The new Sonus Faber Omnia is a spectacular new wireless speaker that sports the usual premium design to which the Italian manufacturer has accustomed us. It is a speaker that we call “all in one”, that is, a concept similar to what is offered by speakers such as the Naim Mu-so 2 or the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin. Sonus Faber thus joins the trend of some manufacturers to offer a “single box” system, that is, an amplified speaker that we can use both to listen to music and to connect it to the television.
We could say that the new speaker from Sonus Faber is shaped like a boat. At least to me personally it has reminded me of a ship as soon as I see it. The speaker has a wood finish multilayer in the upper part, which immediately evokes the iconic Italian style and the unmistakable design of the manufacturer, and which is complemented by the black acoustic fabric from the lower zone. The Sonus Faber Omnia comes in two finishes: a walnut finish offering a more traditional design and a Graphite finish for those looking for a more industrial look.
In addition to its curious form factor, the Sonus Faber Omnia offers another differentiating design element. And this is none other than the control system SENSO, a touch interface that allows the user to control the speaker and easily connect to any digital or analog source. The upper area shows illuminated lines that also indicate the mode, input and volume of the speakers.
Omnia means in Latin “prepared for all things”, which makes it clear that the manufacturer wants to offer a speaker that can play from virtually any service or device. For this, the Sonus Faber Omnia is compatible with DLNA, AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, aptX HD Bluetooth, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, allowing easy access to a wide variety of streaming services, as well as our own local or network music libraries. At the moment Sonus Faber has not created its own control application as other models have, and probably never will, because the manufacturer has commented that its idea is that users can use the native applications of each service.
On a physical level, the Sonus Faber Omnia has HDMI ARC, MM phono stage via dongle that plugs into rear panel of loudspeaker, analog and Ethernet connection. And wirelessly, it has dual-band 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth with aptX HD support.
Sonus Faber Omnia: made up of several drivers and with a lot of power
Under the hood the Sonus Faber Omnia hides a complete set of speakers and a lot of power. We are before a DSP-optimized closed-box 4-way stereo system. More specifically, it is equipped with seven speakersFeatures: Two 19mm silk dome tweeters, two 76mm paper pulp cone mid drivers, two 44.5mm cellulose pulp membrane side-firing drivers, and one long-range aluminum cone woofer 165mm reach. All this is powered by a powerful amplifier that offers no less than 490W of power.
On the other hand, the Sonus Faber Omnia includes the CRESCENDO technology. It is an advanced signal processing system that provides a greater sense of dimensionality and immersion, intelligently using the two full-range side speakers. Creates a crisp wavefront that, through room reflections, mimics that of a live performance.
In short, a very complete all-in-one speaker with a first-class design. The Sonus Faber Omnia will go on sale during the month of March with an official price of $1,999. The price in euros is not yet known.
