SONUS faber aida vs lilium

[craigr]

Yesterday, courtesy of the most cordial Joe M. at Gramophone (Md), I had the pleasure of listening to the SF Aida speakers. The sound stage was wide, deep, but importantly did not seem to have boundaries. There were no speakers in the room, merely an orchestra or "band" or singer. Truly remarkable presentation. But a review is not the purpose of this post. Rather, several questions were raised for which I hope there might be some members with answers:

(1) Unfortunately, Gramophone did not have a pair of Liliums to demo. Joe suggested that despite the apparent mid-position of the Liliums within the SF line, they were not "50%" of the Aida, or "half way" between the Il Cremonese and the Aida. I would appreciate any comments from members who have heard both models as to how large and in what way, the Liliums trail the Aidas (other than the obvious 50% cost difference).

(2) Has any member heard and can comment on the difference between the Il Cremonese and the Liliums? Joe suggested that there is perhaps only a 30% improvement between the Il Cremonese and the Liliums which seems to be mathematically correct in terms of pricing, but I wonder if that is true with regards to presentation.

(Note: I am most interested in the sound for classical and perhaps jazz, NOT rock, metal, electronic music)

Thanks in advance for any input.
Craig

 

[KeithR]

Never heard the Lilium, but wanted more bass than the Il Cremonese gave.

 

[costintdan]

Hello Craig,

The difference between Lilium and Aida1 is significant, especially with Aida1. Having experienced both, I can say the sound quality is entirely different. Aida1 offers a more voluptuous sound, with instruments having greater body and everything feeling smooth. Despite the difference, the second-hand market price gap isn't large, making Aida1 an easy choice for me.

Regards,
Costin