In this review, we will be comparing Stradivari and Amati, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Sonus faber
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Sonus faber Stradivari and Sonus faber Amati first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Sonus faber Stradivari Key Specs
- 4-way Design
- 1.1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 6" Midrange
- 2 x 10" Paper Woofer
- 25-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:100-600watts
- Weight:81.50kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 54-1/8" x 28-1/8" x 16-7/8" ( 1374.0 x 715.0 x 428.0mm )
Sonus faber Amati Key Specs
- 4-way Design
- 1.1" Soft-Dome Tweeter
- 6" Midrange
- 2 x 8.5" Paper Woofer
- 6" Midrange
- 28-35k Hz Frequency Response
- 91 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:50-450watts
- Weight:61.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 46-5/16" x 16-3/16" x 20-3/16" ( 1176.0 x 411.0 x 512.0mm )
Stradivari and Amati 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 Stradivari and Sonus faber Amati 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 Stradivari |
Sonus faber Amati |
| 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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Sonus faber Stradivari and Sonus faber Amati compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
Both Stradivari and Amati are 4-way speakers.
| Driver |
Sonus faber Stradivari |
Sonus faber Amati |
|
Driver Setup
|
4-way
|
4-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1.1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
1 x 6-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 10-inch
|
2 x 8.5-inch
|
Stradivari features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 2 x 10" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 160, 220, 2200 Hz. On the other hand, the Amati features a 1.1" Silk Soft-Dome Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 2 x 8.5" Paper Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 200, 270, 2200 Hz.
Frequency Response
Stradivari has a frequency range of 25-35k Hz whereas Amati has a frequency range of 28-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the Stradivari can go slightly deeper then the Amati's min frequency of 28Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Stradivari and Amati have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Stradivari sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Amati's is at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Sonus faber Stradivari a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus faber Amati, 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 Stradivari and the Stradivari 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. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Stradivari can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Amati has a max power handling value of 450 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Stradivari.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Stradivari features Binding post type posts and Amati has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 Stradivari's and Sonus faber Amati's external dimensions. Sonus faber Stradivari has external dimensions of 1374.0 x 715.0 x 428.0mm ( 54-1/8 x 28-1/8 x 16-7/8inch) whereas Sonus faber Amati 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 is 304mm narrower and 198mm shorter than Sonus faber Stradivari but it is also 84mm deeper.
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 Stradivari is approximately 3060.2cm2 / 474.3inch2 and base area of the Sonus faber Amati is approximately 2104.3cm2 / 326.2inch2. The Stradivari requires 45% more surface area than the Amati which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.