Sonus faber Olympica Nova III Speakers
The Sonus faber Olympica Nova III is a wonderfully alluring update to the original Olympica III that takes sound, construction and finish to the next level. With smooth tonality, the Olympica Nova III's are relatively easy to position for best effect and will give immense musical satisfaction in medium to larger size rooms. They also play very well with a larger REL subwoofer or two to fill your room with full spectrum sound.
Since 1983, many moments have marked the history of Sonus faber; the launch of the Olympica Collection in 2013 is one of them. One of the first lines presented as a complete family of products, but above all, the very first one to feature original drivers, entirely designed in-house at Sonus faber. Olympica Nova is the second generation of this iconic family, improved in its form and substance, imbued with the timeless values that inspired Sonus faber to create the original line. The result is a new Collection that embraces the most advanced technologies that already enhance Sonus faber's most prestigious creations.
Organically Shaped
The lack of flat and parallel walls improves enclosure performance and maintains the typical asymmetrical Lute shape of the first generation Olympica. The asymmetrical shape of the cabinet is an original design concept that allows versatile positioning of the speakers to tune the bass response in any room. Inspired by nature, the lines follow the flow of a circular spiral motion, achieving a more organic cabinet structure. No longer 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.
A Closer Look At Nova III
Olympica Nova III is the middle floorstander of the collection, and may just prove to be the goldilocks choice amongst the range. For medium to large size rooms this speaker's big heart and smooth tonality makes listening both engaging and totally fatigue free.
Wood: Just like the cabinet sides, the front baffle and the top are made in walnut or wenge hand finished natural wood which sits in a solid die-cast aluminium plate. The designers wished to pay homage to Sonus faber's most representative material, making it even more of a standard bearer.
Tweeter: The 28 mm silk soft dome tweeter features the DAD™ technology (Damped Apex Dome™) that enhances the smoothness and extension in the high frequencies by applying local dampening to the apex typically responsible for anti-phase behaviour of soft dome diaphragms. The DAD™ structure has been totally redesigned and is now a solid piece of diecast aluminium that forms an arch and ring over the dome to increase the strength and accuracy of the system.
Midrange: The midrange has been designed and constructed completely in Sonus faber's laboratories in Italy. The cone is comprised of an air-dried, non-pressed blend of cellulose pulp, Kapok, Kenaf and other natural fibres. This treatment gives the cone a slightly rough surface of varying densities, which reduces cone resonance, guaranteeing a natural sound with increased transparency and greater detail.
Woof Woof: The two woofers are made in Italy and benefits from an exclusive sandwich construction technique where two sheets of cellulose pulp are combined with a hi-tech syntactic foam in between them. This low-mass high-rigidity structure provides fast and powerful sound reproduction while allowing total coherence with the mid and high frequency drivers.
Crossover: The crossover network implements Paracross Topology™, making the crossover less sensitive to radio frequency interference, improving transient response and lowering the noise floor. The filtering topology features new exclusive Clarity Cap capacitors, customised for Sonus Faber.
Reflex Port: The solid piece of extruded aluminium that completes the Stealth Ultraflex™ system, an extremely low turbulence porting system, is inherited from Homage Tradition models. Favouring the profile of sea waves, the structure facilitates airflow through the duct while controlling its speed and reducing any distortion causing turbulence.
Structural Rigidity: The entire structure of the acoustic enclosure has been redesigned. Similar to the Homage Traditional and Reference Collections, the side walls are constructed with eight layers of bended wood, providing the cabinet with extreme rigidity. Inside the cabinet, carefully placed structural ribs are used as reinforcement to reduce vibration and to handle the overall power of the transducers movements.
Natural Leather: The natural leather embellishes the Voice of Sonus faber, the brand's iconic configuration of tweeter and midrange and enriches the aesthetic ring around the woofer. Genuine Italian leather that, as per Sonus faber's tradition, is applied by hand in the production department in Vincenza.
Supports: Sonus faber have completely redesigned the supports for the cabinet, crafting the bottom plates from solid aluminium with threaded adjustable steel spikes (floor protectors are included). These ultra-solid supports take inspiration from the Homage Tradition & Reference Collections to guarantee greater strength and solidity.
In The News
"Hands down, my wife preferred the look of the Sonus Fabers"
"The Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III is pretty much the ideal small floorstanding loudspeaker for the discerning audiophile. In terms of fit'n'finish, it cedes not an inch to any other speaker at any price. It gives no hint that its price is far below those of the stratospherically priced speakers in the upper echelons of the market. Except that it's not massive."
"But high-end looks and build wouldn't mean much if the Olympica Nova III didn't also sound the part. It does. You already know that a 35kg speaker won't shake the foundations of your home with bass -- but beyond that expected trade off, the SF cedes little to far costlier speakers. More than anything else these days, the best speakers are distinguishable from the rest of the pack by their designers' choices in tonal balance, and that's where the III shines -- its sound is mostly neutral, with only a slightly attenuated midrange adding any sort of character. But even that character -- revealed by, among other things, soundstages slightly deeper than you'll hear from, say, a pair of Revel speakers -- will be counted a strength by the many listeners who like a more three-dimensional sound."
"Which leaves me with one last thing to say: The Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III is now my favourite speaker for under AUD $25,000/pair." Jeff Fritz, Sound Stage Network
"The new ("Nova") versions of the Sonus faber's Olympica line of loudspeakers utilize a construction technique in which multiple layers of bended wood are set into an aluminium exoskeleton to create an exceptionally rigid enclosure. Within this largely resonance-free environment, users can experiment with the positioning of the top-to-bottom "Stealth Ultraflex" resistive port—aimed toward the center of the room or facing toward the sidewalls— to optimize bass performance. The Nova III's 3-way, 4-driver transducer complement is fully up to the task of playing loud and low, as well as scaling down to deal effectively with more nuanced material." The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice Awards 2023
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: 4 driver, 3 way, full para-aperiodic vented box "Stealth Ultraflex", floorstanding loudspeaker system
- Drivers
- Tweeter: H28 XTR3 Silk dome 28 mm moving coil driver with DAD™ (Damped Apex Dome™) technology and vibration optimized mechanical interface. The ultra-dynamic linearity is provided by the Neodymium "cup design" motor system.
- Midrange: MW15 XTR2-04 150mm cone driver. CCAW wire is used on a composite former "eddy current free" voice coil. Special custom diaphragm made with a real time air dried non pressed blend of traditional cellulose pulp and other natural fibres, developed according to the most natural sound. Ultra-dynamic performance and high linearity. Designed in-house at Sonus faber.
- Woofers: 2 x W18XTR2-08 cone drivers. Sonus faber designed 180 mm lightweight "sandwich" cone structure (high-tech syntactic foam core and two external surface skins of cellulose pulp) woofers.
- Crossover: Anti-resonant design, optimized amplitude/phase response for optimal space/time performance. "Paracross topology". Impedance compensation at low frequencies for a clear and friendly amplifier performance. Highest quality is used in terms of the components: Jantzen inductors and a new generation of Sonus faber capacitor designed in partnership with Clarity Cap.
- Crossover Frequencies: 250 Hz and 2,500 Hz
- Frequency Response: 35 Hz – 35,000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 90 dB SPL (2.83V/1 m)
- Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms
- Suggested Amplifier Power: 50 – 300 Watts, without clipping
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 376 x 1,104.5 x 460mm
- Weight: 35kg each
- Finishes: Walnut, Wenge & Piano Black
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE