A major new trend returning to Australian homes is minimalism, with consumers turning to stylish European designed products such as the all new Sonus faber all-in-one Omnia wireless speaker system where design and sound quality are the main factors and not price.
Minimalism is an extreme form of abstract art consisting of simple geometric shapes, which in the case of the new Sonos faber offering comes in a simple elongated sound system with a wooden facade, which contains a lot of musical power due to its size and form factor , it sounds also as good as it looks and according to Sonus faber you get a “3D listening experience” that I can vouch for.
The top of this sound system can be Italian walnut or graphite, both are very stylish for a minimalist design.
The mix of wood, metal and fabric makes this a system you’ll want to show off, and I’m pretty sure any owners will be impressed with both the design and sound, as Sonus Faber is a brand that doesn’t cut corners just to provide a product at a price.
This is no ordinary small size wireless speaker system as it is manufactured by one of the world’s leading audio companies who will get you a pair of Aida II floorstanding speakers for $150,000 by the way.
Founded in 1983 by Italian designer Franco Serbin, Sonus faber made a name for itself by using high-quality wood for the cabinets that house the world-class loudspeaker. is a bit different from Sonos speakers which are cheaper for the mass market than niche quality audio.
The speaker measures 13cm x 65.04 x 11 27.94cm (HxWxD) and weighs 7.58 kilograms.
it’s extremely easy to set up, although I would have liked to see an LCD screen on the device that tells you which mode is active when you set your streaming options.
Currently the only differentiating factor between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is the color of the light on the top of the device which you scroll through using a neat Sonos faber remote.
There is no dedicated Sonus faber app, but you can integrate iOS or use Chromecast like I did after connecting through the Google Home app for Android. When I did that, I found that song playback was significantly better than Bluetooth playback, where the flow of data can be affected by movement, especially if you’re streaming from a smartphone.
Wi-Fi is also an optimal playback choice.
The system also plays content from Tidal, YouTube Music, Deezer, Apple Music and Amazon Music and Spotify Connect.
Tidal Connect (which is cloudy by default on Android devices).
The Omnia system remembers your network and reconnects automatically, even if you accidentally disconnect the system.
For those who want to connect via a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port, simply plug the cable into the back of the Omnia system.
While the system looks good and sounds even better, it’s crystal clear that Sonos faber has focused on looks over access functionality with the basics that the device actually needs a redesign or a design that hides the lower part of the system. Added to this is the design on the back of the speaker, where connecting a cable to connect additional AV equipment is not easy.
My first experience with this system was through a Bluetooth connection.
It was easy to set up and I was able to play Ultra HD music from Amazon Prime Music.
The sound was good though, it was much better when plugged into a CD player directly, as well as directly through the Tidal app and when streaming via Chromecast.
For its size, the sound is significantly better than other comparable systems, it delivers good bass and the piano keys are crystal clear.
Playing Miles Davis Kind of Blue in HD or Jason Derrulo in Ultra HD was a real eye opener, as the output sound was as good as a five-digit sound system.
At $3,495, the Sonus faber is worth every penny, especially if you want a stylish yet discreet audio system that will look impressive in any room.
There’s an HDMI ARC port if you want to use the unit as a television speaker, and a mini-DIN analog input allows you to connect a turntable via the included mini-DIN-to-RCA adapter cable. I connected a CD player so I can play my collection of CDs
As I mentioned before, I would have liked to see an LED panel instead of an indicator light on the top of the device that changes color based on the input source.
The default is blue for Bluetooth, orange for HDMI, pink for phono and white for streaming apps, so don’t forget to remember which colors count when pairing with content. Scrolling is done via the remote control.
The indicator remains white when using AirPlay, but turns green for Spotify, light blue for Tidal, purple for Roon, and yellow for Chromecast.
The remote has the same shape as the design of the Omnia.
At the top is a power button, volume and mute buttons, skip forward and back buttons, and the ability to switch inputs.
The rubberised buttons are not distinguishable by touch alone and they are not backlit, so you need little lighting to use them.
At first it seems that there is no slide for replacing a battery on the remote.
What you need to do is use a pin or ideally the SIM pin that comes with your cell phone to eject the base and even this was difficult.
I also couldn’t find a pin in the box the remote came in.
The Omnia features a 490 watt closed-box system capable of a frequency response from 30Hz to 25kHz (@-6dB).
The speaker is equipped with seven drivers: two 0.75-inch silk dome tweeters with a Neodymium motor system with slug structure, two 3-inch paper pulp mids, a downward-firing 6.5-inch long-throw woofer with an aluminum cone, and two 1.75-inch full-range drivers with inverted domes made of non-press cellulose pulp.
Sonus faber touts its Crescendo technology that uses the full-range drivers at each end of the Omnia speaker to combine a mix of in-phase dipole and anti-phase dipole signal processing to create what the company calls a “3D listening experience”.
The two competitors of this system are the Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin and the Naim Muso 2.
verdict
This system is so incredibly Italian, it exudes style, and the sound output is beautiful, a bit like a Ferrari all looking and performing. When it comes to attention to detail, such as easy access to the cabling system or resource management, this system is lacking, but don’t let this put you off, because the Sonos faber Omni is worthy of a place in any home where design and audio output are more important than access to additional resources.
Pros
This is a very stylish sound system, the sound reproduction is just as good as the looks, in fact I was so impressed that I bought my review copy because of the quality and the fact that my wife fell in love with it. She likes messy and minimalist design.
cons
The rear access should be revised for future models. You literally have to turn this system upside down to access the back where the connector cables can be plugged in.
Rating: 9/10
#channelnews #REVIEW #Italian #design #meets #premium #audio #Sonus #Faber #Omnia