Some Strad Porn

[Mike]

Turntable Kuzma Stabi XL
Kuzma Stogi Refer+ZYX Airy 3M
Kuzma Airline+ZYX Airy 3G
CD Transport Accuphase DP-800
D/A Converter Accuphase DC-801
Tuner Magnum Dynalab MD109
Cassette decks Nakamichi 1000 ZXL Limited
Preamplifiers WAVAC LCR-X2+PS-X2+TR-B1 (phono)
Mactone X-25
Amplifiers Tube CAT SIGNATURE JL 1 MK II
Speakers Sonus Faber Stradivari Hommage
Cables Argento Audio interconnects
Acoustic Revive speakers
Power Conditioner Exact Power EP15A/SP15A

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[Enoch Root]

That's not porn, that's Platonic love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

[Jerome W]

Fabulous Mike !
Did you try Wavac power amps ?

[Mike]

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[Mike]

http://www.hificlube.net/pt/artigos/...n-english.aspx


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[Mike]

Fabulous Mike !
Did you try Wavac power amps ?

No. I need balanced run since my preamp and amps are 36 feet apart.


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[Mike]

The new finish - Amati Red....YUMMY!!!!


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[Mike]

Hmmm....

I've seen these before somewhere....





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[Mike]

"Beyond the sonic particulars, and more difficult to describe and explain, was the Stradivari's ability to convey music's emotional content. The speaker was not the most analytical and revealing design I've ever heard, but it was illuminating enough. It was, however, the most emotionally communicative speaker I've ever heard. Can a speaker have "soul"? I don't know, but this one comes the closest to making me think so."

- Michael Fremer, Stereophile.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/s...speaker-page-3

Other Reviews:

http://absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/p...%204%20WEB.pdf

http://absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/p...5%204web_1.pdf

A GREAT review that nails it: http://absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/p...0404_web-2.pdf
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[joeinid]

Oh my goodness. I just love mine. Single best purchase of my life.

[Myles B. Astor]

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Nice collection!

IIRC the left channel pic with the stacked RELs was from CES several years ago. IIRC also Stirling Trayle might have been involved in setting that system up with John Hunter. Very nice sounding and the guys at Sumiko-and this was even before the acquisition - loved using ARC with Sonus Faber.

[tunes]

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Nice pics
The third pic with the couch behind the big arc amps was from filtronique's room at the montreal show several years back i think.
The fourth pic is actually a pair of elipsa se not strads.

[XV-1]

Stop it guys, I am starting to miss mine

[Myles B. Astor]

Stop it guys, I am starting to miss mine

Nice amps!

[joeinid]

Stop it guys, I am starting to miss mine

I can not think of a single speaker that could give me as much or more pleasure than my Strads in my room.

[joeinid]

+1

Absolutely.

Nice amps!

[Audio 1]

The new finish - Amati Red....YUMMY!!!!


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This finish is stunning!

[stirlingtrayle]

Nice collection!

IIRC the left channel pic with the stacked RELs was from CES several years ago. IIRC also Stirling Trayle might have been involved in setting that system up with John Hunter. Very nice sounding and the guys at Sumiko-and this was even before the acquisition - loved using ARC with Sonus Faber.

Thanks Miles, I'm sure it sounded great, but this was long after I left Sumiko - looks like 2010 maybe. When I was at Sumiko, we always had a real soft spot for using ARC at a show. It always delivered... I haven't worked with the Strads very much, to tell you the truth. Now the original Amati, that's another story. Crazy amounts of time with that one...tough nut to crack but truly great when it all comes together.

['cisco]

This finish is stunning!

+1....yummy yummy

[Alpinist]

Turntable Kuzma Stabi XL
Kuzma Stogi Refer+ZYX Airy 3M
Kuzma Airline+ZYX Airy 3G
CD Transport Accuphase DP-800
D/A Converter Accuphase DC-801
Tuner Magnum Dynalab MD109
Cassette decks Nakamichi 1000 ZXL Limited
Preamplifiers WAVAC LCR-X2+PS-X2+TR-B1 (phono)
Mactone X-25
Amplifiers Tube CAT SIGNATURE JL 1 MK II
Speakers Sonus Faber Stradivari Hommage
Cables Argento Audio interconnects
Acoustic Revive speakers
Power Conditioner Exact Power EP15A/SP15A

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, this is a beautiful system! The SF Strads are an all-time classic loudspeaker. What's amazing is they have not been able to improve upon the design in the ten years since they came out. This is testimony to what a masterpiece Franco Serblin created.

Ken

[Alpinist]

The new finish - Amati Red....YUMMY!!!!


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Woe, now that's sexy!

Ken

[nile49]

So any speculation on what makes the strads so special? Is it something to do with the total balance? Or perhaps something only achieved through the use of a wide baffle? What are the crossover slopes by the way?

I would just love to have some more insight as to what makes these speakers so satisfying even when pitted against their more expensive more modern brethren.


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[Mike]

Nile - this is an excellent question. For one, all great speakers start with great designers, and arguably, Franco Serblin was one of the best. He had such passion. He viewed the speaker as a musical instrument and he designed it as such. He understood that cabinet resonances are a part of music, whether you are talking about the unique sound of a Stradivari violin or a solid Mahogany guitar. Those resonances are the richness in which we invokes such passion in listening and they need to be properly incorporated in order to "feel" the music and not controlled and eliminated.

Specifically to the Stradivari, from a technical perspective, their wide body Lute shape minimizes standing waves. In addition, I have read, although minimal information exists, that inside the Stradivari is a "bass chamber" which helps reduce bass resonances. According to my research, the Stradivari's include a natural wood acoustic labyrinth chamber with a mechanical anti-resonator which Serblin called an "Acoustic Ambient".

In my research, I found this explanation from Serblin: "The 'soul' of Stradivari is also reminiscent of the construction principles of stringed instrument making, because inside it houses a linking element that unites the two walls, just like the joined plates of a violin. The exclusive cabinet features curved walls. The density of the wood employed to make the walls, the quality and the direction of the fibers even, all have been carefully researched to distribute and control resonances."

To me, The Sonus Faber Stradivari exhibit such soul and passion. They present the music as a whole, and don't dissect it like many modern speakers. Acoustic instruments are beautifully conveyed - better than any other speaker I've heard or owned. The soul of a Stradivari violin or an acoustic guitar or piano is transmitted to perfection.

In relation to "modern brethren" - some designers have abandoned art in favor of science. Without Franco Serblin at the helm, Sonus Faber today, to me, seems to be lost somewhere in the middle. Their modern speakers exhibit a hint of the old, while trying to compete with the new, and in the end, leave a listener wondering where the magic went. Modern designers today believe resonances are best controlled with solid steel frames and solidity of structure. I'm surprised that no one has come up with a speaker that we need to plant into the ground!

The fact that the Stradivari, 11 years later, still remains the pinnacle of what is great about Sonus Faber, says a lot to the longevity of this great design and this great designer. It's important to remember that Franco built many many great speakers and one of his unsung masterpieces was the Anniversario. Of course, we all know how great his bookshelf speakers were as well.

[Alpinist]

Terrific post, Mike!

[kzhtoo]

Very nice thread. Can't say enough good things about AS in general.

How do Elipsa SEs sound compare to the Strads? Elipsa SEs may fit my room better and I'd love to try it.

[Mike]

Very nice thread. Can't say enough good things about AS in general.

How do Elipsa SEs sound compare to the Strads? Elipsa SEs may fit my room better and I'd love to try it.

I hope Bill will chime in here. What he told me was that, as expected due to the additional driver, the Strads have bigger, deeper bass.

Check out the Sonus Faber Anniversario has well. Essentially Strads in a more traditional box.

[Elberoth]

To me the Strads are still the very best speaker that bears the SF name.

The graphite finish is amazing. Not sure about the new red. Too Nouveau riche / chineese for my taste.

[Myles B. Astor]

To me the Strads are still the very best speaker that bears the SF name.

The graphite finish is amazing. Not sure about the new red. Too Nouveau riche / chineese for my taste.

I'm kinda partial to the Fenice. Simply magical driven by the ARC Ref. 600 or cj ART amplifiers. I just find the other SF speakers just a touch cold and forced in comparison to the Fenice.

[crwilli]

Great thread reminding us of a classic. They are on my short list when I leave the 90's technology.


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[bzr]

I remember this system kicking round the net for awhile.

[microstrip]

I'm kinda partial to the Fenice. Simply magical driven by the ARC Ref. 600 or cj ART amplifiers. I just find the other SF speakers just a touch cold and forced in comparison to the Fenice.

Myles,

The Fenice, later known as the TheSonusfaber due to copyright issues of the Fenice name, is really something special. I was listening to it again the past week in a system using the ARC's REF 610T and again it was really magical as you say. Listening again to the Monterverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine was a shock. This speaker has the scale of life music coupled with the soul of real music. It is the only speaker that makes me regret my room is not wider of 4 feet.

Did you listen to it using the cj electronics? Do you know what cables were being used in this pairing?

[kzhtoo]

I hope Bill will chime in here. What he told me was that, as expected due to the additional driver, the Strads have bigger, deeper bass.

Check out the Sonus Faber Anniversario has well. Essentially Strads in a more traditional box.

Thanks, Mike. Do you know which (Elipsa SE or Anniversario) sounds closer to the Strads? My room maybe able to accommodate both.

[Mike]

Thanks, Mike. Do you know which (Elipsa SE or Anniversario) sounds closer to the Strads? My room maybe able to accommodate both.

Real tough question to answer as I haven't spent enough time with both. However, I believe the Elipsa SE was a more popular speaker when both were selling. Specs wise, the Anniversario goes a little lower, but the Elipsa SE has the same "Lute" shape which will help integrated it better into the room by reducing standing waves.

Hopefully some others will weigh in here with their opinions.

There are a couple of Elipsa SE's for sale:

Sonus Faber Elipsa SE | Full range | Glen Allen, Virginia 23060 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community

Sonus Faber Elipsa SE New | Full range | Hallandale, Florida 33009 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community

I think the last one is Steve from High Performance Stereo. Good guy.

[kzhtoo]

Thanks, Mike. Still in the brain-storming stage (may take a little while) but that pair in the first ad looks gorgeous. I'm thinking Salon2, Scala V2 or Elipsa SE for now.

[Myles B. Astor]

Myles,

The Fenice, later known as the TheSonusfaber due to copyright issues of the Fenice name, is really something special. I was listening to it again the past week in a system using the ARC's REF 610T and again it was really magical as you say. Listening again to the Monterverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine was a shock. This speaker has the scale of life music coupled with the soul of real music. It is the only speaker that makes me regret my room is not wider of 4 feet.

Did you listen to it using the cj electronics? Do you know what cables were being used in this pairing?

Yes the ART amp, ART series 3 pre and ARC Ref. 2 phono. Everything has been upgraded since I was there last but the amps; sadly am way overdue for a visit. I really don't remember the cables but want to say Transparent Audio.

At CES, Sumiko drove the big SF with the big ARCs and Bill Peugh played an original Impulse I brought along featuring JJ Johnson and Kai Winding. Their trombones sounded oh so real.

I'm surprised Mike doesn't like them. They have that soul that he's always searching for.

[Mike]

Myles - do you think a 35 foot SE run is a bad idea for CJ Art Monos?


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[Myles B. Astor]

Myles - do you think a 35 foot SE run is a bad idea for CJ Art Monos?


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Speaker cable?

[Mike]

Speaker cable?

IC.


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[socfan12]

I remember this system kicking round the net for awhile.

This seems like eons ago, Kev!

[Myles B. Astor]

I really can't see why would be an issue but certainly Lew could definitively answer your question. I can even email Lew if you need.

[Mike]

I really can't see why would be an issue but certainly Lew could definitively answer your question. I can even email Lew if you need.

Sure.


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[bzr]

This seems like eons ago, Kev!

...probably should have left it alone then!!!!

[Harris4crna]

Had a difficult time deciding between this speaker or the Franco Serblin Ktema. Needless to say, went with the Ktemas. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1424062471.745314.jpg

[joeinid]

Beautiful! I'd love to hear those Ktemas.

And superb choice of vinyl! I love Dire Straits.

[Harris4crna]

I went to San Benedento Italy to listen to a pair of Strads at audio plus. Ended up coming home with a pair of Ktemas instead. With that said, the strads were a close second.

[joeinid]

Wow !

Great story.

I went to San Benedento Italy to listen to a pair of Strads at audio plus. Ended up coming home with a pair of Ktemas instead. With that said, the strads were a close second.

[Harris4crna]

Yeah joeinid, great story indeed. I lived in italy at the time. Saw the Strads advertised on Audiogon. Went to Audio Plus and listened to the Strads. I did not even knew of the Ktemas at the time. He inisted i listen to them even though i was not interested. After listening to them for a few minutes i was sold. A month later they delivered them to my door in a moving truck at midnight, lol. Now i live in california. Will be moving to Japan in a couple months and yes the Ktemas are coming with me. Just cannot depart from them. Old SF, Franco Serblin speakers are very special. I would love to hear these speakers with a different set up to compare. I never heard these with anything other than my Moon gear.

[joeinid]

Wow! Very nice. I was Strad obsessed ever since I heard them about 4 years ago. I kind of knew of the Ktema but never realized what they were and how they'd sound. I am sorry I never explored them before I pulled the trigger on my Strads.

[Harris4crna]

I would not be, the Strads are awesome and equal to the Ktemas. Just a little more dynamic due to its speaker arrangement.

[bzr]

The Strads are exceptional Harris, but, would love to live with some Ktema's.. hmmm. gotta buy another business...