Sonus faber has introduced Il Cremonese, the latest creation from the Italian high end loudspeaker manufacturer which will join the Homage Collection in the Sonus faber catalogue. As the newest member of the Homage Collection, Il Cremonese shares many features of both form and function. A three-and-a-half way, floorstanding loudspeaker, Il Cremonese is the result of evolutionary product design, and the adaptation of technologies from the Lilium and other Sonus faber speaker projects. The name Il Cremonese is an homage to Antonio Stradivari, and one of his most famous violins, celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2015. First named after the original owner, and known since the 18th century as Joachim, Stradivari’s violin was renamed “Il Cremonese” in 1961 when it was selected as the first Stradivari to return to the city of Cremona as part of the permanent collection in the Museo del Violino. This is one of the most important instruments in the history of Italian violin making, thanks to its innovative design and proportions, the quality and the depth of sound, and the beautiful materials and finishes used to create it.

Many Sonus faber patents and technologies are implemented in Il Cremonese:

Stealth Reflex System – allowing for a reduction in the dimensions of the internal acoustic volume while providing distortion control, it utilises two orthogonal ports, one on the back for the midwoofer, and the other on the base, facing the floor, for the woofers and infrawoofers.

Z.V.T. (Zero Vibration Transmission) system – used for decoupling the speaker’s cabinet from the floor and the rest of the listening environment, this is implemented in a revolutionary way inside the floor spikes. This new system continues to use new, modern elastomers, and guarantees a further simplification in the construction and aesthetic lightness.

Upper and lower “Dampshelves” – two massive slabs of black brushed Avional, operating as mechanical energy dampers generated by Il Cremonese’s powerful drivers.

“Staggered Low Frequencies Emission Technology” system – used for the first time since “the Sonus faber” project, it optimises the performance of the integrated infrawoofers.

The driver cones are designed entirely in-house, the tweeter is the Sonus faber Arrow Point DAD (Damped Apex Dome), the midrange is a Sonus faber M18 XTR-04, the woofers are the Sonus faber W18XTR-12 (a scaled-down version of the Lilium woofers), and the W22XTR-16 infrawoofers are a new project from the Arcugnano factory. The crossover network utilizes the innovative “Paracross topology” for superior results.

Il Cremonese is characterised by an innovative cabinet with five sides, a “Rhomboidal diamond design” which optimises the structural solidity of the wooden cabinets with a diamond shape Inspired by the shape of Lilium, Il Cremonese introduces clean lines and a, minimal, and sharp design. Sonus faber say ‘This new and atypical form represents an evolution towards technological and visual innovation, simultaneously maintaining the historic milestones that marked the history of violin making, as well as the history of the Sonus faber brand itself.’

Lacquered walnut wood, tempered glass, leather and brushed black aluminium are the materials used and Il Cremonese is available in the classical Sonus faber finishes of RED and WALNUT.

Il Cremonese will be available to non-US Sonus faber dealers and distributors in November 2015, and to US and Canadian dealers in early 2016. The suggested retail price is € 31250 pair (VAT not included).