About Sonus faberOur history
An Italian workshop offering an insider's view into the meticulous craftsmanship behind Sonus faber speakersAn Italian workshop offering an insider's view into the meticulous craftsmanship behind Sonus faber speakers

Sonus faber history

A legacy of craftsmanship, tradition, and innovation
in musical design and technology.

Origins

Early days

The Sonus faber story began with a singular goal: to create a speaker system of superior musical quality out of natural materials and design.

From this dream, a pair of passionate audiophiles developed the Snail Project — a loudspeaker that could embody the essence, spirit, and voice of music. With only ten prototypes, crafted entirely of different types of wood, the Snail took inspiration from Leonardo Da Vinci’s sketchbooks.

Snail Project: Symmetric beauty in design and sound, a pioneering chapter in the evolving Sonus faber story.Snail Project: Symmetric beauty in design and sound, a pioneering chapter in the evolving Sonus faber story.
Finding beauty in symmetry, a pair of satellite speakers extended from the Snail’s central unit in an all-in-one design that immediately garnered attention for both its visual and sonic brilliance. WIth its unique creativity, the Snail Project formed the prologue in the ever-evolving Sonus faber story.

Crafting High-End audio equipment

The Snail Project validated the belief that a sound system must not only faithfully reproduce music, but it must match the audio experience with a refined aesthetic. This tenet laid the foundation for the next four decades of acoustic artisanship.

Original bookshelf speakers from Sonus faber's inception, highlighting a rich history and a commitment to natural materials.Original bookshelf speakers from Sonus faber's inception, highlighting a rich history and a commitment to natural materials.

1983-1992

building a legacy

The first Sonus faber artisan workshop was built on the hills of Vicenza in 1983. 
From its inception, Sonus faber was born out of a passion for faithfully reproducing music through both sonic and visual beauty.
Sonus faber's inaugural product, Parva, showcasing its rich history and use of natural materials since its inception.Sonus faber's inaugural product, Parva, showcasing its rich history and use of natural materials since its inception.
Sonus faber’s first product: Parva.
Natural materials, treated and assembled by the hands of expert craftsmen, have been part of our DNA throughout our evolution. The first Sonus faber creations, made of solid walnut wood and leather, garnered international attention, and paved a path forward that has always remained faithful to our origins.
A distinctive stacked view featuring the original Minima, Electa, Electa Amator, and Parva speakers by Sonus faber, illustrating its rich historyA distinctive stacked view featuring the original Minima, Electa, Electa Amator, and Parva speakers by Sonus faber, illustrating its rich history
Minima, Electa and Electa Amator, and Parva.
An Italian artisan meticulously handcrafting a Sonus faber speaker in a workshop, showcasing a keen attention to detail.An Italian artisan meticulously handcrafting a Sonus faber speaker in a workshop, showcasing a keen attention to detail.

1993 - 2003

our design takes shape

The next decade marked the first turning point for Sonus faber, as we began to embrace not only natural materials but also the shape of classic hand-crafted instruments.
A distinctive perspective of stacked wood, prepared for the subsequent steps in the handcrafting process of Sonus faber speakers.A distinctive perspective of stacked wood, prepared for the subsequent steps in the handcrafting process of Sonus faber speakers.
Wood. A natural material for a natural sound.
Grounded in an intensive study of Italian luthiers (Italian violin makers), techniques focused on the development of our signature lute-shaped designs. Drawing inspiration from Italian legends such as Andrea Amati, crafter of the oldest-surviving violin, and Antonio Stradivari, who is universally acknowledged as history’s greatest violin maker, the lute shape is at the heart of our traditions.
A Sonus faber floorstanding speaker being handcrafted in the initial phases, with the distinctive lute shape beginning to take form.A Sonus faber floorstanding speaker being handcrafted in the initial phases, with the distinctive lute shape beginning to take form.
An Italian artisan from Sonus faber meticulously hand-sanding the wood of a speaker, highlighting the signature lute-shaped design.An Italian artisan from Sonus faber meticulously hand-sanding the wood of a speaker, highlighting the signature lute-shaped design.
Perfecting the lute shape.
Sonus faber introduced Guarneri Homage, the first ever high-fidelity speaker with a cabinet structure inspired by the lute. Named for Giuseppe Guarneri, a luthier of the Golden Age of violin-making, it gave birth to one of our most iconic reference points.
At the end of this decade, the Sonus faber headquarters moved to Arcugnano into the current violin-shaped building, uniquely designed to create a space that would inspire our creations.
A distinctive perspective of the Sonus faber headquarters, revealing both outdoor and indoor spaces where speakers are meticulously handcrafted.A distinctive perspective of the Sonus faber headquarters, revealing both outdoor and indoor spaces where speakers are meticulously handcrafted.
An outdoor view of the Sonus faber headquarters in Arcugnano, featuring the violin-shaped building designed to inspire a creative space.An outdoor view of the Sonus faber headquarters in Arcugnano, featuring the violin-shaped building designed to inspire a creative space.
Sonus faber headquarters in Arcugnano.
Designed by the renowned Studio Albanese, a Vicenza-based architecture studio, the original space had no concrete walls inside — only transparent divisions to let natural light seep into every space. Built on a belief in the power of the natural flow of energy, our new home embraced the philosophy of Natural Sound.
An Italian craftsman from Sonus faber meticulously adds details to a handcrafted speaker, showcasing a dedication to precision.An Italian craftsman from Sonus faber meticulously adds details to a handcrafted speaker, showcasing a dedication to precision.

2004 - 2013

researching our way forward

Sonus faber's design continues to evolve through the expansion of the research and development department. Die cast aluminum, now a key material in Sonus faber audio equipment thanks to its strength and durability, was incorporated for the first time in this decade.
A detailed view of the die-cast aluminum, a crucial material in Sonus faber audio equipment, highlighting its strength and durability.A detailed view of the die-cast aluminum, a crucial material in Sonus faber audio equipment, highlighting its strength and durability.
Details of die cast aluminum.
Additionally, with new technological advancements in driver design, internal structure solutions, and crossover implementations, Sonus faber affirms its authority in the world of high-end audio equipment with the first generation of Aida. Named for Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic masterpiece, Aida was the first speaker entirely designed and engineered by the current R&D team.
An Italian craftsman from Sonus faber meticulously adds details to a handcrafted speaker, showcasing a dedication to precision.An Italian craftsman from Sonus faber meticulously adds details to a handcrafted speaker, showcasing a dedication to precision.
A close-up of the first generation Aida by Sonus faber, highlighting its sleek design and Italian craftsmanship.A close-up of the first generation Aida by Sonus faber, highlighting its sleek design and Italian craftsmanship.
Unveiling new drivers and the first generation of Aida.
At the foundation of the Design Lab are our skilled technicians with a passion for artistry. From the initial stages of our designers’ creative development to the final measurements taken by our acoustic engineers, our Lab was founded under the principle that every phase of creation should take place under the same roof.
The Sonus faber Design Lab proudly displays floorstanding speakers, presented by skilled technicians with expertise.The Sonus faber Design Lab proudly displays floorstanding speakers, presented by skilled technicians with expertise.
A Maserati proudly displayed, showcasing the partnership between Maserati and Sonus faber.A Maserati proudly displayed, showcasing the partnership between Maserati and Sonus faber.

2014 - 2023

branching out

While maintaining a home base in Vicenza, Italy, Sonus faber looks to the future through global connectedness. In addition to expanding product categories through the inclusion of custom installation and active loudspeakers, Sonus faber developed new partnerships in the automotive and marine industries, bringing our values and artistry to a wider audience and strengthening our authority in the luxury world.
A cinematic home audio space with tiered seating, featuring custom-installed Sonus faber speakers from the Arena Collection.A cinematic home audio space with tiered seating, featuring custom-installed Sonus faber speakers from the Arena Collection.
Through our first automotive partnership with collaboration on the Pagani Huayra, the Sonus faber and Pagani Research and Development teams worked together to assemble and tune each individual car sound system by hand.
Close-up of the Sonus faber automotive speaker system in a Pagani Huayra, illustrating the partnership and luxurious details.Close-up of the Sonus faber automotive speaker system in a Pagani Huayra, illustrating the partnership and luxurious details.
Pagani Huayra’s premium high-end audio system.
A partnership with Maserati furthered our commitment to Italian luxury and performance through our collaboration on the Maserati Gran Turismo, Grecale, and MC20. We then brought our Natural Sound to the sea through collaboration with Wally yachts.
Close-up of the Sonus faber automotive speaker system in a Maserati, highlighting intricate details of the car.Close-up of the Sonus faber automotive speaker system in a Maserati, highlighting intricate details of the car.
Sonus faber's elegance seamlessly blends with Maserati's power in the automotive speaker system.Sonus faber's elegance seamlessly blends with Maserati's power in the automotive speaker system.
Sonus faber’s elegance fuses with Maserati’s power.
Additionally, since 2014, Sonus faber exclusively began designing our own drivers.
While we had previously relied on standard models produced by prestigious manufacturers, we shifted to an original design in every part of the driver, including the membranes, baskets, and magnets. In this way, we make sure that every part of our design adheres to our signature philosophy.
A trio of wireless collection speakers by Sonus faber, exhibiting Italian craftsmanship and a sleek wireless design.A trio of wireless collection speakers by Sonus faber, exhibiting Italian craftsmanship and a sleek wireless design.