SF Amati Futura .... So beautiful ....
- Thread starter joeinid
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From Ultra Audio's Jeff Fritz comparing a $15,000 speaker to a $36,000 speaker:
"In April of this year I reviewed the Sonus Faber Amati Futura loudspeaker ($36,000/pair), which costs well more than twice the price of the Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature. I compare them here because, of all the speakers that have visited the Music Vault this year, these most closely resemble each other in terms of sound. The Sonus Faber is more luxuriously built and more seductively styled. It’s also a four-driver, three-way design. The Amati Futura sounds slightly bigger than the C2 Signature, with bass that goes just a smidge deeper. The soundstage thrown by the Sonus Fabers is a bit more wall-meltingly expansive, which conveys slightly more of the original acoustic environment captured in live recordings. That extra $21,000 definitely buys you more.
However -- and this is a big however -- the Confidence C2 Signature more than held its own in a number of areas. First, the C2 Sig was just as neutral and clear in the midrange as the Sonus Fabers. If you listen to tons of vocal music, I don’t know that you’ll hear that much of a difference between the two models. The Dynaudio could reproduce the textures in male voices just as well as the Amatis. In terms of midbass punch, there was no doubt that the Danish speaker was easily a match for the Italian. In fact, this is one area where the C2 Sig, with some music, pulled ahead of the Amati. The Dynaudio’s propulsive midbass fit Bon Jovi and Rage Against the Machine better than what I remember from my evaluation of the Sonus Faber.
But the Confidence C2 Signature really shone in the highs. I can say with, um, confidence that the C2 Sig seemed to have more energy in the highs than the Amati Futura, but not at the cost of harshness, grain, or long-term listening fatigue. Whereas the Sonus Faber leans toward the softer side of the ledger, the Dynaudio was more neutral up top, which gave it a more exciting sound, especially with rock.
This comparison makes the Confidence C2 Signature seem somewhat of a bargain in comparison with the Sonus Faber Amati Futura. It is."
I believe Jeff also liked the Raidho C2.1 more than the Futura.
This is not meant to imply that the Futura is not a good speaker, because it is. It may be the most beautiful speaker I've ever seen. And its bottom end crushes the C2's. But I didn't find its treble performance to be commensurate with its price or its performance in the mid-range or the lower octaves.
"In April of this year I reviewed the Sonus Faber Amati Futura loudspeaker ($36,000/pair), which costs well more than twice the price of the Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature. I compare them here because, of all the speakers that have visited the Music Vault this year, these most closely resemble each other in terms of sound. The Sonus Faber is more luxuriously built and more seductively styled. It’s also a four-driver, three-way design. The Amati Futura sounds slightly bigger than the C2 Signature, with bass that goes just a smidge deeper. The soundstage thrown by the Sonus Fabers is a bit more wall-meltingly expansive, which conveys slightly more of the original acoustic environment captured in live recordings. That extra $21,000 definitely buys you more.
However -- and this is a big however -- the Confidence C2 Signature more than held its own in a number of areas. First, the C2 Sig was just as neutral and clear in the midrange as the Sonus Fabers. If you listen to tons of vocal music, I don’t know that you’ll hear that much of a difference between the two models. The Dynaudio could reproduce the textures in male voices just as well as the Amatis. In terms of midbass punch, there was no doubt that the Danish speaker was easily a match for the Italian. In fact, this is one area where the C2 Sig, with some music, pulled ahead of the Amati. The Dynaudio’s propulsive midbass fit Bon Jovi and Rage Against the Machine better than what I remember from my evaluation of the Sonus Faber.
But the Confidence C2 Signature really shone in the highs. I can say with, um, confidence that the C2 Sig seemed to have more energy in the highs than the Amati Futura, but not at the cost of harshness, grain, or long-term listening fatigue. Whereas the Sonus Faber leans toward the softer side of the ledger, the Dynaudio was more neutral up top, which gave it a more exciting sound, especially with rock.
This comparison makes the Confidence C2 Signature seem somewhat of a bargain in comparison with the Sonus Faber Amati Futura. It is."
I believe Jeff also liked the Raidho C2.1 more than the Futura.
This is not meant to imply that the Futura is not a good speaker, because it is. It may be the most beautiful speaker I've ever seen. And its bottom end crushes the C2's. But I didn't find its treble performance to be commensurate with its price or its performance in the mid-range or the lower octaves.
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- #6
Thanks Jon for posting that. I do remember when I owned the C1 signature Dynaudios that I was a little disappointed in their low level listening characteristics. It took a little juice to get to a certain volume but once there, they sounded great. I suspect that the C2 would be similar in that way.
BruceLet
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I owned the Dynaudio C1 Signatures and they were a major disappointment for me. I never connected with the midrange. Ran them with McIntosh C2300 and MC452. Possibly, it was the match, but I couldn't live with them.
MDP
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- #10
Or maybe Alexia also
Have you heard the Alexia? I'd like your opinion compared to your beautiful Futuras.
dlb2
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Beautiful speakers for sure but what I find interesting is that both set-ups use ARC gear. I'm sure there may be a few of reasons for this but I think that speaks volumes for ARC. :superbanana:
Rtan
Member
Joe...looking at your set up you are already on the top level. Why not SF Aida's?:exciting:
- Thread Author
- #13
If I only had the room/space for them, I would have parted the sea for them. I need to keep my goals modest. :bettyjoe: If my situation changes in a few years, at least I have something to look forward to owning.
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- #14
MDP
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Joe, I've heard them both !! They are both spectacular speakers, but I think that the Futura's would lean a little more to your own personal taste.
Toobs
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Joe
They are indeed beautiful as are all Sonus Faber speakers.
I looked into my crystal ball and saw a pair of the Futura's in your future:exciting::exciting:
They are indeed beautiful as are all Sonus Faber speakers.
I looked into my crystal ball and saw a pair of the Futura's in your future:exciting::exciting:
- Thread Author
- #18
Maybe you could talk to my wallet. :fingers:
I know there's always something in my future.
Joe,
There's a place about 45 minutes away that's a Wilson dealer, I will see if they by chance got the Alexia in for a listen..