Sonus Sonetto II vs Sonus Lumina III Comparison

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Sonus Sonetto II

Passive Bookshelf | 42-25k Hz

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Sonus Lumina III

Passive Floor-standing | 40-24k Hz

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Sonus Sonetto II

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Sonus Lumina III

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Sonus Sonetto II

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Sonus Lumina III

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Sonus Sonetto II vs Sonus Lumina III Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Sonus faber. Sonus faber Sonetto II is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Lumina III is a Floor-standing speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sonus Sonetto II and Sonus Lumina III first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Sonus Sonetto II	Sonus Lumina III
Brand	Sonus faber Italy · founded 1983	Sonus faber Italy · founded 1983
Design	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.15" high definition DAD Dome	1.15" high definition DAD
Midrange	—	6"
Woofer	6.5" cellulose pulp and other natural fibers	2 x 6" paper cone
Frequency response	42-25k Hz	40-24k Hz
Sensitivity	87 dB	89 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	4 ohms
Power range	40-200 watts	50-250 watts
Weight	6.80kg / 15lbs	15.90kg / 35lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	14.6" x 10" x 13" 370.0 x 250.0 x 334.0mm	38.9" x 9" x 10.9" 989.0 x 228.0 x 278.0mm

What size room are the Sonus Sonetto II and Sonus Lumina III 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 Sonetto II	Sonus Lumina III
Near-field	Poor	Bad
Small Room	Average	Poor
Mid-size Room	Good	Average
Large Room	Average	Good
Very Large Room	Poor	Average

(* 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.

Drivers

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Sonetto II is a 2-way design whereas the Lumina III is a 3-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 Sonetto II

Sonus Lumina III

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 Sonetto II	Sonus Lumina III
Driver Setup	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.15-inch	1.15-inch
Midrange	-	1 x 6-inch
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 6-inch

Sonetto II features a 1.15" high definition DAD Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" cellulose pulp and other natural fibers Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2650 Hz. On the other hand, the 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.

Frequency Response

Sonetto II has a frequency range of 42-25k Hz whereas Lumina III has a frequency range of 40-24k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Lumina III can go slightly deeper then the Sonetto II's min frequency of 42Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.

Low Frequency

Bookshelf Speakers

Sonetto II

Lumina III

Min

Average

Median

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

Sonetto II and Lumina III have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Sonetto II sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the Lumina III's is at 89 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Sonus Lumina III a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus Sonetto 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 Sonetto II and the Sonetto II can provide this impedance level.

Sensitivity

Bookshelf Speakers

Sonetto II

Lumina III

Min

Average

Median

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 Sonetto II has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 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.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

Sonus Sonetto II

Sonus Lumina III

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Both Sonetto II and Lumina III features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Sonetto II has a front firing port whereas Lumina III has a bottom firing ports. Sonus Sonetto 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 Sonetto II's and Sonus Lumina III's external dimensions. Sonus Sonetto II has external dimensions of 370.0 x 250.0 x 334.0mm (15 x 10 x 13inch) whereas Sonus Lumina III has external dimensions of 989.0 x 228.0 x 278.0mm (38.9 x 9 x 10.9inch).

Sonus Lumina III is 22mm narrower and 56mm less deeper than Sonus Sonetto II but it is also 619mm taller.

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 Sonetto II is approximately 835.0cm² / 129.4inch² and base area of the Sonus Lumina III is approximately 633.8cm² / 98.2inch². The Sonetto II requires 32% more surface area than the Lumina III which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

What's in the Box of Sonus Sonetto II?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Sonetto II:

2 Masks
2 Fabric dust guards
2 Jumpers
1 Manual

What's in the Box of Sonus Lumina III?

Here are the items that come with the Lumina III:

Floorstanding loudspeaker
1 Manual
2 Jumpers
2 Grilles
2 Fabric dust guards
4 Spikes
4 Under spikes
4 Spikes locks

Reasons to choose Sonus faber Sonetto II over Sonus faber Lumina III

Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 6 inches	Larger woofer
High Frequency Response	25k Hz vs 24k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	370mm vs 989mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	1499USD vs 2199USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Sonus faber Lumina III over Sonus faber Sonetto II

Max Input Power	250 watts vs 200 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	89 dB vs 87 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	40 Hz vs 42 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area	633cm² vs 835cm²	Takes less floor space

Sonus Sonetto II vs Sonus Lumina III Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sonus faber Sonetto II	Sonus faber Lumina III
Brand	Sonus faber	Sonus faber
Speaker Type	Bookshelf speakers	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	40-200 watts	50-250 watts
Sensitivity	87 dB	89 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	4 ohms
Frequency Response	42-25k Hz	40-24k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	6"
Woofer Composition	cellulose pulp and other natural fibers	paper cone
Tweeter Size	1.15"	1.15"
Tweeter Type	high definition DAD Dome	high definition DAD
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	6"
Crossover Frequency	2650 Hz	350 and 3500 Hz
Firing Direction	front	bottom
Physical Specs
Height	370.0mm (14.6")	989.0mm (38.9")
Width	250.0mm (9.8")	228.0mm (9")
Depth	334.0mm (13.1")	278.0mm (10.9")
Weight	6.80kg (15lbs)	15.90kg (35lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Finish	n/a	real multilayer wood
Available Colors	Wood, White, Black, Wenge	Black, Wenge, Walnut
Mounting Bracket
Grille	n/a	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	Yes	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty
Labor Warranty

Verdict

A bookshelf against a floor-standing. They are built for different places in a room, so start with where these have to go rather than which looks better on paper.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	evenly matched	Much the same reach (42Hz vs 40Hz).
Amplifier needs	B	Sonus Lumina III is more sensitive (89dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	B	Sonus Lumina III takes more power (250W vs 200W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Sonus Sonetto II is easier to place; Sonus Lumina III is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive Bookshelf against a Passive Floor-standing - a different job rather than a better one.
Expandability	depends	Sonus Sonetto II: bi-amping; Sonus Lumina III: bi-amping. Sonus Sonetto II sits in a wider range (11 models), so a matched surround system is easier later.
Price	A	Sonus Sonetto II is cheaper - $1,499 against $2,199, about 32% less.

A Sonus Sonetto II B Sonus Lumina III
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: Sonus Lumina III measures better, Sonus Sonetto II costs about about 47% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. Match it to your room: we rate Sonus Sonetto II the better fit for a small room and a mid-size room, and Sonus Lumina III for a large room and a very large room. In a large or open-plan room, Sonus Lumina III has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Sonus Sonetto II is the easier speaker to get right.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.