Aida

Franco Serblin, 1939-2013. RIP March 31.

Verdi's Aida is one of Guiseppe's best, and most memorable operas, characteristically speaking. Many years back we missed a stunning performance in Verona's Roman Arena, due to tour dates.

Ideally, one would be happy with a speaker that combined the elegance of Sonus Faber as of late, which epitomes Italian flair and culture with Magico of Hayward, USA, which sometimes provides brute force engineering as in the Q5.

Like the Q5, Livivio Cucuzza's Aida grand speaker is Sonus Faber's second down on the SF platform. Their name sake, "The Sonus Faber", originally, now "Fenice", is first.

Clearly the Magico Q7 is superior to their Q5. Now, what about the Aida?

When Franco Serblin left Italy for Greece, culturally, to foster the "Ktêma" and then "Accordo", so true, we find an equalization reflex and generational progress inside the organization of Sonus Faber. Young tailors of fashion, coming forward as men, several of them, to take his place.

On our walk today, curved shapes were of the most interest. Now we come back to the shape and composition of the Aida. Aesthetically, it is not pleasing. It is a bit shall we say, Geigeresque, in that it resembles the alien of Alien, sculpturally. A bit like Wilson Benesch's "Cardinal" as of late.

The image is overseeing and threatening, like an angry God. An old testament. To some, this is refreshing.

To us, it illustrates the technology, and the lack of refinement. "Any sufficiently advanced technology resembles magic" (Arthur C. Clarke, 1962).

Looking at this speaker, we wonder, "Why are there so many drivers on the back?" {"Why are the drivers shown on the front?"}. "What is with the mix of veneer with black?", we wonder, in terms of design: what can be expressed through such an object?


The aesthetic presentation of the Aida, shown below, we can not further realize. Presented in an abandoned factory, with the fresh rich colour of the new against the beautiful background yet backdrop contrast. The mould between the tiles is beautiful. The rust is beautiful. The sand is lovely.

To our eye, the Aida is a first-begotten. We love the image and the presentation. The compositional contrast. The light and bright green beyond the wonderful window. The broken wooden lattice in the courtyard, and the psychologically identifiable abstract woman's face just to the left of the second port.

The opening, below, we find humble - a shown foundation. The placement, contrastingly brave. It is all.

To go further, we will need to question the nature of the speaker, and not the lovely image Sonus Faber has provided. We prefer the image to the speaker, but some will respectfully prefer the speaker, Aida. To each, their habit.

We love you, Aida.

Sonus Faber's Aida. Front and Back Face. Sidewall and set, top.