#SONUS FABER LUMINA III DRIVERS#
#SONUS FABER LUMINA III FULL#

The SF design team says (I paraphrase) that this damper prevents antiphase behavior at and near the dome, and thus improves its high-frequency extension. Starting at the top of the cabinet and working downward: As its name implies, Sonus Faber’s 1.14” (29mm) Damped Apex Dome (DAD) tweeter has at its apex a small, spongy damper that holds the center of the soft dome in place as it moves.

#SONUS FABER LUMINA III DRIVERS#

Like its cabinet, the Lumina III’s drivers look decidedly Sonus Faber.

#SONUS FABER LUMINA III FULL#

If you want to experience the Lumina III’s full bass response, you must use the included threaded spikes to lift plinth and speaker above the floor. The Lumina III is a bass-reflex speaker - its large Stealth Reflex port vents downward, through the cabinet’s base and a hole in the plinth. On the rear panel, which is painted a matte black, are two pairs of high-quality, nickel-plated, five-way binding posts to accommodate biwiring. When I rapped the sidewalls near the midrange driver, I heard a hard thud and felt no vibrational feedback. Also of note, despite the Lumina III’s slight weight for a floorstander, is the rigidity of its construction.

The Lumina is a rectilinear box measuring 36.75”H x 7”W x 9”D (the plinth it sits on is 9”W x 7/8”H x 11”D) and weighing 35.1 pounds. I found their overall appearance subdued, with touches of elegance. The top and sides of the cabinet, separated from the baffle by a layer of viscoelastic material, are wrapped in black faux leather - it wouldn’t be a Sonus Faber speaker without some leather! This slightly rounds the corner edges, and is a particularly nice touch. Based on the photos I’ve seen in the press release, both veneers are more in keeping with the sort of finish that springs to mind when Sonus Faber comes up in conversation.īut whichever finish you select, it’s applied only to the Lumina III’s front baffle of layered MDF. As Doug lamented as we unboxed the Luminas, it’s a shame we didn’t receive these speakers in one of the other two finishes offered, which feature real-wood veneers: a medium-dark Walnut or a darker, richer Wengè that looks like a medium-dark oak. While not oozing the opulence of many other, far more expensive Sonus Faber models, my Lumina III review samples, finished in Piano Black, were still very attractive. But I’d received those review samples long before, in mid-August, and had already got in plenty of listening.

Conspicuously absent so far is a Lumina II - I wouldn’t be surprised to see one in the near future.ĭay and date with the Lumina line’s official launch on September 8, 2020, Doug Schneider’s article covering the unboxing of the Lumina IIIs in my basement listening room was published on SoundStage! Global. Unfortunately, not every audiophile has pockets deep enough to experience the upper echelons of Sonus Faber’s model range.Įnter the new Lumina series, which their maker calls “the new first step into the world of Sonus Faber.” The Luminas, built entirely in Italy, comprise the Lumina I minimonitor ($899/pair, all prices USD), the Lumina CI center-channel ($699 each), and the floorstanding subject of this review, the Lumina III ($2199/pair).

Italy’s Sonus Faber has a well-earned, decades-old reputation for producing speakers that not only sound great, but are some of the most beautiful and luxurious-looking in the world. Note: Measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.

Sonus faber lumina iii