Upgrading from Cremona M to Guarneri Evolution?

[jakegt3]

Now that the Guarneri Evolution is being discontinued, I'm seeing them being advertised at pretty attractive prices (new). I currently have the Cremona M's. For those of you who are familiar with both speakers, how would you compare them?

Obviously they are very different kinds of speakers. I'm not that concerned about lack of a bottom end on the GE. I can fill it in with a subwoofer.

I listen mostly to classical music. The things that are important to me are accuracy of instrument tone and timbre, soundstaging, and freedom from glare or harshness. I play a lot of large scale symphonic music, so the ability to project a "large" sound is a consideration. I do not play at super loud volumes, however,

Drive electronics are all Audio Research (see my signature).

Is it a worthwhile upgrade from the Cremona M to the GE?

[audio bill]

I find the GE to be a clear step up in performance compared to the Cremonas. The GEs are significantly more refined in tonality and more holographic without any tradeoffs in my experience. Simply a more involving presentation without any real tradeoffs. Depending upon your room size you may not find any need for a sub but always have the option. Your ARC gear should be an excellent match. Hope this helps!

[1KW]

The SF GE will be a solid upgrade over the Cremona M on several levels in the sound department as well as the aesthethics for which there is no comparison. SF GE has amazing imaging and the bass that these speakers produce will make you scratch your head and make you wonder how they do it.

[antipop]

The short answer is yes, absolutely. This is a really strong upgrade and you'll never regret doing it.

The Guarneri is a wonderful pair of speakers. Dan here can vouch for that.

[audio bill]

Although as I recall Dan has an earlier version of the SF Guarneri speakers, not the Evolutions.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by audio bill

Although as I recall Dan has an earlier version of the SF Guarneri speakers, not the Evolutions.

Bill.......My association with Sonus faber began with the SF Cremona Auditors. I upgraded to the SF Guarneri Memento's, then upgraded again to the SF Amati Anniversario's. In each case the performance was improved with the upgrade.

I ran the SF Guarneri Memento's in a bi-amped setup with the Bryston 10B Sub active crossover and a pair of McIntosh XLS112 powered subwoofers. The sound was exceptional, truly full range. The Guarneri Memento's literally disappeared when the music began.

To read about the Guarneri Memento/Bryston 10B/McIntosh XLS112 setup click here: Bryston 10B Sub Active Crossover In Studio System

[myjazz123]

John, grab the GE while they available. I sew terrific price on the A-gon from a reputable dealer. The GE are on a different level (build, sound) from Cremona.

[jakegt3]

I got a chance to audition the Guarneri Evolutions at the local dealer. On the positive side, the speakers were brilliant in terms of soundstaging and imaging. The speakers totally disappeared and presented a soundstage that was wide and deep. The bass was OK and the midrange was great. However, on the negative side, the high frequencies sounded very rolled off above a few kHz, which resulted in a tonal balance that was quite dark overall. Honestly I don't think I could live with such a dark sound. The speakers did not sound like what I expected from the reviews I had read.

The equipment used to drive them was an ARC Reference 75, SP20 preamp, and a Luxman CD player that I was not familiar with. I'm not sure how much different the sound would be with other equipment. However, I listened to other speakers in roughly the same price range (Focal, Wilson Audio) through the same equipment in the same room and did not get the same sense of tonal darkness.

So, I'm kind of puzzled here. The sound of the Guarneri's is nothing like my Cremona M's, which have somewhat less midrange richness but much more high frequency sheen without being overly harsh or bright. There could have been something wrong with the dealer's demo model or the way they were set up, but based on what I heard there, I was disappointed overall.

[Thedo]

Originally Posted by jakegt3

I got a chance to audition the Guarneri Evolutions at the local dealer. On the positive side, the speakers were brilliant in terms of soundstaging and imaging. The speakers totally disappeared and presented a soundstage that was wide and deep. The bass was OK and the midrange was great. However, on the negative side, the high frequencies sounded very rolled off above a few kHz, which resulted in a tonal balance that was quite dark overall. Honestly I don't think I could live with such a dark sound. The speakers did not sound like what I expected from the reviews I had read.

The equipment used to drive them was an ARC Reference 75, SP20 preamp, and a Luxman CD player that I was not familiar with. I'm not sure how much different the sound would be with other equipment. However, I listened to other speakers in roughly the same price range (Focal, Wilson Audio) through the same equipment in the same room and did not get the same sense of tonal darkness.

So, I'm kind of puzzled here. The sound of the Guarneri's is nothing like my Cremona M's, which have somewhat less midrange richness but much more high frequency sheen without being overly harsh or bright. There could have been something wrong with the dealer's demo model or the way they were set up, but based on what I heard there, I was disappointed overall.

I may be an odd guy here but I think I agree with you. I used to have the Guarneri Mementos and I absolutely loved them. When the Guarneri Evo came out, I came to my local dealer to check them out. I was disappointed, they are dark compared to the Mementos and the sound stage is not as wide. They do have more bass than the Mementos but that only because they have bigger cabinet volume. I ended up upgrading to the Amati Anniversarios. In my opinion, you should find a used pair of the Mementos and listen to them. I bet you will love them if you have a small room. And in my eyes, the Mementos are aesthetically better than the Evo too. I still miss my Mementos....

[PHC1]

Loved my Guarneri Mementos. Wish I would have kept them.