Sonus faber® Il Cremonese Ex3eme 7" Red Violin Floor Standing Speakers

Product Overview

This particular predilection turned the Il Cremoneseinto the perfect platform for one of the most important activities of the electro-acoustic design: experimentation. This is the birth of a unique loudspeaker system, embellished by the return of an historical Sonus faber finish: the classic “Red Violin”.

Fusion

By mainly working around the behavior of both the top and bottom ends of the audio spectrum it was possible to extract a performance, avoiding any sort of interpretation, of the musical message so that Il Cremonese ex3me could even be used as an extremely high-performance professional studio monitor. The new loudspeaker system came to life by the fusion of elements belonging to the original project, such as midrange and woofers, with the most iconic solution derived from the company's 30th Anniversary celebration concept speaker model, Ex3me.

Beryllium DLC

From Ex3ma, Il Cremonese ex3me inherits the Beryllium DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) tweeter. Sonus faber set aside its classic silk diaphragm Damped Apex Dome™ tweeter to approach this transducer construction. Brilliant in terms of transparency and micro dynamics, the Beryllium tweeter diaphragm has formidable physical characteristics but it has a sound presentation often described as a “metallic flavor” which can often make listening unpleasant.

To mitigate this typical Beryllium characteristic we used a treatment called “Chemical Vapor Deposition“. A layer of D.L.C. is deposited on the diaphragm surface, turning it black and giving the Beryllium some of the typical properties of diamond— the most important being its amorphous nature and unmatched strength. As a result, the new diaphragm is increasingly rigid with a nearly unperceivable higher resonant frequency, making it capable of extremely fast sound, very detailed and airy – free of coloration.

Cabinet

Il Cremonese ex3me maintains the so-called “Rhomboidal Diamond Design.” The 5-sided cabinet breaks the classic rules of Lute or Lyre shape. Taking inspiration from the shape of Lilium, Il Cremonese has cleaner lines and a more edgy design. Maintaining the absence of parallel walls ensures that the acoustic characteristics are not compromised by standing waves or internal reflections.

Tweeter

The Crossover Network

Extreme dynamic linearity and maximum resolution in reproduction are the result of a powerful Neodymium magnetic system and a moving coil implemented with a Sonus faber mechanical interface that optimizes vibration management. The tweeter is fitted with a rear decompression chamber featuring an acoustic labyrinth free of parallel surfaces, made of Ergal (aluminum alloy) which is CNC machined from solid billets. This unique feature is enhanced with an imbedded mechanical anti-resonation device – further improving detail and transparency.

The blend between the Beryllium DLC tweeter and the midrange is obtained courtesy of a totally redesigned mid-high crossover network, using non-inductive resistors and air core inductors. Capacitors are Mundorf Evo Silver Oil and Evo Gold Oil designs, know for their supreme performance in audio circuitry. The entire crossover network implements Paracross Topology™, a trademark technology about a special circuit making the crossover less sensitive to radio-frequency interference, lowering noise floor.

Midrange

The 180 mm midrange features a cone manufactured according to the classic Sonus faber recipe: an air-dried, non-pressed blend of cellulose pulp and other natural fibers, Kapok and Kenaf. This natural treatment gives the cone a slightly rough surface of varying density. The Neodymium magnetic motor system is completely “Eddy Current Free” thanks to a copper Faraday ring strategically placed in the gap, The final touch of a 1.5” voice coil made In Copper Clad Aluminum Winding (CCAW), a special copper coated aluminum wire alloy that reduces the moving mass dramatically improving the dynamic performance while positively affecting power handling.

Woofer

The two 180 mm woofers are implemented in an independent acoustic chamber, acoustically amorphous and fitted with ‘Stealth Reflex’ ducts. Great care is taken to combine their sonic signature in synergy with that of the midrange driver. This is accomplished through the development of a “sandwich” membrane made of two sheets of our cellulose pulp recipe with a layer of hi-tech rigid syntactic foam in between them. This construction technique provides maximum coherence with the mid-high units but also ensures the speed, rigidity and low mass in the driver. These woofers cones are mounted on die-cast aluminum baskets designed for structural rigidity and maximum ventilation to the moving parts.

Infrawoofer

The 2 side-firing infrawoofers featured in each loudspeaker are brand new and designed ad hoc for this project. Their diaphragm is made using the sandwich construction mode, with 2 sheets of nanocarbon fiber (structurally rigid and light) with a core of Nomex honeycomb. This Tri-laminated sandwich cone diaphragm manages the driver’s excursion and resistance to flexing, even at extreme amplitudes. Thanks to its long-throw magnetic motor system, this transducer is capable of managing very high levels of linear excursion. Like the woofer, the infra-woofers are implemented in independent acoustic chambers, acoustically amorphous and each fitted with their own ‘Stealth Reflex” duct.

Zero Vibration Transmission

To complete the Il Cremonese ex3me’s technical equipment, spurious micro-vibration is grounded to the patented Zero Vibration Transmission™ system. The Z.V.T. mechanically decouples the entire loudspeaker from the floor using a combination of metal and elastomer isolation components inside of a multi-part coaxial spike assembly, called “Silent Spikes”. The result is an audible improvement in transparency and dynamics.

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