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by **kolabear** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 4:23 am

i need advise on these speakers. cant find any reviews about them on the internet or did i get the model name wrong. thanks

by **Hyperion** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 11:04 am

What do you want to know about the Minuettos?

You didn't get the model name wrong. It is the former baby Sonus faber before the Concertino came out to replace it. It is actually the 1st Sonus faber I heard, which at that time were being played sans stands and were on the floor, and they still managed to embarass just about every other equally priced speaker on the shop playing classical music and vocals. They just sounded involving, smooth and refined. They sounded much more expensive than their price. It is one of the, if not the mellowest, most docile and most ear friendly Sonus fabers ever made.

by **kolabear** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 4:59 am

u really knows a lot about sonus faber speakers. it seems fit to call u the grandmaster of sonus faber. does it look like the concertino? can the dynaco ST-70 series 2 b able to drive them? is 30k peso worth purchasing it? thanks again for your info. i am interested in getting a sonus faber but dont have the budget for a new one.

by **Hyperion** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 12:57 pm

The Minuetto does not look like the Concertino. It has a chunkier, wider but shallower cabinet with more walnut content and less leatherette.

Here's the specs:

System: 2-way ported speaker
Drivers: 6 1/2-in woofer, 1-in dome tweeter
Anechoic Frequency Response: 60 Hz to 20 kHz +- 3 dB
Crossover Frequency: 2.2 kHz.
System Sensitivity SPL @1W/1M: 87 dB
Recommended Minimum Amplifier Power, Watts per Channel: 30 W
Impedance, Nominal/Minimum: 6/4 Ohms
Dimensions, to the nearest inches: 12" x 9" x 8"
Weight, pounds each: 26 lbs.

Here's a picture:

I can email you a better colored picture if you want.

The ST-70 should have no problem driving it. However it is already a warm and mellow sounding speaker and pairing it with ST70 might sound too dull. I would prefer listening to the Minuetto with livelier and more dynamic sounding amplifiers. It will probably sound great with a CJ MV55.

The Minuetto used to cost only around P35,000 or so around 1995 even though it listed at US$1500. Still, it is a huge bargain at P30,000 nowadays. It would be hard to find something as refined, as involving and as romantic as the Minuettos at this price nowadays.

I personally prefer the Concertino/Home to the Minuetto though because the tinos are livelier, quicker and more versatile. And naturally there are also people who prefer the Minuetto over the Concertino/Home because they are more fullbodied, warmer, and less brash in the highs and more friendly with most components and cabling.

by **plasticman** » Sat Jan 24, 2004 2:40 pm

Hi Kolabear,

I have minuettos at home hooked up to a Scott 299D. I paired it before with an ST-70 series2 and a modified PAS3 preamp but i had to let go of the ST70/PAS3 to fund a second system with SET amp and Altec 604's. Hyperion is the guy to ask regarding SF speakers. He was also the one who described the Minuettos in the Audioasylum with I asked the same question you are asking now before I got my Minuettos 2 years ago. He's very much on the dot when he described the sound as full-bodied and warm. It sometimes has an almost 'dark rich' sound to it (parang tsokolate!). If you like vocals, sax and light jazz type of music (like me) then this is perfect. It would be challenged to keep up with "fast and furious" jazz though.

You'd be welcome to audition it in my place if you like. Bring your cds of lps'. Pero after jan.28 pa ako pwede. Txt me and we'll see if we can work out a sched this weekend. That is, of course, kung gusto mo.

09209080261

by **kolabear** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 6:22 am

thanks hyperion for ur info on both minuetto and concertino. now i know the difference between the two and what to expect.
plasticman,
thanks for your kind offer and i like to hear them too. will txt and try to work out a sched.

by **Audio_Tyro** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 3:26 pm

kolabear wrote:u really knows a lot about sonus faber speakers. it seems fit to call u the grandmaster of sonus faber. does it look like the concertino? can the dynaco ST-70 series 2 b able to drive them? is 30k peso worth purchasing it? thanks again for your info. i am interested in getting a sonus faber but dont have the budget for a new one.

Siyempre naman. Even Sonus fabers' Franco Serblin and Cesare Bevilacqua are afraid of Darth Hyperion because he knows more about the strengths and weaknesses of Sonus than the two of them combined. hehe. That is why Darth Hyperion is the head of the dark force.

by **botching** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 3:33 pm

Even here is saudi, many sonus owners (Pinoy and Westerners) knew a "Hyperion" thru audioasylum, as the guru in everything sonus. But were surprised when i informed them that he is a true blue blood Pinoy!

by **rtsyrtsy** » Sun Jan 25, 2004 9:51 pm

botching wrote:Even here is saudi, many sonus owners (Pinoy and Westerners) knew a "Hyperion" thru audioasylum, as the guru in everything sonus. But were surprised when i informed them that he is a true blue blood Pinoy!

Tsinoy, actually.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

by **Hyperion** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 2:04 am

Oui Oui, Chinoyse est correct.

by **HotonE** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 5:05 pm

I still have my SF Minuettos (bought from Upscale in Quad 1 in early 90s) and used to use it with ST70/PAS3. However, I dont think I have anything more to add to the excellent comments already posted here.

by **Jigolow** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 1:15 pm

Am a proud owner of a Minuetto and really delighted on how it delivers music. In fact, Im building a system around it. However, there is a question I want to ask, especially to Hyperion (the man!). Do you happen to know what cable product brand and type (copper or silver) does SF use in constructing the Minuetto. I would very much appreciate any reply.

Does the same cabling apply even to the then flagship model, the Extrema? Ano ba ang sa Extrema? If not, can anyone please enlighten me (and other folks) on the type of cabling so that I can choose the associated equipment that will match the Minuetto and the cables.

by **Hyperion** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 3:36 pm

I haven't seen the Minuetto's insides so I don't know what cables they used but judging from the Minuetto's warm sound, I can surmise that it's most likely copper and not silver.

The new Strad Homage uses silver alloy as internal wiring. The Guarneri Homage uses silver according to a magazine review and they sound like it. The Amati Homage uses a combination of silver, and hybrid copper/silver cables. I don't know about the Extrema. Judging from its rich sound, its probably all copper. SF has no brand loyalty when it comes to internal cabling, xover parts, or drivers although they like to use european parts.

What cable to use with the Minuetto? It all depends on how you want them to sound. It does not matter what SF uses, using the same cables can have good results but not necessarily the best outcome.

If it were me, I'd only use my favorite Kondo silver cables, or at least the copper Kondo KSL-SPc. But cables are a very subjective thing - as usual my best advice is for you to audition lotsa cables and discover what sounds best according to your ears and personal taste.

What system do you intend to build around the Minuetto? What is the budget?

by **kolabear** » Thu Feb 12, 2004 11:12 pm

hi hyperion

i saw the minuetto that i mention back here in malaysia. it is 8ohms and bi wire. i tought it was single wire and 6/4ohms. need ur advise on this. thks

by **Hyperion** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 6:12 pm

It does not matter. They are fairly easy to drive and in fact easier to drive the the Concertino.

As for the biwire terminal - that is indeed a bummer. They sound more open when biwired with a good biwire cable, or at least if the stock jumper is replaced by good wire.

The most cost effective way to wire them though is to use a non terminated barewire speaker cable, strip its speaker end to about 2" long and pass them through to both low and hi terminals, consummating a breakless jumper. As a bonus you don't have any sound degrading spade or banana in the signal path too.

by **Audio_Tyro** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 1:32 pm

Jigolow wrote:Am a proud owner of a Minuetto and really delighted on how it delivers music. In fact, Im building a system around it. However, there is a question I want to ask, especially to Hyperion (the man!). Do you happen to know what cable product brand and type (copper or silver) does SF use in constructing the Minuetto. I would very much appreciate any reply.

Does the same cabling apply even apply to the then flagship model, the Extrema? Ano ba ang sa Extrema? If not, can anyone please enlighten me (and other folks) on the type of cabling so that I can choose the associated equipment that will match the Minuetto and the cables.

Congrats to Jigolow for bagging the SF Extrema on sale here! Jigolow says his Minuetto will be relegated to do "Surround sound" duties na lang daw! Hanep!

by **forseti** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 4:13 pm

I'm glad that a topic regarding one of my old and so far one of my favorite among my speakers-Minueto was posted to this forum.

Allow me to have your assistance, the perimeter of my Minueto's woofer corroded that resulted to an unwanted appearance which I think the cause was the humid temperature of our country.To describe it,a glue like material leaked from the inside part of the woofer which caused the metal part of the woofer to corrode.

So far,there was no degradation to its sound quality.I tried contacting Upscale (all branches) to help me source the original Dynaudio drivers for a replacement,but even them can't help me in sourcing the drivers.I also tried sending an email to Sumiko and referred me to Sonus Faber Italy,but still no luck for me.

Do you think you can help me with this,knowing your a Sonus guru.

Thanks and Regards

by **Hyperion** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 12:37 pm

forseti,

If Upscale and SF Italy cannot do anything about it then I am afraid there is nothing else that I can suggest. Has SF run out of replacement drivers for the Minuetto? Btw, that woofer is not Dynaudio but SEAS.

by **forseti** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:15 am

Hyperion,

Thank you for the info, all the while that I know that the woofer driver is Dynaudio. Just to confirm, so it's the tweeter that is only Dynaudio?

By the way, where do you think I can source the SEAS driver?

Regards.

by **Hyperion** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:47 am

Actually the tweeter is also not Dynaudio. The drivers are both SEAS, or the the tweeter is SEAS and the midwoofer is VIFA, or the other way around. The problem with these drivers is that they are custom made for SF so you cannot just replace them with off the shelf drivers.

Have you tried calling SF Italy btw?

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