Sonus Sonetto VIII vs Sonus Sonetto V Comparison

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Sonus Sonetto VIII

Passive Floor-standing | 36-25k Hz

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Sonus Sonetto V

Passive Floor-standing | 38-25k Hz

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Sonus Sonetto VIII

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Sonus Sonetto V

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Sonus Sonetto VIII

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Sonus Sonetto V

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Sonus Sonetto VIII vs Sonus Sonetto V Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Sonus faber.

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

Key Specs	Sonus Sonetto VIII	Sonus Sonetto V
Brand	Sonus faber Italy · founded 1983	Sonus faber Italy · founded 1983
Design	3-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.15" high definition DAD Dome	1.15" high definition DAD Dome
Midrange	6"	6"
Woofer	3 x 7" aluminum cone	2 x 7" aluminum cone
Frequency response	36-25k Hz	38-25k Hz
Sensitivity	90 dB	90 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	4 ohms
Power range	50-300 watts	50-300 watts
Weight	26.30kg / 57.9lbs	22.60kg / 49.7lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	47" x 11" x 17" 1188.0 x 283.0 x 427.0mm	42" x 10" x 16" 1072.0 x 258.0 x 409.0mm

Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V are members of Sonus faber's Sonetto series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Sonus faber Sonetto Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
Sonus Sonetto III	Floor-standing	42-25k Hz	89 dB	4Ω	2 x 6"
Sonus Sonetto II	Bookshelf	42-25k Hz	87 dB	4Ω	1 x 6.5"
Sonus Sonetto VIII	Floor-standing	36-25k Hz	90 dB	4Ω	3 x 7"
Sonus Sonetto V	Floor-standing	38-25k Hz	90 dB	4Ω	2 x 7"
Sonus Sonetto I	Bookshelf	45-25k Hz	87 dB	4Ω	1 x 6"
Sonus Sonetto Center II	Center Channel	42-25k Hz	91 dB	4Ω	2 x 6"
Sonus Sonetto Center I	Center Channel	60-25k Hz	90 dB	4Ω	2 x 6"
Sonus faber Sonetto III G2	Floor-standing	38-40k Hz	88 dB	4Ω	2 x 6.5"
Sonus faber Sonetto VIII G2	Floor-standing	33-40k Hz	90 dB	4Ω	2 x 8"
Sonus Faber Sonetto Center G2	Center Channel	45-40k Hz	88 dB	4Ω	2 x 6-1/2"

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

Both Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V are 3-way speakers.

Sonus Sonetto VIII

Sonus Sonetto V

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 VIII	Sonus Sonetto V
Driver Setup	3-way	3-way
Tweeter	1.15-inch	1.15-inch
Midrange	1 x 6-inch	1 x 6-inch
Woofer	3 x 7-inch	2 x 7-inch

Sonetto VIII features a 1.15" high definition DAD Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 7" aluminum cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270 and 3.000 Hz. On the other hand, the Sonetto V features a 1.15" high definition DAD Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 7" aluminum cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 235 and 3.000 Hz.

Frequency Response

Sonetto VIII has a frequency range of 36-25k Hz whereas Sonetto V has a frequency range of 38-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 36Hz, the Sonetto VIII can go slightly deeper then the Sonetto V's min frequency of 38Hz.

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

Sonetto VIII

Sonetto V

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 VIII and Sonetto V have the same Impedance of 4 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.

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 VIII and the Sonetto VIII can provide this impedance level.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Sonetto VIII

Sonetto V

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.

Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V have the same power range of 50-300 watts.

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 VIII

Sonus Sonetto V

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Both Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

Sonus Sonetto VIII's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Sonus Sonetto V's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V have bottom firing ports.

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 VIII's and Sonus Sonetto V's external dimensions. Sonus Sonetto VIII has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 283.0 x 427.0mm (47 x 11 x 17inch) whereas Sonus Sonetto V has external dimensions of 1072.0 x 258.0 x 409.0mm (42 x 10 x 16inch).

Sonus Sonetto VIII is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 25mm wider, 116mm taller and 18mm deeper than Sonus Sonetto V.

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 VIII is approximately 1208.4cm² / 187.3inch² and base area of the Sonus Sonetto V is approximately 1055.2cm² / 163.6inch². The Sonetto VIII requires 15% more surface area than the Sonetto V which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.

Weight Comparison

The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Sonus Sonetto VIII weighs 26.30kg / 57.9lbs and the Sonus Sonetto V weighs 22.60kg / 49.7lbs. This makes the Sonetto VIII 16% heavier than the Sonetto V.

Here is a comparison of how Sonetto VIII and Sonetto V's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.

Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers

Sonus Sonetto VIII

Sonus Sonetto V

Min

Average

Max

What's in the Box of Sonus Sonetto VIII?

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

8 Spikes
8 Under Spikes
8 Spike locks
2 Masks
2 Fabric dust guards
2 Basis
16 Locking screws
2 Jumpers
1 Allen Wrench
1 Manual

What's in the Box of Sonus Sonetto V?

Here are the items that come with the Sonetto V:

8 Spikes
8 Under Spikes
8 Spike locks
2 Masks
2 Fabric dust guards
2 Basis
16 Locking screws
2 Jumpers
1 Allen Wrench
1 Manual

Reasons to choose Sonus faber Sonetto VIII over Sonus faber Sonetto V

Number of Woofers	3 vs 2	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	36 Hz vs 38 Hz	Generates deeper bass

Reasons to choose Sonus faber Sonetto V over Sonus faber Sonetto VIII

Height	1072mm vs 1188mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	1055cm² vs 1208cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	4499USD vs 5499USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Sonus Sonetto VIII vs Sonus Sonetto V Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sonus faber Sonetto VIII	Sonus faber Sonetto V
Brand	Sonus faber	Sonus faber
Speaker Type	Floor-standing speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	50-300 watts	50-300 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	90 dB
Impedance	4 ohms	4 ohms
Frequency Response	36-25k Hz	38-25k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	3	2
Woofer Size	7"	7"
Woofer Composition	aluminum cone	aluminum cone
Tweeter Size	1.15"	1.15"
Tweeter Type	high definition DAD Dome	high definition DAD Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	6"	6"
Crossover Frequency	270 and 3.000 Hz	235 and 3.000 Hz
Firing Direction	bottom	bottom
Physical Specs
Height	1188.0mm (46.8")	1072.0mm (42.2")
Width	283.0mm (11.1")	258.0mm (10.2")
Depth	427.0mm (16.8")	409.0mm (16.1")
Weight	26.30kg (57.9lbs)	22.60kg (49.7lbs)
Enclosure	Bass Reflex	Bass Reflex
Available Colors	Wood, White, Black, Wenge	Wood, White, Black, Wenge
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	Yes	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty
Labor Warranty

Verdict

Siblings in Sonus faber's Sonetto series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	evenly matched	Much the same reach (36Hz vs 38Hz).
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (300W vs 300W).
Size	depends	Sonus Sonetto V is easier to place; Sonus Sonetto VIII is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Expandability	depends	Sonus Sonetto VIII: bi-amping; Sonus Sonetto V: bi-amping.
Price	B	Sonus Sonetto V is cheaper - $4,499 against $5,499, about 18% less.

A Sonus Sonetto VIII B Sonus Sonetto V
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?

Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it.

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.