Sonus Faber Olympica

[pop]

Anyone had the pleasure of listening to these?

I have been spending a lot of time with the OlympicaIII towers and the OlympicaI bookshelf. Holy smokes! They are absolutely gorgeous to look at and even better to listen to. The soundstage and imaging is impeccable. Very forgiving to poor recordings, and just a pleasure to listen to. With only 200 watts going to each speaker they sing. Just thought I would share. I am taking a liking to them over the 802d. They are very different in nature and both are amazing, but the olympicas may be suiting me better.

[mfeust]

Hi Pop, I was going to respond to you in another thread a week or so ago about the B&W 802D's and the Sonus Faber Olympica III but never got around to it. I have listen to both of these speakers alot and I much prefer the Olymica's. Now I must say that for about 5 years now (by far the longest I ever owned the same speakers) I have owned and loved a pair of Chario Sovran speakers. Another Italian manufactured speaker. The B&W's are a great speaker but I much prefer the Tone of the Olympica. I can sit and listen all day long to these speakers, whereas I grow tried of listening to the B&Ws. Everyone is different and prefers different things, but you are very lucky that you get a chance to listen to these 2 speakers side by side for extended period of time before you buy. Good luck with your decision. You can not go wrong with either speaker. It's just YOUR preference.

I actually had alot of time a couple of years ago to listen to Sonus Faber Liuto's against the 802's and I preferred the Liuto's, Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that the Liuto's were better than the 802's, but just that I preferred the Liuto's.

Thanks
Mark

[pop]

The 802 are quite unforgiving on poor recordings. I spent quite a bit of time today with the 802/Olympicaiii/Olympicai on all mcintosh equipment. It would be hard to pick a winner. 802 definitely have the edge in lower bass but I feel they are a little bright in the highs and not as clear as the Sonus Faber with mids. Also the soundstage with the olympica is massive where the 802 are a bit more narrow.

The 802 are definitely more forward than the olympica vs my original findings. Once I a/b them on the same equipment in the relative same position the differences were easier to hear.

All the offerings are lovely. If you were pure rock and roll the 802 are winners, however I feel the delicate personality of the Sonus Faber might be a more pleasing speaker to integrate with. Also, the ability to change port position is nice.

[garbulky]

I know the environment and gear is different but how does both the B&W and the SF's compare to the emotiva's and the pendragons?

[pop]

Apr 23, 2015 20:43:09 GMT -5 garbulky said:

I know the environment and gear is different but how does both the B&W and the SF's compare to the emotiva's and the pendragons?

It's really hard to say. I think because they are so much more expensive and there is so much attention to detail I find it hard to not say the BW and SF are better. I loved the Pendragons and LOVE my stealths. I think the stealths, given their price, are one of the best speakers made. Period. Maybe I should bring them to work to test them out?

I feel lately that the olympica are a bit more special than the other three. It has in large part to do with the fact that they are absolutely stunning to look at. Seriously, if you haven't seen a pair in person I highly suggest it.

When purchasing in the over 10k range I think everything gets a little fuzzy. For instance the SF Venere sound quite similar to the olympica and cost substantially less. But in the presence of the olympica they don't sound special and they look like an after thought.

There is a definite difference in audio quality, but the step up in price doesn't justify the performance increase, unless it doesn't put you out to purchase. I get a strong discount which is the only reason I would even consider.

On a side note the Martin Logan Motion line are SERIOUSLY amazing speakers. From the in wall/ceiling/bookshelf/floorstanders. Probably the best cost/performance outside of Internet direct I have heard. I get Martin Logan points and will definitely be applying them to the motion 60xt

[qdtjni]

Did you listen to them with Dirac?

[TUGA Audiophile]

My good gentlemen's look at that:

www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/620-listening-to-sonus-faber-s-venere-3-0-and-olympica-iii-and-some-naked-italians