Loudspeakers

Sonus faber's 're-tuning' of the Amati's bass performance has been achieved by combining its latest 220mm woofers, boasting increased magnetic field strength and improved suspension, with the new Stealth Ultraflex slot loading. The hybrid crossover – a mix of the 'semi-balanced' Paracross layout where some capacitors and inductors are placed on the negative rail of the circuit, with its latest 'Interactive Fusion Filtering' – also plays a key role. However, while the Amati G5's 36Hz bass extension (–6dB re. 200Hz) clearly bests the 42Hz we measured for the previous Amati Tradition [HFN Oct '17], its reduced bass impedance makes the newcomer a tougher drive.

Where the Tradition presented a minimum of 3.2ohm/16Hz and a worse-case EPDR (Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance) of 1.7ohm/28Hz, the G5's minimum impedance is 2.36ohm/93Hz [black trace, inset Graph] following aggressive +43°/–74° swings in phase angle [blue trace] that deliver a super-tough EPDR [red trace] of 0.86ohm/75Hz. In practice the Amati G5 tasks its partnering amplifier with a sub-2ohm EPDR from 55Hz-110Hz and sub-3.3ohm from 52Hz right up to the 2.2kHz crossover. Above 10kHz it falls below 2ohm again. So the Amati G5 may be usefully sensitive, but it'll still need a lusty amp! PM