AP Posted February 22, 2010 Posted February 22, 2010 Hi Just wondering if its worth upgrading to the Luito? Are there significance in sound quality to be worth paying for the difference? Thanks ahead AP
Guest OmegaRed Posted February 23, 2010 Posted February 23, 2010 On 22/02/2010 at 12:34 PM, AP said: Hi Just wondering if its worth upgrading to the Luito? Are there significance in sound quality to be worth paying for the difference? Thanks ahead AP Go for cremona series ;D
landis Posted February 23, 2010 Posted February 23, 2010 you mean the liuto series? absolutely agree with the suggestion to go for the cremonas especially the cremona m or even the elipsa ;D
AP Posted February 24, 2010 Author Posted February 24, 2010 Am also salivating over the Cremonas. But it needs huge amount of juice to maximise potential. Saw the Luito's sensitivity is at 89db so shouldn't need that as much juice. Am very satisfied with the GPs, just wondering how the new Luitos compare against the GPs. Thanks all for comments AP
Luv4nature Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 I believe you are refering to the Liuto floorstand vs your current GP Home. To me, among the past entry floorstand speakers (i.e. concerto grand piano, grand piano home & concerto domus), GPH has the least character among all. While the original concerto grand piano excels in musicality and fluidity, and the domus being more dynamic and provides more tight bass and slam, GPH was neither here nor there. In a way, GPH was not musical and refined enough to carry the tranditional house sound of Sonus faber, neither was it tight and "accurate" enough to be good dynamic HT speaker. It is a forgettable speaker in many ways. The only consolation is that it looks better than the domus :) Then came the Luito series. It was a relief and to the extent of impressive that Sonus has pushed the performance level up several notches with Luito. First thing that catches on is that it has the sweet and magical mid range that represents the great tradition of Sonus faber. Second, it has a good control in the bass area that makes it "up to date" and modern enough. Third, it has a great look that would grap certain attention, especially now that the "wood" version is available in addition to "high gloss piano" finish to suit different "looks" requirement. I would say Sonus faber has got it right this time with the Liuto line. It sets a new value standard and brings the performance level closer to the cremona series. I'd say you should go have a listen and better still, go for it to replace your GPH. I'm quite sure it'll turn out to be a winner over your current GPH ;)
arsene Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 I first heard the Liuto at Hi-End Research showroom in Dec last year. I was then contemplating the GP Domus for my HT & Music setup and was surprised to learn that the range has been superceded by the Liuto. During the audition, the Liuto was partnered with an expensive setup of MBL tube pre and Pass Labs power (both costing way over my own audio setup). The sound was a different from the trademark SF sound which I am used to from SF speakers which I previously owned. It is warm, but not as warm as the older SF speakers such as the non-Home Concertinos, Concertos and Amators 2. I cannot compare the Liuto to the GP Home as I have not heard the latter before. The Liuto's treble is more airy and more detailed, while the bass is less bloated. The mid-range is slightly less pronounced. Overall, the sound is easy to listen to and non-fatigue. As a whole, music played thru it sounded very dynamic and lively (but less romantic compared to the old SF sound - for want of a better word, maybe it is more modern sounding). In fact, my wife and I prefer the Liuto to the B&W CM9 which we auditioned earlier on the same day. The latter was more forward sounding, leaner and dryer on the ears, and we personally prefer a warmer sound, albeit less exciting (so that I can pair it with the neutral to cool sounding Emotiva amp for my HT). For music, I can choose to pair it with the Emotiva amp, or my old Sonic Frontier tube amp. I did not want an overly warm speaker as I may be partnering with tube amps for music. We also like the B&W 805 (which is within my budget) but did not consider them as we wanted a floorstander. This is one SF speaker that can play pop / rock better than the older SF speakers. Two of the forumers have suggested the Cremona (not sure whether it is the M or the original). They are definitely in a different league and I wish I can afford them. They definitely sound more refined than the Liutos. In terms of pricing, the Cremona Auditor is closer to the Liuto but you have to factor in the cost of the stand which is not cheap. As I prefer a floorstander, my wife and I made the decision to buy the Liuto together with the Smart centre speaker. I only got delivery of the Liuto wood just before CNY and am running in the speakers. My speakers are placed in my living room which is not treated and acoustically not ideal for music (as they are quite close to the walls). However, we are enjoying the speakers (musically & aesthetically) as they are and have no doubt that they will reward someone whose setup is well treated and who loves the SF brand of sound.
AP Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 Many Thanks Arsene and Luv4nature for your valuable imputs. I am satisfied with my GP home as I do not go around comparing other set ups. As you are aware, Hi Fi is infinity. My Brother own the Cremonas and its driven with mc pres and 600w per channel mc p/amps. Definitely max out the potential of the cremonas. And I hardly want to audition it as I am afraid that I may go back home and trash my own set up. I know Cremonas need alot of juice cos his previous Jadis Orchestra(hope I remember it right)Int Tube Amp couldn't bring the best out of it and its not a low power tube amp. I am running my GPs presently with the Diva 1H pre and Bluesky Power. To upgrade to a juice hungry speaker would put me back by alot cos I have to change the whole set up. Btw Arsene, how much are they Luito floorstanders sold at High End? Actually I came across the Luitos at Ebay and its at USD4,000 Thanks again AP
Luv4nature Posted February 25, 2010 Posted February 25, 2010 AP, please check info sent to you. Btw, the correct presentation of SF is "Sonus faber" with the "S" in upper case and "f" in lower case ;)
arsene Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 On 25/02/2010 at 12:20 PM, AP said: Many Thanks Arsene and Luv4nature for your valuable imputs. I am satisfied with my GP home as I do not go around comparing other set ups. As you are aware, Hi Fi is infinity. My Brother own the Cremonas and its driven with mc pres and 600w per channel mc p/amps. Definitely max out the potential of the cremonas. And I hardly want to audition it as I am afraid that I may go back home and trash my own set up. I know Cremonas need alot of juice cos his previous Jadis Orchestra(hope I remember it right)Int Tube Amp couldn't bring the best out of it and its not a low power tube amp. I am running my GPs presently with the Diva 1H pre and Bluesky Power. To upgrade to a juice hungry speaker would put me back by alot cos I have to change the whole set up. Btw Arsene, how much are they Luito floorstanders sold at High End? Actually I came across the Luitos at Ebay and its at USD4,000 Thanks again AP Send you pm.
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