Over the last 12 months, Sonus faber has undertaken a full evolution of their brand thinking and offerings. New launches have included Sonetto and Palladio Collections, a new line of Gravis Subwoofer, the Electa Amator III and the Minima Amator II speakers, all showcasing the brand’s dedication to innovation and its Italian heritage. The reinvention of the Olympica Nova collection is just the latest step in this evolution, and a new set of offerings that truly embody the brand’s stylistic manifesto.
Of the seven models in the new collection, three are all-new to the Olympica Nova line, including an on-wall model, a third and more powerful floor-stander, and a bigger center channel. All models benefit from a completely new cabinet structure, made with eight layers of bended wood, providing extreme rigidity. Inside the cabinet, carefully placed structural ribs are used as reinforcement to reduce vibration and to handle the overall power of the transducer’s movement. In the top section of every speaker, the original Olympica’s upper leather layer gives way to a walnut or wengè wood set in a solid die-cast aluminum plate.
On the electroacoustic side, the outer part of the Stealth Ultraflex system, an extremely low-turbulence porting system, is fabricated from a solid piece of extruded aluminum and it’s inherited from Sonus faber’s Homage Tradition models. Inspired by sea waves, the system facilitates airflow through the duct while controlling its speed and reducing the distortion-causing turbulence.
Also completely redesigned for the Olympica Nova line relaunch, the supports (bottom plates and stands) are crafted from solid aluminum billets and paired with steel spikes, guaranteeing increased strength and solidity. The front baffle is comprised of hand-finished natural wood, enhancing the entire enclosure and genuine leather is applied around the drivers. As per Sonus faber tradition, the leather is applied by hand in the brand’s Vicenza production facility.
The specific asymmetric shape of the cabinets allows versatile positioning of the speakers for efficient bass response tuning in any room, while the lack of flat and parallel walls improves enclosure performance. "This is an original design concept inspired by nature, as the lines follow the flow of a circular spiral motion, achieving a more organic cabinet structure. Not just a functional element added to handle airflow, the reflex duct is now fully integrated into the cabinet, further improving the speed and transparency of sound," the company states.
Inside every speaker of the new Olympica Nova collection there are new advanced solutions that enhance its performance. The tweeters feature DAD technology (Damped Apex Dome) on a 28mm silk dome diaphragm and a magnetic motor system that integrates Sonus Faber's Neodymium Cap Design, where the arch and the ring of the DAD system have been redesigned and obtained from a solid piece of aluminum die-cast.
The midrange and mid-woofer drivers derive from the Homage Tradition experience, with some improvements. Following the traditional Sonus faber structure, air-dried, non-pressed blend of cellulose pulp and other natural fibers Kapok, Kenaf gives the cone a slightly rough surface of varying density, which reduces resonance, guaranteeing a natural sound with increased transparency and detail. The die-cast aluminum basket is designed to allow maximum rigidity and airflow, enhancing detail, and the CCAW moving coil is made with a special copper alloy that reduces moving mass and improves dynamics and power handling. Finally, the phase plug is made of aluminum with a copper ring, helping to eliminate intermodulation distortion and enhance micro-dynamics.
On the woofers for the Olympica Nova collection there are also improvements, with the drivers using a new cone that benefits from an exclusive sandwich construction technique where two sheets of cellulose pulp encase a hi-tech syntactic foam. This low-mass, high-rigidity structure provides fast and powerful sound reproduction while allowing total coherence with the mid-high units.
Finally, the crossover network implements Paracross Topology, making it less sensitive to radio-frequency interference, improving transient response and lowering noise floor. The filtering topology of the entire line features Jantzen inductors, and new exclusive Clarity Cap capacitors, customized for Sonus faber.
The Olympica Nova collection is available in Wenge and Walnut matte finishes for the following retail prices:
• Olympica Nova V: $ 16.500 (pair)
• Olympica Nova III: $ 13.500 (pair)
• Olympica Nova II: $ 10.000 (pair)
• Olympica Nova I: $ 6.500 (pair)
• Olympica Nova Stand: $ 1.200 (pair)
• Olympica Nova Center II: $ 7.000 (each)
• Olympica Nova Center I: $ 5.000 (each)
• Olympica Nova Wall: $ 4.000 (each)
The new Olympica Nova V, III, II, and I models will be available worldwide in September 2019. The Olympica Nova Center II, Center I and Wall will be available in October 2019. The new collection will be available for viewing at the Red Rock 1 Room, Colorado Ballroom, Level 3 of the Convention Center.
www.sonusfaber.com
