January 31, 2012 by Michael

CES 2012 – Audio Research, Sonus Faber

Sonus Faber played their new statement speakers, the Aida, here driven by Audio Research equipment and an SME 30 turntable.

Compared to last year’s attempt at a pair of statement speakers this year, in my opinion, was very much more successful. These at least LOOK like Sonus Faber speakers. And they at least SOUND like Sonus Faber speakers. A marked improvement all around. All so-called reviewers who raved about the speakers last year should be laughed out of the industry, don’t ya think? I mean, the factory knew they sucked [otherwise why the radical change]. We knew it sucked. And the reviewers knew … what?

Their appearance speaks for themselves [but note all of the drivers on the rear – some of which (for example the directional driver) do resemble last year’s model].

The sound was very Sonus Faber-ish. I think these are about $120K in the states. So what do you get when you mate ‘highly colored and enjoyable sound’ [assuming you do not put Musical Fidelity amps on them, which the local dealer insists on doing at shows and which is the only truly bad sounding Sonus Faber system I think I have ever heard] and large, expensive speaker?

You get ‘BIG SOUNDING, highly colored enjoyable sound’.

In my opinion, this is exactly what a Sonus Faber fan would want when buying their statement speaker. Their previous largest speaker, one step down from this, the Stradivarius, just never had that ‘big sound’, being somewhat on the small side for a statement level speaker.

The Sonus Faber Aida speakers from the front. Big, but with what looks lke a fairly standard complement of rivers.

The SME model 30 turntable being played while I was there on an HRS ‘SXR’ equipment rack along with a heck of a lot of Audio Research gear.

The Sonus Faber Aida speaker from an angle. Not quite as wonderfully feminine as their other speakers, but at least appears to be from the same factory.