Stradivari sequel
“It is never easy for a designer to re-envision an original launch,” admitted Sonus faber’s chief of design Livio Cucuzza. So when it came to redesigning Stradivari, he said the task was “challenging but also exhilarating”.
The Italian brand used High End to launch this reimagined and enhanced sequel of the original speaker from the early 2000s. This stylish (and pretty sizeable) successor benefits from the “most advanced and cutting-edge sound technology” the company has developed over the past two decades, naturally presented in the high standard of wooden craftsmanship Sonus faber is renowned for.
“We wanted to ensure that the new
Stradivari represented all the advancements Sonus faber has made in sound technology to date, while still keeping the brand’s classic external look and feel,” said Cucuzza.
To that end, the second-gen Stradivari — named, by the way, after the world-famous violin luthier Antonio Stradivari — presents four new technologies within the familiar woodwork and finish of the first generation.
Firstly, the new speaker is fitted with a low-frequency adjuster, oering full tuning control of the lowest frequencies to provide an “uncompromised” room response optimisation. ‘Clepsydra’ technology around the reflex port has been included to maximise low-frequency descent performance too.
There's a new anti-resonant organic basket within the Stradivari's woofer structure, designed to prevent vibration from the woofer membrane impacting the sound.
And a technology called ‘INTONO’ promises to enhance the natural reproduction of the midrange while slightly reducing the size and the filter components of the crossover. Though the Stradivari sequel carries much of the original’s aesthetic, Sonus faber has gone with a new pentagonal shape that it says allows for an "enhanced" listening experience.
The second-generation Stradivari will be available in graphite, red and wenge (a darkbrown wood shade) for $89,995 per pair.