front wall but amazingly enough I had managed to hit the ideal spot by ear. 88 cm from the wall was the best spot. So instead I tried different listening positions. I have a 3 meter wide sofa and there are limitations as to how far I can move it. But this is what it looks like 8 inches forward from the "ideal position". Here I loose some of the nice low bass.



And this is what it looks like if I move it 20 inches back from the "ideal position". A clear raise around 150 Hz.


When in my sweet spot I sit 150 cm from the rear wall and I have a tailor made book shelf that acts as a diffuser. I have no idea how well this works but I would like to think it its better than a flat wall, as the shelf is full of rounded objects.


I am happy with the sound (and graphs) but I am open to input on how to improve. F ex is the dip around 100 Hz something to be concerned about?

[Toccata]

Are the stands mandatory? (I'm considering a pair...losing my love for the Martin Logans!)

[bigblue]

Toccata, are you sure this is the right thread? There are no stands needed for the Olympica III as it is a floorstanding speaker

[antipop]

Bigblue, you should use REW for your graphs. You'll get more information about your room this way