About The Sonus faber Lumina I Bookshelf Speakers
The Sonus faber Lumina I is the most compact high-end passive loudspeaker in its category: this feature makes it extremely easy to place turning it into the perfect choice for smaller spaces. Despite its dimensions, Lumina I is able to deliver tons of musical engagement.
The Lumina I is a compact and easy to place speaker, a crowd favourite! Reviewed by both trade and lifestyle media, Lumina I has obtained global acclaim for its surprising power in musical reproduction and its "emotional" performances, despite its dimensions. Lumina I is a beautifully designed loudspeaker that not only provides a convincing and natural reproduction of human voice sonically, but also delivers the emotional content while easily fitting into any modern space.
The Lumina I is true Sonus faber and features all the iconic elements of the brand including natural sound, natural materials, artisan finishes typical of Italian craftsmanship and manufacturing carefully carried out in the Sonus faber facility in Vicenza, Italy
The Lumina collection by Sonus faber presents an exciting change, new to the typical Sonus faber product design portfolio but still able to embody the history and values of the brand. "Simplicity" is central to the collection's identity that aims to reach a wide audience and to deliver a luxury music experience in all Sonus faber homes, which is facilitated through their longstanding tradition of refined materials and careful craftsmanship.
Luxury, Minimalist, Natural: The simple and squared design of the Lumina models was chosen to emphasize the quality of materials used. This principal of minimalism directly captures the essence of the product, thoughtfully designed in conjunction with the theory that "less is more".
The Lumina collection boasts the core values of Sonus faber and the use of its iconic materials, including leather, natural composition of drivers, and real multilayer wood available in Walnut and Wenge wood with Maple matte inlay and Piano Black gloss finishes. All items pay tribute to Sonus faber's historic heritage and are made in Italy.
The collection is offered at an accessible price point without compromising sound performance, empowering everyone to enjoy a true Sonus faber experience.
A Closer Look
Tweeter: The iconic D.A.D. (Damped Apex Dome™) tweeter, the same used in the Sonetto series, features a Kurtmueller hand coated soft silk diaphragm of 29mm. The chrome rings around the drivers highlight shapes and proportions and give brightness to the front baffle while outlining the Voice of Sonus faber.
Mid/Woofer: Lumina I features a brand new 4.7" mid/woofer developed for this collection, equipped with Sonus faber's custom made basket and a diaphragm based on cellulose pulp blended with other natural fibres for a natural midrange sound and a tight bottom end.
Crossover: Lumina's high quality crossover has been specially designed using Sonus faber's own top shelf capacitors to seamless handle the transition from one driver to the next.
Multi-Layer Wood Front Baffle: Among the materials selected for this line, what stands out is the Lumina's multi-layer wood on the front baffle and the real wood veneer, available in iconic premium finishes including walnut & wenge, both in matte finish with maple inlays, and with a third option available in piano gloss black. All other surfaces of the cabinet are hand covered in Sonus faber's iconic black leather.
Reflex Port: The reflex port gives additional versatility on the bookshelf and centre channels where it's placed on the front, at the base of the cabinet. Thanks to this, the Lumina I speakers are significantly less sensitive to placement, allowing them to sound excellent even when placed close to a back wall. This allows for greater flexibility whilst always ensuring you enjoy great performance and an enriching listening experience.
Terminals: Lumina speakers are provided with two pairs of nickel-plated binding posts, allowing for an upgrade experience provided by bi-wiring or, especially, bi-amping.
A Complete Home Cinema System Awaits: The Lumina Collection is perfect for stereo listening, allowing you to perceive all the sound subtleties and emotional nuances of music, closely replicating a live music experience. If you're looking to get more out of your system, Lumina is also an ideal protagonist for a multi-channel system for viewing sports, films or TV.
Providing more emphasis and substance to action scenes, dialogues and soundtracks, Lumina stereo and centre speakers perfectly pair with the REL T/x subwoofers which are available in a range of sizes to suit the various speakers. Sonus faber Lumina speakers & REL subwoofers combine to create a 5.1 Home Theatre system that offers a rich, articulated sound that provides possibilities for growth and modification tailored to your space and listening needs.
The Lumina collection was first introduced in September 2020, during a difficult and unprecedented year. Despite the challenge, Sonus faber was able to embody their history, spirit and brand values with the new collection that presented an exciting change, new to the typical Sonus faber product design portfolio.
The premiere Lumina models included the bookshelf two-way Lumina I, the floor standing three-way Lumina III, and the centre channel two-way Lumina CI. One year later, "Simplicity" remains top of mind with the continuation of the project, announced in two new models: The Lumina II and The Lumina V. The collection expansion aims to reach an even wider audience by offering higher power, especially in relation to larger environments. The collection is able to embrace both a stereo system and a multi-channel home theatre system for multi-directional audio perspective.
Sonus faber Lumina I Reviews
"Truly they are small, the new Lumina 1. But you do not notice much when you play music. Of course, they do not have much deep bass, and do not play very loud, but they have qualities that transcend the physical dimensions, and that are able to engage the listener to a degree that you hardly think is possible when you see the speakers. The design is nicely done, they are easy to find space for, and with the right amplifier you get a ridiculously small system that dries the grin of most skeptics." Lid&Bilde (Norway)
"Vocals can really shine through the Lumina I, but you need to find the right balance with your amp and sources. I would not go with anything too laid back on the amplification side. The woofer benefits from some control if you want to maximize its limited low-end performance. During my recent review of the Rotel A14MKII Integrated Amplifier, I started to think hard about a suitable long-term loudspeaker for this excellent amplifier. It has more than enough power and the right tonal balance for the Sonus Faber Lumina I.
Placed six feet apart on a dining room credenza (a realistic scenario for some people), the Lumina I disappeared in a convincing fashion with most well-recorded music streamed via Qobuz and I found myself listening to more and more music as I worked at the dining room table. Are the Lumina I loudspeakers I would recommend cranking as loud as you can with Slayer? Not really. But will they reward listeners who put some thought into amplifier/source and deliver an emotional performance that is warm, engaging, and detailed enough to keep you listening with zero fatigue for hours? Dinner is served. Bellissima Sonus faber. Bellissima." Ecoustics
"The Lumina is a vented box, two-way bookshelf speaker that measures a miniscule 5.8″ x 8.4″ x 11″ and weighs less than 10 pounds. It's surprisingly small and lightweight, with a gorgeous fit and finish worthy of the Sonus faber name. The enclosure is wrapped in a soft, dark leather that feels great to touch and looks fantastic. Overall, reviewer DK thought the Lumina 1 was one of the most visually appealing pieces of gear he'd ever had in his listening room. Despite its compact size, the Lumina 1 sounded massive, with a palpable low end that delivered a satisfying foundation to the music. These are dance-able speakers, with a strong sense of rhythm that slips easily between genres, from classical to jazz to rock. The Lumina also scaled with the music and thrived on complexity as well as subtlety. The midrange was smooth and lovely with a nice upper-octave sparkle. DK was more than content to keep spinning record after record, so long as the Lumina kept on singing. Small but mighty, the Lumina 1 is our Stand-Mount Loudspeaker of the Year." The Absolute Sound Magazine - 2021 Product Of The Year Awards
"The Sonus faber Lumina I sounds shockingly big despite its very small size. The form factor is attractive and stylish, in keeping with the Sonus faber brand, and the sound is gorgeous, smooth, and deep reaching for such a small bookshelf speaker. Though it works best with a powerful amplifier, the Lumina I can really sing when given the chance. Reviewer DK was absolutely astounded by the big, lush music coming from the Lumina. The soundstage was deep and wide, and instruments felt tight and accurate. The midrange was buttery and delightful, and the upper end had a good bit of luxurious sparkle to keep things interesting. For DK's money, this is the sub-$1k bookshelf speaker to beat." The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice Awards 2023
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: 2-way bass reflex bookshelf loudspeaker system
- Tweeter: 29mm (1.15") high-definition DAD™ driver. Visco-elastically baffle decoupling. Sonus faber design
- Mid/Bass: 120mm (4.7") cone driver. Ultra-free compression basket, Sonus faber design. Special custom diaphragm made with a blend of traditional cellulose pulp and other natural fibres, developed according to the most natural sound. Ultra-dynamic performance and high linearity
- Crossover Frequency: 2,000 Hz. Optimized amplitude/phase response for optimal space/time performance
- Frequency Response: 65 Hz -24,000 Hz
- Sensitivity: 84dB SPL (2.83V/1m)
- Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohm
- Suggested Amplifier Power Output: 30W – 100W undistorted signal
- Available Finishes: Wenge, Wood & Gloss Black
- Dimensions (WxHxD) 148 x 280 x 213 mm
- Weight: 4.4 Kg each
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE