Guarneri
Memento Loudspeakers
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Specifications:
System Type: 2-way, stand mounted,
Lute shaped cabinet
Cabinet: 21 staves of hand selected solid maple sandwiched for
resonance control
Tweeter:
1 in. (25mm) high linearity ring radiator with dual toroidal wave guide
Mid Woofer: 6 in. (150mm) ultra
dynamic high linearity driver
Crossover: 2.5khz, 6 db/octave, highest grade components
Sensitivity:
88dB SPL, 2.83V/1m
Impedance: 4 ohms, nominal
Power Handling: 30W-200W without clipping.
Frequency Response: 39Hz - 30kHz
Dimensions:
Speakers: 8.25 x 15.25 x 15 inches (WDH), 210 x 390
x 380 mm (WDH)
Speaker Columns: 12 x 15.75 x 48.5 inches (WDH),
305 x 390 x 1230 mm (WDH)
Weight: 187.5 lbs / pr, 85 kg / pr
Finishes: Red Violin Piano Gloss or Graphite
$15,000.00
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The Guarneri
homage was both Sonus faber's first tribute to the art of Cremonese violin
makers and the birth of an new approach to loudspeaker design. Guarneri
homage was far more than simply speaker drivers in a cabinet. It was a
genuine musical instrument in its own right. One that, when carefully
integrated into system and room, was capable of connecting listener to
music in a most profound way. Everything is expressed naturally and simply
with balance, order and measure. It possesses an eminently musical temperament
that is immediately evident upon your first and each subsequent listening
experience.
The Revelation Revisited
Many years have passed since the genesis of Guarmeri homage, and much
has been learned during the creation of the subsequent models Cremona,
Amati anniversario and most significantly Stradavari homage. Embodying
all its predecessor's qualities, Sonus faber has begun afresh where Guarneri
homage concluded.
Cabinet Design
Guarneri memento integrates many lessons learned from the study of violin
design. The lute shape, choices of wood and time-honored construction
techniques creates an internal acoustic chamber of non-parallel sidewalls
much like the body of a violin that is all but immune to unwanted standing
waves that can cause a colored sound. The cabinet, for example, is formed
with no fewer than 21 individual pieces of selected solid maple employed
for constrained-mode damping to cancel undesirable resonance. Each speaker
is hand-assembled using organic glue and heat pressing techniques identical
to those used centuries ago in the manufacture of violins. The maple wood
used is naturally dried for two years and then stabilized in kilns. The
interior sidewalls are selectively damped using sheet copper and lead
tuning elements to provide uniformity from unit to unit. Finally, each
cabinet is finished using natural dyes throughout.
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Crossover
A “minimalist design” 6dB/octave crossover is used mainly
for the natural sound such a design affords. All component parts used
are of the highest quality and were chosen through extensive listening
tests based on subjective musicality. Often, seemingly minor changes
greatly affected the final sound! Such attention to detail is readily
apparent upon first hearing. Additionally, advances in metallurgy have
led Sonus faber to adopt a structured Silver-Palladium alloy on all
connector conductors to provide a totally coherent signal path, a claim
proved out based from extensive A/B listening.
Transducers
Both drive units employed are the highest expression of transducer design.
The mid-bass unit is a sophisticated design with particular attention
paid to the voice coil and the surrounding air gap to provide maximum
freedom from dynamic compression. The drive unit features a CCAW / Kapton
“eddy current free” voice coil and a dynamically linear
magnetic field motor incorporating Kellog and Faraday rings. All moving
elements of the driver are ventilated for “resonance free”
response. This unique technology allows the Guarneri menento to produce
bass and dynamics that belie the small size of the loudspeaker enclosure.
The high frequency driver features an ultra linear ring radiator that
is positioned within a dual toroidal wave-guide. The result is a lower
resonant point allowing for greater high-frequency extension and dynamics.
Timbre is sweet and accurate and never sounds metallic. Each drive unit
is “broken in” by running signal through them for several
hours before being fitted into the cabinet. In this way the user is
assured of optimal performance shortly after installation.
Finish
Just as in violin making, the finish has a profound effect on the final
sound! The surface of the wood cabinet is first prepared by sealing
it with albumin to prevent penetration of the multilayered varnish.
A unique blend of natural organic substances including Venetian larch
turpentine, linseed oil, propolis, wine alcohol, gamboges, copal gum
and oliban is applied using an elaborate and time-consuming procedure.
No fewer than ten coats of varnish are applied with hand sanding accompanying
each finishing coat. Final polishing to a mirror-like finish is done
by hand using felt and oil. Guarneri memento is available in both a
piano gloss “Red Violin” or gloss “Graphite”
finish.
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