Are Sonus Faber speakers "Hi-End"?

[ps7256]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

I love my Sonus Faber Cremonas for my secondary system.

In many ways it is my go-to rig for enjoyment.

The Cremona’s are a beautiful, Musical speaker, I missed picking up a mint cherry pair for $4500.

[Lars-Ola]

I think it's refreshing that he shares his honest opinion - and he clearly states that it is just an opinion. I enjoy his YouTube videos, and knowing his preferences can be helpful in understanding how his observations or advice relates to me.

Now, regarding Sonus faber speakers, I totally disagree with him. That's ok. I will continue to enjoy Paul's videos, as well as music on my high end Sonus faber speakers! :-)

[Robc33]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

If the Arnie Nudell speakers in the PS Audio room at RMAF are an indication of what Paul thinks of as “high end” speakers, I can understand why he wouldn’t care so much for SF. To each his own.

+1

[TheMaestro303]

Hello fellow audiophiles! Happy New year! I just wanted to mention, as noted he is very well respected in the audio field but sometimes I have to disagree with his statements. He actually had a post where he stated he wished the Super Tramp album Cryme Of The Century was recorded.
better and how the sound was bad?.. As most audiophiles can attest this is one of the best sounding Rock albums of all time engineered by the fabulous Ken Scott!

[Swisstrips]

I don’t think he necessarily “bad mouthed” and seems to be taken a bit out of context. I have no horse in this, but Pauls quote from the op referred to reference and revealing qualities.

I’m reading that as his experience and or reference is that of the IRS, which by many accounts are to this day one of the “best” (subjectivity of course) speakers/systems ever made and a totally different animal than a box speaker. So not apples to apples.

The reverse could be made as well and I’m sure has.

I’m guessing horn users speak in a similar fashion.

There is no best of course and I love SF designs, certainly one of my favs.

[shindo]

I’m not sure if the Signatures I have are considered hi-end especially considering the caliber of speakers most members have on here. I do enjoy them though.

[bugeyed]

"Perceptual confusion

Regular readers of this blog will know I often am critical of a few well known speaker brands. This doesn’t sit well with owners of those brands and for that I apologize. I single out a few brands because, to me, they represent great examples of perceptual confusion—conflating two ideas together that don’t necessarily match.

Take Sonus Fabers for example. These are excellent speakers and ones I heartily recommended to my son Lon when he wanted new speakers for his house. They are beautifully built, great looking, wonderful value, and good sound too. So, what’s the beef? Why do I not recommend these to most audiophiles? They aren’t what I consider highly resolving speakers on sonic par with (say) a Von Schweikert, Magneplanar, Wilson, or Infinity. They are not. Which is not say they aren’t great speakers, ones I would not hesitate to recommend again and again.

The difference is I would not recommend them to someone interested in achieving audio nirvana. That’s not what they do.

Nor do B&W (for that matter). Their persona is one of technical accuracy, designed and engineered by teams of white coat scientists with million dollar spectral analyzers. They are, indeed, that. And, if that’s what you want, then there are none better than B&W. But, if recreating the illusion of an orchestra in your home through the disappearing act of musically perfect speakers and electronics is your goal, then I would not be recommending them.

This rant is not about downgrading two fine speaker brands. Not at all.

I have the ultimate respect for both brands and the customers of those brands.

My purpose is to help align expectations and reduce perceptual confusion.

It’s always tough to sort through the perceptions and positioning of products to suss out the essence of what you really are after.

But, when you do, life gets a lot easier." Paul McGowan

[jdandy]

Kev.......Paul McGowan speaks for himself. One man, one man's opinion. Nothing more, nothing less. He's entitled to his opinions, as are the lesser known of us. He only hears what his ears and brain absorb. He can't possible hear for anyone else. His blog allows him great reach in the audiophile community, but it provides no relevance whatsoever for the credibility of his personal likes and dislikes. I support Paul's fortitude to express his opinions, controversial or otherwise. Speaking one's mind is generally a good thing even when others see little to no value in the content.

[2fastdriving]

After thinking about this topic a bit, I welcome Paul's direct opinions on these subjects. One thing that bothers me in audio is that nobody in the industry EVER says anything is less than awesome. Reading Stereophile and TAS can be a bit repetitive because nobody wants to be critical and take some heat. Everything is great, everything is recommended.
While not a reviewer, at least Paul isn't afraid to be critical. Maybe more in audio NEED to be critical?

[bugeyed]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

After thinking about this topic a bit, I welcome Paul's direct opinions on these subjects. One thing that bothers me in audio is that nobody in the industry EVER says anything is less than awesome. Reading Stereophile and TAS can be a bit repetitive because nobody wants to be critical and take some heat. Everything is great, everything is recommended.
While not a reviewer, at least Paul isn't afraid to be critical. Maybe more in audio NEED to be critical?

I agree that the magazines are all about selling advertising & promoting products. They can't afford to alienate anyone. I like it when industry insiders are candid about their likes & dislikes. I don't agree with being dismissive of a brand's whole line & characterizing one as a bunch of "white coat scientists" with fancy test equipment.
I like Paul & enjoy his blogs & videos, when he stays on point. Mr McGowan has been very good for this industry & most experienced customers will decide for themselves what they buy, but I would hate for a noob to not audition a brand based on Paul's statements. I would encourage Paul to maybe single out certain models to critique rather than a brand. I didn't intend to make a big deal of this, just thought it would stimulate some spirited talk.
Kev