Loudspeakers

Franco Serblin launched Sonus faber in 1983 to realise his dream of creating superb speakers which looked as good as they sounded. Back then, the world was awash with dull-looking boxes but Serblin's application of Italian wood-working standards and innate style would banish the mundane forever. He started with the legendary Snail, now a collector's item. It consisted of a central enclosure for the bass units, to which were attached two 'arms' supporting the satellites. While central subs and satellites became a genre of their own, the most impactful element was the look: stunning curved-edge enclosures far removed from the unimaginative rectangular cabinets still employed by much of the audio industry.

Sonus faber would grow into a major brand, Serblin leaving it in 2006 after 33 years to pursue a more purist, if less commercial approach to design, starting with the Ktêma [HFN Sep '20], which took five years to realise. Upon his passing in 2013, Franco's son-in-law, Massimilano Favella took over. Says Favella: 'Today I am carrying on his legacy, always trying to respect and practise what he taught me, and to secure the future of this small but precious company. I am honoured to carry on the philosophy with the same values that he passed on to me from 1995 until his death'.