Полочная акустика — Chario ACADEMY SONNET

The Academy Sonnet is the 2 way bookshelf model of the Academy series from Chario, the loudspeaker company based in Milan, Italy, where the Sonnet is handmade. Within the Academy line it is the most compact member. The series also includes the 5 way floorstanding Serendipity, the 3 way floorstanding Sovran and the Solaris, and the Sonnet has a complex internal bracing layout designed specifically for its smaller enclosure.

Key specs that matter

Chario uses a 32mm SILVERSOFT dome tweeter and a 170mm ROHACELL Full-Apex Poly-Ring woofer, both driven by NeFeB motors, housed together in a single cabinet. Crossover frequency is 1180 Hz with an alignment Chario lists as LKR4 derived, a fourth order Linkwitz-Riley type. Sensitivity is 90 dB SPL normalized to 1 m and 2.83 Vrms, obtained with de-correlated L/R pink noise inside a listening space conforming to the ITU-R BS 1116-1 standard. The low frequency cut off is 55 Hz at -3dB, referred to C4 WETS. Rated impedance has a modulus of 4 ohms, falling to a minimum of 3.0 ohms, and the impedance phase angle stays within 36 degrees either side of zero. Each cabinet measures 445 mm tall, 235 mm wide and 340 mm deep, at 14 kg.

Engineering and use context

The configuration is a 2-way reversed array. Chario explains that two-way bookshelf speakers usually have the tweeter at the top, and that time alignment of the two drivers then calls for a backward tilt. The Sonnet inverts this by mounting the tweeter below the woofer, so its cabinet is intended to lean forward instead. Bass loading is Back-Firing Vented, and the rear vent follows a half-exponential hourglass geometry. The enclosure combines solid walnut with HDF and is lined internally with Fiberform polymeric fiber. A dedicated stand belongs to the design, weighing 13 kg and measuring 750 x 540 x 460 mm, with a top plate and legs in black anodized iron and a central section of varnished HDF.

Pairing

Chario suggests an amplifier rated for 120 W average power into its rated load as the drive for this model. In its own text Chario acknowledges that small speakers normally involve heavy compromises and positions the Sonnet as its attempt to work around those limits without resorting to what it calls miraculous designs.

Alternatives

The Chario Aviator Ghibli is a bookshelf model from the Chario Aviator series, a two-way reversed vertical alignment design with 87 dB sensitivity, a 38mm tweeter on a waveguide and a 130mm Rohacell woofer.