Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M Loudspeakers

Is there anything quite so wondrous (for the hi-fi aficionado at least) as a huge sound being delivered by small speakers? There’s a definite fascination to hearing that big, big performance coming from such tiny transducers. Just listen to the buzz in the corridors at any hi-fi show; at least one of the “Have you heard…” stories is going to involve the bass and sheer scale generated by some pair of sub-miniature speakers. I can still vividly remember the first time I heard Sonus Faber’s Electa Amators driven by the monster Audio Research M300s, a formative experience that definitely bent if it didn’t outright defy the laws of physics…

Indeed, for the last 20 years, ever since the first appearance of the Celestion SL6, small speakers have come and gone, more often than not coupled to unfeasibly large amplifiers, but the products of Sonus Faber have been a constant presence. Does anybody do neat, petite and elegantly discrete nearly as well as the Italian maestro, Franco Serblin? Well, I have to say that the answer to that question, based on the evidence in front of me is… Yes, they do. But before small speaker manufacturers of the world celebrate in premature glee, the product in question comes from none other than – Sonus Faber. After more than two decades at the helm, Franco has decided to focus his attention on the flagship Homage series, handing over design responsibilities for the likes of the Cremona range to fresh blood. Now, listening to Act 2 of Cosi… with my eyes closed, the stage stretches before me, its sides and rear clearly defined, the orchestra in its pit, Despina coquettish as she sings of love and “opportunity”. It is indeed hard to credit that the little speakers that are revealed once I do open my eyes can support this musical tour de force. It’s not just that there’s no apparent connection between the two, the sound seemingly existing entirely of its own volition, separate and independent of the speakers, but there’s the disparity of scale too. My eyes keep telling me that the two can’t be connected, my brain keeps telling me that they are, my ears keep telling the eyes and brain to just shut up and listen. I heartily recommend the latter course…

Perhaps there’s a natural affinity between Italian speakers and opera, even opera where the composer isn’t himself Italian. Perhaps it’s all a conjuring trick, the speakers designed to blow listeners away with the one thing they do supremely well, hoping that they won’t realise all the things they don’t do until after the cheque has cleared. It wouldn’t be the first time… But no, these speakers are just as adept whatever you throw at them, large or small, acoustic or heavily amplified, they take it in their stride. They are the Cremona Auditor Ms – and they are more than a little bit special!

Back in Issue 26, CT raved about the original Auditor, which despite its (relatively) modest price tag we’ve since considered one of the stars in the Sonus Faber range. The Auditor M takes the performance of the original and extends it significantly – which is no mean feat. Along the way it also tidies up the aesthetics, applying a few finishing touches to what was already one of the most attractive speaker/stand combinations on the market. What’s been done? Well, let’s start with the drivers. Both come from Scanspeak, the tweeter still being the ring-radiator design, but a different version, one with the sharply tapered, conical phase plug in place of the original’s brass bullet. The 150mm bass-mid driver dispenses with the radial damping slots of the old model, using a plain paper cone instead. In turn, these changes have necessitated a revised crossover, which between you and me is I suspect largely responsible for the sonic improvements. The speaker retains the beautiful proportions and cabinet of the original, and is still single wired. But the back panel now features a symmetrical, curved contour that looks far more elegant and also places the rear firing reflex port directly behind the driver it loads. The base of the matching stand is now cut away to create a more sculpted and far less clumpy appearance. All told, the aesthetic changes are subtle but in concert produce a more complete and visually congruent (as well as dramatic) product. Which is pretty much the sonic effect too.

The Auditor M is a significantly more lucid, tactile, expressive and less visible performer than its predecessor. Individually, the changes are not large, but in combination their impact on the music and its presentation certainly is. Tellingly, CT preferred the original with the grilles in place. Sure enough, they bring a sense of rounded integrity to the broad mid-band of the Auditor M too. The difference is that that rounding now sounds sluggish and artificial, as well as robbing the sound of immediacy and air. The new version needs no help to seamlessly integrate its drivers, the easier, more articulate response of the bass-mid combined with the extra air and extension of the revised tweeter revealing all too clearly the detrimental sonic aspects of the grilles. The Auditor was always an engaging and articulate, warm and inviting speaker. It still is; but the increase in clarity and its micro-dynamic response have given it a new agility, an ability to step away from the music so that you hear more of the artists’ performance and less of the speakers’.