What do you want from your speakers? Are you looking for the most analytical boxes to lay your hands on, or is it the most engaging musical experience that matters most? Our experience is that these two things are not always equal. Sonus Faber’s new Lumina V floorstanders land squarely on the musical side of things, and we’re fine with that.
Lumina is the Italian brand’s entry-level model and includes two standmounters, two floorstanders and a matching center. There’s no dedicated subwoofer for the range, but the company does offer some suitable offerings that can be used. The Lumina V is the largest speaker in the range, but despite its generous dimensions – 105 x 28 x 37 cm (hwd) – it doesn’t unnecessarily dominate a room.
Construction & design
Aesthetics have always been an important part of Sonus Faber’s DNA, and that’s still the case here. The price dictates there’s no room for the company’s usual highly sculpted cabinet designs, but these Lumina V floorstanders still look distinctive and smart. There are three options for the plywood front panel. It can be covered in stylish real wood veneer – walnut or wenge – with maple inlays, or painted gloss black. The rest of the cabinet is made of MDF and covered in faux leather, apart from the back panel which is painted satin black.
The combination of colors and materials is unusual, but it works – giving the speakers an air of elegance that most rivals lack. But there is more than just a pleasant appearance. Look inside and you’ll see the tweeter and midrange are built into their own ‘lute-shaped’ housing, which not only reduces standing wave build-up, but also adds to the cabinet’s rigidity.
Sonus Faber Lumina V technical specifications
Type 3-way floorstander
Tweeter 29mm Soft Dome
Mid range Cone of 15 cm paper/natural fibre
Bass 16.5cm paper/natural fiber cone x2
Sensitivity 90dB/W/m
Nominal impedance 4 ohms
ported Down
Size (hwd) 105 x 28 x 37 cm
Weight 22.5 kg
The Lumina V are three-way speakers. The tweeter is an unusually large 29mm soft dome design. What looks like a conventional stage plate is actually part of Sonus Faber’s Damped Apex Dome technology, often referred to as DAD in the company’s literature. This would improve the diaphragm’s phase behavior by dampening the center of the dome. The 15cm midrange and dual 16.5cm woofers all use a paper/natural fiber cone material, but in the case of the low frequency drivers there are two layers of paper/natural fiber enclosing a syntactic foam. A large down-firing port, exiting through the plinth, tunes the lows.
The four drive units are connected by a carefully calibrated crossover that tries to optimize the phase and amplitude behavior. The crossover points are relatively conventional at 260 Hz between bass and midrange and 2.6 kHz from the midrange driver to the tweeter.
Compatibility
The Lumina V’s claimed sensitivity of 90dB/W/m might suggest they’re an easy electrical load, but the 4-ohm nominal impedance means you’ll need an amp with a bit of growl to drive them properly. We think something like Rega’s Aethos or Naim’s SuperNait 3 are good places to start. You also need good quality sources if you want to hear how good these speakers can sound.
The Lumina V thrives when given a little breathing room. In our 7m x 5m test room, these towers work best about a meter from the back wall and well away from the sides. They need a little care when tilting to the listening position. In our case, crossing them just behind our heads produces the best balance between the firmness of the stereo image and the width of the soundstage. Even then, these speakers don’t have the most expansive or spacious stereo imaging we’ve heard for this money.
Sound
These Sonus Fabers turn out to be a slow burner of sorts to us. They’re not as forward-thinking, direct, or overtly exciting as some rivals. But given some time, they begin to work their way into our affections. Their midrange is a real highlight. It’s as articulate and expressive as we’ve heard at this level. Vocalists like Michael Kiwanuka or Nick Cave come through with grit and passion intact; the Lumina V manages to deliver voices with a rare palpability.
While we can pick out small details if we wish, or easily break apart production, these things aren’t as interesting to the Sonus Fabers as making sure that the energy of Kiwanuka’s You are not the problem is well communicated. In the same way we listen to Cave’s In my arms and it’s the emotional impact of this heartfelt love song that takes precedence. Sure, the piano in the song is rendered with finesse and the bass has authority, but these speakers are more concerned with integrating these elements into a cohesive and musical whole than trying to amaze us with their abilities.
The Lumina V has no trouble delivering sonic fireworks when the music calls for it. We’re playing Holst’s Jupiter and they render the classic piece with all the scale and majesty it deserves. Those two bass drivers generate an admirable amount of low-end heft and combine that with enough agility to avoid slowing the tempo of the music.
Large-scale dynamics come through with verve and composure, with little feeling of the speakers getting louder even at higher volume levels. But despite the obvious muscularity on offer, there’s still plenty of room to get dynamic nuances and low-level subtleties right.
Tonally, these speakers fall on the richer, fuller side of neutral, but never err so far as to sound less than articulate. Rivals like the Spendor A4 or ProAc Response DT8 are certainly more accurate in the way they outline instruments and voices, and bass notes in particular, but the natural sonic grace and easy nature of the Sonus Fabers balance the scale.
Verdict
The Lumina V are charming loudspeakers through and through. They have an unusual mix of skills that make them the best at this price point. Give them a little room to breathe and a system that plays to their strengths and you’ll be treated to a wonderful musical experience.
TO SCORE
- Sound 5
- To build 4
- Compatibility 4
LAKE:
Read our review of the ProAc Response Response DT8
Also consider the Spend A4
Best Floorstanding Speakers: Budget to Premium