Sonus Faber Olympica III speakers first views

[AudioPhilio]

Originally Posted by pkelly1504

Hello,

I demo'd the Olympica 3 and The Cremona M side by side yesterday with a friend.

The Olympica 3 goes lower but in all other aspects both my friend and I prefered The Cremona. More open, detailed and airy.

I own The Cremona's and am thinking of moving up to The Elipsa SE.

Does anyone here have experience with The Elipsa SE?

I also demo'd The Futura also.... WOW!!!
Thanks

That is interesting pkelly. I had the opposite experience with my demo of Olympica III. I found the Olympica to be more open, detailed and extended. And most important (to me) the midrange is less colored. In fact I am buying the Olympica III my dealer has on display (see post #7) after extended listening to them. To my ears they are better than my Cremona Ms.... Just goes to show how varied our perceptions can be in this crazy hobby.

Sorry, I have no experience with the Elipsa SE to give comment. I have heard the Futura as well, and I was really blown away too. They are a speaker I would like to own hopefully in a couple of years.

[dznutz]

I think this is a simple case of the Cremonas being broken in and the Olympicas not so much. I am also awaiting delivery of the Olympica 3's.

[antipop]

Originally Posted by pkelly1504

Hello, I demo'd the Olympica 3 and The Cremona M side by side yesterday with a friend. The Olympica 3 goes lower but in all other aspects both my friend and I prefered The Cremona. More open, detailed and airy. I own The Cremona's and am thinking of moving up to The Elipsa SE. Does anyone here have experience with The Elipsa SE? I also demo'd The Futura also.... WOW!!! Thanks

Welcome pkelly,

I own the Elipsa SE and I absolutely love them. I initially wanted to buy the Cremona but there is no comparison between the two. As soon as I heard the Elipsa, I feel in love and forgot about the Cremona.

They are very close to the Futura but without the chrome and form factor. I believe they have a better tweeter than the Futura.

[bigblue]

IMO the Elipsa and the Cremona has more similarities than the newer Futura and Olympica. The former speakers are a tad warmer. Pkelly, since you like the Cremona over the Olympica this could be a very interesting candidate. But bare in mind that the Elipsa is more demanding with regards to your amp. It dips down to 2,5 ohm and makes some sharp phase swings.

[pkelly1504]

Hello Everyone,

I have recently discovered this site and have been lurking in the background.

I am a huge SF fan and am in the market for The Elipsa SE.

I wanted to demo The Olympica 3 to check out the new line also to make an informed buying decision.

The Olympica 3 is a beautiful speaker, more attractive than The Cremona in my opinion.

I demo'd about 8 songs on The Olympica 3 and the same 8 on The Cremona M's.
To my ear and to my surprise both my friend and I chose The Cremona.

I am not good a describing the sound in audio terms we just prefered the sound.

The Olympica 3's were not broken in as it only had about 8 hours on them.

I am sure any of you out there purchasing The Olympica 3's are making a wonderful choice!

The Futura was incredible, stunning craftsmanship and wonderful sound. I really cranked them up and it surely put a smile on my face.

The lows, drums and bass were incredible. That being said I have never demo'd a speaker in that class, $37,000.

I have never heard The original Cremona.

Great to hear all of the responses.

Thanks

[pkelly1504]

My system;

Cary MB 500 mono blocks. 1000 Watts into 4 ohm speakers.

Conrad Johnson ET3 SE.

Oppo 95.

I am looking to add a turntable and will be posting for recommendations when I am permitted to post.

Thank you all.

[Elberoth]

I'm about to order Olympica 2 for my living room system to go with my Mac 6300 integrated.

[Chaq]

Hello All,

I have recently joined AA (first post) and it has been very informative, thanks to you guys. So I thought I will take your opinions since we are talking about the Olympicas.

I am planning to upgrade my basic system: Toy Tower + Naim UnitiLite to the Olympicas. I am targeting a clearer sound with deeper and wider soundstage. I love the III's but considering that I only have the UnitiLite it is going to be a big jump, trading it for separate preamp, power amp, source... So my dealer (Sf, Naim, Linn, MBL, ML, no McIntosh yet) advised me to add NAP250 power amp and go for either I or II and later upgrade to III. He has a demo for both and he is giving them at $1300 to $1500 less than their new price plus buy the Towers for $1500.

Question is: which one shall I go for I or II before upgrading to III? Or should I just save up for a complete system with the III's?


Thanks in advance,

[bigblue]

I'd say: if you decide on Olypica 2 you will not go to 3 as your upgrade. My opinion is your will have to double the price in order to get a step big enough. 1 and 2 is hifi - 3 is hi end

[gaboudreaux]

Originally Posted by pkelly1504

Hello Everyone,

I have recently discovered this site and have been lurking in the background.

I am a huge SF fan and am in the market for The Elipsa SE.

I wanted to demo The Olympica 3 to check out the new line also to make an informed buying decision.

The Olympica 3 is a beautiful speaker, more attractive than The Cremona in my opinion.

I demo'd about 8 songs on The Olympica 3 and the same 8 on The Cremona M's.
To my ear and to my surprise both my friend and I chose The Cremona.

I am not good a describing the sound in audio terms we just prefered the sound.

The Olympica 3's were not broken in as it only had about 8 hours on them.

I am sure any of you out there purchasing The Olympica 3's are making a wonderful choice!

The Futura was incredible, stunning craftsmanship and wonderful sound. I really cranked them up and it surely put a smile on my face.

The lows, drums and bass were incredible. That being said I have never demo'd a speaker in that class, $37,000.

I have never heard The original Cremona.

Great to hear all of the responses.

Thanks

Pkelly1504, when comparing the Olympica III and Amati Futura, we're they in the same room with same pre-amp and amp, or separate rooms and different pre-amp and amp? Also, if you know, what was driving each speaker when you heard them?

Glenn