Inside Sonus Faber Olympica III Speakers

[billfitzmaurice]

I would also point out that the plethora of ferrite core coils is very disappointing, as well.

Why? Audiophool concerns aside there's nothing wrong with them, and they have far lower DCR than air core of the same wire gauge, which is a plus. As for the NPEs, they're acceptable when used as a shunt to ground in a low pass situation, so long as the higher ESR is taken into account.

the internal bracing is in there for sure but they are not quite as beefy as I would think but they are very solid and quite heavy. The curved sides help with the rigidity as well.

Curved sides can make all the difference. Along with bracing they allow me to build pro-touring sound cabs with 1/4" and 1/8" plywood.

[mgrabow]

I would not buy an ugly set of speakers unless I was blind. I could never buy the snail shell looking B&W Nautilus speakers. Don’t care how good they sound they are god awful ugly

[Kornbread]

Sure we can. The vast majority of high end manufacturers don’t make their own drivers. The vast majority use MDF. We all know the basic building principles and many of the people on these pages have not only the building skills but the finishing skills as well. That’s kind of why I did this post, to show the DIY’ers what’s inside.

There are many great budget builds as well and I think those builders truest demonstrate their skills and knowledge. If they had an extra couple of grand to throw into I compromised drivers and components I have no doubt they would perform better.

One of the things I enjoy about the SF’s is they are truly a work of art. Just as much a pleasure to look at as they are to listen to. You can run out and spend a few $K on some Klipsch floor standers or some other well known consumer brand that will crank and wow the senses. But when a pair of speakers are stunning to look at it adds an extra level to the enjoyment.

Agreed.
I hate to admit it, but appearances do, in fact, influence both our visual and sonic perceptions.

[mgrabow]

Lol

[a4eaudio]

SF has always been my favorite speaker in appearance. It's the only speaker that when my wife asked me, "can't you do that?" I had to lower my head and admit sheepishly "no."

[johnnyrichards]

I have always enjoyed SF aesthetics, and the few I have had the privilege to listen to have generally impressed me.

[mgrabow]

Sure we can. The vast majority of high end manufacturers don’t make their own drivers. The vast majority use MDF. We all know the basic building principles and many of the people on these pages have not only the building skills but the finishing skills as well. That’s kind of why I did this post, to show the DIY’ers what’s inside.

There are many great budget builds as well and I think those builders truest demonstrate their skills and knowledge. If they had an extra couple of grand to throw into I compromised drivers and components I have no doubt they would perform better.

One of the things I enjoy about the SF’s is they are truly a work of art. Just as much a pleasure to look at as they are to listen to. You can run out and spend a few $K on some Klipsch floor standers or some other well known consumer brand that will crank and wow the senses. But when a pair of speakers are stunning to look at it adds an extra level to the enjoyment.

[Kornbread]

I removed all the damping material to see what was I side. They were packed with fiberfill except the HF enclosure also has the walls lined with the foam you see.

the crossovers are I. There white tight. No wiggling at all. I did not really look to see how they were mounted but they do have some sort of isolation pad under them.

the internal bracing is in there for sure but they are not quite as beefy as I would think but they are very solid and quite heavy. The curved sides help with the rigidity as well.

I luckily did not pay anywhere near that much for them. I bought them used but in perfect condition. The boxes are enormous double boxed with three foam forms and they shipped at 110 pounds each I think.

I auditioned many new and used speakers at HiFi shops around the NY Tri-State area. Soo many speakers with these small 6 or 7” woofers have what many audiophiles refer to as bass but what I call classical bass. But they have zero bass when it comes to punch, slam, or whatever the rest of us like to hear in bass. The B&W 702 signatures were completely bass-less and the Paradigm Founder 100f had wonderful bass but in terms of imaging and soundstage were a joke in comparison to any of the other “Audiophile” speakers I auditioned.

In terms of imaging and soundstage these were the best I ever heard with the exception of the Dynaudio Sapphire’s . Those were simply holographic in soundstage. I also listened to the Dynaudio Contours’s but I felt the SF have better bass. In fact that was the first thing I noticed was how full the SF’s were in bass.

I am driving these with a pair of Bryston 7B monoblocks and at low to moderate levels these really give a listening experience that is wonderful. But if your looking for some DJ level volumes, your not going to get that out of these. I would say your probably not going to get that out of any speaker for 6.5” woofers.

Ultimately, that is what matters, that they please you, and it definitely sounds like you did your homework before spending the $.

Of course, being a diy community, do you think you could build something that performs at, or above, this level?

[mgrabow]

I do like how SF says they make all the drivers in house but there is a “Made in Denmark” sticker on the woofer. Sounds like they just bought a driver manufacturers in Denmark like Wilson Audio purchased a capacitor manufacturer and started branding their caps.

[mgrabow]

I removed all the damping material to see what was I side. They were packed with fiberfill except the HF enclosure also has the walls lined with the foam you see.

the crossovers are I. There white tight. No wiggling at all. I did not really look to see how they were mounted but they do have some sort of isolation pad under them.

the internal bracing is in there for sure but they are not quite as beefy as I would think but they are very solid and quite heavy. The curved sides help with the rigidity as well.

I luckily did not pay anywhere near that much for them. I bought them used but in perfect condition. The boxes are enormous double boxed with three foam forms and they shipped at 110 pounds each I think.

I auditioned many new and used speakers at HiFi shops around the NY Tri-State area. Soo many speakers with these small 6 or 7” woofers have what many audiophiles refer to as bass but what I call classical bass. But they have zero bass when it comes to punch, slam, or whatever the rest of us like to hear in bass. The B&W 702 signatures were completely bass-less and the Paradigm Founder 100f had wonderful bass but in terms of imaging and soundstage were a joke in comparison to any of the other “Audiophile” speakers I auditioned.

In terms of imaging and soundstage these were the best I ever heard with the exception of the Dynaudio Sapphire’s . Those were simply holographic in soundstage. I also listened to the Dynaudio Contours’s but I felt the SF have better bass. In fact that was the first thing I noticed was how full the SF’s were in bass.

I am driving these with a pair of Bryston 7B monoblocks and at low to moderate levels these really give a listening experience that is wonderful. But if your looking for some DJ level volumes, your not going to get that out of these. I would say your probably not going to get that out of any speaker for 6.5” woofers.

[fpitas]

The drivers look pretty serious, though and SF has always been cutting edge on cabinet aesthetics (IMNSHO).

I bet they feature the drivers in their advertising.

[Kornbread]

Hate to diss on your high $ speakers, but for $14k, I would have thought there would be more extensive cabinet bracing and some kind of internal acoustic lining. Drivers look nice. There are times when an iron core works better, price, size, and resistance come to mind, but at $14k why not have big ole expensive air cores in there? And is there anything other than the two screws, supporting the crossover board with all those bobbin inductors on it?
The looks, binding posts, and feet are sweet.
How does it sound?

[johnnyrichards]

The drivers look pretty serious, though and SF has always been cutting edge on cabinet aesthetics (IMNSHO).

[johnnyrichards]

You can't be too cynical when it comes to the economics of commercial speakers. They pay for what sells the product, and cut corners with stuff that the ordinary buyer doesn't care about.

That is so true.

I would also point out that the plethora of ferrite core coils is very disappointing, as well.

[fpitas]

Hard to tell for sure, but they look like they could use more bracing. Easy and cheap for you, but labor intensive for them.

You can't be too cynical when it comes to the economics of commercial speakers. They pay for what sells the product, and cut corners with stuff that the ordinary buyer doesn't care about. The drivers do look decent at least; well worth bracing the cabinet to get the most out of them. You might even measure them to see if the crossover can be improved. You might be shocked how marginal the crossovers are, even in costly speakers.