Free 3D Sonus faber Chameleon B Black

Manufacturer’s specs

Loudspeaker System 2 way bookshelf vented box
Tweeter 29 mm high definition precoated fabric dome driver
with no ferrofluid. Sonus faber design.
Midrange –
Midwoofer
1×150 mm. Free compression basket design and PP cone.
Ultra dynamic performance and linearity.
Sonus faber design.
Woofer –
Passive radiator –
Crossover points 2.500 Hz
Frequency Response 50 Hz – 25.000 Hz
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 87 dB SPL
Nominal impendence 4 Ohm
Suggested Amplifier Power Output 30W – 150W
without clipping
Long-term max input voltage (IEC-268-5) 20V rms
Dimensions HxWxD (mm) 315,5 x 185 x 283
Optional dedicated stand HxWxD (mm) 725 x 306 x 370
Total dimensions HxWxD (mm) 1040,5 x 306 x 370
Weight (kg/each) 6,7

SOUND AND MUSIC
I’ve tried Sonus faber Chameleon speakers with few different setups. From Crayon Audio mighty CIA integrated amplifier, explodingly fast and potent Analog Domain Isis integrated, Thrax Audio Heros mono blocks connected via one of the kind Robert Koda K-10 preamplifier and fronted via Aries Cerat Kassandra 2 and TOTALDAC D-1 Dual DACs.

Even lower powered integrated can bring a grand breath of life into the B’s and in this way open up the world to many high-end audio and musical lovers of younger age and with limited budgets. My reference gear was used to see how far Sonus faber Chameleon B speakers can be pushed, but I’ve played around also with entry level integrated amplifiers and results very highly satisfying. This is also what Paolo Tezzon – Sonus faber R & D Manger had in mind from the start:
“Chameleon line represent Sonus faber’s bigger effort to bring high quality music reproduction in an affordable package, with a nice and fresh design. Any time I was working at them, making choices about what really matters for music reproduction, and what can be eventually sacrificed, I was particularly thinking about young generations. My strongest desire was, and is, that Chameleon could help lot of them in discovering a total new dimension of music listening!”
TIMBRE TONE AND COLOR
The air is getting pretty thin when one start speaking about the timbre, tone, color, pacing etc. Speaker manufacturers can quickly become nervous by touching this subject.

Somehow, I really have little doubts regarding the voicing of Chameleon B. I’ve known Paolo for few years now and its always his clear goal to keep the sound of any Sonus faber speaker close whats been the Sonus faber golden rule.

Chameleon B speakers follows this path as with other speakers so far. When paired with proper electronics they instantly exhibit the attributes closely connected to the music.
LIFE OF THE MUSIC
Many people were afraid that Sonus faber might loose its orientation and path of the past with the newly introduced models. Chameleon B speakers speakers for speak for themselves and stand out proudly and potently. I’ve talked quite few times with Paolo Tezzon, who is the one to “blame” for the Sonus faber voicing. Not exactly an easy job to execute and along with the aesthetics rules one cannot go in uncharted territory with crossover and acoustics. At the end of the days, everything is also subordinate to targeting price and there are a lot of choices to be made without taking to many compromises. Taking Sonus faber speakers into the realms of present era yet keeping the most important attributes takes dedication and enormous work. And achievement? Yes! Right path, right choices. Chameleon B speakers can be both lively and involving when driven by the properly set up audio system. Of course the final “voicing” is always determined by the owner, but I was not putting any less pressure in testing the Sonus faber Chameleon B loudspeakers with my trusty arsenal of live, acoustical, un-amplified material along with more then healthy dose of R & B, electronica, pop, etc. The variety of material is always needed, yet as I’m always trying to impose; we do not not really know that much about studio produced albums. They are like paintings. Variety of choices. An expression of the producer, mixing engineer and mastering master. To make things really relevant there is one and only real reference and thats acoustic music.

With acoustic music things cannot go into color palette. Instruments sounds the way they do and this is whats its expected from any speaker wanting to be kitten with the high-end audio label.

So where do the Sonus faber big B stand in this regard? Let me put it down in this way. It will depend on the quality of the electronics and the rest of audio paraphernalia. With entry level amplifiers and electronics you’ll get the global overview of what’s possible. If you want to discover both micro and macro detailing and move away from the lurking into the potentials, then moving up on the ladder of quality will push Chameleons B into the loupe, musical – macro and micro view. Not into the dissecting way of exploring the details, but exploring the music and its attributes more profoundly and most importantly, musically enriched.

Little chameleons are not only able to morph aesthetically. They‘re capable of moving along with the different pace of the music that well balanced system can provide them.
CONCLUSION
You might ask why I wanted to jump on and explore these small speakers. For a few things… I’m still very inspired by the company, I love when something affordable is able to get my interest and even more importantly I really love small monitor speakers. They can help, quite easily into the grasp grand pictorial and satisfying sound outcome being quintessential all the way. For most of the listening environments and surroundings small bookshelf can be a transparent and welcoming window to the world of endless landscapes of the musical universe. This is exactly how I’ve felt when spending my listening and testing time with Sonus faber Chameleon speakers. Enticed sonic experience.

Sonus faber Chameleon B speakers are company most stylish, lifestyle oriented, small monitors up to date. Livio managed to blend sparkling aesthetics and removable side panels into a highly stylish contemporary small monitor, fitting very nicely into to the modern home surroundings. Paolo tuned Chameleon B’s without loosing the sonic touch of recognized Sonus faber character. His managed to upgrade them to the 21st century with transparent, vibrant and open sound nature.
Anyone in possession or reasonably powered integrated amplifier can quickly start enjoying the Chameleon B speakers. These days we have an abundance of nicely specced integrated amplifiers with both DACs and phono preamplifier on board. In this way, paired with Sonus faber Chameleon B speakers one can quickly ensure a very satisfying and lasting musical listening.
For what they represent and at what pricing, especially being made in Europe-Italy I’m awarding Sonus faber Chameleon B speakers with Mono & Stereo Best Buy Award. They’re fun, musically potent and stylish! Exactly what 21st century affordable high-end audio product should be…

Sound

Give these standmounters a day or two to run and they turn in a likeable performance. These Sonus Fabers aren’t the most insightful or analytical speakers we’ve heard at this price, but they’re appealing all the same.

We like their smooth, slightly rich balance. It makes them very easy to listen to over long sessions, as well as allowing less-than-perfect recordings such as Bruce Springsteen’s Radio Nowhere to shine.

There are no hard edges and certainly no tendency towards aggression, even when provoked. If you have an unruly system you need to tame, it’s well worth giving these a listen.

The good thing is all that smoothness is nicely judged. Enough of the song’s drive remains intact to keep the listener interested. There’s good bite to the guitars and drums, and a pleasingly surefooted sense of rhythm.

We try a range of music from Nick Cave’s Push The Sky Away and Kate Bush’s Aerial all the way to Biffy Clyro’s Infinity Land, and the Bs take it all in their stride. The integration between the drivers is seamless, allowing the speakers to do a fine job with vocals.

Voices are clear, articulate and nicely projected and there’s also a decent sense of organisation and pleasing composure when the music becomes complicated.

The Chameleons are relatively compact – standing at 32cm high – so really deep bass shouldn’t be expected. What they do produce is pretty solid and tuneful, though a little on the full side.

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Play Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and they display good stereo imaging with a pleasing scale and decent precision to the placement of instruments. These speakers also communicate larger scale dynamic shifts with confidence, refusing to crumble during crescendos. It’s here that we’re reminded of their grace under pressure and fine refinement.

Verdict

If you’re after some well-built, flexible speakers that just sound nice, almost regardless of what you play, give these a go.