Sonus Faber Aida Speakers
£100,000.00
What HFL Thinks
Sonus Faber Aida – There is a real pride of ownership with Sonus Faber speakers, they are almost like the Ferrari of the speaker world with that Italian passion running through everything they do, from the stunningly elegant speaker cabinets to the highly developed drivers, every Sonus Faber speaker that leaves the factory in Italy is hand built with real pride and passion, they use the same techniques that have been developed over many hundreds of years of violin and lute making with real care and attention given to every part of the speaker, resulting in a extremely musical and natural sounding speaker, so why not pop into to HiFi lounge to hear how stunning Sonus Faber speakers are.
A speaker as grandiose as an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, able to revolutionise, and at the same time express, the essence of Sonus faber values.
From the fusion of “tradition” and “technological innovation” comes the beauty of a new era. The thirty year tradition of Sonus faber is condensed in this new and extraordinary project. It is our core values that gather the fruits of our labours in the progress made through Amati futura and Guarneri Evolution. They marked important milestones and are crowned by an even deeper awareness of the roots of Sonus faber.
Innovation is the other side of the soul of Aida: all the ideas and the patents developed with “The Sonus faber” are integrated into this new, extraordinary speaker system.
The “Z.V.T.” system, for example, is implemented in an entirely innovative way, through the use of an arched suspension with controlled yield called “Bow Spring”. The technology used in the drivers, entirely designed and developed in Sonus faber, without compromising in adhering to our sound objectives, is another example of the steps we take in innovation: a typical example can be found in the DAD “arrow point” tweeter.
The combination of tradition and innovation represented by Aida could not find a better expression of harmony than in its shape. This is thanks to its completely new design that reinterprets the “lyre” shape. The combination results in extraordinary grace and harmony: a beauty that seduces with “natural and physiological” shapes because they stem from precise acoustic needs, not merely decoration.
A speaker as grandiose as an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, able to revolutionise, and at the same time express, the essence of Sonus faber values.
From the fusion of “tradition” and “technological innovation” comes the beauty of a new era. The thirty year tradition of Sonus faber is condensed in this new and extraordinary project. It is our core values that gather the fruits of our labours in the progress made through Amati futura and Guarneri Evolution. They marked important milestones and are crowned by an even deeper awareness of the roots of Sonus faber.
Innovation is the other side of the soul of Aida: all the ideas and the patents developed with “The Sonus faber” are integrated into this new, extraordinary speaker system.
The “Z.V.T.” system, for example, is implemented in an entirely innovative way, through the use of an arched suspension with controlled yield called “Bow Spring”. The technology used in the drivers, entirely designed and developed in Sonus faber, without compromising in adhering to our sound objectives, is another example of the steps we take in innovation: a typical example can be found in the DAD “arrow point” tweeter.
The combination of tradition and innovation represented by Aida could not find a better expression of harmony than in its shape. This is thanks to its completely new design that reinterprets the “lyre” shape. The combination results in extraordinary grace and harmony: a beauty that seduces with “natural and physiological” shapes because they stem from precise acoustic needs, not merely decoration.
Specification:
SYSTEM: 3.5-way Floor standing Loudspeaker System employing Sound Field Shaper and “Zero Vibration Transmission” technology. A Para-Aperiodic vented box featuring a “Stealth Reflex System” with staggered low-frequency driver enclosures.
CABINET: “Lyra shape” design, dual side curvature, special cross-grained Okoumè plywood constructed in a double thickness layer-damped configuration. Sub–structural ribs are strategically placed for total rejection of spurious vibrations and standing wave control. Two “damp-shelves” i.e. CNC machined and anodized Avional “vibration dampers” (on the top and on the bottom of the enclosure) stiffen the column structure consistently reducing structural micro-vibrations coming from the cabinet walls and transducers.
The “Anima Legata” system is used in an innovative way to effectively reduce vibrations. Encompassing the 3 inner chambers of the front-firing drive-units, a special steel rod serves as a high-speed mechanical interface, concentrating the remaining micro-vibrations and delivering them to the dual “Tuned Mass Dampers”, differently tuned and optimized to erase micro-vibrations by cancellation through oscillation in the opposite phase.
An all new “Floating Bridge / Bow Spring” (patent pending) suspension is used as the speaker’s base in order to decouple the speakers enclosure from the floor through the use of Zero Vibration Transmission technology. The suspension system eliminates any acoustic feedback and also any vibration propagation into the listening room.
TWEETER: Sonus faber “Arrow Point” DAD (Damped Apex Dome) is a synthesis of the classic dome and ring transducer. A Sonus faber designed 1″ (29mm) moving coil driver, with Sonus faber’s vibration optimized mechanical interface. Its ultra dynamic linearity is created by a new Neodymium motor system implemented with a natural wood acoustic labyrinth as a rear chamber. Additionally, a mechanical anti-resonator specially designed for this application reduces unwanted resonance even further. In order to perfectly match the loudspeakers high-frequency performance to different listening rooms and different tastes, it is possible to adjust the output (SPL) of the tweeter.
MIDRANGE: The midrange driver is a Sonus faber designed 7″ (180mm) ultra-dynamic linearity midrange with a neodymium magnet system. CCAW wire is used on a composite former with an “eddy current free” voice coil. The dynamically linear magnetic field motor incorporates triple Kellog/Goeller rings. A special custom made diaphragm is manufactured with an air-dried, non-pressed blend of traditional cellulose pulp, kapok, kenaf and other natural fibers. Developed and chosen according to the most natural sound. To further inhibit any residual cone coloration, a transparent viscous surface damping coating is applied to the cone.
The basket is thoroughly optimized to eliminate any resonance, thanks to a high-tech dual metal (Avional and Gunmetal) material CNC machined from solid billets. The combination of these two different materials, Avional and Gunmetal, eliminates any mutual resonance within the drive unit.
Using the same techniques as the tweeter, the midrange is decoupled from the main baffle board and designed synergistically within its own optimized “acoustic chamber”. A special coaxial “anti-compressor” is used, that is designed to remove any remaining cavity resonances and distortions.
WOOFERS: A pair of Sonus faber designed 8.75″ (220mm) woofers employ lightweight “sandwich” cones made from the high-tech blending of a synthetic foam core and surface skins embedded with coated cellulose pulp. These drive units reside in an acoustically amorphous “Stealth Reflex” chamber for optimized performance. Designed to blend perfectly with the midrange and, at the same time, to have absolute definition in their range, these woofers have the same sonic character of the midrange cone. A long-throw motor system with a 2″ diameter controlled “eddy current” voice coil is implemented for high speed, performance and linearity. Like the midrange driver, a special coaxial anti-compressor is designed to remove any remaining cavity resonance and distortions.
INFRA WOOFER: Sonus faber designed a (320mm) infra woofer, lightweight honeycomb composite sandwich cone structure with Nanocarbon technology for a maximum rigidity and implemented it in an acoustically amorphous “stealth reflex” chamber. The unit features a very powerful long throw motor with a 3″ voice coil for ultra dynamic linearity. To perfectly match the low-end performance to different listening rooms it is possible to adapt the SPL of the infra woofer.
SOUND FIELD SHAPER: The patented Sound Field Shaper allows the control of the direct/reverberant radiation ratio of the Aida. The Sound Field Shaper module can be SPL optimized.
SOUND FIELD SHAPER TWEETER: 1″ (29mm) ultra-dynamic linearity neodymium dome driver. Optimized for off-axis radiation in this special application.
SOUND FIELD SHAPER MIDRANGE: 4.75″ (120mm), paper pulp / natural fiber blend cone driver for maximum coherence with the front midrange output.
CROSS-OVER: Non-resonant design with optimized amplitude and phase response for excellent space / time performance. “Para-cross Topology” on the tweeter hi-pass keeps the impedance at low frequencies is controlled for a friendly amplifier load. Triple- staggered transfer function and low frequency / room interface optimized filter ensures smooth driver transitions. Highest quality components throughout including Mundorf “Supreme” Silver / Gold / Oil capacitors and Jantzen inductors. The crossover points are: 55Hz, 180Hz, 250Hz and 3kHz.
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 35kHz, Stealth reflex included
Sensitivity: 92db SPL (2.83V/1 m)
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms
Power Handling: 100W – 1KW, without clipping
Speaker Dimensions (HWD): 68 x 19 x 30.75 in. (1725 x 482 x 780 mm)
Speaker Weight: 728 lbs. (330 Kg) per pair, net weight / 1,213 lbs. (550 Kg) per pair – shipping weight
Options:
Graphite or Violin Red