Sonus faber Il Cremonese Ex3me

Il Cremonese Ex3me takes the Reference Collection floorstander that pays homage to Antonio Stradivari's 1715 'Il Cremonese' violin, and refits it with the driver and finish work developed for the Ex3ma — Sonus faber's limited-edition loudspeaker created to celebrate the company's thirtieth anniversary. The cabinet architecture of Il Cremonese carries across; the top end, the bottom end, and the finish do not.

At the top, a 30 mm Diamond Like Carbon Beryllium dome tweeter replaces the standard Il Cremonese's 28 mm silk soft dome. At the bottom, the two 220 mm woofers of the standard model become 220 mm Nanocarbon Fiber / Nomex Honeycomb long-throw subwoofers, extending low-frequency reach from 35 Hz down to 25 Hz. The 180 mm M18 XTR-04 neodymium midrange and the two 180 mm W18XTR-12 mid-woofers carry over unchanged, and the crossover keeps the Phase Coherent Level 3 topology at 80, 250 and 2,500 Hz.

Sensitivity is 92 dB at 4 ohms nominal, with recommended amplification of 100 to 800 watts. The Il Cremonese cabinet — double-curvature lute shape, non-parallel walls, Avional aerospace-aluminum surface treatments — is unchanged.

The finish is the reason the Ex3me exists as a distinct product rather than a running change: 'Red Violin' is a historic Sonus faber finish reintroduced specifically for this model, warm and deep and reading as instrument rather than furniture. Available only in Red Violin high gloss. Each speaker stands 1,449 mm tall and weighs 84 kilograms — identical in footprint to the standard Il Cremonese. Hear Sonus faber Reference Collection loudspeakers at LMC — walk in during business hours at Scottsdale or Tempe, or book ahead for a prepared listening session.