World Wide Stereo Heads to Vicenza Italy to Tour the Sonus faber Factory

Amid the idyllic rolling hills and quaint salmon-colored houses of Vicenza, lives the Italian speaker powerhouse Sonus faber.

Salesmen from World Wide Stereo were invited to tour Sonus faber’s facilities, listen to music and theater demonstrations, and enjoy the picturesque landscape and architecture (the last bit was just as enjoyable as the speakers were!). We were joined by other retailers from San Francisco, CA, Denver, CO, and Scottsdale, AZ.

Founded in 1983 by a dentist named Franco Serblin, you will be hard-pressed to find a speaker line that pays so much attention to its heritage and employs that into their products as Sonus faber. Their mission is to combine fine-sounding speakers with traditional Italian craftsmanship. Speaker cabinet finishes can include hand-finished wood, natural leathers, and metals.

As we toured the manufacturing facilities of Sonus faber, everywhere we looked was filled with artisans making incredible pieces that would come together to create beautiful speakers. Natural veneers were being applied to speaker cabinets right before our eyes, and finished cabinets were on display for us to see. Leather-wrapped speaker panels were painstakingly crafted as we looked on. We also had an opportunity to see their vegan leathers for folks who are a bit more environmentally conscious.

Seeing how the speaker cabinets are crafted and the internal bracing and crossovers that you never get to see with the finished product really showcased the artisans’ attention to detail. The passion that exuded from all the Sonus faber folks was refreshing to see, as well. They are seriously committed to producing a product that the buyer will have for years, or even decades, and enjoy every moment with them.

We were very much surprised to find out that some of the wood used in the craftsmanship of the speakers comes from the United States. Ohio, to be exact. This is because the trees in Italy don’t grow as tall or as straight as they do here in the States.

The amount of hands-on time with each crafted speaker means that there can be a wait when ordering product, but the results prove that the wait is absolutely worth it.

When a speaker is completed, it is subjected to testing in an acoustic chamber to ensure that it is performing up to specifications. Every single speaker is tested – not batch-tested like in other places. The finished product is beautiful. So much so that Sonus faber views the speakers as furniture or even pieces of art. Based on what we saw, we find it hard to argue either perception.

We were invited to sit and listen to a pair of Stradivari speakers powered by McIntosh amplifiers. Finished in wenge and black Italian leather, these colossal speakers were truly something to behold. Settling into comfy chairs, we took turns suggesting songs and listening to them. The sound was impressive – the sound stage offered both width and depth. Sonically, every note was hit, and the music was immersive.

In a room dedicated to showcasing Sonus faber’s heritage, we saw everything from one of the first pair of bookshelf speakers that were crafted by Franco Serblin himself to headphones to car door panels that would house Sonus faber car speakers. That’s right: you can have Sonus faber in your Maserati or Lamborghini.

A huge thank you goes out to our hosts, and in particular, Lorenzo (our guide throughout it all – minus Venice), Livio (Sonus faber’s chief design officer), and Roberto (Sonus faber’s CI business development director).