Sonus faber Lumina I Speakers Review
This will be my second review of Sonus faber speakers, my first was of the brilliant and very beautiful sounding Olympica II but it was quite some time ago now. It is no suprise that I happen to love all things that come out of Italy being that my father was from Milan, so I have a very strong bond with all things Italian, they make some of the best food in the world, cars, fashion and have a history as rich and stronger than any country I know of. Sonus faber extends this countries passion and beauty into speakers covering many decades which exude luxury, art and design into their products and above all great sound and have more in common with music than any other speakers that I know of, with some classic designs and some so innovative that they have broken the mould on the box speaker design with lines as sharp and curved more akin to the Lamborghini and Ferrari brands and now collaborating with the Maserati super car brand to design their in car HiFi which I expect to be just as special as anything they design for the home but for in car entertainment.
So what does an entry level product from Sonus faber look like, well there is nothing entry level about the beautiful looking Lumina I speakers at all as they have the typical Italian beauty of fine leather and beautiful crafted wood veneers in a compact package which really do look the part.
Build quality and features
How do you make something so beautiful to look at sound as good as they look? This is something Chief Design Officer Livio Cucuzza has down to a fine art with many of his creations perfectly imagined into reality and these small wonders packed full of innovative design and features. Like the iconic D.A.D tweeter which stands for Damped Apex Dome and is the same one as used in its Sonetto series of speakers, it manages to give this soft dome tweeter a very refined sound typical of Sonus faber. A newly developed 4” midwoofer was created for the Lumina range and has the initials embossed on the dust cover which gives it a luxurious look, the cabinet is vented with a reflex design allowing for easy placement close to walls and boundaries which makes them ideal for placing on cabinets close to walls, without the worry of colouration of sound. Dual binding posts for bi-wiring or bi-amping adhorn the back of the speakers. With a nominal impedance of 4ohms this does indicate that they may require good amplification to work at their best although any decent integrated amplifier should suffice and with a frequency response of 65Hz extended to 24000Hz in the upper range. The build and look of these speakers is exceptional and look so stylish sat on my AV cabinet they really do get noticed and stand out as a high end pair of speakers.
For review purposes I am using my Cyrus Audio components and while I have it the Outstanding Melco Audio N10 high end digital music library streamer all connected up with Chord Cables, I will also connect my REL T5i Sub to fill in the lower end but will try them without the sub connected to see how low they can go without assistance, I find that REL subs blend seamlessly with most speakers I connect to it.
Performance and sound quality
Listening to music is such a pleasure and as I age I don’t have too many hobbies left that I enjoy as much as I do when I listen to music, I never seem to tire of music and HiFi and the pleasures that it brings, it is the way I relax after a hard day and unwind and I suspect that goes for most audiophiles. That is why quality of the sound is of utmost importance when listening to HiFi, thankfully these little Italian beauties have been making sweet music in my room for a good few weeks now and I am accustomed to there sound.
I start off with a new album released by James Blake, Friends That Break Your Heart which has some great bass with the small Lumina I speakers managing to dig relatively low enough considering their size and without much strain. The 4” midwoofer has a punchy and dynamic sound which suits the music well, the tweeter while not as sparkly as my ProAc’s gives a fine performance also with a very even handed response that still manages to sound airy enough to give good depth to the imaging for the speakers soundstage. Track 1 Famous Last Words is a beautiful track with a haunting melody that is portrayed perfectly by the Lumina’s, the D.A.D tweeter sounds very refined as the tuning between drivers is seamless. Track 2 Life Is Not The Same bass line has real texture with shifts in tone which blends perfectly, imaging on this track is also very good and gives you a real sense of scale for the soundstage, infact nearly every track on this album has bass which defies these speakers dimensions.
Nicholas Michaux’s Amour Colere is a wonderfully written album which I have enjoyed for the last few months and is so well recorded with a calming sound that helps you unwind after a long day and the Sonus faber’s sound magical with good bass extension and excellent imaging, they sound so well balanced throughout the range with nothing taken away or added to the sound. Track 5 Amour Colere shows how good this domed tweeter is as there is an ambient sound which can only be described as water flowing but the Lumina’s manage to throw such a wide sound and soundstage that it is as if it coming from both sides around me, very impressive for such a small speaker to create such a wide and large soundstage. Track 10 Every Word is a punchy track and again the Lumina’s don’t seem to put a foot wrong with another fine performance and portray the feeling and emotion from this talented artist.
Stepping up a gear in the music and to see how well the Lumina’s can handle the brilliant new album from Late Night Tales Version Excursion selected by Don Letts, Track 2 Black Rabbit was an original track recorded by Jefferson Airplane, from the very start of this track the dynamic nature of the music is immediately apparent and the Lumina’s don’t miss a beat with a thumping bass line and sharp shifts in tone all kept in line and I do love this reggae infused music as this album is the perfect blend in new versus old with this Version Excursion, it’s like Don Letts produced this album just for me such is the quality of the tracks, although Track 4 has to be my favourite with a Verision Excursion mix of Big Audio Dynamites E=MC2, I would of never imagined that a 4” driver could produce such good quality bass but these little Lumina’s have certainly changed my opinion on what is capable from such a small driver, it also is a testament to how well Sonus faber can build speakers and tune them, they are not going to blow you off your feet but at low to medium volumes they dig deep enough and are very tuneful with a dynamic performance.
On to another artist that I keep coming back to and that is the brilliant Isfar Sarabski and his album Planet this is one talented composer and pianist with this really good Jazz album, track 1 Deja Vu sounds wonderful with his piano skills shining through and the equally talented Lumina’s replicating his skills with utter precision. Track 4 Prelude sounds wonderful with the Lumina’s presentation sounding composed and able to retrieve every detail in both the upper and lower registers, even when the music is so complex they don’t miss a note, with the piano and percussion all having their own place and space within the soundstage. Track 5 Transit is fast and agin the Lumina’s handle this track beautifully, the piano sounds so real with every strike, the shifts in tone are lightning fast with great dynamics, the punchy bass hits hard and reminds me of the brilliant Whiplash soundtrack such is the drumming speed and impact. Track 10 Planet is the final piece on this album and what a finale to this wonderfully composed album, Isfar is a great composer and artist whose piano skills are incredible, the Lumina’s have really done justice to his brilliance by allowing the music to be well and truly appreciated.
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
The Lumina I speakers are quite simply a beautiful speaker to look at but also to listen to as the sound quality is extremely good for a sub £1000 speaker, the refined sound and good bass extension is a testament to the quality and design of the Lumina’s. I have been listening to these for over a month now and am totally smitten by the way they handle all types of music that I throw at them, at this price level there is nothing that I can say that I dislike about them as they tick all the right boxes and if you are in the market for a speaker under the £1000 price mark then these need to be at the top of your list.
The Speaker Shack awards the beautiful Lumina I with a Highly Recommended 5 stars such is the quality of these Italian speakers.
Price at time of review £799
https://www.sonusfaber.com/en/products/lumina-i/
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