HIGH-END speakers that do SPOTIFY, CHROMECAST, TIDAL and ROON: the Sonus faber Duetto

[@TravisLohmannMusic]

I admittedly, went out on a limb- purchased without trying them here locally (there wasn't a store that carried them) - and I'm extremely extremely happy and pleased with my purchase. Build quality feels and looks solid- no uneven or split seams. I'm thrilled with the connectivity options, though initial setup was a bit tricky at first. Finally was able to hook up the TV via a single HDMI cable via HDMI ARC, and streaming everything from Spotify to TIDAL (especially) - sounds wondrous.

[@bwdulken]

This is exactly the position I am in, thanks so much for the feedback… Helped me make my choice!

[@TheBrokenEclipse]

They are just drop dead gorgeous. Almost want them just because of the visuals

[@sultantoure4220]

It’s official for you and ppgarcia are my two favourite channels. I really like what you’re doing here. You make think different music. Sorry for my English I’m French.

[@albertofernandez7801]

Thanks for the music references and shout outs. The rakes and the horrors have been part of my youth years when festivals and crowded tiny concert halls were appealing to me. It was a great reminder to revisit them, feel young again and enjoy them from the comfort of my living room 😂 It’s the first time I comment on your videos (or any as a matter of fact) but I am a huge fan on your content and you always take me to revisit my music collection, discover new music and learn a thing or two about gear. thanks for that!

[@darrenlund3835]

Nice to see Sonus Faber getting some attention finally; I have an ‘old’ pair of Auditors driven by a stunning New Zealand Perreaux 200w Mosfet power amp that leaves every listener dead impressed.

[@bryantaylor2946]

I heard an early prototype of these at the Sonus Faber Vicenza factory just before Munich show - the development team was determined to hit it out of the park and it seems they've done so. Merci and Grazie to the staff who welcomed our group in May.

[@roryhillyer1611]

The sound problem is caused by the ESS sabre DAC having low jitter tolerance, I’ve had the same problem with 2 amps (leak stereo 230 and Arcam SA20) using toslink from a tv, both those companies sorted a fix for the jitter adjustment and it was fixed quickly, hope that helps!

[@gerdkortuem9517]

Listened to them at the Dutch Audio Show: impressive, beautiful sound. And they looked very good close up

[@michaelrossmaessler200]

There is an impressive amount of power with the built in amplifiers of the speakers.

[@TheBrokenEclipse]

I can't wait for your final review- and hopefully a comparison with the Buchardt A10 that I'm also really interested in

[@neilshirley]

Another great video and some wonderful looking speakers.

[@jimfarrell4635]

Ooh, I spy a Shanling cd transport in the background. Look forward to hearing about that. These SF speakers look lovely. Certainly beat the Buchardts in the significant other acceptability stakes.

[@Ricks.007]

Maybe you could get in the future a pair of Cabasse Rialto Powered Wireless Bookshelf’s ? They’re similarly priced and fit perfectly in the same category in my opinion…

[@Krell666]

Nice review. The fit and finish at 1:48 is 'interesting'.. I wonder if thats just pre-production, you'd have to hope so.

[@storck08]

Thanks for the review. I also have the problematic The Frame TV (2023). So my question is: did the glitches stop on the production version of those speakers?

[@adsph]

Great take here. Well done as usual John.

[@arne8946]

I heard them at an audio show (they were production units), they sounded every bit as fabulous as you described. This from a passive loudspeaker / traditional setup aficionado... Of course, I do not know about any connection/playback issues - there weren't any at the show.

[@workshopninjathe1st]

Cable vomit! What a fantastic phrase…

[@craigbaldwin8828]

If you like The Rakes, I’d recommend giving The Chats a run.

[@adnanhukic1974]

Buchardt A10 will be best comparison with Sonus faber duetto, they are similar priced, I hope so that you will do comparison between these two active bookshelf loudspeakers...

[@Zen_Shot]

Who else gets their Shazam ready every time Darko drops a video? 😂

[@earlbee3196]

Me

[@goodforwatch]

excuse my french but😂 i love to hate shazam, sob’s, once they id a song on miPhone i can’t open it in youtube music🤷🏻‍♂️🤬 apparently only apple music and spotify are kosher 🙄 also siri and google can do it now so…

[@blakkboxx4246]

Me..

[@EquatorialVillager]

Once in a while shazam can't figure out the track in which case the patreon playlist for the video comes in clutch.

[@eltalibanoverdad]

Me too!! 😂😊

[@danielcramer9600]

May I suggest that when you do the Mark ii review of the Sonus Faber active speaker you try to have reviewed the more appropriate active Buchart A10 and compare the two.

[@michaeljbus]

I experienced the same audio stuttering issue with my Samsung Frame 2022 when connected via toslink/optical to my Audiolab 6000a. The issue was solved by changing the PLL (phase-locked loop) width, which is possible in the 6000a's settings using optical input 2 only. I understand the issue results from the DAC having a lower tolerance for jitter than is produced by the Frame's optical output, and results in a mismatch in clocking, hence the sound seeming to reset at frequent intervals. I hope this helps - and that the Duettos' PLL width can be adjusted.

[@michaeljbus]

Also, Art Brut - that's a Direct Hit! What a fantastic throwback!

[@tonygard1424]

Another active speaker enters my price point. Do Sonus Faber offer a 45 day home trial to compare with the Buchardts? I still like the idea of the master tunings and room correction.

[@marcinmarcin4811]

I have Sonus Faber Omnia, it's amazing, I had before normal stereo system with Focal Arias and subwoofer SVS and this speaker is so so good...off course it is not the same but still I'm shocked about how it can play, superb option when You don`t have space or don't want to put all the cables etc. Now when I see Duetto I love to have them but the price...Omnia is like little more then 1k and Duettto 4k...whey too much to have upgrade :(

[@Bushwacked487]

How do you find the SF system sound compared to the arias? I have arias and I’m thinking about upgrading to these.

[@DileepaRanawake]

Would also love to see your thoughts on the Buchardt a10 vs a500, John. Appreciate many things on your list and very little time of course! Found the Zen mic made a surprising improvement to the a500. Glad you mentioned it

[@mproyuclan]

Great video as usual Don’t use active speakers but do have Olympica Nova 1 stand mounts. Absolutely Love Duetto don’t look nearly so nice and I know these are pre-production but finish did not look up to normal SF in places (eg shot of wood edge on bottom)

[@weikra2023]

Love the Duetto Design :)

[@cengizgundogdu9381]

comparison should be with Buchard A10 anniversary edition!

[@Chris-l9b2x]

Yeah would be great but guess JD doesn't have a pair of A10's ;)

[@steveee2511]

love sf i wonder what woud be better duetto or sf sonetto 2 with 2k electronics cd player +integrated amp.

[@klaverro]

Interesting review / preview of these stunning looking Sonus Fabers Duetto’s. Looking forward to part two.

[@alanhard8232]

It would be great to run tbe Buchardts again during your second test but, try some of their other master tunings... as they have that flexibility it would be good to use everything the Buchardts have at their disposal 😊

[@krak3krak3]

Great video! System Audio Legends 5 Silverback also has no cable vomit and uses the same platin hub as Buchart 😁

[@rayludwig1381]

Just this morning I was wondering if you would do a review of these speakers. My wish came true. I am looking forward to your thoughts on the actual retail speakers. I love SF speakers, although I do not own a pair and was very curious to how their first ever active ones would sound.

[@masamunexc]

Great video. Is there a chance you could do some Mcintosh amp reviews sometime? They seem hard to come by on KZbin. Thanks!

[@thegroove2000]

Thank GOD for the used speaker market where there are an abundance of fantastic speakers less than 1000 bucks.

[@stereoniche]

I would love to compare those against some of my vintage speakers.

[@spigdon]

Fantastic review John. Would love to understand how the M10 paired with a pair of passive Sonus would compare as a similarly priced package!

[@qboogie]

Mr. Darko, would you ever consider DJing a Tidal Live streaming session so that we can enjoy some of the musical moods you're feeling? One just turns on the feature on the Tidal app and folks can tune in via a shared link

[@Raym0ndB89]

I've heard this speaker on a show. My buddy and I were in agreement that this Sonus Faber sounded very good. The bass depth surprised me! Wouldn't it be great if S.F. made an active floor standing speaker. Passive radiators and an extra bass driver..

[@jesuguru2394]

I'd wager depending on the success of this model, a larger model would be in the works if not already.

[@Niek86]

Yep, the guy from Sonus Faber at the audio show I went to sort of confirmed they are working on a larger version of these and maybe a floorstander.

[@erics.4113]

Speaking of Duetto. If you havent heard Triangle's Magellan Duetto standmounts.... Omfg You best like detail. The tactile response and attack of these speakers is intoxicating

[@ginap2112]

They certainly are ‘lookers’ in the typical SF way. Beautiful design!

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗🙋‍♂️ WE LOVE ❤ WHAT YOU DO …FOR THE AUDIOPHILE COMMUNITY 🤗 AND SHOWING THAT THIS IS THE BEST TIME TO BE AN AUDIOPHILE 😎💚💚💚

[@kenworthing472]

Calm down .. he’s not all that 😂

[@Sandman121]

Think you will have to do the Buchardt Anniversary 10, I have heard that they have better treble presentation than the A500

[@DarkoAudio]

Buchardt won't send me a pair of A10 just for me to compare them to the Duetto. They will expect their own video review. And there just isn't the time for that this year or early next. Sorry.

[@Sandman121]

@@DarkoAudio ah bummer, I am guessing they will make a new passive speaker with their new tweeter and solid wood cabinets in the next few years.

[@safferstefan]

Total bummer

[@micumatrix]

👌thanks . What are the stands You have Your Kef and the silvery loudspeakers on? Guess I need to hear them live in a shop. Sounds interesting, since I would like to replace all the amplifier etc.

[@guy_autordie]

They are beautiful. A piece of art. But I'm a cable guy. the less wireless connection there is, the better.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

The fact that you have reported some .. or any drop outs - connectivity issues at all .. I've decided I am not going to bother. MAYBE .. they will update them .. but I never did trust wireless anyways. Hard wired is the way ..

[@newfangledsoftware6185]

Comparison with Cabasse Rialto active speakers would be welcome.

[@vorpane]

8:58 platimons! Can't wait for that review to be out :O

[@biggregyo]

Was it the camera work or am I seeing bad woodworking(router marks) lines.

[@rikardekvall3433]

John, you are good. Well done. But your commercial ad break didn’t work this time. Thanks, but you need them, right?

[@ricardoreid2991]

Hi John I have experienced the same drop out with the bluesound Flex when paired with the bluesound pulse M. If I move close to the Bluesound pulse m then the speaker drops out. I couldn’t quite understand why this happening but I am glad you have had the similar experience with the Sonos Farber 😊

[@yellow_noise3]

John, I see you link below Shanling ET3 transport. will you soon present the review on YT? I am super interested, especially how it compares to giants like Meridian, CAL, CEC etc...

[@paulgeorge9742]

They sound like the Alfa Romeo of speakers, everyone should try them but their will be issues

[@derLinzer1871]

Please tell me the name of the wooden lowboard. Thank you

[@Xavi7192]

When will you put your hands on a pair of Cabasse Rialto ?

[@xano1982]

Are you able to make a comparative video with the dynaudio focus 10, cabasse rialto and the buchardt 500? the same style as the one you made with the focuses, kef and buchardt...

[@Audfile]

If i make a pizza before listening I call it PIZZA-FI to Darko it up.

[@andreweasto9856]

Why have Sonus Faber now sending there speakers to Japan and not making them at home anymore?

[@TrashfordKent]

My sonus omnia has similar HDMI issues. Native sound from Apps on the TV work fine but PS5, switch, Xbox all have issues. Tried all new cables but still issues.

[@hakanakkoyun3326]

Hey Darko What brand are those gorgeous speaker stands?

[@computerfreakch8912]

One of the reasons why a I watch this channel on the big screen is due to the pleasing interior design being shown. So I'm a little surprised that the visual design aspect of these gorgeous speakers was pretty much limited to the note on the "cable vomit" and on the cheap grills. Who of you would like to cover that pretty veneer with grills?

[@DarkoAudio]

The visual design aspect of these speakers was covered by the *extensive* amount of b-roll: we shot this speaker from every possible angle, more than we usually do and more than you'll see in any other review (on KZbin or elsewhere).

[@saverioricchiuto5386]

When you use to take screenshots of John’s videos to discover peculiar new music and then…Adriano Celentano’s “24mila baci”. He clearly knows and must be kidding me, right? 😂

[@DarkoAudio]

That song was Olaf (the camera man's) suggestion, not mine.

[@mitchhifi9192]

What are the speakers next to the Sonus the three way with two soeakers and a ribbon tweeter between them?

[@mauricioharker5163]

@john, how do you compare these Sonus Faber versus the SVS Prime Wireless Pro

[@rangerscoach]

Why don’t any of the speakers get compared to the Wilson’s I always wonder because the Wilson audio tune tot was in the background for a little and it’s so revered. Do any of these bookshelf’s eclipse it’s performance?

[@freekderks1983]

it would not be a fair comparison and a rather strange one i guess, since the Wilson's Tune Tot is atleast twice as expensive

[@safferstefan]

Could you compare the second pair Sonus Faber with the Buchardt Anniversary 10 ? ❤

[@EnthusiastGamers]

darko the latest evolution of the bowser&wilkins headphones has been released, the px7 s2e where e stands for evolved, I hope you will also bring these headphones to the test and I think it is an excellent opportunity to do some laps in the open air... 😉

[@lowmoon9025]

DALI speakers and Soundhub look like a much better solution, especially with the expansion modules.

[@roos551]

Hoi,wich speaker cable are you using here?

[@DileepaRanawake]

The cable vomit is a big issue with the Sonus. Much prefer the elegance of the platin hub and the a500. Hope more manufacturers support Wisa. Also just don’t get leather on a speaker. Obviously both subjective points and I’m certainly biased to the a500 I suppose!

[@haroldhaandrikman7029]

What happened with the Ikea furniture?😂 Great post again btw

[@markjeroendurr2626]

Hi John, what happened to your IKEA furniture? Must say I like your new cabinet better…

[@DarkoAudio]

You answered your own question 😉

[@GertSterner]

While waiting på new Songs Faber's, please also get a set of the new Buchardt A10's.

[@DarkoAudio]

Please see my comment elsewhere 👍🏻

[@netanahum7317]

Hi I would love your opinion of the geshelli labs j2s 4499EX

[@vric]

The finish at 1:47 doesn't look like Sonus Faber usual quality!

[@trevormeyer5592]

Hope they "up" their quality control

[@feaone]

What type of punk are you into? What I grew up listening to at 12-13 then went into hardcore, emo, metal

[@craigm2]

top Italian music references on the Frame… 😂

[@antoniopdcj]

A question... When I'm listening to a song on KZbin, how can I identify whether that song is a lossless audio file or a lossy audio file? Where can I see the specifications of the audio being played to know if it is, for example: a “WAVE” or “FLAC” format (lossless quality) or an “MP3” file (where there was compression and loss of quality)? Is there an extension for the Chrome browser that shows in real time the specifications of the audio being played? I visited KZbin's audio file guidelines and it says the following... “[...] Supported file formats: (1) MP3 audio in MP3/WAV container, (2) PCM audio in WAV container, (3) AAC audio in MOV container, and (4) FLAC audio. Minimum audio bit rate for lossy formats: 64 kbps. Minimum audible duration: 33 seconds, excluding silence and background noise. Maximum duration: none “[...]”. Therefore, KZbin accepts both lossless audio files and lossy audio files.

[@TheBrokenEclipse]

I wonder how these compares to the Cabasse Rialto

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

Everything you said about the Duettos sound makes me wanna have them 🤩 Did you mention their imaging / sound stage capabilities or did I miss that part?

[@computerfreakch8912]

Our Samsung Frame TV is the worst component to integrate I've ever seen. I'm not surprised yours had issues with the Sonus Faber.

[@DarkoAudio]

I've not had ANY issues with the TV until now.

[@FourCornersDenmark]

Will you be reviewing the New beolab 8?

[@lucasrossi716]

Sonus Duetto x Formation Duo B&W x LS50 Wireless ?

[@xplorenutrition]

I have this same question...testing the LS50 Wireless IIs now and they're very underwhelming to me.

[@davida8682]

As always, great vid. I'm curious if you can bypass the internal DAC.

[@k-doggy1762]

Most likely not. I don't know of any powered speakers where you can bypass the internal DAC. Even in those with an analogue input, the sound is digitised then converted back to analogue.

[@DarkoAudio]

You cannot.

[@AaranCM]

I want a review of that cabinet with retailer links my good man.

[@countdebleauchamp]

One DAC per driver? So the DACs are after the crossover and the crossover functions in the digital domain? I replayed to make sure I heard that correctly, and I did.

[@shemsureshot]

As lovely as these are, I would go with the LS60 over them. Thanks to the sale on the LS60 there is £1k between the two making the Duetto look overpriced.

[@quma001]

As a Sonus Faber admirer I have mixed feelings. The look and finish do not convince me for the asked price. The remote control was simply taken from the Omnia wireless speaker. Also the connection problems are somewhat worrying. I don't care if it's a preproduction unit or not, Sonus Faber was confident enough to ship the pair out for review. A great review nevertheless.

[@goodforwatch]

hi john, those big plants behind the right speaker and beside the left one, are they artificial plants? any chance you can tell us about them briefly in the future?

[@Sebwolf54]

I totally adore Darkos production quality and depth of his reviews!

[@DarkoAudio]

Thank you! :)

[@Joenerk]

Wireless subwoofers make more sense as placement is more sensitive and resolution less so.

[@ChrisB-lt6hp]

John, what is the picture of the donkey that has eyes like a panda? Oh yes and good review.

[@MichalBak-w8w]

How do they compare to Klipsch the sevens?

[@supikoiraroy]

Kef LS50 + KC62 sub is about 3500€. Havent heard the Duos, but seems a bit expensive for what you get for that money.

[@jameso.4381]

Build quality at 1:52 is horrendous for a $4000 plus speaker - CHI-FI garbage!

[@stevesiringer1958]

We have a showroom in my city for Sonus Faber and I was surprised by the very same thing in almost every pair of their speakers I examined closely. Small, unsightly gaps and the metal pieces (inlay) weren't always flush. They look great from a distance, but I would expect better finishing for the money.

[@thegroove2000]

Chinese?

[@ENGBriseB]

I know these are new. But are rather have an AVR 5 speakers and a SVS Subwoofer and and a Blu-ray & CD player.

[@richardkuipers7295]

That is not even close to the quality in the days of Franco Serblin!! When you showed the back of the loudspeaker you see poor quality veneer where it against the heat sink you even see a seam in the middle .... I had the Cremona floor standing LS many years back. This was one of the last Franco Serblin creations and they were amazing pieces of ART this .... sorry looks like Chinese made

[@Houdinis-Selection-at-insta]

I had the same idea, the moment I saw the back! Bad quality! At that moment I am out…

[@mbizozo6271]

Yeah... horrible to see on speakers at this price point.

[@EvenHarmonics]

Agree, but will wait on retail shipment and hopefully Mr Darko can add a few seconds in about it

[@paulwibb.8944]

Everyone should own a pair of fabers in their lifetime, thank me later.

[@junior-OG]

amati g5😍

[@billywindsock9597]

Sonus Faber is much better eye candy, very good looking machines.