Sibling Rivalry: Sonus Faber Maxima Amator VS Olympica Nova III

[@lamaludwig1470]

You guys take digression to the next level - and I'm enjoying it.

[@alaincayer8999]

Mike is like a surgeon, he takes his scalpel and dissect the speaker in a way we understand very well how it is playing music. I like his comments. Thanks

[@adrianlow2114]

yes Mike is a natural

[@JG-gg9wk]

Also talk about the electronics as well. Differences between SS and tubes

[@rtmattson7224]

Very enjoyable comparison, thank you. I loved listening to all three reviewers and their unique perspective on the speakers and the music they choose to listen to. Happy holiday and look forward to hearing more from you all in the new year.

[@gjun72]

Great review. Next time when Adrian talks about cars, please post a picture of the car with Adrian’s smiling face pasted on top!

[@NosTubes58]

Welcome back Mike……, as I read into your description of both speakers, one offers an old school type of related signature, whereas the Nova is a more modern sound which spotlights inner detailing and tonal shadings more freely.

[@chippee]

Oh man. This is the comparison between these 2 speakers that I'm waiting for since months ago. I have similar view with the clarity, sense of air, and bass. Thanks for the review. Great job.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks

[@darstem8648]

Enjoyed review, but what electronics did you use? McIntosh? What?

[@adrianlow2114]

Gryphon Diablo 333 with Lumin P1 streamer/DAC

[@scottfoster659]

Smoother and more refined, Maxima Amator or Guarneri G5? I also left this question in the Maxima Amator video. Very interested in your feedback. Thank you.

[@adrianlow2114]

Good question, will have to listen and get back to you

[@Waiting-4-Godot]

Thanks Mike for the mention of the Fela Kuti and The Africa’70 live album. I’m listening to the Ginger Baker and Tony Allen drum track right now. What a blast. I’m listening on some different Sonus Faber speakers, the Serafino G2, McIntosh MC1502 fed by a C22. The production on this live album is superlative, the two drummers are very distinct players but a cohesive percussive force to be reckoned with!

[@adrianlow2114]

Glad you enjoyed it. Mike's great

[@garyyau8489]

Love your channel and your love for Wilson and Sonus Faber speakers. Did Adrian mean it when he said they prefer JBLs at the end? Because I have the same feeling. I moved from thr rich and beautiful tone of SF Concertiinos to vintage JBL Apollos and never looked back. However I am now seriously looking at the Maxima Amator and Nova 3’s. I am using Nagra integrated amp.

[@stephencosta6814]

I have to say I love when Mike is on the show. He’s very decisive and can articulate what he’s hearing very well. I get a better sense of the speaker when he is describing it. It would be hard for me to choose one of those speakers. I love the Maxima. It’s looks it’s elegance but in the long run do I want everything romantic or a little bit sub, dude I don’t know if I could live with that for a long time.

[@adrianlow2114]

Best to listen and see for yourself. For what it's worth, we can all enjoy both and do, but the Maxima Amator simply has a certain magical quality

[@goodsound4756]

I wonder why no one used classical music to compare those speakers.

[@adrianlow2114]

I did, just did not mention for sake of time. Tchikovsky Sym#5 with Pittsburgh Symphony released by Reference Recordings for example. Nova 3 was more authoritative and neutral, showed the amazing recording quality better than the Amator, but the Amator will still more compelling for me.

[@spvlinn9009]

@@adrianlow2114 if you have chance, play cd version of last movement of Dvorak Symphony No.9 by Ferenc Fricsay & Berliner Philharmoniker and that might change your mind. Tidal or quobuz of same pieces are very compressed.

[@fredericbeudot822]

Not how I expected this one to play out. The guys who love Dagostino,, Martin Logan and Wilson audio end up picking the more romantic speaker… I wouldn’t have bet that. Did you try a range of amps on both and did you get different outcomes? Anyway, thanks for sharing.

[@adrianlow2114]

Yes, somehow, the Maxima Amator just pulls at the heart more than the Nova 3

[@lawrencesnyder]

Hello there. I’m in the market for a new set of speakers. I’m currently running an MA12000 and wish to upgrade my Sonus Faber Olympics Nova 1. I auditioned the Wilson Watt Puppy anniversary with said Mc amp. The sound is to die for. I cannot audition a pair of Sonus Faber Serafino G2 which is the second speaker I’m interested in. I was wondering if you can compare and contrast these two speakers. Thank you for your time. Your vids are always very informative and helpful.

[@henryfokkema6622]

Yes why no classical musical

[@unclewilbur8976]

I sure wish we could have a review of Accuphase class A combined with Magnepan .7!!!

[@livinaftermidnight9651]

I can't afford either of these speakers, but I was wondering if you could make a comparison between the Sonetto G1 and G2 line of speakers?

[@ferrisburgh802]

Love your channel and the conversations. You can't please everyone so don't even try!

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks!

[@HD-Tech]

What happened to Vilip???

[@theredboneking]

Growing up in Vancouver in the 70’s and 80’s, I purchased most of my albums at a popular record store called a&b Sound on Seymour Street. Back then, Black musicians were segregated into the R&B section, which I found odd because many artists, like the Stones, admitted that they were influenced by Black musicians.

[@ewhite5381]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@zizendorf]

@@theredboneking I’m not going to instigate a divisive discussion. I am just sharing my own experience. 1973 I attended my first live concert. The acts, in order were; ZZ Top, Earth, Wind, and Fire, then Uriah Heep. Music didn’t have any racial-ethnic bounds. Even radio stations had no categorization like that. And no one cared! It was about the music!

[@theredboneking]

@@zizendorf absolutely! Many bands had mixed races within them. Such as the Doobie Brothers, Santana and many more. However the fact remains, if you wanted to buy an album of a Black artist, like Lionel Richie, who sounds similar to many white artists, you had to look for him in the R&B section. I think Micheal Jackson’s Thriller album changed all that. In my first comment, I did mention that many white artists admitted that they were influenced by Black artists, so it’s not the artists themselves.

[@ungarlinski7965]

@@theredboneking oh, they admitted it? Why, was it a crime? Stuff your crap. No one owes anyone shit. Keep your petty tribalism.

[@veetour]

I loved A&B Sound. I enjoyed browsing music there.

[@schaut_utube]

guys, did I miss it? you did not mention the front end... which player used? DAC? Amp? thx a lot.. I enjoyed the vid and I so much really really agree: I own the Novas myself ... and occasionally hop to my dealer for a session with the Amators :-) :-) maybe I swap them out one day, maybe not.. .. thanks Mike for this detailed description

[@zizendorf]

I'm sorry but is this a speaker review/comparison? Louis is prattling on endlessly about his history in musical taste. I've already heard it, more than once. Please, mahn... get to the point - the speakers! Thankfully Mike was able to not only address the speakers but also used music of which I'm familiar. However, I have to disagree with Mike. Townsends's guitar is hard right. (Because I just went and listened to my newer and gorgeously re-mastered version.) That was nice because my 'cheap' Tannoy Revolution XT-8F speakers was quite clear with Keith Moon's machine-gun roll-off. Otherwise, I would have liked to hear about orchestral music as part of the comparison. But take my opinion with a grain of salt as I enjoyed your prior employee (not CC), Vilip, the guy who could come across as so brusque. Yeah, I liked him. LOL

[@petekutheis3822]

agree they should bring brusque back (never were we told why he was let go)---and CC was just--Im not ashamed to say--yummy for the eyes--and a sweet voice too.

[@zizendorf]

@@petekutheis3822 Agree to an extent. CC didn’t know jack about audio components, as far as I could tell. I didn’t understand her involvement.

[@yt0500323022]

Seriously

[@MrELFidel]

Hello Audio Excellence team, thank you for your good and helpful reviews. Currently I have SF Sonetto V with Rotel 1572 mk2 amp. Could you advice me step forward and good match new amp with my Sonetto V speakers. My preferences are (Hegel 190/390, Primare i35, Michi x3, Rotel 1592 mk 2). Ta, Igor

[@ChiccoMusic12]

Olympica is a good all-rounder, flat response and pretty punchy but lack a bit of finesse. Maxima is more for acoustic or classic music, lacks punch but is very refined at the top end.

[@spvlinn9009]

No Maxima will have troubles handle large scope orchestrate pieces. Try cd version of last movement of Dvorak Symphony No.9 by Ferenc Fricsay & Berliner Philharmoniker and you know.

[@quma001]

No chance against Bose!

[@igorfridrich1070]

😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 of course...

[@adrianlow2114]

I know!!!

[@BoBxPaiN]

Focal sopra 2 vs sonus faber olympica nova 3

[@jimpeek7967]

You need a vilip to break it down

[@samuilc8000]

The first dude, the older one, mumbled on and on. I felt kind of suffocating, trying to figure out what he was trying to say.

[@ferrisburgh802]

Just relax and enjoy the conversation! There are plenty, i'm sure, sites that will go on endlessly about measurements that in the end depends on the music you listen to..

[@samuilc8000]

@@ferrisburgh802 Are you trying to force me to enjoy things that I find not enjoyable? Good luck, man!

[@billsmith3439]

I love your channel. I love your reviews, but Louis needs to stop talking in "round about". He's a terrible reviewer. He never gets to the point and he spends more time on his musical tastes than the product he's reviewing. He loses himself in his own talking.

[@harrycornelius373]

Betty Carter

[@zizendorf]

@@harrycornelius373 Adrian nailed it when he mentioned Alison Krauss.

[@tms372]

No overall conclusion.

[@adrianlow2114]

huh?

[@astroporpoise7802]

Yikes, sorry, but please just focus on the speaker review. First guy going on and on about his closed-minded taste: Female singers today not comparing to Sara Vaughan? In what way? Power? Tone? Emotion? Style? I love singers of the past too (esp. Etta James) but also am glad we have the unique newer voices of Sade, Adele, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Amy Winehouse, Diana Krall, Alicia Keys, Sia, Norah Jones...And disregarding computer-generated music entirely....Geez! There's so much talent and heart from Daft Punk, Alan Walker, Aphex Twin, Zedd... It's okay to like what you like, but it's cringe when someone makes blanket statements that disregard internationally-beloved artists like those I mentioned to then gush about Josh Groban lol. No offense to Josh but come on...

[@brianclass1988]

Jay now would say the Arendal .. (a company that only selectively sends there speakers for review to only certain types of reviewers) 1528 Series is the best speaker ever!!!! please adrian buy a pair and review them... im sure they wont send them to you... i hear there the best.. better than speakers that are 100k from jay and his group of reviewers... i want your opinion.. i smell BS

[@DealerIgnition]

Awkward interview / review. Couldn’t watch