Sonus Faber Lumina II Review | The True Italian Stallions
It's Round 2 with Sonus Faber, and I'll closely examine the Lumina II Bookshelf Speakers. The Lumina series has been mind-blowing thus far; let's see if the bigger brother of the Lumina I can blow my mind and earn itself the Audio Arkitekts Gold Standard award.
Sonus Faber is an Ultra High-End brand that decided to use some trickle-down tech to develop a mid-fi-priced series of speakers. They launched the series in 2020 and have been quite popular with people who love listening to music. I'll be honest; even if this speaker is half as good as the Lumina I, I would still be impressed with the sound quality.
Features
The Lumina II's come wrapped in leather; I don't think authentic Italian design would have it any other way. The front baffle is a multi-layer wood with maple inlays. I like how they hide the hardware underneath the rubber surrounds. It gives it a nice clean, minimalist look. The 6" midrange woofer is made of pulp, so it's a paper woofer. Sonus claims the woofer can reach down to 55Hz, which is average for a stand-mount speaker. I feel that all bookshelf speakers deserve a subwoofer to complete the full range experience. The tweeter is a one-inch dome featuring the DAD design; that's a fun acronym. It stands for Damped Apex Dome; this technology is meant to extend the treble response of the speaker. As with the Lumina I, the tweeter's diaphragm is made by Dr. Kurt Mueller from Germany, known for its quality tweeter components.
I love how Sonus Faber is transparent. A lot of companies would rather keep you guessing as to where they source and build their products. However, these beauties are built in Italy, so we know where they come from. The rear features two pairs of five-way binding posts in case you want to bi-wire or bi-amp the speaker. I don't use that practice personally; however, some people enjoy connecting their speakers like that. Underneath the speaker is a stealth port where the bass port lives. This makes the speaker even more convenient since you don't need to worry about rear ports and wall distance. So, what type of amplifier do you need for the best results? Well, one with the fortitude to drive the 4-ohm load. These speakers aren't inherently sensitive since they are rated at 86dB, which isn't hard to drive, but having a well-matched amplifier that can power them effortlessly is much better than punishing an amplifier that isn't meant to. I'll be using the Cambridge Audio EVO150 to test the Lumina II.
Measurements
I performed a near-field sweep on the speaker. As you can see from the graph, the bass doesn't fall off until 48hz, which is lower than the manufacturer's specs, which is a great thing. The top-end begins to decline around 16 kHz; however, they spike at the top end. From the curvature of the graph, you can tell these have nice mellow mids with good bass and a bit of brightness on the top end. That's what the chart says, but we all must take objective measurements with a grain of salt because sometimes the product will sound completely different than how it measures. It's just the way things are in audio.
Sound Quality
These speakers are incredible. I can't deny nor hide my enthusiasm for how well they performed. I have been into instrumental music lately, which is a weird phase for me; however, it's calming, and I enjoy it. And I needed a break from all that Modern Rock and Post Rock I have been listening to lately. I don't know if anyone reading this has watched the Truman Show, but there is a song by Philip Glass called Truman Sleeps. In the movie, it involves three characters in a moment of darkness and calm, which is how I would describe this song. It's a lonely piece for a lonely scene. The chords on this track are hypnotizing.
I am streaming using Qobuz via my new Silent Angel Roon Core, which has proven to be a capable and convenient device while I evaluate. This track allowed the speakers to expose themselves as very capable in the midrange, maintaining an overall tame and pleasant experience. Stepping away from instrumental for a second, I recently watched the new season of Stranger Things which had a remixed track of Journey's 80's hit, Separate Ways. I felt this track exercised all frequencies. It provided the clarity I would have expected from a high-end speaker. This track is like a trailer version of the original song from the '80s utilizing an orchestral melody to accompany the band's dynamic vocals. I enjoyed it, and I think you probably will as well.
These speakers deliver a solid sense of enjoyment. There isn't a piece of music I wouldn't want to listen to on these. It plays all frequencies very well. It doesn't have a bright top end; it has just enough high frequencies to provide a beautiful clarity to the music. The bass is there; however, paired with a subwoofer, these speakers gave an authentic full-range experience.
The expanse of the soundstage is mind-blowing.
The imaging is spot on.
If you close your eyes and sit back, you will melt into your chair. I haven't been this excited about a speaker since last week's review of the Lumina I's. I assure you that I would be surprised if you didn't like these. Compared to the Lumina I's, I would say the Lumina II's offer a livelier midrange and punch a bit lower with the bass response. They are cut from the same cloth since they sound similar; I enjoyed the Lumina II's a bit more. I felt they gave me more of what I like and want from a speaker, which is a perfect interpretation of the music I enjoy the most.
Final Thoughts
These speakers were built from the ground up to give the music lover an instrument of sound they can use to immerse themselves. I love losing myself in music.
It's why I love doing this so much.
Regardless of your musical preferences, these speakers can and will ensure you experience it with class and elegance. I can safely say they are worth every last penny at their $1,200 price point. It's refreshing to encounter a couple of pairs of speakers that give you value beyond any expectations you could have had for the Lumina I's or II's.
After heavy consideration, I decided to award the Lumina II with the Gold Standard award even though I felt they both deserved the recognition. I felt the Lumina IIs were the perfect blend of design, sound quality, and value. They indeed are the trifecta of excellence. If you guys decide to buy these or own them already, please visit the comments section and tell me about your experience. I don't want to get you all too excited, but I have shown interest in the Lumina V's, so I suppose this could make itself into a saga of speaker reviews for Sonus Faber. Let's wait and see how things go.