Loudspeakers

Sonus faber has shown signs of branching out since its acquisition by North American company Fine Sounds - also the owner of McIntosh Group - in 2016. First, in 2019, came its Palladio architectural speakers destined to partner McIntosh custom install hardware, followed in 2022 by the Omnia all-in-one desktop speaker and the Duetto active stereo wireless models in 2023. It then kicked off 2024 with the £695,000 Suprema 2.2-channel system.

By contrast, its new second-generation Sonetto lineup feels more like 'traditional' Sonus faber. Arriving as an upgrade on a line launched six years ago , it features seven models and occupies the second rung on the Italian manufacturer's loudspeaker ladder, above the entry-level Lumina speakers. With technology leveraged from throughout Sonus faber's range, including some elements of its Suprema flagship, this G2 series represents a marked upgrade.

Bracing Beauty

On test here is the £5500 V G2, the middle model of three floorstanders. This is a three-way design, like the larger £7000 Sonetto VIII G2, while the £4000 Sonetto III G2 uses a 2.5-way driver configuration. The range also includes a pair of standmount speakers, plus a slender on-wall option and a centre channel model for home theatre.

Sonus faber's G2 overhaul includes the cabinet itself which continues the familiar 'semi-lute' profile, with a front baffle wider than the rear, and curved sides, but now looks slimmer and, says the manufacturer, 'better proportioned'. It also claims the redesign - alongside a new bracing architecture - offers improved control of internal resonances thanks, in part, to the reduced number of parallel surfaces. Moreover, inside the MDF cabinet the custom tweeter and midrange driver (more of which later) are secured inside their own cork enclosure. The material is sustainably sourced and tailored for shape and internal volume, optimising the loading of the mid unit and damping of rear output.

Seen here in its darker Wenge finish, the Sonetto V G2 supports bi-amping and bi-wiring via its split bass and mid/treble crossover, and two sets of 4mm cable terminals

In The Mix

For the floorstanding Sonetto models, Sonus faber has retained a vented box with a down-firing port, but new here is a chunky plinth made from what it terms a 'concrete mix'. This is mostly smooth to the touch and comes pre-attached to the cabinet - you can then choose to fit supplied rubber pads or spikes - ensuring that whether placed on a hard floor or carpet, the port is never throttled.

The Sonetto V G2's port supplements the output of its two 165mm paper pulp bass drivers, which work below 280Hz, and - like the midrange and tweeter - are 'designed from scratch' for Sonus faber's new range. The cones are mounted in 'organic' baskets with a stiff, non-symmetrical design, and are backed by an aluminium demodulation ring claiming to flatten out inductance over the driver's full excursion, reducing distortion.

A similar basket supports the Sonetto V G2's 165mm 'Camelia' midrange driver, which is based upon the dedicated mid of its flagship Suprema speaker and noticeable for its unpainted white paper pulp cone material and flower-like shape. Also included are a copper shorting ring, and a newly designed aluminium phase plug to improve the driver's off-axis response uniformity.

While the Camelia driver is likely to be unfamiliar, audiophiles will recognise the silk Damped Apex Dome (DAD) treble unit, with Arrow Point phase bar/damper, as variations of this tweeter feature on models including the Homage Amati G5 and Lumina V Amator . Compared to units on the latter range, however, Sonus faber claims an extended frequency response courtesy of revisions to the dome's shape and thickness. Marshalling the Sonetto V G2's driver quartet is its latest 'Hybrid IFF/Paracross Topology' network, also seen on the Lumina V Amator and evolved from work completed for the company's Homage speakers.

Even with its distinctive midrange driver, the Sonetto V G2 has a reassuringly stately appearance. Little touches abound, however, including the black leather panel around the mid and tweeter units, the silkscreened logo on the speaker's top surface, and an almost hidden 'Made In Italy' badge on the front. Around the back two sets of binding posts, with jumper bars for single-wired use, can be hidden by an engraved circular metal cap.

Offered in walnut, wenge, and piano black finishes, the Sonetto V G2 combines a 28mm DAD ‘Arrow Point’ tweeter with a 165mm Camelia mid and two 165mm pulp bass drivers, reflex loaded via down-firing port onto a ‘cement’ plinth

Bloomin' Lovely

Sonus faber proclaims itself an 'artisan of sound', which - along with the classy appearance of many of its speakers - can give the perception that its sonic signature is focused on refinement and delicacy. Yet the Sonetto V G2 dispels any such notion with a performance that ticks all manner of musical boxes and seems equally at home with hard rock and soft jazz. Regardless of genre, however, this deceptively big floorstander benefits from a kick from your amp, and its performance really blossoms with the volume set above 'background music' level.

The down-firing reflex port means you might be tempted to site the speaker near to a rear wall. I'd be wary of this, however, as with space to 'breathe' - Sonus faber recommends 1m clearance - the Sonetto V G2 is capable of an impressively three-dimensional soundstage. Nor does its bass output seem in need of any reinforcement. 'Sweet Feeling', from Lizz Wright's new Shadow album [Virgin 00810069450872], bounced along with a particularly hearty thump to the kick drum that lands on every beat.

Snap To It

Wright gives a typically soulful vocal performance on this piece, with fulsome low notes and a scintillating vibrato. Through these Sonus faber speakers her singing was easy to focus on, ahead of other elements - organ, acoustic guitar - that were deeper in the mix but still available for inspection. A guest-spot solo from Adam Levy was more prominent, as it should be, and the V G2 rendered his almost vintage-sounding guitar tone with excellent character.

Bass performance impresses in terms of snap and punch, so that the beats and low notes on Dr Dre's 'The Next Episode' [2001; Interscope Records 490 4862] sounded both tight and lean, while the rhythm section on Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain', recorded live in 1997 for an MTV Unplugged session [The Dance; Reprise Records 9362-46702-2], had superb presence and depth. Yes, that Camelia driver is this speaker's most startling visual aspect, but its low-end reach and impact might be its secret sonic weapon.

The Sonetto V G2 rendered background voices and swooshing samples in the Dr Dre track across a wide space. Fleetwood Mac's set is more about a sense of atmosphere, a band on a stage surrounded by giddy fans. Stevie Nicks' vocals on 'Landslide', and the continuous guitar accompaniment, were presented with fine musical detail, sounding appropriately soft and powerful at the same time.

From Hell I Rise, the new album from ex-Slayer guitarist Kerry King [Reigning Phoenix Music; 48kHz/24-bit] doesn’t find the artist veering far from his roots, presenting 13 tracks that all fall into the thrash metal genre. The challenge here is to keep details in the congested midrange – and the at-times seriously fast drumming – clear and distinct, without softening the music’s aggressive nature. Sonus faber’s latest Sonetto V excelled at this, throwing its lower-midrange heft into the ferocious, thick sounds of ‘Shrapnel’, and rampaging along to the 100mph ‘Where I Reign’ with every hi-hat and guitar lick on show.

Occasional notes in the latter track's bassline appeared picked out more than others, but not to a degree that made me want to stop listening - in a way, it added to the music's unruly charm. The Sonetto V G2 was on more solid ground with 'higher-quality' material, such as Lalo Schifrin's original version of the theme to Bullitt [Aleph Records, 44.1kHz/16-bit], which fills a wide, deep stereo image with various instrumental textures. There are piercing strings and jazzy sax, funk guitar and woody clave, and Sonus faber's speaker loved it all.

Golden Syrup

Schifrin was asked to re-record this theme for the movie's soundtrack release [Warner Bros. 9362480852], and he obliged with a poppier, less moody take. A back-to-back listen through the new Sonetto V showed the difference, not just in instrument choice and melody, but in terms of dynamics (more forthright) and stereo mix (disjointed).

This, then, is another strength of Sonus faber's Sonetto V G2: a revealing nature not just in terms of top-end detail, but of other musical building blocks. Playing Jason Isbell's 'Cover Me Up' [Southeastern; Southeastern Records], it threw a spotlight on the careworn vocal and unearthed a wide dynamic, making apparent the emphasis Isbell puts on certain chords and lyrics. Behind him, a slide guitar sounded syrupy and reverberant with just the right amount of distortion. This was fine stuff, and worthy of the price tag.

Hi-Fi News Verdict

Sonus faber's new Sonetto range ups the style ante over the previous generation, making the V G2 - with its eye-catching Camelia midrange driver - one of the most striking floorstanders around. The performance is similarly impactful, as musical highs and excellent soundstaging are joined by tight, punchy bass to deliver unfatiguing sonics with plenty of all-round appeal. Anyone that gets the chance should grab an audition!

Sound Quality: 88%