Hello all. I've recently purchased a smaller secondary system I would like to recommend. My wife and I have two small houses. One contains our library and main, full-range audio system. The other. our living quarters, houses our secondary system and is built out over an old pond on a solid concrete platform. The floors are tropical hardwood with little nor no carpeting. This secondary system features Sonus Faber Maxima Amator speakers, a new McIntosh 200 wpc integrated amplifier, the MA 352, a Clearaudio Concept Active TT with a Clearaudio Charisma v.2 cart, rack by Bassocontinuo, and speaker cables by Kubala Sosna, the mid-range Expression line. This small system is quite good. In the 1990s, I had Sonus Faber Electa Amator speakers, which I traded in for the Extremas. So I was familiar with the more vintage sound, or "heritage" sound Sonus Faber has produced in the past and has renewed with this new "Heritage Collection" of speakers. The solid walnut cabinets on the floor-standing Maxima Amator are beautifully finished and their marble stands are gorgeous. Fit and finish are just as accomplished as ever in the Sonus heritage. The Amators are only 44" tall so fit in quite well with a smaller room. Their high frequencies are very smooth. The tweeter is a slik dome that Sonus has used since 2003. The mid and bass-range are handled by a 6.5" woofer. Bass extension is supposed to go the 35 hz,; it does sound quite full and articulate for a small speaker. The walnut cabinet seems to make a difference in this regard. Stereo imaging is terrific. The speakers do disappear. (There are full technical design discussions available in the many reviews of this speaker currently available.) Never had a McIntosh product before, but we quite like this 200 wpc integrated. It seems a good match for the SF Amators. There was some negative discussion about the design of this new "vintage" look in McIntosh, but it is quite alright with me. And I've never had Kubala Sosna cables before, but their products seem quite good. I also auditioned a cheaper line from Kubala Sosna, the Fascination, but the Expression line is quite a step up in sound quality and price. Their top of the line cables are quite expensive. Anyone else enjoying Kubala cables? Anyone looking for a smaller secondary system might find this ensemble to be quite appealing.
