Sonus Faber Arena Series – Home CInema in absolute perfection

Sonus Faber Arena Series, which provides home cinema in absolute perfection, is the description of the new built-in speaker systems from Sonus Faber S.p.a.. The Italian loudspeaker specialists are thus expanding their custom installation range with a product line that is intended to meet particularly high demands. Nothing less than breathtaking sound fidelity in reproduction is said to have been packed into refined Italian design here, and implemented with the perfection of craftsmanship typical of Sonus Faber S.p.a..

Sonus Faber Arena Series – The new product line in the field of Custom Installation

For Sonus Faber S.p.a., this is not the first product line specifically designed for the Custom Installation sector. The company from Vicenza already presented the so-called Sonus Faber Palladio Series in 2019, which was designed as a particularly flexible product line for the most diverse applications in the field of custom installation and thus for the implementation of the most diverse projects.

The new Sonus Faber Arena Series is a little different, because as already mentioned, the focus is primarily on home cinema systems, although the speakers in this product line can of course also be used as classic built-in stereo speaker systems, even if the company itself refers to high-performance private theatre solutions.

Particularly high demands are to be met – CI-Fi

It is also clear that the new Sonus Faber Arena Series is intended to meet particularly high standards. It is stated that the acoustic and technical experts at Sonus Faber S.p.a. have succeeded in making a quantum leap in terms of quality, based on their experience with the aforementioned Sonus Faber Palladio Series and the new Sonus Faber Arena Series.

Sonus Faber S.p.a. refers to the new Sonus Faber Arena Series as CI-Fi, alluding to the common term Custom Installation, commonly abbreviated as CI.

“Sonus Faber Arena Series solutions embody the balance between acoustic performance, sound definition and innovation, handcrafted for eternity.”

Sonus Faber

Designed as in-wall speaker systems

All of the solutions in the new Sonus Faber Arena Series have in common that they are in-wall speaker systems that boast a comparatively shallow installation depth. However, it should be noted that these solutions do have generous dimensions in terms of surface area, so they are indeed designed first and foremost for generously proportioned rooms.

Three models available – Sonus Faber Arena 30, Sonus Faber Arena 20 and Sonus Faber Arena S15

The new Sonus Faber Arena Series initially comprises two in-wall speaker systems, the Sonus Faber Arena 30 and Sonus Faber Arena 20, plus a subwoofer designed as an in-wall solution, the Sonus Faber Arena S15, which literally rounds off the product line “downwards”.

The two in-wall speakers Sonus Faber Arena 30 and Sonus Faber Arena 20 are both designed as closed systems, whereas the subwoofer, the Sonus Faber Arena S15, uses a patent-pending Acoustical Load System.

Sonus Faber Arena 20 3.5-way Speaker

The Sonus Faber Arena 20 is a 3.5-way speaker system with two 8 inch low frequency transducers and a 6.25 inch midrange driver, which sits directly next to the 25 mm soft dome tweeter in the centre of the two low frequency drivers.

The crossover is set at 160 Hz, 220 Hz and 3.1 kHz and the speaker system has an impedance of 4 ohms and an efficiency of 92 dB for amplifiers up to 400 watts.

The loudspeaker system measures 321 mm in width, 1,557 mm in height and 150 mm in depth and weighs 47.2 kg. The installation depth is 144 mm.

Sonus Faber Arena 30 4-way LCR Speaker

This is a four-way system, which the developers equipped with two 8-inch woofer drivers and two 6.25-inch midrange drivers. These are flanked by a 38 mm soft dome tweeter and a 19 mm super tweeter, whereby the crossover is set at 200 Hz, 2 kHz and 10 kHz.

The Sonus Faber Arena 30 is designed for an output of up to 600 watts, with an impedance of 4 ohms and an efficiency of 94 dB.

The Sonus Faber Arena 30 measures 1,774 mm in height, 321 mm in width, and 167 mm in depth, and thus weighs an impressive 58.7 kg. The installation depth is also quite generous here, at 162 mm.

Sonus Faber Arena S15 Modular Balanced Subwoofer

This solution of the Sonus Faber Arena Series is designed as a so-called array balanced subwoofer, as the manufacturer himself describes it.

Four 6.5 inch woofers are arranged in such a way that two are placed on each array and directly illuminate the second array, whereby the entire construction is located in the lower third of the cabinet of the Sonus Faber Arena S15. Two thirds of the cabinet above form a chamber by means of two specially shaped struts, which is supposed to ensure that this solution achieves enormous depth and at the same time precise imaging despite a comparatively low installation depth.

Expressed in figures, this means that the passive subwoofer with an impedance of 4 ohms and an efficiency of 90 dB is designed for amplifiers with a power of up to 400 watts and operates down to 29 Hz.

Even though the manufacturer emphasises the comparatively small depth of the Sonus Faber Arena S15, it is 208 mm, the height is 947 mm and the width is 432 mm. According to the manufacturer, the installation depth is 202 mm.

Prices and availability

The new Sonus Faber Arena Series should be available in specialist shops soon. The manufacturer lists a recommended retail price of € 10.000,- for the Sonus Faber Arena 20 and € 15.000,- for the Sonus Faber Arena 30. The Sonus Faber Arena S15 subwoofer is listed at € 7.000,- in the Sonus Faber S.p.a. price list.

Getting to the point

The solutions of the new Sonus Faber Arena Series can of course in no way be equated with what is normally known as built-in speaker systems in the custom installation sector. The Italian speaker specialist Sonus Faber S.p.a. is convinced that the new Sonus Faber Arena Series should play in a league of its own. With the Sonus Faber Arena 30 4-way LCR Speaker, Sonus Faber Arena 20 3.5-way Speaker and the Sonus Faber Arena S15 Modular Balanced Subwoofer, the company is primarily addressing users who want to create outstanding home cinema at reference level.