In this review, we will be comparing Serafino and Amati Supreme, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Sonus faber.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus faber Serafino and Sonus faber Amati Supreme first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Serafino | Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
|---|
| Brand | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 | Sonus faber
Italy · founded 1983 |
|---|
| Design | 4-way | 5-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Soft-Dome | 1.5" Soft-Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 7" Paper | 2 x 8.5" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 30-35k Hz | 28-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-300 watts | 50-600 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 52.00kg / 114.4lbs | 62.00kg / 136.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42-15/16" x 15-9/16" x 19-1/8"
1091.0 x 396.0 x 485.0mm | 46-5/16" x 16-3/16" x 20-3/16"
1176.0 x 411.0 x 512.0mm |
|---|
Serafino and Amati Supreme are members of Sonus faber's Homage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Sonus faber Homage Series
History
What size room are the Sonus faber Serafino and Sonus faber Amati Supreme 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 Serafino |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
| 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Serafino is a 4-way design whereas the Amati Supreme is a 5-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 SerafinoSonus faber Amati Supreme
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 Serafino |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
5-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.5-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 7-inch
|
2 x 8.5-inch
|
Serafino features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 7" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 200, 250, 2400 Hz. On the other hand, the Amati Supreme features a 1.5" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8.5" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 230, 300, 1800, 5600 Hz.
Frequency Response
Serafino has a frequency range of 30-35k Hz whereas Amati Supreme has a frequency range of 28-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 28Hz, the Amati Supreme can go slightly deeper then the Serafino's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
Serafino and Amati Supreme have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Serafino sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Amati Supreme's is at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Sonus faber Amati Supreme a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus faber Serafino, 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 Serafino and the Serafino 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.
Amati Supreme can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas Serafino has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the Amati Supreme.
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 Amati Supreme
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Serafino and Amati Supreme 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 Serafino's and Sonus faber Amati Supreme's external dimensions. Sonus faber Serafino has external dimensions of 1091.0 x 396.0 x 485.0mm (42-15/16 x 15-9/16 x 19-1/8inch) whereas Sonus faber Amati Supreme has external dimensions of 1176.0 x 411.0 x 512.0mm (46-5/16 x 16-3/16 x 20-3/16inch).
Sonus faber Amati Supreme is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 15mm wider, 85mm taller and 27mm deeper than Sonus faber Serafino.
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 Amati Supreme needs about 10% more floor or shelf area. Sonus faber Amati Supreme is 27mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Sonus faber Amati Supreme is 85mm 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 Serafino is approximately 1920.6cm2 / 297.7inch2 and base area of the Sonus faber Amati Supreme is approximately 2104.3cm2 / 326.2inch2. The Serafino requires 9% less surface area than the Amati Supreme which gives it a small advantage 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 Serafino weighs 52.00kg / 114.4lbs and the Sonus faber Amati Supreme weighs 62.00kg / 136.4lbs. This makes the Amati Supreme 19% heavier than the Serafino.
Here is a comparison of how Serafino and Amati Supreme's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Sonus faber Amati Supreme
 Height |
1091mm
vs
1176mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1920cm2
vs
2104cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
21998USD
vs
145000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
5-way
vs
4-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8.5 inches
vs
7 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
28 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
| General |
Sonus faber Serafino |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
| Brand |
Sonus faber |
Sonus faber |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-300 watts |
50-600 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
30-35k Hz |
28-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
7" |
8.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Paper |
Paper |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1.5" |
| Tweeter Type |
Soft-Dome |
Soft-Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
200, 250, 2400 Hz |
230, 300, 1800, 5600 Hz |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1091.0mm (43") |
1176.0mm (46.3") |
| Width |
396.0mm (15.6") |
411.0mm (16.2") |
| Depth |
485.0mm (19.1") |
512.0mm (20.2") |
| Weight |
52.00kg (114.4lbs) |
62.00kg (136.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
|
| Labor Warranty |
|
|
Siblings in Sonus faber's Homage 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 (30Hz vs 28Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | B | Sonus faber Amati Supreme takes more power (600W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Sonus faber Serafino: bi-amping; Sonus faber Amati Supreme: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Sonus faber Serafino is cheaper - $21,998 against $145,000, about 85% less; arguably a different class. |
A Sonus faber Serafino B Sonus faber Amati Supreme
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?
Sonus faber Amati Supreme is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 6.6x the price. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - Sonus faber Serafino looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the Sonus faber Amati Supreme appeals to you. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $123,002 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.