Sound Quality
Sonus Faber has built a reputation on speakers that sound as beautiful as they look, and the Lumina II upholds that tradition with grace. The 29mm silk dome tweeter, using Sonus Faber’s Damped Apex Dome (DAD) technology, produces treble that is sweet, airy, and refined. High frequencies shimmer with a delicacy that never becomes aggressive, making the Lumina II an ideal companion for long listening sessions. There is a sophistication to the way this tweeter renders detail — it reveals without dissecting, maintaining the musical whole while allowing you to follow individual threads of a complex arrangement.
The 150mm paper cone woofer handles midrange and bass duties with a warmth and richness that is quintessentially Sonus Faber. Vocals are the star of the show, reproduced with an intimacy and texture that brings recordings to life. Male voices have weight and resonance, female voices float with clarity and air. Acoustic instruments benefit enormously from the natural tonal balance, with guitars sounding woody and real, pianos having proper body and decay, and strings possessing a silky smoothness that avoids the glassy sheen of more analytical speakers.
Bass extension is rated to 55Hz, which is honest for the compact cabinet volume. You will hear the fundamental of a bass guitar but not the deepest octave of a pipe organ or the sub-bass of electronic music. The bass that is present is well-controlled and tuneful, avoiding the port-driven bloom that afflicts many small speakers trying to sound bigger than they are. Adding a quality subwoofer crossed over at 60-70Hz transforms the Lumina II into a remarkably complete system for rooms up to 25 square meters.
Build & Design
The Lumina II is, without question, the most beautiful speaker in its price range. The front baffle is wrapped in genuine leather — not vinyl, not faux leather, but actual Italian leather — with visible stitching that gives each pair a handcrafted character. The cabinet is finished in a choice of walnut veneer or matte black, both executed to a standard that speaks to Sonus Faber’s heritage as an Italian artisan manufacturer.
The lute-shaped cabinet is not merely aesthetic. The curved rear panel reduces internal standing waves, and the varying wall thicknesses disrupt resonance patterns that would color the sound in a conventional rectangular box. At 4.75kg each, the Lumina II is compact and light enough for desktop use, though they perform best on dedicated stands that position the tweeter at ear height.
The binding posts are smaller than those found on larger speakers but accept banana plugs and bare wire without fuss. The single rear-firing port is tuned conservatively, trading maximum bass output for better transient response and reduced port noise.
Value Proposition
At $998 per pair, the Lumina II costs roughly the same as the KEF LS50 Meta’s frequent sale price, and the two speakers could not be more different in character. Where the KEF prioritizes analytical precision and detail retrieval, the Sonus Faber emphasizes musicality and warmth. Neither approach is inherently superior — it comes down to personal preference and the kind of listening experience you value most.
The Lumina II justifies its price through the combination of genuinely premium build materials, Italian craftsmanship, and a sound signature that makes music an emotional experience rather than an academic exercise. If your system leans toward the clinical or bright, the Lumina II can rebalance the presentation with its warm, forgiving character. And if you simply want the most beautiful object on your shelf that also happens to sound wonderful, there is nothing else at this price that comes close.