Напольная акустика — Sonus Faber SONETTO VIII

The Sonetto VIII is the largest floorstander of Sonus Faber's Sonetto collection, in its second-generation Sonetto G2 version. The company, founded in Vicenza in 1983 by Franco Serblin, positions Sonetto below Olympica Nova and uses it to carry technology from its larger lines, here the cork midrange enclosure and Camelia midrange first developed for the Suprema system, into a hand-built Italian speaker at a lower price point.

Key specs that matter

It is a 3-way design with a 29 mm (1.1 in) DAD Arrow Point extended-frequency tweeter, one 165 mm (6.5 in) Camelia midrange and two 200 mm (8 in) woofers. Crossover points sit at 350 Hz and 2500 Hz. Rated response is 33 Hz to 40 kHz, sensitivity is 90 dB SPL at 2.83 V/1 m, nominal impedance is 4 ohms, and the recommended amplifier range is 50 W to 400 W. Each cabinet measures 1190 x 334 x 480 mm (H x W x D), and each weighs 45 kg.

Engineering and use context

Tweeter and midrange sit in their own sealed chamber lined with cork, cork being picked for its self-damping properties, which isolates the midrange from the pressure generated by the woofers below. The Camelia midrange cone has five petal-shaped cuts around its edge to break up the circular break-up modes of a round diaphragm, and it is left uncoated. Both tweeter and midrange use copper shorting rings to reduce inductance modulation in the motor, while the woofers use an aluminium demodulation ring for the same purpose. The crossover follows Sonus Faber's Phase Coherent approach, aligning phase rotation between drivers across the transition bands. The woofer section is down-firing, venting through a gap above a concrete base that adds mass and stability. The 45-degree wood veneer and leather detailing come from the Homage and Reference lines.

Pairing

Its low nominal impedance with fairly high sensitivity puts little strain on voltage but asks for real current, so an amplifier rated for stable low-impedance operation is the right match. Given its broad recommended power range, both a capable integrated and a separate power amplifier are workable choices. The down-firing port makes the speaker less sensitive to the gap to the wall behind it than a design with a rear port. Each speaker ships in its own carton and a pair weighs 100.4 kg packed, so delivery and positioning call for two people.

Alternatives

The Sonetto V G2 is the smaller three-way tower in the same collection, for rooms where the VIII's cabinet is too large.