In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Sonus faber. Sonus faber Maxima Amator is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Electa Amator III is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus faber Maxima Amator and Sonus faber Electa Amator III first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Maxima Amator | Sonus faber Electa Amator III |
|---|
| Brand | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1.1" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 7" Paper | 7" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-35k Hz | 40-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-125 watts | 35-125 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 38.00kg / 83.6lbs | 12.50kg / 27.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-1/8" x 11-13/16" x 13-3/4"
1120.0 x 300.0 x 350.0mm | 14-3/4" x 9-1/4" x 14-3/16"
375.0 x 235.0 x 360.0mm |
|---|
Maxima Amator and Electa Amator III are members of Sonus faber's Heritage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Sonus faber Heritage Series
History
What size room are the Sonus faber Maxima Amator and Sonus faber Electa Amator 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 faber Maxima Amator |
Sonus faber Electa Amator III |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Good |
| Small Room |
Average |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
No way |
(* 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 Maxima Amator and Electa Amator III are 2-way speakers.
Sonus faber Maxima AmatorSonus faber Electa Amator III
TweeterWoofer
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 Maxima Amator |
Sonus faber Electa Amator III |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 7-inch
|
1 x 7-inch
|
Maxima Amator features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 7" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2100 Hz. On the other hand, the Electa Amator III features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 7" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500 Hz.
Frequency Response
Maxima Amator has a frequency range of 35-35k Hz whereas Electa Amator III has a frequency range of 40-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Maxima Amator can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Electa Amator III's min frequency of 40Hz.
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
Maxima Amator and Electa Amator III have the same Impedance of 4 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 88 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 Maxima Amator and the Maxima Amator 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 125 watts RMS, though Maxima Amator is rated 25-125 watts and Electa Amator III 35-125 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.
Sonus faber Maxima Amator
Sonus faber Electa Amator III
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Maxima Amator and Electa Amator III features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or 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 Maxima Amator's and Sonus faber Electa Amator III's external dimensions. Sonus faber Maxima Amator has external dimensions of 1120.0 x 300.0 x 350.0mm (44-1/8 x 11-13/16 x 13-3/4inch) whereas Sonus faber Electa Amator III has external dimensions of 375.0 x 235.0 x 360.0mm (14-3/4 x 9-1/4 x 14-3/16inch).
Sonus faber Electa Amator III is 65mm narrower and 745mm shorter than Sonus faber Maxima Amator but it is also 10mm deeper.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Sonus faber Maxima Amator needs about 24% more floor or shelf area. Sonus faber Maxima Amator is 745mm 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 faber Maxima Amator is approximately 1050.0cm2 / 162.8inch2 and base area of the Sonus faber Electa Amator III is approximately 846.0cm2 / 131.1inch2. The Maxima Amator requires 24% more surface area than the Electa Amator III which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.