In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Sonus faber. Sonus Faber Lumina III is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Lumina II is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus Lumina III and Sonus Lumina II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus Lumina III | Sonus Lumina II |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.15" high definition DAD | 1.15" high definition DAD |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6" paper cone | 6" paper cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-24k Hz | 55-24k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 86 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-250 watts | 30-150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 15.90kg / 35lbs | 5.65kg / 12.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38.9" x 9" x 10.9"
989.0 x 228.0 x 278.0mm | 12" x 7.1" x 10.3"
304.0 x 180.0 x 263.0mm |
|---|
Lumina III and Lumina II are members of Sonus faber's Lumina series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Sonus faber Lumina Series
History
What size room are the Sonus Lumina III and Sonus Lumina II speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Sonus Lumina III |
Sonus Lumina II |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Lumina III is a 3-way design whereas the Lumina II is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Sonus Lumina IIISonus Lumina II
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Sonus Lumina III |
Sonus Lumina II |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.15-inch
|
1.15-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6-inch
|
1 x 6-inch
|
Lumina III features a 1.15" high definition DAD Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 6" paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 350 and 3500 Hz. On the other hand, the Lumina II features a 1.15" high definition DAD Tweeter and 1 x 6" paper cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1800Hz.
Frequency Response
Lumina III has a frequency range of 40-24k Hz whereas Lumina II has a frequency range of 55-24k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Lumina III can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Lumina II's min frequency of 55Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Lumina III and Lumina II have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Lumina III sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Lumina II's is at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Sonus Lumina III a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus Lumina II, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Lumina III and the Lumina III can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Lumina III can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Lumina II has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Lumina III.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier — change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Lumina III and Lumina II features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Sonus Lumina II's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Lumina III has a bottom firing port whereas Lumina II has a front firing ports. Sonus Lumina II's front-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Sonus Lumina III with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Sonus Lumina III's and Sonus Lumina II's external dimensions. Sonus Lumina III has external dimensions of 989.0 x 228.0 x 278.0mm (38.9 x 9 x 10.9inch) whereas Sonus Lumina II has external dimensions of 304.0 x 180.0 x 263.0mm (12 x 7.1 x 10.3inch).
Sonus Lumina III is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 48mm wider, 685mm taller and 15mm deeper than Sonus Lumina II.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sonus Lumina III and Sonus Lumina II in scale.
Comparison image of Sonus Lumina III and Sonus Lumina II Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Sonus Lumina III is approximately 633.8cm2 / 98.2inch2 and base area of the Sonus Lumina II is approximately 473.4cm2 / 73.4inch2. The Lumina III requires 34% more surface area than the Lumina II which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Sonus Lumina III?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Lumina III:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 1 Manual
- 2 Jumpers
- 2 Grilles
- 2 Fabric dust guards
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Under spikes
- 4 Spikes locks
What's in the Box of Sonus Lumina II?
Here are the items that come with the Lumina II:
- 2 Bookshelf loudspeakers
- 1 Manual
- 2 Jumpers
- 2 Grilles
- 2 Fabric dust guards