Time for new speakers!

Upstatemax

My new speakers were delivered this past week and I'm a happy boy!

I decided on Sonus Faber Venere S with a walnut finish.

http://www.sonusfaber.com/en-us/products/venere-s

I wanted to eliminate the sub from my 2ch system and I'm in a larger listening room now, so I pulled the trigger on a speaker that I've been eyeing for a while now.

They are still breaking in, but my initial thoughts are VERY positive.

With two children, a BIG consideration for me was having a speaker that I don't have to turn up too loud to get decent sound. Even at low volume, this speaker puts out great detail and solid presence.

I have not turned them up that much yet as they are still breaking in, but I have had a few chances to open them up a bit and I can happily say that I will not be needing that sub any longer.

From what I've seen, they have better imaging that the Totem Arro's that are leaving and an overall more balanced soundstage. Guitars and vocals have a more prominent and forward presentation, where they should be.

I feel less like I'm listening to speakers, and just listening to music. very natural presentation.

So far, I find them to be more forgiving than my Focal's, but more detailed and forward than the Totem's.

Once I get them broken in and get some more in depth time with them, I'll update!

Conradicles

Those are beautiful. Congrats and enjoy!

mrbiron

Nice choice!
My next move will be either those or the 3.0s. I've been staring at them for over a year now. Maybe by the end of the year or until we figure out if we are selling this dump or staying.

What color did you go with. I think the S in white is a gorgeous speaker.

Pics or it didn't happen.

halo

Very nice choice and congrats!

msg

Echoing above, absolute beauties! I love the design. Got beef, and lines and curves in all the right places. Especially love the wood version. Like something I'd imagine in a contemporary cabin in the woods.

Color me intrigued, reading your initial impressions. Sounds like "just right porridge™®"

You running these with the P5/1500 combo?

Upstatemax

Thanks for the comments!

This is a pretty big move for me. Between these and the UDP-205, this is the year that I feel like a lot of stuff is coming together for my system. But now I'm looking at my cabling...

@msg , yes the P5/1500 combo is running these, and doing a great job. The 1500 always finds a new way to impress me. The S's are by far, the largest speakers I've ever hooked up to it and it has zero problem with them. Tight and fast bottom end and effortless scale.

I think the moment I really realized how much fun these are going to be is when I decided to turn on Jackson's "Thriller" (DSD download). "wanna be starting something" came on and it just begged to be turned up. Punchy, clear bass with an amazing soundstage. Very precise instrument and vocal placement.

"Thriller" itself, what a blast! Needless to say, within 30 seconds of coming on my 2 daughters were having a full blown dance party in the room. haha.

Upstatemax

mrbiron wrote: »

Nice choice!
My next move will be either those or the 3.0s. I've been staring at them for over a year now. Maybe by the end of the year or until we figure out if we are selling this dump or staying.

What color did you go with. I think the S in white is a gorgeous speaker.

Pics or it didn't happen.

I went with the walnut finish. It was between the white finish and walnut.

I could not decided, so I let my wife pick the finish. I was SURE she was going to chose white since it was $500 less. But she took a deep breath and told me, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but spend more and get the walnut. They look awesome".

I'll try to get a pic today. Room is still mostly torn apart since we just moved it around and we getting ready for paint, floor and trim...

Oh, I did get this one when they first came in. Just a bit larger than the Arro's...

Mike Reeter

Beautiful choice, the only model in the Venere line that is still hand crafted in Italy. You did well!!!

dolbyd

Great Choice! Love that speaker. The walnut finish is worth it. Love the side profile on them. Enjoy!

deronb1

Beautiful!

mikeyb128

Wow! Those are gorgeous! I was considering these before I went the focal Electra route. Very, very nice!

txcoastal1

Awesome choice...congrats

cfrizz

Congrats, enjoy.

Upstatemax

Mike Reeter wrote: »

Beautiful choice, the only model in the Venere line that is still hand crafted in Italy. You did well!!!

That was a big draw for me.

I know the regular Venere line is nice and sounds great. Good value for the $$, I wanted the scale and build quality of the Italian built "S" model.

kharp1

Man, thems is purdy!

hochpt21

Beautiful! Congratulations!!

Upstatemax

kharp1 wrote: »

Man, thems is purdy!

It's not officially a thread till I hear this playing in my head!

halo

@Upstatemax - those are beautiful! The cabinets and the drivers compliment each other so well and the shape of the cabinets is really different. Congrats again!

Mike Reeter

Upstatemax wrote: »

Mike Reeter wrote: »

Beautiful choice, the only model in the Venere line that is still hand crafted in Italy. You did well!!!

That was a big draw for me.

I know the regular Venere line is nice and sounds great. Good value for the $$, I wanted the scale and build quality of the Italian built "S" model.

I came within an eyelash of buying a "demo" pair of these in Walnut also from Music Direct. I ended up with a pair of Dynaudio's instead, I'm always going to wonder...

Upstatemax

Mike Reeter wrote: »

I came within an eyelash of buying a "demo" pair of these in Walnut also from Music Direct. I ended up with a pair of Dynaudio's instead, I'm always going to wonder...

Dynaudio was near the top of my brand list when I was contemplating new speakers.

One of the only reasons I decided not to pursue Dynaudio is because I find them to be very similar to Totem (not a bad thing, at all) and I knew that I wanted to try something different.

Focal was another MAJOR contender. The 1028be's were on the short list.

I finally had it down to the Sonus Faber Venere S and the Olympica III's. I could not get my ears on the Olympica III's before purchase and for me to afford them they would have to be used. While the Venere S was brand new and if anything was not going well, back they go with zero issues.

Besides, with the less expensive speaker it makes it easier for me to start upgrading other parts of my system...

deronb1

Dont do ir...lol

jayman_1975

Those are beautiful. I do have a question though. You say that you are able to eliminate your sub with the addition of these speakers. The specs rate them to go down 40Hz. My speakers go down to 28hz and there are still frequencies that I would be missing if I didn't have my sub in the equation. Do you find that 40Hz is low enough for you or do they actually dig deeper than their rated specs?

Upstatemax

jayman_1975 wrote: »

Those are beautiful. I do have a question though. You say that you are able to eliminate your sub with the addition of these speakers. The specs rate them to go down 40Hz. My speakers go down to 28hz and there are still frequencies that I would be missing if I didn't have my sub in the equation. Do you find that 40Hz is low enough for you or do they actually dig deeper than their rated specs?

I think the 40hz rating is pretty conservative from Sonus Faber. In my room, I have not missed my sub at all. It's also not a thin or strained bass. very well controlled and accurate.

I also almost strictly use this system for music. Movies, I would still want a sub.

I've never been a big bass head kind of guy and a lot of the music I listen to is not too bass heavy.

mpitogo

Right on!! I'm a fan of the Venere series, I had and extended demo session with the 2.5 and was pretty impressed. My problem is I'm running out of rooms and excuses of where to put speakers. I would love to replace my Motion 40. I have it powered by an entry level Rotel RA-1570. The ML are bright, would be nice to have some warmth.

mpitogo

Full Chain? Source/Amp/Speaksr? AirPlay to Opt1, iPhone 5 to USB interchanged with USB BT for Amazon Echo, iPod FM Tuner and Sansui FR-1080 with AT3650L to Rotel RA-1570 then out the ML Motion 40.

Motion 40 with the Air tweeter and metal drivers are fine at moderate volume.

halo

DSkip wrote: »

My point is, numbers can lie if the guidelines for the measurements are not provided.

To that point too, my CP-6311 are rated to 34 hz and have made bass lovers shake their head with the full range performance they offer. The Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole are rated at 50 hz at -3db but I'm telling you, they dig lower and they do it exceptionally well.

Specs are just guidelines but not rules. How it integrates into your room and system is the biggest factor.

I've read about complaints that some people have regarding the Signature Series specs since they aren't listed as +/- 3dB.

This brings up a question regarding speaker measurements that I've been wanting to ask for some time in regards to Ascend Acoustics and their "real world" measurements provided on their web site: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM2/srm2meas.html

So, in regards to these measurements from Ascend, aren't they going to vary in my listening environment as my room, and the way it's laid out, are going to have a very big impact on how these speakers will sound to me? Not to mention the difference I will hear on my associated gear and all the little things that go into my setup, i.e., synergy?

Not trying to stir the pot, just trying to understand why people prefer these measurements to the ones the majority of the speaker makers provide in the anechoic chamber.

Upstatemax

halo wrote: »

DSkip wrote: »

My point is, numbers can lie if the guidelines for the measurements are not provided.

To that point too, my CP-6311 are rated to 34 hz and have made bass lovers shake their head with the full range performance they offer. The Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole are rated at 50 hz at -3db but I'm telling you, they dig lower and they do it exceptionally well.

Specs are just guidelines but not rules. How it integrates into your room and system is the biggest factor.

I've read about complaints that some people have regarding the Signature Series specs since they aren't listed as +/- 3dB.

This brings up a question regarding speaker measurements that I've been wanting to ask for some time in regards to Ascend Acoustics and their "real world" measurements provided on their web site: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM2/srm2meas.html

So, in regards to these measurements from Ascend, aren't they going to vary in my listening environment as my room, and the way it's laid out, are going to have a very big impact on how these speakers will sound to me? Not to mention the difference I will hear on my associated gear and all the little things that go into my setup, i.e., synergy?

Not trying to stir the pot, just trying to understand why people prefer these measurements to the ones the majority of the speaker makers provide in the anechoic chamber.

There is a lot to be careful of when choosing speakers. I look at specs as a VERY loose guideline.

Room and associated gear will play a large part in final sound. To a degree, I trust end user or in house reviews more than any spec sheet. One of the things that drew me to the Venere S was the reviews that showed them to have fast, articulate bass that avoided the bloated mid bass that a lot of speakers can portray. You can claim a speaker can play what ever frequency you want, but if you don't have amp to drive them that low and control the woofer it does not matter what's on the spec sheet.

My favorite example of this was with my father and the Totem Arro's. They are a small fairly easy to drive speaker, on paper. But they LOVE power, real power. My father was convinced that his, honestly, impressive NAD T787 receiver was powering them to their full potential.

Once they came here and I hooked them up the HCA-1500A, he was blown away with how much better they sounded and how much lower they played. Plain and simple, the HCA had the muscle to control the woofer and put out a controlled soundstage where the T787 was letting them break apart and distort.

Sadly, the Arro's have to go back home to Dad. He is starting a very nice home office system...

BUT, he picked up an "overkill" integrated to drive them, knowing that they can do when given power.

Now I'm trying to convince him to drop the T787 completely and pick up a Pre/Pro and amp combo for the the Totem Element Fires'...

That might get expensive though. Lol

tonyb

halo wrote: »

DSkip wrote: »

Not trying to stir the pot, just trying to understand why people prefer these measurements to the ones the majority of the speaker makers provide in the anechoic chamber.

Your not stirring any pots, that's a legitimate question, and a good one. Specs, in anything audio related is simply a guideline. Those specs change depending on the room, other associated gear hooked up. Most get their knickers in a twist about how low their bass response will be according to specs, but get a bit underwhelmed when they get them set up in their own room.

Throw in preferences and subjectivity and specs becomes almost useless in some regards. There's more to audio, good audio, than people think. Not that it's hard, just many variables to consider that have an effect on the sound.

[Deleted User]

Right on Brother!
"You can claim a speaker can play what ever frequency you want, but if you don't have amp to drive them that low and control the woofer it does not matter what's on the spec sheet."

you can't forget Fleming's left handed rule for motors. (and the control of them)

Upstatemax

Trying a couple of things out...

Removed the Parasound P5 and I'm running the UDP-205 directly to the HCA-1500A.

To say that it simplified my system is an understatement. Just a set of interconnects to the amp and an HDMI cable to the TV. For the occasions that I stream shows or watch something in this room, I have it set up to utilize the ARC capabilities of my TV and UDP-205. Works flawlessly.

I've held onto the P5 because it does give me the option to go back to vinyl if I choose to, but I honestly see that chance getting slimmer and slimmer...

Bass response seems to be improved and better balanced. Not sure if that's the speakers continuing to break in or the elimination of the P5.

I love the P5, it's an awesome piece of equipment. But now that the UDP-205 is in place, it seems to be fairly redundant in my system. Not only redundant, but also extra connections and hoops for the signal to jump through. I'm not a fan of that, I'm a fan of shortest/simplest possible signal path.

It's not a night and day difference, but I hear better texture and a more full sound, especially at lower volumes.

I'm fully open to the possibility that part of this change might simply be from eliminating a set of interconnects. I have quality interconnects, but they are not "high end" and I can't get out of my mind that inherently interconnects are "lossy" to some extent.

I love experimenting!

steveinaz

There's alot to be said about simplicity/transparency. I have 1 set .5mtr IC's (KImber Hero's), and 1 1mtr coaxial cable (DH Labs) in my entire system.