In this review, we will be comparing Stradivari and Amati Supreme, 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 Supreme first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Sonus faber Stradivari | 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 10" Paper | 2 x 8.5" Paper |
|---|
| Frequency response | 25-35k Hz | 28-40k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 91 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 100-600 watts | 50-600 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 81.50kg / 179.3lbs | 62.00kg / 136.4lbs |
|---|
| 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 | 46-5/16" x 16-3/16" x 20-3/16"
1176.0 x 411.0 x 512.0mm |
|---|
Stradivari 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 Stradivari 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 Stradivari |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
| 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Stradivari 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 StradivariSonus 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 Stradivari |
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 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 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
Stradivari has a frequency range of 25-35k Hz whereas Amati Supreme has a frequency range of 28-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the Stradivari can go slightly deeper then the Amati Supreme's min frequency of 28Hz.
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
Stradivari and Amati Supreme 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 Supreme's is at 91 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Sonus faber Stradivari a more sensitive speaker compared to Sonus faber Amati Supreme, 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. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Both handle the same maximum of 600 watts RMS, though Stradivari is rated 100-600 watts and Amati Supreme 50-600 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 Amati Supreme
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Stradivari 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 Stradivari's and Sonus faber Amati Supreme'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 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 304mm narrower and 198mm shorter than Sonus faber Stradivari but it is also 84mm 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 Stradivari needs about 45% more floor or shelf area. Sonus faber Amati Supreme is 84mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Sonus faber Stradivari is 198mm 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 Stradivari is approximately 3060.2cm2 / 474.3inch2 and base area of the Sonus faber Amati Supreme is approximately 2104.3cm2 / 326.2inch2. The Stradivari requires 45% more surface area than the Amati Supreme 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 Stradivari weighs 81.50kg / 179.3lbs and the Sonus faber Amati Supreme weighs 62.00kg / 136.4lbs. This makes the Stradivari 31% heavier than the Amati Supreme.
Here is a comparison of how Stradivari 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
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
91 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
25 Hz
vs
28 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Price per pair* |
50000USD
vs
145000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Driver Setup |
5-way
vs
4-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 High Frequency Response |
40k Hz
vs
35k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1176mm
vs
1374mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
2104cm2
vs
3060cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Sonus faber Stradivari |
Sonus faber Amati Supreme |
| Brand |
Sonus faber |
Sonus faber |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
100-600 watts |
50-600 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
91 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
25-35k Hz |
28-40k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
10" |
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 |
160, 220, 2200 Hz |
230, 300, 1800, 5600 Hz |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1374.0mm (54.1") |
1176.0mm (46.3") |
| Width |
715.0mm (28.1") |
411.0mm (16.2") |
| Depth |
428.0mm (16.9") |
512.0mm (20.2") |
| Weight |
81.50kg (179.3lbs) |
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 | A | Sonus faber Stradivari digs deeper - 25Hz against 28Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (92dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (600W vs 600W). |
| Size | depends | Sonus faber Amati Supreme is easier to place; Sonus faber Stradivari is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Sonus faber Stradivari: bi-amping; Sonus faber Amati Supreme: bi-amping. |
| Price | A | Sonus faber Stradivari is cheaper - $50,000 against $145,000, about 66% less; arguably a different class. |
A Sonus faber Stradivari 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 Stradivari has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate Sonus faber Stradivari the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. In a large or open-plan room, Sonus faber Stradivari has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Sonus faber Amati Supreme is the easier speaker to get right.
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.