In this review, we will be comparing Il Cremonese and F328Be, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Sonus faber and Revel.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus faber Il Cremonese and Revel PerformaBe F328Be first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Il Cremonese | Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
|---|
| Design | 4-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 7" | 5.25" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8.5" Paper | 3 x 8.0" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-35k Hz | 26-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 100-800 watts | 50-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 84.00kg / 184.8lbs | 51.18kg / 112.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 57-1/16" x 15-11/16" x 24-7/16"
1449.0 x 398.0 x 621.0mm | 50-15/16" x 13-1/2" x 17-5/8"
1294.0 x 343.0 x 448.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Sonus faber Il Cremonese and Revel PerformaBe F328Be 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 faber Il Cremonese |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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.
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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Il Cremonese is a 4-way design whereas the F328Be 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 faber Il CremoneseRevel PerformaBe F328Be
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 faber Il Cremonese |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 7-inch |
1 x 5.25-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8.5-inch
|
3 x 8.0-inch
|
Il Cremonese features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 7" Midrange and 2 x 8.5" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 80, 250, 2500 Hz. On the other hand, the F328Be features a 1" Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 8.0" Aluminum Woofer.
Frequency Response
Il Cremonese has a frequency range of 35-35k Hz whereas F328Be has a frequency range of 26-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the F328Be can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Il Cremonese's min frequency of 35Hz.
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
Il Cremonese is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the F328Be which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Il Cremonese can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Il Cremonese sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the F328Be's is rated at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Sonus faber Il Cremonese a more sensitive speaker compared to Revel PerformaBe F328Be, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
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.
Il Cremonese can handle a max power of 800 watts RMS, whereas F328Be has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 500 watts less than the Il Cremonese.
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
F328Be features 5-way posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Il Cremonese has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
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 faber Il Cremonese's and Revel PerformaBe F328Be's external dimensions. Sonus faber Il Cremonese has external dimensions of 1449.0 x 398.0 x 621.0mm (57-1/16 x 15-11/16 x 24-7/16inch) whereas Revel PerformaBe F328Be has external dimensions of 1294.0 x 343.0 x 448.0mm (50-15/16 x 13-1/2 x 17-5/8inch).
Sonus faber Il Cremonese is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 55mm wider, 155mm taller and 173mm deeper than Revel PerformaBe F328Be.
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 faber Il Cremonese is approximately 2471.6cm2 / 383.1inch2 and base area of the Revel PerformaBe F328Be is approximately 1536.6cm2 / 238.2inch2. The Il Cremonese requires 61% more surface area than the F328Be 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 faber Il Cremonese weighs 84.00kg / 184.8lbs and the Revel PerformaBe F328Be weighs 51.18kg / 112.6lbs. This makes the Il Cremonese 64% heavier than the F328Be.
Here is a comparison of how Il Cremonese and F328Be's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Revel PerformaBe F328Be?
Here are the items that come with the F328Be:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- 2 Foam port plugs
- Owners Manual
 Max Input Power |
800 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
4-way
vs
3-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
91 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8.5 inches
vs
8.0 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
26 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1294mm
vs
1449mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1536cm2
vs
2471cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
17600USD
vs
45000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Sonus faber Il Cremonese |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be |
| Brand |
Sonus faber |
Revel |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
100-800 watts |
50-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
35-35k Hz |
26-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
8.5" |
8.0" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
Aluminum |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
7" |
5.25" |
| Crossover Frequency |
80, 250, 2500 Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
n/a |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1449.0mm (57") |
1294.0mm (50.9") |
| Width |
398.0mm (15.7") |
343.0mm (13.5") |
| Depth |
621.0mm (24.4") |
448.0mm (17.6") |
| Weight |
84.00kg (184.8lbs) |
51.18kg (112.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Available Colors |
n/a |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Sonus faber Il Cremonese costs roughly 2.6x what Revel PerformaBe F328Be does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass |
B |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be digs deeper - 26Hz against 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs |
evenly matched |
Similar sensitivity (92dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match |
B |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom |
A |
Sonus faber Il Cremonese takes more power (800W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size |
depends |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be is easier to place; Sonus faber Il Cremonese is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability |
B |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be: bi-amping. |
| Price |
B |
Revel PerformaBe F328Be is cheaper - $17,600 against $45,000, about 61% less; arguably a different class. |
A Sonus faber Il Cremonese
B Revel PerformaBe F328Be
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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?
Revel PerformaBe F328Be is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Sonus faber Il Cremonese if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 35Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Sonus faber Il Cremonese the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.