Live Test -Three monitor speakers - Focal Aria 906, Elac UBR62, Sonus Faber Lumina II

[@strika71]

*** Demo #1 : Little Fugue in G Minor | Amp: Pass Labs XP12 0:30:35 - Focal Aria 906 1:15:30 - Elac UBR62 1:50:38 - Sonus Faber Lumina II *** Demo #2 : Suzanne Vega, Luka | Amp: Yamaha AS2200 0:41:08 - Focal Aria 906 1:24:07 - Elac UBR62 1:59:46 - Sonus Faber Lumina II *** Demo #3 : Toto, Africa | Amp: Nuprime IDA8 0:51:45 - Focal Aria 906 1:36:58 - Elac UBR62 2:05:00 - Sonus Faber Lumina II *** Demo #4 : Sonus Faber Lumina II only | Amp: Pass Labs XP12 2:11:13 - Toto, Africa 2:15:19 - Tool, Pneuma *** Frequency Response Curves 0:36:01 - Focal Aria 906 1:30:32 - Elac UBR62 1:54:40 - Sonus Faber Lumina II

[@MatthieuMAZERA]

Many thanks

[@giuseppecassano7071]

@@strika71 sonus faber for me 💪

[@pinkypoohable]

This is the most detailed, thorough and highly technical audio review I have ever seen in KZbin. Well done! I have the same observation on my Lumina 2 speakers. Everything is fine, great and dandy except with the slightly boosted and energised trebles. It's not harsh or fatiguing but it is evident in its sonic character. It's great that I have tone controls on my network integrated amp and everything plays wonderfully. Balanced, coherent, smooth, sweet and lovely.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Thank you! Glad we have the same experience.

[@nc3419]

From what I heard in comparison, I like the Lumina.

[@Leo-yn5fx]

I like the slighlty boosted and energised treble. Does that mean the lumina 2 is a no brainer out of the two?

[@nc3419]

Nothing is simply a no brainer. You can have a similar frequency curve with two different speakers that can present music in your room differently. It's been my experience that one can get used to a sound and prefer it when comparing another speaker initially. Unless you really don't like a speaker, you can get accustomed to certain attributes of its presentation in your room. That same speaker can also sound alot different in another room depending on room size, reflections, et., etc. I am familiar with Focal, having the 807W and having tried a 706V with the cheaper driver. The 706V presented a taller, larger stage and as much as I liked it, in comparison I started to hear that some instruments sounded streched or kind of distorted to get that bigger stage. The 807W sounded much more natural and had better resolution, which was expected. The new Poron tweeter has been refined in comparison to the older tweeter which I prefer. So I know what you mean by a slightly boosted and energized treble which can/may also help with stage depth though I think there is more to it. @@Leo-yn5fx I remember someone commenting that the 906 didn't sound much different than the 706 and it wasn't worththe upgrade but that was one opinion. Personally, I didn't care for the Poron tweeter as much but would expect the Aria to have more resolution and detail than the lower Focal 706. As to the SF Lumina II, it has garnered alot of great reviews and I feel that I myself would probably like it. I say that because it has a paper mid which I typically like (although I didn't care for Triangle Borea 2), as the 807W is paper infused with glass, I also have Triangle Zetas (paper mids, titanium tweeter) and Dali Opticon 1 (wood pulp paper mix and a soft dome). The Dali are fairly neutral and not as exciting to listen to but work well for desktop/nearfield use. The Triangle Zetas are really nice for a budget speaker, more laid back than the Focals, softer in presentation and while less resolution and detail, provide a nice stage, large and with nice low mid heft. But for movies, I prefer the ML 15i with its alum mid driver and AMT/FMT tweeter. Any of the four can do both movies and music. The Focals give the most detail and resolution, can be played louder and scale up with better amps. The Zetas like any amp, class AB, D, etc. The MLs are like Monitor Audio Silver 100s in a smaller package that doesn't blast out everything at you and I like them better. The Dali is an all rounder but has the resolution many don't, without being too exciting. All were purchased at a discount whether sales or closeout (which the ML still is). If the SF Lumina II ever gets marked down, I would be very tempted, but to say its a no brainer is difficult. System matching counts. But I have heard others say it gives a kind of presentation which is something special that even the next step up in SF speakers don't have, even though you will get more resolution and detail. as to resolution and detail, I have found getting more of that doesn't guarantee you will like them more and they may sound less musical to you (that being a personal thing). It seems from the frequency curve I have seen for the Lumina, that I would like it although it isn't a flat response. That for me works as a main driver in a midsize room and the Lumina 1 would work great on a desktop. at the current price, there are a few other options, and perhaps other great choices spending just a bit more. It does have its pedigree, being a SF, built in Italy, nicely finished, etc. Out of the three choices above, I would pick the Lumina II myself. There was a discounted Lumina 1 for sale on US Audiomart which was tempting, but I am set. Why the rant, maybe it will give some perspective. I have a Hegel amp but have been using smaller, less powered ones such as the Keces E40. Getting good results with all the speakers on that little amp for low to moderate volume levels. If you want loud music, 5-6 inch drivers have their limitations. Other speakers to consider that seem to get alot of attention is the Heco Ceylon Rev 3 but its big, and there are current markdowns on B&W 600 series as well as a few other brands that may fit your sonic requirements. Good luck.

[@pinkypoohable]

@@Leo-yn5fx Yes. If you like top end extension to make your music entertaining, lively and fun without being too bright or harsh then the Lumina 2 is for you. It also has good tonal accuracy, vocal intelligently and warm punchy bass. Soundstage is wide, airy and immersive.

[@rlb2444]

Loved your reviews! Thank you. You have confirmed that the Lumina II are the ones for me.

[@kirkaparty4143]

Nice review, I would recommend a short summary/conclusion at the end.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Thanks! Noted!

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

Better to hear the speaker than the room. Thanks, guys!

[@MaZEEZaM]

they are talking about matching the amp to the speakers and i think thats the difficulty for most of us interested in relatively high-end audio, especially those of us like myself that can't visit A/V stores in person. This is why you guys doing this type of testing are so important and why it has so much value because we don't have the ability to audition a range of audio gear. Thats why reviews and comparisons without commercial or brand bias is so important. Trust in the reviewers is rare on youtube, you guys are much appreciated.

[@NoMeWithoutYou1]

Excellent review, guys. Subscribed.

[@froidd758]

Your channel should get more exposure. One of the best channels made for people who are into audio and hi-fi.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Thanks man! Spread the word :-).

[@nicolaevalentintudor8639]

my opinion elac reference, a nice warm, dynamic sound, it's a pleasure to listen to, at this price🎉

[@notstandingwithukraine9478]

Only Toto Africa is best on the Sonus Faber

[@54tristin]

@@notstandingwithukraine9478I feel Toto is poorly recorded,With loss of detail at the top!

[@kangchenglu]

Just finding out your channel. Vega's Luka an Toto's Africa are my favorite songs. Thank you for great works and looking forward to watching/listening other test!

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@kangchenglu Thank you!

[@christopherspiro9857]

I’m wondering why you didn’t play the same track for each amp?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@christopherspiro9857 that would be too boring. And not really necessary.

[@christopherspiro9857]

@ Ok, I just thought you would be able to really hear the difference, then after you could change the tracks to show how each speaker handles the music. Thanks.

[@rodrigautier]

Just discover your channel. What a great job, what a nice and instructive test !!! Very appreciated 👍🏾

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Thanks!

[@MaZEEZaM]

I am deciding whether to buy either the Sonus Faber Lumina II, Sonetto I or Sonetto II for music, movies and series. Which of the 3 do you think is the best for a room thats 4m by 3.5m. Its bedroom with bed, cabinets, fridge, microwave, thick carpet, plasterboard walls with one 90/180cm horizontal double glazed window? Do you think a small sub such as SVS 3000 micro would pair well with these speakers? I'm stuck in bed so my entertainment is Very much a priority and well worth saving for a long time so I can purchase quality Audio Visual gear. Also, do you have a guide to setting up the best possible sound through a PC? Most of my entertainment is via my pc.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@MaZEEZaM the difference between sonetto and Lumina is quality. That's it. For your room size both would work fine. I even doubt you would need a subwoofer. But you can try adding it. About sound through a PC... Any receiver with a decent hdmi or usb input would work. It is mostly software that makes the difference. Try Kodi or JRiver.

[@jmtennapel]

Great stream again. Great lesson in amp/speaker matching. NuPrime did a good thing, also with the inbuilt DAC. I was wondering, since the Yamaha sounded a bit 'harsh' in the upper mids and highs on all speakers: did you use the same speaker cable on all speakers? I got the impression that the UC1 and the Yamaha are not liking each other, but then I saw you unplugging the speaker cables on the Sonus Faber's and plugging in another set which looked different. The Yamaha sounded different in other tests as far as I can remember. (Je moet het stukje Africa op de Pass Labs en de SL's terugluisteren, het geluid op de hoofdtelefoon is 3D, over KZbin! :D )

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We used other speaker cables because of price range. We used the Art Speak solid core silver speaker cable on the Yamaha. That's a pretty smooth and neutral cable. The Driade Flow is better though... but also 3x the price ;-).

[@jmtennapel]

​@@TheAlphaAudio The harshness was consistent to my ears. It surprises me though, I don't think 'harsh' with the word 'Yamaha'. They build and sell music instruments as well. The Yamaha musical instruments sound is often 'fresh' and very finely tuned across the registers. Their electronics tend to sound fresh and natural as well. Not harsh.

[@computeraudiophile9590]

Excellent shootout review as always. If possible, can you test the Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB 52? Have them, and I'm blown away how good they sound. It would be interesting to compare them with a little pricier speakers, and see if they hold their own against.

[@tejeshwarkainth2935]

@@computeraudiophile9590 exactly, I have the same speakers with dual svs subs.

[@nicolaevalentintudor8639]

Thanks Andrew Jones 🎉

[@pv8203]

Have you also considered testing the Polk R200 and the Quad S2 / Z2 in relation to the three you reviewed here? Also, perhaps with the Quad Vena II amp?

[@markd4292]

PV. I heard the Quad bookshelf, I forgot which model. I heard it with the SF Lumina III. I know not a fair comparison, but the store owner didn't have the Quad S5 on the floor. I figured if I like the bookshelves I will probably like the floor: The treble on those Quads expanded my ears in a good way, I heard things that I hadn't heard before. But the midrange wasn't in the same league as the SF. Additionally because the dB is pretty low on the Quad's they seemed to fail at low listening, I had to turn up the volume a bit to get them to sing.

[@skumnjepf]

A really great video. Thank you!

[@backrack01]

So what do you guys do differently with the second go of Africa at 02:11?

[@remyfasol1276]

I don't understand all of commentaries but I like your test... Thank you for help me to improve my english 🙂 (from France)

[@manugrandest1683]

Bonjour Je suis français. J'ai finalement acheté les Lumina 1. Et vous ?

[@JG-gg9wk]

Please, did anyone catch what Nuprime Amp they were talking about? Thanks

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Nuprime IDA-8. Review is on www.alpha-audio.nl or www.alpha-audio.net.

[@JG-gg9wk]

Thank you. Glad I found your channel.

[@Joseaugusto-ck5mx]

Das três colunas de som em teste, estou muito perto de comprar as focal mas fico na dúvida entre as focal ou a sonus, quem me pode ajudar a decidir. Obrigado

[@72mrcream]

Sonus

[@szymon533]

Focal

[@notstandingwithukraine9478]

Elac

[@mndlessdrwer]

Metal is a genre that does not easily tolerate excessive upper mids and treble gain. Metal, as a genre, needs quite a bit of very well controlled bass, mid-bass, and mids, but somewhat rolled off upper-mids and treble. This is largely due to the mixing practices of a lot of metal songs wherein a speaker that has noticeable treble gains or harmonic distortions in the upper mids and treble region will suddenly devolve into random screeching noises and that ear+ice pick sensation. Honestly, metal is a fantastic genre for torture-testing your speakers to see if they can make it not only presentable, but enjoyable. I will say, one thing that I vastly disapprove of is something that Focal and Yamaha with their powered monitors largely avoid: attempting to tune additional bass extension or gain at the cost of mids clarity. This is particularly important with 2-way designs.

[@unklecorky2181]

what speakers would you consider great examples of complimenting metal and other heavier music?

[@mndlessdrwer]

@@unklecorky2181 In my personal opinion, anything with crazy low harmonic distortion that also has minimal treble gain. Revel makes some speakers that can handle it well, as do KEF in the form of the LS60 or their current Reference series. Unfortunately, you need to EQ KEF's R-series due to them giving those speakers just a bit too much treble energy. It all really depends on your tolerance for treble, though. The main reason why you want speakers with really low distortion is a countermeasure to the tendency for the various effect pedals that the artists use to completely sap all musicality from their guitars and basses. So by playing it back on speakers with low distortion, you're able to salvage what's left, even at high playback volumes. Like, with lesser speakers the guitars and drums and cymbals and basses just devolve into random screeching noises and breaking sounds at higher volumes and it becomes practically impossible to pick out the instrumentation. I'm just pleased that my personal KEF iQ90 are reasonably capable of handling every genre, including metal, since my library contains some metal and a lot of metal-adjacent music that tries to lean into dubstep.

[@chinmeysway]

Old metal not so much. Newer stuff: this may have to do with mediocre mix engineers

[@mndlessdrwer]

@@chinmeysway It would depend on whether they maintained their mixing practices from when they were mixing and mastering for vinyl or if they leaned into the loudness wars. Vinyl is particularly unforgiving because of the lower dynamic range, so you have to be more careful when mixing for it. CDs and even compact cassettes have greater dynamic range, so it's easy to set the gain too high and make any distortion encoded into the track even more pronounced. In the end, your music will only ever sound as good as it was mixed to be and careful speaker selection and playback/amp selection will only help to mask some of the flaws in a poorly made recording.

[@chinmeysway]

@@mndlessdrwer I see what you mean yes but no I’m talking how the genre of metal has changed so much and how it does seem to related to a shift in certain frequencies but I guess moreover it’s a shift that happened how things just do over time regardless of process / technology though yeah you can’t separate these all the way!

[@tpn8402]

I really, really like these series of speaker tests you guys do. It's quite interesting to hear the effects of different gear and get a feel of the importance of synergy. Do you plan on testing the Concept 30? There's hardly any sound demos on KZbin. Curious about the distortion measurements etc..

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We will test them soon

[@goutomdutta586]

Nice test! I want to pair Lumina 2 with Atoll in100 signature. The amp is a bit forward-sounding I guess. Will it be a good match without being harsh?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@goutomdutta586 Atoll is great with this speaker. It is pretty layed back sounding actually.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

From on axis graphs alone the Focal would look like its the less bright/revealing speaker but when you take into account that wide dispersion tweeter (60 degrees all the way up to 11khz!), youll understand why Focal made it that way. The Focal sums up excellent in the PIR, which is what Focal was aiming for. As usual, the Focal is the most detailed of the bunch

[@filipkrstevski5449]

Your picture tells everything you need to know abouth your bias cheers

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

@@filipkrstevski5449 it still doesnt make anything I said less true. We have full spins of the 906 is ASR. Data is data and facts is facts.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

I am a numbers guy, but when Susanne Vega's lyrics are MUCH more understandable in the Elac and SF than in the Arya... It makes me pause and think about the accuracy and resolution of a speaker.. Arya is more "soulful". Truly lovely sound. Just not as detailed, at least in this specific example.

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

@@juanmillaruelo7647 in reality, the Aria is the most detailed one. They even mentioned it in this review; it reveals 'too much'. That statement alone shows how accurate the Aria is. Its just they prefer a 'relaxed' and 'musical' sound, not an analytical one.

[@AromaFrank]

Will Sonus Faber match good with Audiolab 6000 amp?

[@StagnantMizu]

Man i love focals design imagine a colab between sonus faber and focal that would be the best looking speaker ever made

[@notstandingwithukraine9478]

Elac looks the best

[@frostycanada6404]

Missed the live stream, but I’m watching it now. 🥳 It’s very early here in Montreal. Welcome back Yung. Brian

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Enjoy!

[@yunglie1445]

thx Brian!

[@jdhogg257]

Would the sonos faber 2 lumina pair good withe the Denon 900HNE?

[@golfjunkymusicjunky8370]

My setup NAD 22 v 2 with schitt Freya + SF Lumina V bluesound node 2i and rega P3…..the tubes are Heaven in the Front….

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Nice!

[@charnhongboey6536]

Great demo and I do appreciate the effort. You think the Lumina II would be a good match for the NAD M33?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

That can work, yes.

[@audiblereality]

I matched my 1998 (!) Sonus Faber Minima FM2 with the Naim Uniti Nova (AB not the D-class) and the result is amazing.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Good! Nice combo.

[@Philear4124]

I thought Neat speakers also have an inverted tweeter. And what will replace the Sopra.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

True! Thanks for pointing it out. We are still searching for a Sopra replacement. Revel is high on the list.

[@Philear4124]

@@TheAlphaAudio nice, Revel once had, enough suggestions I think, Marten, Gold Note (I now have) Kudos, Dutch speaker ......

[@dieselphiend]

Can anything compete with the new Elac db63's for the price? I've been looking for weeks, and aside from the occasional used set on eBay, I can't really find anything better.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@dieselphiend well... It depends on a lot of things. Taste, room acoustics and amplifier for example.

[@dieselphiend]

@@TheAlphaAudio The amp will be either the Fosi Audio V3 Mono Power Amplifiers, Topping LA90 or Topping PA7 +. The room is roughly 12 x 15', and in terms of sound insulation, it's the best room I've ever heard. The walls are absolutely covered in textiles, and many things hang from the ceiling. There is no audible reflections at all.

[@MaZEEZaM]

As far as the Yamaha and the Lumina II, for me Luka sounded a bit cold, i felt like it could do with warmer sound but its difficult to tell given you didn't play the same song on the expensive amp but it was a very clean, clear, very audible sound. I imagine the clarity of voices in movies and series would be great.

[@54tristin]

Magnapan would go well with the Pas. As would PNC

[@steveee2511]

will sonus faber match great with naim amp

[@TheAlphaAudio]

I guess ...

[@skumnjepf]

Beyerdynamic DT 770?😊

[@riccitone]

Could be a primary outcome, when you find a speaker that pairs well with more amps. Now I want the Luminas! Or the Sonetto I...same low distortion on those I imagine.

[@dagreatstoney.5869]

Great stuff lads , tks

[@louthelegend]

please give me the name of the tracks that you're playing all of them

[@Leo-yn5fx]

which gives you more detail retrieval the sonus or elac?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

They are pretty equal. The balance is different and thus the presentation of detail.

[@Leo-yn5fx]

@@TheAlphaAudio detail and clarity sound better on the sonus? I thought they'd sound more resolving than the elac. I guess a better question would be as far as like upper bass note guitars there's better separation in the sonus or no? What would be a speaker that gives the strengths of the sonus with better resolution?

[@El_white_horse]

I just bought those sonus faber lumina II and I’m still looking for a good integrated amplifier to match under $2000 . Any suggestions .

[@robcylo]

Hi, I'm interested in lumina too. So what amp did you choose? Tks

[@spooner1]

Belles ARIA. Warm sounding may be good with the Lumina's top end.

[@Vinyl-Go-Pilates_Reiner]

How about the Marantz 30?

[@golfjunkymusicjunky8370]

SF clearly…try the lumina v with hegel…… heaven

[@golfjunkymusicjunky8370]

Thanks

[@nc3419]

Ultra smooth? I find my Hegel h160 smooth and prefer that to amps that emphasize upper mids thru lower highs.

[@motokathifi]

Many thank's. it's not the first intention but i have discovered music's like TOOL, London Grammar.. just watching your lives.

[@andresrosero2091]

What do you guys think of the SF Lumina 2 paired with a Peachtree Nova 300?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Havent tried that combo. So can't say... Do you like it?

[@andresrosero2091]

@@TheAlphaAudio I own the Nova 300 paired with Klipsch rp8000f. The combo sounds very good for the price. I have heart the Nova 300 with B&W 703 snd it’s amazing. Now I’m interested in the SF Lumina 2 after your review

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

I have mixed feeling about the 906 Aria, would love to have an A/B with the new 906 Aria with kevlar woofer.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We can check that!

[@richarddegannes2928]

Hi, Would appreciated your help in identifying which is the better speaker for a medium size room between Focal Aria 906, Sonus Faber Sonetto II and or Kef LS50 Meta speakers? My amplifier is a . Parasound A21+. Thanks in advance

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We haven't tested those speakers or combination with that amp.

[@manugrandest1683]

Sonus Lumina 1 or 2

[@54tristin]

I think that the Kef LS 50 are the most overrated speakers in the industry, if played without a subwoofer.

[@FreqAMP]

Elec Reference FTW ! SF sounded too bright except the 1st track. Elac balanced with Nuprime (Synergy) Focal not bad comes 2nd after Elac. Both can't compete to a reference level speaker. Period! And this dude has such an amazing mic 👍

[@manugrandest1683]

SF sound too bright ? No, highs are great with Lumina. We like when trebles are at a high level , listen real sound of cymbal for instance

[@jonasf4065]

Elac=poop

[@DanielBennett-ru1lw]

Great job god bless you guys

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

Sonus Faber comes out on top for many. Great detail, low distorsion. Why so little attention to it in the audio community? Needs EQ? Too shouty in some tracks. But with a good sub and EQ we can really go places with it. Reminds me sometimes of the B&W 7xx series

[@mndlessdrwer]

I have no idea. I listened to some Sonus Faber Lumina II at my local audio shop hooked up to a HiFi Rose RS201E and I was thoroughly impressed by their sound. Pleasant, almost warm, but shockingly detailed and with a surprising amount of bass and mid-bass for such a comparatively small driver. I'm quite a fan of their tuning, overall, but they do struggle a bit when you ask them to play metal, or metal-adjacent tracks loudly. The upper mids and treble can begin to get a little "hot" once you top a certain volume.

[@markd4292]

Hey Juan. I just demoed the Lumina III. I agree with you about the Lumina II. I bet these speakers will respond to a bit of EQ, not that they're bright, just a tad over-emphasized top end, but it's weird, it's so balanced throughout that the treble didn't call itself out to me, per se. I am coming from demoing the Klipsch Forte IV and KLH Model 5, and I actually think the SFL 3 and 5 remind me more of the Forte: forward but in a good way. And in all fairness and truth, to my ears, the Forte's are actually warmer but they have metal tweeters in a compression horn. I can't get the SF out of my head. I left the shop and my head was in the clouds, in a good way after listening to them. Impressive.

[@jdavis234]

It isn’t as widely available. I was listening to them recently against my Polk L100 speakers which I tend to prefer as I find it more balanced. The Luminas seem great for low level listening or those who prefer lively top end.

[@markd4292]

JM. Have you used an EQ with the SF, and if so, how did it respond?

[@JoaoSilva-nm3us]

Elac seems to be the best overall. Focal way too dry and thin. SF with treble too hot for my taste. Great video! Thanks

[@RennieAsh]

There's something about Focal inverted dome that can be nice but also can get tiring. I've heard the same character on a few different models of this tweeter. Sonus Faber has that top end rise which I don't really like. Mayb work for certain equipment I guess. The elac seemed to sound the smoothest overall. Of course this may be a little different in person.

[@Anti-FreedomD.P.R.ofSouthKorea]

Thank you for making the showpiece being you two men, talking over even during the sound demo portions.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

You are welcome.

[@54tristin]

Definitely needs more cowbell!👍🏻

[@peterbaugh51]

They should be named "Sonos V Curve". Wow. Good video. Still I would pick a neutral speaker and tweak it with tone controls. I know, "The Horrors!". Every dollar we spend is a vote...

[@SvenfromKiel]

excellent music choice...Toto and Tool is music for an island and so well recorded. Tipp: Fates Warning also nice > Perfect Simmetry...I also love this band and saw them life and their productions are also very good..cheers from North-Germany..love your channel..cheers from elac-town ps: ...while listening to it with a Dali Zensor 1 combined with a 40 years old NAD 3120 which is actually a good match for me (but the Sonus impresses me),,,

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@SvenfromKiel Thanks!

[@golfjunkymusicjunky8370]

I changed a lot, amplifiers sansui au 717, Hegel 120, Nad m22 v2 all with schiit Freya in the front with bluesound node 2i and rega planar 2…. All to my sonos Faber lumina 5…. Now with Atoll in 400 se… and that’s heaven … the best off all….. I tested with my friend on avant-garde acoustic duo with Accuphase e 560…. The atoll was beter in every way…… check out the atoll stuff it’s super

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We have tested a lot of Atoll. Very nice stuff indeed!

[@markd4292]

Hey, great call. I went into a local HIFI store here and asked the salesperson if they had Atoll. They replied, "Never heard of them"! Furthermore, I than asked, if they had Exposure, and again, they never heard of it as well! Exposure are great too.

[@golfjunkymusicjunky8370]

@@markd4292 Thanks for reply if they never heard of Atoll or even exposure….-ok thats no Hi-Fi dealer…..or at least Not so interested in Good Stereo Sound…

[@markd4292]

@@golfjunkymusicjunky8370 LOL. Correct buddy. What's more frustrating with that place was that when I commented on hearing the difference between paper drivers vs other material, they replied no. "like who are You to tell me what I am hearing and experiencing as reality as false" I felt like saying. Idiots.

[@jan-pietervanwaasbergen2441]

Wat ik nog vergeten was te vragen, mijn versterker is een NAD C326BEE, luister alleen klassieke muziek, met welke van de 3 denken jullie dat dit het beste matcht?

[@nankurubiker1000]

SF

[@jan-pietervanwaasbergen2441]

@@nankurubiker1000 Thanks I go for SF, I did listen to it with Bach, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven and SF are the best

[@nankurubiker1000]

@@jan-pietervanwaasbergen2441 are the best

[@e.p.2218]

Could you also test JMR Lucia or Folia. They they have very good reviews and many happy owners in France.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We can try. But there is no distributor in the Netherlands

[@thelowprofile9767]

How does he know if he did not hear the music live?

[@vijoyem1]

Can you test ATC 11 speakers pls

[@jan-pietervanwaasbergen9870]

Interessante demo. Ik ga binnenkort verhuizen en mijn nieuwe woning is de luister ruimte kamer ongv 20m2. Nu heb ik Sonus Faber Principia 5, een vloer staander waar ik erg aan gehecht ben. Zoek een monitor speaker voor mijn iets kleinere ruimte. Heb een zeer specifieke muzieksmaak. Ben een klassieke muziek junk. Kan er ongv 1000 euro aan besteden. Zit te twijfelen hoorde al jullie Elac, verbaasde me positief. Maar ga ook zeker de SF Lumina 2 nog luisteren bij Hobo hifi Amersfoort. Wat is jullie mening keuze voor een klassieke muziek junk als ik ben, denk zelf dat SF Lumina , 2 het beste bij me past, ook omdat de sound van SF gewend ben en als je er Bach door hoort, wauw. Groetjes Jan-Pieter

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Beide prima keuze. Elac is wat neutraler. SF is wat opener door de bump na 7 kHz.

[@jmtennapel]

Als mede klassieke muziek junk geef ik je nog een tip die helemaal links vanuit het niets gaat komen: dringende aanbeveling om te luisteren naar de System Audio 5.2 Silverback. Een actief systeem, is ook gereviewed in een andere live stream en op de Alpha Audio website. In een kamer van 20m2 is die ideaal. Het is dan wel een vervanging voor zowel luidsprekers en versterker. Als klassiek liefhebber met een dergelijke omvang kamer zijn die system audio's een geschenk uit de hemel.

[@jan-pietervanwaasbergen9870]

@@jmtennapel heel veel dank voor je advies. Ik ga zeker eens luisteren hoe Bach, Rachmaninov en al die anderen op deze speakers klinken. Muzikale groet Jan-Pieter

[@gianluca6351]

Good morning, the lowest speaker in the Focal range is Chora 806 Thanks for the helpful review

[@TheAlphaAudio]

True!

[@nippahut]

lumina 2 kills the noise from the the other 2 right away no delay lol!!!!

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

And the Lumina II is tops! Even with the B&W "bump". LOL ! Trebly, but AGE matters. Most listeners are 40+, 50+, 60+. Human hearing fr curves evolve with age. Speaker builders ADAPT to their customer base. :-) I like the Elac for its "purity". The SF is just as "precise" but more "stirring". A sub might be needed to fill in the bass. (or buy a 16 k€ PassLabs?) And EQ to tame the treble.... SF sounds a bit like a 7 series B&W but less fatiguing. And the NuPrime dac/amp is a revelation. (but a bit on the expensive side for what it is). Not too popular. It is a bit limited in power, so its ability to handle inefficient tiddlers was a surprise. Maybe it pours out the amps in droves so it doesn't clip. Elacs work best with 160-200 w class D amps. (Purifi, etc). They bring them to life and make a big difference.

[@markd4292]

You guys nailed the reaction to the SF Lumina II. I wanted the Lumina V but the dealer only had the Lumina III in so I demoed it. Beautiful midrange, nice bass, but gosh the treble seemed overemphasized. It wasn't fatiguing which was odd, but I don't know if it is my thing or not. I heard Klipsch Heritage speakers: Forte IV and Cornwall IV, that have tamer treble and overall warm character, but the horns suck at putting a band-aid over poor recordings, they will let you know if the recording is poor. The Lumina III and V however, are very good with poor recordings. I don't stream often and when I do it's Spotify, then CDs and LPs for me, so perhaps the Sonus Faber is the one for me. With a little EQ I think I can smooth out the treble response. Lovely review.

[@jdavis234]

I’m demoing the lumina 1 and finding it to also be a bit too lively on the top end. Some people like that but 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@markd4292]

@@jdavis234 I meant to say that the Sonus Faber was not fatiguing, just "lively" like you said. The midrange is what really got me, it's so darn open and flat. I like flat. I think the top end can be EQ'd down a bit with a decent equalizer. If you get a chance, check out the Lumina 5, even if you can't afford them. I still stand by my word that Klipsch Heritage Forte iv and Cornwall iv are much less lively as these! Much less. The huge negative with the Klipsch is they will not, and can not put a band-aid over poor recordings. I played CDs and other poor recorded music with the Lumina 5 and they were Great! This is a Huge Plus for ME as I tend not to stream and own lots of LPs/CDs and occasionally listen to Spotify, maybe.

[@jdavis234]

@@markd4292 I’ve found that it responds nicely to costlier tube preamps with a high current solid state amp. I had it connected to a marantz nr1200 and it was just not having it. Quite harsh. I suspect it has trouble driving 4ohm. I have these speakers for a smaller listening space that tends to get overloaded at 50hz so this speakers works great in that scenario.

[@markd4292]

@@jdavis234 Thanks for the info JD. I am really on the fence about which of the three speakers I like: SF Lumina 5, Martin Logan 60XTi, KLH Model 5. The only negative about the Logans is it is pretty tall (4ft) and the treble is almost above my ears in a seated position (maybe the bottom 1/4 is at ear level). But the top of the speaker's cabinet is like 2.5ft from my drop ceiling (6.5ft tall). I can't get the midrange and overall tonality of the SF Lumina 5 out of my head. If I get them, I thought of powering them with the Arcam SA20 or SA30, high current integrated amp. I heard them before and enjoyed the sound. I don't know, it's just a gut feeling that it may be a great pairing. The KLH are nice too, but it doesn't have the expansive midrange like the other two brands, after all the midrange on the Logans is like 6.5 inches and the SF is like 5 inches or more, whereas the KLH are but a 3 inch driver. Decision time! The Logans are on sale nearby for like 25-30% off retail.

[@jdavis234]

@@markd4292 Sounds like you’re drawn to the Luminas. I would go with what moves you, and not worrying about cost if you’re planning on keeping them for many years, or you’re going to be spending more down the line.

[@gdwlaw5549]

wonder why we don't have more audiophiles?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Indeed... Beautiful hobby!

[@wadimek116]

cost.

[@RennieAsh]

To be fair, many people aren't atuned to or care for searching for what can be relatively minor differences in sound character. Where the communication is more important than the technical quality. People will listen to music and watch movies on whatever exists more for the purpose of it being an audiobook or visual novel :)

[@colinchang1543]

How would you compare the Lumina ii to the KEF R3?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Very different. Lumina is brighter sounding. R3 has a lot of bass...

[@colinchang1543]

@@TheAlphaAudio Thank you. How about in terms of soundstage, voicing and scale? I'm trying to decide between these two without auditioning and any help would be appreciated.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@colinchang1543 Your acoustics and combination with amp are equally important. And your own taste. Both are fine speakers. It's all what you are looking for in music reproduction.

[@colinchang1543]

@@TheAlphaAudio Definitely understand. I'm fairly new to this, so still trying to figure out what I like. I'm currently running Elac UB5's and would like to upgrade to something with a bit more bite. I really like what concentric drivers offer, however your sound clips of the L3's really caught my attention.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@colinchang1543 if you are fairly new to this, I highly advice you to go to a store and listen to a couple of speakers with your own amp that you take along. That way you can determine what you like most.

[@chinmeysway]

Damn I knew the music was gonna blow tho

[@alex.j87]

Thank you for the presentation! I actually additioned the lumina ii with a Marantz pm6007 and i liked it very much. I have scheduled listenings for Aria 906 with Arcam SA10, and for the Elacs unifi reference ubr62 with the Marantz pm6007. Can you share your thoughts on these combinations? This is going to be my first setup so i have little experience. Also, do you have any thoughts on the Marantz nr1200? I’m attracted by its features but can’t find any comparisons to the pm6007. Thank you in advance!

[@alex.j87]

Btw, love the tracks you’ve chosen. I like to listen to all genres of rock, but also blues, jazz, country, oldies, and sometimes classical. Will place them in a Small appartment living room ~ 15m2 if you dont count the kitchenz

[@TheAlphaAudio]

You should trust your own ears. What I like is not important. It's your money... Your ears. You will hear yourself. What you like. Or not...

[@alex.j87]

I understand the advice completely. The worst setup is the one that you don’t enjoy :). I’ll certainly listen to all of them. I meant more from technical/quality perspective, are these components/combinations “good” ?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

@@alex.j87 technically all should work. I do like the 6007 more than the 1200.

[@alex.j87]

@@TheAlphaAudio thanks for sharing your opinion. I found the 1200 today in a local store and it did sound worse than the 6007, at least to me. After a lot of listening I decided on the Lumina II with the 6007. Since they’ll be on the tv stand, i’ll also get isoacoustic aperta stands, did read a lot of good stuff about them. Thanks again!

[@grahamehedger4498]

Too much chat for me and too long a gap between speaker testing, making it impossible to choose between the three.

[@dariopieterson]

Oja vergeten om te zeggen maar veel van jullie speaker zijn af geprijst:)

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We communiceren altijd aanbevolen retail-prijzen. Maar idd... je kan ze goedkoper vinden.

[@dariopieterson]

@@TheAlphaAudio ah geeft niet hoor:)

[@dariopieterson]

Kan je ook die polk audio r200 doen:)

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Tuurlijk. Kunnen we wel een keer oppakken.

[@francisdelacruz6439]

Thanks, nice Review. Great adding sound Clips! Maybe the highs won't be as bad in a different room for Lumina 2. Younger listeners likely prefer higher treble that's why it's tuned that way...

[@mndlessdrwer]

I'd imagine it's the other way around, wherein older listeners who have some amount of hearing loss in the treble region may want it a bit brighter. Even so, I generally consider them very nice speakers every time I've heard something playing on a speaker from Sonus Faber. They do excel with the "easy listening" genres like Jazz, R&B, Classical, Orchestral, Atmospheric and the like.

[@francisdelacruz6439]

@@mndlessdrwer Yes, the sound of Sf specially the older Serblin designed models have that distinctive beguiling tone. The really good ones are a bit pricey though...

[@Jil8840]

The volume is not leveled sadly!!!

[@54tristin]

In my opinion I think most Yamaha equipment sounds vailed, dark, and smears the uppermidrange.

[@elise10lies84]

Hi Eric, maybe it is in our name, but i also can’t handle hardrock/ metal either😂

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Hahaha

[@stephenbailey9969]

Synergy matters. Source + amp + speakers + room.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

Indeed!

[@markd4292]

Source is to me the primary, speakers are on the bottom of the list. I totally disagree with the thinking that you should put your money in quality speakers as your first purchase. The music comes from up the chain, the source: crap in, crap out. I mean, if you dig the best speaker you can get, get it before they stop making it, but you best be sure to make the source, and the amp reflect quality for the speakers. Hey, there are some, just some, a handful of "budget" speakers that actually upgrade with better equipment. Put the money in electronics, quality source, dac, amp, etc and worry about the speakers later.

[@spooner1]

Certainly does. I have always said that. Some people just do not understand what matters.

[@mndlessdrwer]

Focal has never been my favorite speaker brand and I've heard several of their speakers now. They're technically competent, obviously they should be for the price, but they just aren't a sound I prefer. Every time I hear them I think something along the lines of "These are very good speakers, but I don't like them." At this point I think I've listened to them on McIntosh source stacks and on Mark Levinson source stacks and neither of those feeds seemed to improve them to the point that I would prefer them over an equivalently priced Sonus Faber or Revel. The ELAC Uni-Fi Reference speakers definitely measure very "correct". Slightly darker variant of neutral. Just need to be a bit cautious choosing the source stack because, while they do appreciate power, it's easy to get a source that goes too hard for them and you find the distortion inherent in a less expensive speaker. I'd say stick with something Class-D so the impedance changes won't matter and try to find something similarly neutral and clean. I personally love the slightly dark neutral tuned speakers because they're great for ambient music listening where you just leave something playing in the background constantly, but don't want your ears to feel fatigued. Sonus Faber really are the epitome of "easy-listening" genre speakers, though their reps get a bit offended if you point this out to them. They don't like their speakers being type-cast as such. And, to their credit, Sonus Faber speakers are legitimately quite versatile when paired with the proper source stack and room size. Their speakers all sound a little bit bigger than they actually are, which is quite nice. They're warm, but don't lack detail, though if your music has a lot of stuff going on in the "spaciousness" region around 8.5kHz, then it'll start to become fatiguing, since they usually have a bit of gain tuned in there to make the sound stage seem bigger. Songs that I like to demo with: "Erin" by The Omnific (tests classic electric guitar, electric bass, and several types of cymbals and drums.) any song from the album "Wandering" by Yosi Horikawa (Some of the best music for testing staging and placement, "Bubbles" became a bit of a community favorite for a while.) any song from the album "The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingoes" by The Cinematic Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Some of my favorite orchestral music from the current century. Lots of excellent instrumentation and good mastering. You also get some less common percussion and woodwinds, so there's a lot to love. Marabou is my favorite for detailed listening because the microphones are so good that you can hear not only the reed flap of the bassoon, but you can also hear the key actuations. They're all good songs, and the closing song mixes leitmotifs from the other songs with female vocals.)

[@72mrcream]

Lumina II + Maranzt pm7000N ?

[@TheAlphaAudio]

I really don't like the pm7000n.

[@Matt-yn8dv]

MORE COWBELL!

[@dangoh2237]

Focal lost by far to Sonus Faber!!

[@markd4292]

Focal are way too bright for me. But the SF aren't too far in those terms either. Tilted upper Hz are a ploy to attract you to the item. Eh. Give me neutrality. Best just make your own DIY.

[@Peter-ii4xq]

Music without bass doesn't exists. Testing a car with only two wheels.

[@MelinaAspero]

F uck bass! 😮‍💨

[@abhijeetupadhye6821]

sf > elac > focal

[@ЗоранЂоровић]

Sonus Faber Lumina II is indisputable in all segments!

[@bbfoto7248]

@TheAlphaAudio Jaap & Yung...Unfortunately, after hearing this test, I might have to invest in that Pass Labs amplifier! My wallet is going to cry for a while, but my ears and mind will be happy. ;-) If you can source them, try to get a pair of *Kali Audio IN-8* concentric driver 3-way active studio monitors. $800 USD/pair. Designed by former JBL engineers.

[@TheAlphaAudio]

We will! Thanks for the feedback.

[@anandshah71]

Gentelmen check out Hypex nCore based amps u will be amazed save the money and spend on good speakers

[@budsmoker4201120]

It is funny when people talk about the amp sounding like It wanted to do more....... psycho acoustic.

[@ofcourse9728]

Number one elac

[@skumnjepf]

Sonus faber and nuprime is no match either to my ears.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

UBR62 is definitely more "precise" than the 906 Arya.

[@israelescamilla6527]

klipsch r15 + crown xls 1002 sounds similar at a better price

[@TheAlphaAudio]

How can you know that?

[@markd4292]

Noise. I would never use a Crown anything, especially on high efficient speakers. Why do it? It doesn't make sense. All you need for Klipsch are like 5 watts to 20 watts, maybe 50 watts tops of tube or SS. But hey, to each their own. Do what you like.

[@skumnjepf]

Sonus faber and Yamaha really do not match, indeed.

[@MrFryfish]

...what a masterful way of wasting time and storage on youtube...

[@Jamy4ya]

@@MrFryfish hehe... U said it bro. A Hi-Fi system is all about synergy and the room you are listening in. But people simply don't realize that. However out of all the speakers here, Elac would be my choice as it's the only the 3 way speakers out of 3, that too concentric and designed by Andrew Johns. And then start from there...

[@MaZEEZaM]

I'm NOT a metal fan either, especially the screaming type. I much prefer classical piano and violin, orchestral and vocals, Butterfly Lovers Concerto, Hans Zimmer - Pirates Of The Caribbean, and music like Metallica Nothing Else Matters, Katie Melua , The Cranberries, Belinda Carlisle, Crash Test Dummies, Cyndi Lauper and many others. I've enjoyed your choices of music in this test.

[@acemacgruber6593]

For God’s sake! Don’t ask her!

[@chinmeysway]

2 grand for speakers that only reach into 55 hz that is garbage or what am I missing here? Not everyone feels like having a huge dark mole bass wad on their floor

[@TheAlphaAudio]

If you only want deep bass, there are definately other choices. If you want speed, refinement, stereo imaging... etc... well...

[@porfiriooptaziano3617]

Hola borracios ! Wasch your ears and stop talks ! Drink something better !