Sonus Faber Shows Minima Amator II Speakers at High End 2019

May 9 2019, 05:10
Some companies in the high-end of the hi-fidelity market have such long traditions that sometimes they assume we should all be aware of their history and achievements, which might happen mostly among the people who actually purchased their products. But that’s hardly the case in a wider market that should actually be aware of what they do. That’s why the introduction of the Minima Amator II speakers by Italian brand Sonus Faber is important. Because there’s a lot of potential buyers for these high-quality, but not so expensive speakers.


Sonus Faber has chosen the 2019 High End show in Munich, Germany, to show the new Minima Amator II speakers, the most compact in the brand’s Heritage collection, which is not so often updated. And launching a new speaker model at a trade show is not something that Sonus Faber does very often. The company is renowned for its extravagant product launches, usually involving flying hundreds of guests to a dream location in Italy. But maybe that’s why the Minima Amator II are so interesting. 

The new Minima Amator II were introduced by the brand’s German distributor (Audio Reference) at the show, basically previewing what the Minima Amator II can do. In fact, these compact and beautiful speakers are also complemented by another recent member of the Heritage Collection, the Electa Amator III, sharing many technical details, but in a slightly larger, more powerful, and more luxurious package.

As Sonus Faber explains in their website, “Some products are not meant to be tied to a singular historical moment.” Electa Amator III and Minima Amator II were born with this concept in mind, paying homage to its past through classic design, while strongly breaking through the barrier of time from an electro-acoustic point of view. “Because there is no future, without a past,” they also say.
 

The Minima Amator II is the restatement of a product first introduced in 1992 when the company was establishing key principles that would go on to guide future productions: refined design and high-quality natural materials, combined together to obtain a sound reproduction as natural as possible.

Inspired by 36 years of worldwide experience in the high-end audio segment of the market, where it’s possible to design and bring to the market products where price-is-not-an-obstacle, the Minima Amator II speaker merges the brand’s iconic style, innovative technology, and the fundamentals of high-end Italian craftsmanship, to create a hi-fidelity - luxury for some - speaker that any home can be proud of.
 
The new Minima Amator II is able to translate widely enjoyable music reproduction in virtually any environment, while the compact, solid walnut wood of the cabinet adds to the speaker’s sound quality, resulting in a harmonious, smooth and consistent listening experience. The cabinet is embellished by a thin brass insert at the base, reminiscent of the elegant Electa Amator III design, which features an extra polished Carrara marble foundation.
 
The front baffle of the Minima Amator II shows the iconic shape of the Voice of Sonus Faber and is covered in leather. The rear panel, also covered in leather, houses the exit of the reflex duct and is embellished by the brass binding posts. As the company explains, the Minima Amator II was intended to be a bookshelf speaker but was finally designed to be also paired with the Carrara Stand (the natural completion for the Electa Amator III speakers) or with the more affordable, and minimalist Unicum stand.
 
As for the details that actually matter, the Minima Amator II is a 2-way bookshelf loudspeaker system - a simple project that features the patents and technological solutions that characterize the latest Sonus Faber creations. It features a 28 mm silk dome tweeter, implemented with the DAD - Damped Apex Dome technology, for the high frequencies, the same as in the Electa Amator III model, using the same tripod design solution that recalls and transmits the style of the first of the brand’s models.
 

Also familiar is the Paracross topology crossover design, with Clarity Cap ESA capacitors, specifically customized for Sonus faber with an anti-resonant design, optimized amplitude and phase responses, with a 2,500 Hz @-6dB transition point, feeding a 6-inch midwoofer, developed in the Vicenza-based laboratory, and which features the well-known cellulose pulp and natural fibers cone on a die-cast aluminum basket, able to reveal even the smallest details during music reproduction.
 

Finally, the cabinet is carefully tuned with a high rigidity spread resonance spectrum, obtained through 20 sheets of solid walnut (each 25mm thick), and the baffle and back panel covered in leather, as already mentioned. The result, is a speaker that deserves to be labeled “luxurious,” as is the resulting sound - obviously in need of the correct sound sources and amplification to reveal everything that is capable of.

The suggested retail price for the pair of Minima Amator II loudspeakers is 4,000 EUR (VAT included) and they will be available in European markets in June 2019 and in North American and Asian markets in July.
www.sonusfaber.com
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About Joao Martins
Since 2013, Joao Martins leads audioXpress as editor-in-chief of the US-based magazine and website, the leading audio electronics, audio product development and design publication, working also as international editor for Voice Coil, the leading periodical for... Read more

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