Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa

''Throughout my auditioning, I continued to be impressed by the Elipsa's smooth, grain-free treble and its articulate, smooth, natural-sounding midrange. ''

That's what Stereophile's Editor John Atkinson wrote after listening to these speakers extensively. NOT another pair of SF Elipsas - these very ones, Serial # 003. Please go to Stereophile.com for a full review - and measurements - of these speakers.

As for the rest, I invite you to read the full review. A few abstracts:

''I had forgotten how much music's dynamic contrasts need to be diminished to fit within the loudness window of a pair of small speakers. (...) But with the Cremona Elipsas, there was an ease to the sound even at high volumes that had me reaching not just for Mozart but for Mahler as well.''

''Bass extension was excellent, with usable output down to 25Hz, though the 20Hz warble tone was inaudible at normal listening levels.''

''I kept coming back to how grain-free, how clean the Elipsa's treble was above 4kHz, yet without the music sounding rolled off. The triangle Mahler uses for emphasis, for example, neither sounded exaggerated not dulled.''

''I dug out a DVD-Audio disc I hadn't played in a long time, Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now (Reprise 9362-47620-9). Her husky, cigarette-stained alto and the Elipsa's midrange clarity were made for one another. Every small nuance of the singer's phrasing, the grace notes and ornaments, the difference between tremolo and vibrato, was clearly evident, without being confused by the loudspeaker's own character. The backing orchestra was arrayed behind Joni in a deep, supportive semicircle (in two channels, of course), and I quite forgot I was supposed to be listening critically.''
The speakers are in very good shape, with no visible marks. Rated 8/10 because of age.