Sonus faber Amati Supreme Review – The Art of Coherence

Amati is not simply another model name in the Sonus faber catalogue. Over successive generations, it has come to represent the point at which the Vicenza company’s ideas about natural reproduction, cabinet craft and Italian design are expressed with particular confidence. A new loudspeaker carrying that name therefore arrives with history already attached to it – and with expectations that cannot be satisfied by scale or luxury alone.

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The reference is deliberate. Sonus faber has long named members of the Homage Collection after celebrated Italian instrument makers: Guarneri, Serafino, Amati and Stradivari. Nicolò Amati was the most prominent member of the Cremonese violin-making family whose work developed principles established by his grandfather Andrea Amati in the 16th century. For a loudspeaker company whose visual language remains closely tied to the tradition of Italian instrument making, the name is at once tribute, inheritance and obligation.

The Amati Supreme now gives that inheritance a different technical and visual expression. It sits above rather than succeeds the Amati G5, takes major elements from the far more ambitious Suprema and presents them in a self-contained passive loudspeaker. That makes the central question rather more interesting than whether Sonus faber has simply built a grander Amati: can technology conceived for the company’s ultimate reference system retain its authority when reshaped for a conventional two-channel installation?

Key Facts Sonus faber Amati Supreme

• 4,5-way floorstanding loudspeaker with sealed midrange chamber and Stealth Ultraflex bass system
• 20 mm silk-dome super tweeter, 38 mm silk-dome tweeter and 165 mm Camelia midrange driver
• Two 220 mm woofers with Dual Drive Motor System
• Frequency range from 28 Hz to 40.000 Hz
• Sensitivity of 91 dB SPL at 2,83 V/1 m and nominal impedance of 4 Ohm
• Crossover frequencies at 230 Hz, 300 Hz, 1.800 Hz and 5.600 Hz
• Recommended amplifier power from 50 to 600 W
• Rear jumper settings for adjustment of the mid-high and mid-bass ranges
• Dimensions of 1.176 × 411 × 512 mm and weight of 62 kg per loudspeaker
• Wengé, Red, Graphite, Terra Rossa and Sabbia Oro finishes
• Price: € 78.000,- per pair

A New Summit Without Retiring the Amati G5

The position of the Sonus faber Amati Supreme is unusual and important. The existing Sonus faber Amati G5 remains in the range as the established 3,5-way interpretation of the family. The Supreme adds another level above it, with its own 4,5-way topology and a much closer technical relationship to the company’s ultimate loudspeaker system.

That relationship is made explicit by the suffix. The Sonus faber Suprema is not merely invoked as a statement of rank: the Amati Supreme receives its midrange and treble transducers, together with essential crossover components, from that reference design. A newly developed bass section and a sharper interpretation of the familiar lute-shaped cabinet complete a loudspeaker that is related to the Suprema without attempting to reproduce it in miniature.

This distinction matters. A prestigious lineage, luxurious construction and expensive parts may define the context, but they cannot determine the musical result. The real interest lies in how the Suprema-derived elements work within a passive floorstander that, given a sufficiently generous room, still belongs to a recognisable stereo system rather than an all-encompassing installation.

Our perspective was inevitably coloured by long familiarity with the Sonus faber Amati G5 in a private listening room. This was not an A/B comparison under identical conditions, and it would be wrong to present it as one. Yet years spent with the G5 provide a meaningful understanding of the qualities associated with the Amati line. They also made the encounter with the Supreme rather personally consequential, as we shall return to later.

Suprema Thinking, Recast for a Passive Floorstander

The upper part of the 4,5-way system combines a 38 mm silk-dome tweeter with a 20 mm super tweeter, each working through its own waveguide and driven by a powerful neodymium motor. Below them sits the 165 mm Camelia midrange driver, equipped with a phase plug, Dual Drive Motor System and neodymium ring magnet. According to Sonus faber, all three transducers correspond to those employed in the Suprema.

The Camelia name describes the driver’s flower-like diaphragm. Its irregular outline is not decorative: the geometry is intended to discourage uniform resonance patterns in the region that carries voices and much of the defining character of acoustic instruments. This is a good example of the Amati Supreme’s broader approach, in which visual distinction is repeatedly rooted in an acoustic purpose.

Both tweeters and the midrange driver operate within a dedicated sealed enclosure shaped with computer simulation and lined with cork. Here the natural material is treated as part of the acoustic chamber rather than as an incidental damping layer. Its properties and the enclosure’s organic geometry are intended to control internal reflections and provide the midrange with an uncoloured working environment.

Two 220 mm woofers with Dual Drive Motor System handle the low frequencies. Instead of exposing a conventional bass-reflex port, Sonus faber incorporates controlled ventilation into the rear structure through its Stealth Ultraflex system. The specified lower limit of 28 Hz signals the intention clearly: this is meant to be a full-range loudspeaker without requiring an additional subwoofer for normal stereo use.

The Network on Display

Crossover design is usually hidden deep within a loudspeaker cabinet. On the Amati Supreme, a transparent Y-shaped panel in the top surface reveals the carefully arranged components of the mid-high network. The view is visually arresting, but it is not a gratuitous display. Sonus faber has chosen to expose the very circuit responsible for making four crossover points disappear from the listening experience.

The manufacturer states that the crossover uses the same component standard as the Suprema and follows its Phase Coherent Level 3 approach. The transition frequencies are 230 Hz, 300 Hz, 1.800 Hz and 5.600 Hz, with the close spacing of the two lower points indicating how deliberately the bass and midrange sections are integrated. The architecture is not a collection of impressive drive units left to advertise their individual virtues. It is engineered around their cooperation.

That becomes fundamental once music begins. There is no super tweeter demanding admiration, no midrange unit projecting every voice for effect and no pair of woofers constantly reminding the listener of their diameter. There is simply one loudspeaker speaking with one voice.

Familiar Craft, a Bolder Palette

Wengé, Red and Graphite have long been integral to the identity of the Homage Collection. Alongside the curved cabinets, selected materials and meticulous detailing, these finishes have helped define what a Sonus faber loudspeaker looks like in an elegant interior.

Sabbia Oro and Terra Rossa introduce a markedly different attitude. Reserved for the Amati Supreme, these matt finishes cover the complete enclosure, from the side panels to the baffle. They shift its presence away from that of a classical piece of fine furniture and towards a deliberately architectural object. Our review pair came in Sabbia Oro, a finish that made the new direction particularly apparent.

The traditional alternatives remain available, and for many established admirers of the brand they will continue to embody the natural elegance expected of an Amati. The two new colours do something else: they allow the same unmistakable form to enter interiors shaped by matt surfaces, broad areas of colour and contemporary architectural restraint. Choosing one of the Homage Collection’s most historically charged names for this experiment makes the decision feel programmatic rather than cosmetic.

At 1,176 m tall and 62 kg each, the loudspeakers are substantial but not visually overwhelming. Wood, aluminium and Plexiglas are joined with exceptional precision. The familiar string grilles preserve a connection with earlier Sonus faber designs, while the Y-shaped crossover window introduces an overtly contemporary detail. It does not appear to have been inserted into a completed design; it is part of the composition from the outset. Panel gaps, transitions and surfaces convey the sense of an object resolved all the way to its final visible edge.

Four Settings, One Underlying Character

Two jumper controls marked MID-HIGH ADJ and MID-BASS ADJ sit on the rear panel. Their combinations provide four tunings that Sonus faber associates with different room sizes, acoustic conditions and distances from the walls.

In use, they behaved as finishing tools rather than remedies for a flawed baseline. We moved through the settings during the review and found audible changes, but no single combination that could honestly be declared universally superior. Room, recording and personal preference all influenced the choice.

That subtlety is a strength. None of the settings turns the Amati Supreme into a different loudspeaker; each alters the balance after placement and toe-in have already been addressed with care. Owners willing to invest time in positioning therefore gain an additional means of bringing the final presentation into line with their listening seat and taste.

Control Before Brute Force

Sonus faber specifies 91 dB SPL sensitivity at 2,83 V/1 m, a nominal impedance of 4 Ohm and amplifier power between 50 and 600 W. These figures do not make an enormous power amplifier mandatory. They do, however, make current delivery, stability into 4 Ohm and composure during dynamic peaks more relevant than an impressive wattage figure considered in isolation.

The Audio Research S-200 proved an excellent partner. Its rated 200 W per channel into 8 Ohm doubles to 400 W into 4 Ohm, but the quality that mattered in the room was its unforced control of large impulses. Together with the Audio Research LS-3 preamplifier, it allowed the Amati Supreme to breathe freely while preserving shape, timing and authority.

Separate terminals for the bass and mid-high sections support single wiring, bi-wiring and bi-amping. We used a conventional single-amplifier connection with AudioQuest Rocket 44 loudspeaker cable. Nothing in the performance suggested that a more elaborate amplification scheme was a prerequisite for reference-level results.

A Reference Room That Still Feels Like a Home

The review took place at the Audio Tuning Townhouse in central Vienna. Its listening room covers approximately 60 m² within a spacious period building whose high ceiling gives a loudspeaker of this scale room to develop. A comfortable sofa near the centre served as the listening position, placing the system in an elevated but unmistakably domestic setting.

Acoustic treatment is visually restrained. The ceiling makes the most significant contribution and can be incorporated without creating a cramped impression thanks to the height of the room. Acoustic panels behind the loudspeakers add further control, although they are not presented as elements of a minutely calculated studio environment. They function as decoration with an acoustic benefit. That balance made the Townhouse particularly relevant here: it offers favourable conditions without ceasing to be an elegant living space.

Sources, Amplification and Signal Path

The system brought together Audio Research amplification, HiFi Rose streaming and Musical Fidelity digital components, with AudioQuest handling cabling and power treatment. An Audio Research LS-3 served as preamplifier and the S-200 as power amplifier. The HiFi Rose RS150B fed the preamplifier directly for streaming, while Roon supplied the music data and an Apple iPad acted as the Roon Remote Control. Hi-res Audio versions were used where available, alongside deliberately selected material in conventional CD quality.

Compact Disc was not represented merely by files. A Musical Fidelity M6scd CD player and Musical Fidelity M6x DAC allowed us to use Audio CDs as a physical source. Power was distributed through an AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Power Conditioner with AudioQuest NRG-Z3 mains cables. AudioQuest Mackenzie provided the balanced analogue connection, AudioQuest Vodka the optical digital link and AudioQuest Rocket 44 the loudspeaker connection.

This was a sufficiently revealing system to avoid placing an artificial ceiling on the loudspeakers, yet its structure remained entirely conventional: source, preamplifier, power amplifier and one pair of passive floorstanders. In other words, an exceptionally fine High-end HiFi chain, but still recognisably a stereo system.

The First Impression Was the Absence of Seams

The Sonus faber Amati Supreme initially resists being divided into familiar categories. Within a few bars, a voice, a bass phrase or the dimensions of the recorded space may draw attention, only for the listener to realise that the usual audiophile checklist has become strangely unimportant. Everything is present, proportioned and connected. That sense of completeness was its defining achievement.

This should not be mistaken for polite restraint. Colour is rich, voices and instruments have physical substance, and the loudspeakers can release the raw force of rock as readily as the scale of an orchestra. What they avoid is self-conscious demonstration. The top end does not continually advertise extension, the midrange does not spotlight every singer, and the bass section never treats weight as its default argument.

The integration of the midrange and treble units is especially persuasive. Fine structure emerges without the music being dismantled for inspection. Attack, development and decay remain parts of the same event. A voice has outline and presence, but also the minute instabilities that give it personality. Resolution therefore enlarges the listener’s understanding of the performance instead of turning analysis into the performance.

Spatial behaviour is similarly responsive to the recording. Large productions extend well beyond the cabinet positions, while small ensembles retain intimacy. Width and depth are not inflated according to a house template. What remains constant is the stability of the relationships between musicians, instruments and voices. Even in dense passages, the centre stays secure without making the stage sound mechanically plotted.

The bass has genuine reach and considerable physical authority, yet pitch, structure and timing remain legible beneath the pressure. In the Townhouse’s 60 m² room, the two 220 mm woofers supplied enough foundation to remove any desire for additional subwoofers. They did so without forcing every recording to carry the same heavy signature.

Large dynamic events arrived with the ease expected in this class. More revealing were the smaller shifts between them: a singer applying slightly greater emphasis, the changing weight of a piano note or the almost imperceptible expansion of an orchestral phrase. These gradations survived at moderate levels. The Amati Supreme did not need to be played loudly before the music felt complete.

Recording and resolution differences were readily audible, but the loudspeaker did not turn them into a punitive ranking system. Excellent productions gained depth, colour and subtlety; imperfect ones retained their ability to communicate. The Amati Supreme is honest, but it does not confuse honesty with hostility.

“Perfect” is a dangerous word in a review. Here it describes not a theoretical absence of error, but the proportion between the loudspeaker’s many abilities. Across genres, recording standards and listening levels, we have rarely heard a presentation in this class remain so consistently whole.

And it was tremendous fun. That observation may sound less elevated than a discussion of timbre, transient behaviour and depth perspective, but it reaches the centre of the Amati Supreme’s character. It does not demand reverence. It makes one track lead to another, then to an album, until a planned review session has quietly become an evening spent listening to music.

From Familiar Recordings to Fresh Discoveries

Thorbjørn Risager – Come on In

With “Come on In” from Thorbjørn Risager’s album of the same name, it quickly became clear how naturally the Amati Supreme handles a distinctive voice. Risager stood tangibly and clearly outlined in the room without being pushed artificially forwards. The rough texture of his voice remained fully intact, while the accompaniment appeared as a band playing together rather than a collection of carefully separated individual events. Rough and propelled by driving force – that is how it emerged from the loudspeaker.

Willy DeVille – Storybook Love

Willy DeVille’s “Storybook Love” from the album “Miracle” depended on that elusive balance between intimacy and distance. His voice had colour, expression and believable scale without being romantically embellished. Precisely because the Amati Supreme refrained from adding warmth or artificial sweetness, the song developed its emotional effect with complete ease.

Zaz – J’aime j’aime

Zaz placed different demands on the mid-high range with “J’aime j’aime” from “Effet Miroir”. Through less balanced systems, her voice can quickly sound forward or strained. The Amati Supreme preserved its rough, agile character while integrating it cleanly into the rhythmic movement. It smoothed nothing and sharpened nothing – it simply found the right measure.

Gianmaria Testa – Come al cielo gli aeroplani

With Gianmaria Testa’s “Come al cielo gli aeroplani” from “Solo dal vivo”, the acoustic environment itself became part of the performance. Voice, instrument and recording space existed in an entirely credible relationship. The room did not appear merely as reverberation behind the musician, but as a coherent place whose dimensions and atmosphere were immediately apparent. The loudspeakers themselves almost completely disappeared from perception.

Tori Amos – Winter

Tori Amos’ “Winter” from “Gold Dust” demanded fine gradations between voice, piano and orchestral accompaniment. The grand piano had weight and a precisely traceable attack, while the decay of each note remained in the room without being curtailed. The strings formed no diffuse wash, but developed in intelligible layers around the voice. Resolution was not demonstrated through emphasised detail, but through the complete temporal development of the music.

Pink Floyd – One of These Days

Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days” from the album “8-Tracks” drew attention less to absolute low-frequency reach than to the Amati Supreme’s ability to hold the recording’s long arc of tension together. The offset bass figures remained comprehensible as independent movements, yet joined drums, organ and the increasingly restless effects in an ever more compelling whole. As the texture grew denser, the reproduction did not simply become louder or more massive, but above all more urgent. The transition from the almost abstract opening to the eruptive passage that follows showed particularly clearly how precisely the Amati Supreme preserves rhythmic relationships without slowing the musical pull through demonstrative analysis.

Yo-Yo Ma – Gabriel’s Oboe

With “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone”, the character of the cello sound moved to the foreground. Bow stroke, strings and resonant body remained distinguishable without the instrument breaking down into mechanical components. The Amati Supreme conveyed texture and volume just as persuasively as the recording’s calm melodic flow. Technical precision and musical expression never stood in one another’s way.

Eagles – Hotel California

“Hotel California” from the Eagles’ album of the same name is among the most frequently heard demonstration classics. That very familiarity, however, made the recording a dependable reference. Guitars, voices and percussion occupied clearly defined positions without the stage appearing to have been constructed with a ruler. It possessed depth, air and, above all, a believable connection between the musicians.

The Moody Blues – Nights in White Satin

With “Nights in White Satin” from The Moody Blues’ “Days of Future Passed”, the Amati Supreme had to organise a far more complex blend of band, voice and orchestral scale. It did not dissect the dense arrangement into sterile layers, but preserved its distinctive atmosphere. The presentation expanded generously beyond the loudspeakers, remained stable at the centre and retained its internal order even as the passages grew denser.

The Stranglers – Always the Sun

“Always the Sun” from The Stranglers’ “Dreamtime” made it clear that control must not be confused with restraint. Bass line and drums developed the necessary pressure, the guitars retained their bite, and the recording gained the pace that drives it directly forwards. The Amati Supreme played with discipline but never sounded academic. It allowed the track to keep its edges and, above all, its energy.

Vangelis – Chariots of Fire

Vangelis’ “Chariots of Fire” from “Themes” demonstrated the scale these loudspeakers can develop. The synthesiser layers spread far beyond the physical positions of the cabinets without losing substance. A deep foundation supported the recording with great composure, while the spatial layering remained intelligible across its full extent. Scale was not produced by diffuse width, but developed from the recording itself.

Jennifer Warnes – Way Down Deep

Jennifer Warnes’ “Way Down Deep” from “The Hunter” is as familiar as it is revealing as a test of bass reproduction. The Amati Supreme sent the deep impulses into the room with considerable force, but did not limit them to sheer mass. Pitch, progression and decay remained cleanly distinguishable. The result was physically tangible yet so controlled that the bass obscured neither the voice nor the spatial order.

VNV Nation – Electric Sun

VNV Nation’s “Electric Sun” from the album of the same name shifted the examination towards electronic energy, dense synthesiser structures and sharply placed impulses. Even at elevated levels, the Amati Supreme generated enormous pressure, yet stopped bass transients as decisively as it launched them into the room. The midrange remained open, the image stable, and even complex passages lost none of their clarity. Here, finally, it became plain that precision and pleasure need not be opposites.

When the Test Programme Stops Feeling Like a Test

The finest loudspeakers do not necessarily leave behind the longest catalogue of spectacular observations. Instead, they change the way music is chosen during the review. With the Amati Supreme, the customary reference tracks eventually ceased to function as test material. We carried on because we wanted to hear what the next piece contained as music, not because another frequency band or audiophile discipline remained to be checked.

“Complete” therefore describes the experience better than any isolated technical term. Bass, midrange, treble, space and dynamics each operated at the highest level. The Amati Supreme became a reference because they also remained inseparable.

The Most Important Advantages at a Glance

• Exceptional cohesion: The entire frequency range behaves as one, without audible discontinuities at the crossover points.
• Genuinely full-range bass: Two 220 mm woofers deliver depth, force and precise contours, making a subwoofer unnecessary.
• Natural tonal colours: Voices and acoustic instruments retain body, texture and their individual character.
• Credible spatial reproduction: The stage detaches completely from the cabinets while preserving the recording’s proportions.
• Effortless dynamics: Fine changes remain as intelligible as large impulses at elevated listening levels.
• Flexible room adaptation: Four mid-high and mid-bass combinations allow useful personal fine-tuning.
• Exceptional construction: Materials, surfaces and structural details fully reflect the acoustic ambition.
• Lasting musical appeal: The Sonus faber Amati Supreme encourages listening rather than presenting technical effects.

FAQ on the Sonus faber Amati Supreme

Price & Availability

The Sonus faber Amati Supreme is available through authorised specialist retailers at a recommended retail price of € 78.000,- per pair. Customers can choose Wengé, Red, Graphite, Terra Rossa or Sabbia Oro. With each loudspeaker weighing 62 kg and careful positioning being essential, delivery and installation by the retailer are strongly recommended.

Conclusion

Searching for the Amati Supreme’s single most impressive discipline rather misses what makes it exceptional. Its bass reaches deep without losing definition, its soundstage is expansive and stable, voices carry body and character, and minute information appears without sharpened emphasis. The achievement is the ease with which these qualities cease to sound like separate achievements.

It can open an enormous acoustic space, place severe electronic transients into the room and reveal the grain of a cello with extraordinary delicacy. Yet none of those capabilities ever breaks away from the musical context. The presentation stays balanced, complete and persuasive from one genre to the next.

There is also a quality that High-end reviews sometimes bury under technical language: the Amati Supreme is tremendous fun. It does not put the listener in front of an acoustic display case; it draws them into the music. Its ability to remain complete at low levels, and to keep imperfect recordings worth hearing, makes it a loudspeaker for years of ownership rather than minutes of demonstration.

That brings us back to our own Sonus faber Amati G5. Anyone living happily with that already outstanding loudspeaker would be wise not to reach for a calculator immediately after meeting the Supreme. The idea of upgrading arrives with alarming speed. Fortunately, reason eventually makes itself heard again – at least for the moment.

The Sonus faber Amati Supreme deserves our Reference distinction. Its exclusive price belongs to the same uncompromising context as its construction and execution, rather than constituting a flaw in itself. Sonus faber draws on its heritage but does not hide behind it: modern transducer engineering, an immensely elaborate structure and a more contemporary design language produce a remarkably resolved whole. The verdict rests above all on the rarity of what we heard – a sound so complete, coherent and involving that individual virtues became secondary to the music.

Technical Specifications

The Sonus faber Amati Supreme combines the technologies of the Suprema with a more living-room-friendly form, achieving an exceptionally cohesive sound. Bass, midrange, and treble never stand out as separate components, but rather form a convincing whole with confident dynamics and completely detached spatial imaging. Its fine resolution always serves the music, and its engaging performance eliminates any academic distance. A reference loudspeaker, consistently realized in design, craftsmanship, and sound, for an exclusive environment.

Test Environment

• Audio Research LS-3 Preamplifier
• Audio Research S-200 Power Amplifier
• HiFi Rose RS150B network streamer
• Musical Fidelity M6scd CD player
• Musical Fidelity M6x DAC
• AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Power Conditioner
• AudioQuest NRG-Z3 power cable
• AudioQuest Mackenzie as an XLR signal cable
• AudioQuest Vodka Toslink
• AudioQuest Rocket 44 as a speaker cable
• Roon as a data provider for Hi-res audio streaming including Apple iPad as remote control

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