Loudspeakers

As recounted in our Accordo review [HFN Jan '18], I considered Franco Serblin a mentor – thanks especially to his thoughts on soundstage recreation – but even I couldn't anticipate a belated revival in recognition of his contribution to speaker design. As has been said many times (and not just by me), Franco did more to influence the appearance of dynamic speakers through his first brand, Sonus faber, than any designer since the early 1980s. We owe domestically-acceptable speaker aesthetics largely, if not solely to him, seen first in the Sonus faber Snail and concurrently with cabinets he made for Cizek Audio Systems.

Staying true to his design philosophy with his eponymous brand, Franco made the Ktêma and other models with more extreme overall forms than he produced for Sonus faber. His signature criteria continue in the use of real wood in solid staves, furniture-grade finishes, rounded surfaces to create sculptural, pleasing-to-the-eye forms, unusual grilles culminating in the 'strings' which grace both Sonus faber and Serblin speakers, tapered-back enclosures, leather-clad baffles and integral stands in unusual materials. This is both visionary, and inspirational.