Classy, compact speakers with a surprisingly grown-up sound
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S onus Faber’s reputation is founded on making premium speakers with beautiful cabinets and strong sound quality. Its traditional home is at the top end of the market, but over the years it has expanded downwards to more affordable levels. The Lumina 1 are just about the most economical way to get one of the brand’s stereo speakers.
The Lumina 1’s boxes are tiny – about the size of a shoebox – but that hasn’t stopped Sonus Faber from making them look special for the money. The plywood front panel is lovely with its real wood veneer (walnut or wenge) and maple inlays. The chrome detailing around the drive units could be considered a little glitzy, but we are certainly fans of the real leather wrap around the sides and top of the MDF cabinet.
These speakers are a two-way design with a small 12cm paper-cone mid/bass unit coupled to a larger-than-average (29mm) silk-dome tweeter. It’s the same high-frequency unit used in the company’s more premium Sonetto range, and in this installation covers frequencies over 2kHz.
The combination of low sensitivity – 84dB/W/m – and a nominal impedance of 4 ohms means that they will take a bit of driving. Something such as the Arcam A15 amplifier is a good pace to start, partnered with, say, the Cyrus CDi CD player; or perhaps Naim’s Uniti Atom system.
Plenty of appeal
These little boxes are surprisingly confident performers with a presentation that is bolder and more full-bodied than their size suggests. Of course something this small will never be able to deliver seismic lows or convey large-scale dynamics with a full dose of authority. But that doesn’t stop the Lumina 1 from having plenty of appeal. Those drive units are beautifully integrated. We listen to Laurie Anderson’s Homeland set, and the speakers do a great job with her distinctive voice. There’s plenty of detail, nuance and natural warmth here, as well as a pleasing degree of solidity. The Lumina 1 focus on the humanness of Anderson’s performance rather than just tick the boxes regarding the technicalities of sound reproduction.
My Right Eye demonstrates a surpris
