Sonus Faber Venere 2.0 Bookshelf Speakers

The Sonus Faber Venere 2.0 bookshelf speakers have the same design we first fell in love with in their little sisters, the Sonus Faber Venere 1.5 bookshelf speakers.

They share the distinctive lines that you can see across the Venere range, showcasing the company’s expertise in successfully combining the acoustic and aesthetic. And when you look around at the competition, this skill isn’t a given! Within the cabinet, no two walls face are parallel to each other, which prevents a lot of the problems caused by standing waves inside the cabinet. Its curved lines have been crafted from 19mm thick multilayer wood panels. The backbone has been cut out of the same block as the cabinet. The end result is a beautiful sight to behold, no matter the finish used. The wooden model is particularly beautiful, but unfortunately this also means it is the most expensive.

It boasts a superb silk-domed 29mm tweeter, with a small inset to increase output and reduce directivity. The mid-woofer is fitted with a 180mm composite membrane known as Curv™.

Like all of the drivers in this range, these two were designed in collaboration with German designer DKM (Dr. Kurt Muller). The woofer uses a bass reflex system with a front-firing port at the bottom of the speaker face. This positioning, in combination with the complex design of the cabinet, means that the position of the speaker and the distance between the speaker is not hugely consequential. Like many Sonus Faber products, the baffle is slightly sloping, which ensures that the drivers are perfectly in phase. The excellent quality terminal allows for bi-wiring. It can accommodate large stripped cables, banana and fork plugs. We recommend using the latter wherever possible, as they provide the largest contact surface area as well as excellent clamping force. As always with Sonus Faber, the quality of this speaker's finish and assembly is an industry benchmark. It’s hard to find better quality for this price! Particular care has been taken over the stands (optional): the Sonus Faber Venere speaker stand.

Like all members of the Venere family, the Venere 2.0 is extremely easy to use and set up, and doesn’t demand any special environmental conditions. It handles loud volumes seamlessly, but it does require a transistor amp with an output of around 50W or a tube amp with a minimum output of 30W. After a break-in period of several hours and strategic placement of the speakers, we were blown away by their high fidelity reproduction! The scale and depth of the sound stage are remarkable – far superior to the Venere 1.5. It really feels like you’re in the presence of a significantly more substantial speaker. The bass delivers excellent articulation and nuance. But, as we have come to expect from the Italian brand, it’s the upper midrange that really blows the competition out of the water. It is detailed and present, with perfect timbre and nuance. The balance of this speaker is remarkable. Its neutrality brings out the qualities of your source and, of course, of the music itself! 

The Sonus Faber Venere 2.0 is the perfect speaker for music-lovers looking for high-end quality on a budget. It can handle very high output sources and amps before reaching its limits. It’s one of the best, if not the best, 2-way speakers in its category – a maPlatine.com top pick!