A big new trend is returning to Australian homes, minimalism, with consumers turning to stylish European designed products, such as the all-new Sonus faber all in one Omnia wireless speaker system where design and sound quality are the key factors not price.

Minimalism is an extreme form of abstract art composed of simple geometric shapes, which in the case of the new Sonus faber offering comes in a simple oblong shaped sound system with a wooden facade, which packs a lot of music power for its size and form factor, it also sounds as good as it looks and according to Sonus faber you get a “3D listening experience” which I can vouch for.

The top of this sound system can be either Italian Walnut or Graphite both are very stylish for a minimalistic design.

The mix of timber metal and fabric makes this, a system that you will want to put on show, and I am pretty confident that eventual owners, will be impressed by both the design and sound output because Sonus faber is a brand that won’t cut corners just to deliver a product to a price point.

This is no ordinary small format wireless speaker system because it’s manufactured by one of the world’s leading audio Companies who by the way will flog you a pair of Aida II floor standing speakers for $150,000.

Founded in 1983 by Italian designer Franco Serbin, Sonus faber made its reputation by using high-quality wood for the cabinets that house its world-class speaker, with their latest wireless speaker system the black grille and walnut wood exterior leaving the impression that this system is a tad different from the likes of Sonos speakers that are more mass market cheap than niche quality audio.

The speaker measures 13cm x 65.04 x 11 27.94cm (HxWxD) and weighs 7.58 kilo.

it’s extremely easy to set up, though I would have liked to have seen an LCD display on the device, which identifies which mode, is operating when you set up your streaming options.

Currently the only differentiator between Wi Fi and Bluetooth is the colour of the light on the top of the device which one scrolls through using a neat Sonus faber remote control.

There is no dedicate Sonus faber app, however you can integrate iOS or use Chromecast as I did after connecting via the Google Home app for Android. When I did I found that playing tracks back were significantly superior to playing via Bluetooth where data flow can be affected by movement especially if you are streaming from a smartphone.

Wi-Fi is also an optimal playback choice. The system also plays back content from as Tidal, YouTube Music, Deezer, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and Spotify Connect.

Tidal Connect (which defaults overcast on Android devices).

The Omnia system remembers your network and automatically reconnects even if you accidently unplug the system.

For those you want to connect via a 10/100 Mbps ethernet port you simply plug in the cable to the back of the Omnia system.

While the system looks good and sounds even better it’s crystal clear that Sonus faber has concentrated on looks over access functionality with the base that the device actually sits needing a redesign or a design that hides the underneath part of the system. Adding to this is the design at the rear of the speaker where plugging in a cable to connect additional AV gear is not easy.

My first experience with this system was via a Bluetooth connection.

It was easy to set up and I was able to play Ultra HD music from Amazon Prime Music.

The sound was okay however, it was far better when I connected direct to a CD player as well as direct via the Tidal app and when streaming via Chromecast.

For its size, the audio is significantly better than other similar systems, it delivers good bass and piano keys are crystal clear.

Playing Miles Davis Kind of Blue in HD or Jason Derrulo in Ultra HD was a real eye opener as the output sound was as good as a five-digit sound system.

At $3,495 the Sonus faber is worth every cent especially if you want a stylish yet discreet audio system that looks impressive in any room.

There’s an HDMI ARC port if you want to use the unit as a television speaker, and a mini-DIN analogue input allows you to plug in a turntable via the included mini-DIN-to-RCA adapter cable. I plugged in a CD player allowing me to play my collection of CDs As I said earlier I would have liked to have seen a led panel instead of an indicator light on the top of the unit that changes colour based on the input source.

The default is blue for Bluetooth, orange for HDMI, pink for phono, and white for streaming apps so don’t forget to remember which colours count when linking up with content. Scrolling is via the remote.

The indicator will stay white if you’re using AirPlay, but it turns green for Spotify, light blue for Tidal, purple for Roon, and yellow for Chromecast.

The remote is shaped similar to the design of the Omnia.

At the top is an on/off button, volume, and muting controls, skip forward and back buttons and the ability to switch inputs.

The rubberized buttons can’t be discerned solely by touch, and they’re not backlit, so you’ll need low-level illumination to use it.

Initially it appears that there is no slider for the replacement of a battery on the remote.

What you have to do is use a pin or ideally the SIM pin that comes with your mobile phone to eject the base and even this was difficult.

I was also unable to find a pin in the box that the remote came in.

The Omnia features a 490-watt closed-box system rated for frequency response of 30Hz to 25kHz (@-6dB). The speaker is equipped with seven drivers: two 0.75-inch silk dome tweeters with a Neodymium slug structure magnet motor system, two 3-inch paper pulp midrange cones, one down-firing 6.5-inch long-throw woofer with an aluminium cone, and two 1.75-inch full-range drivers with non-press cellulose pulp inverted domes.

Sonus faber touts its Crescendo technology that utilizes the full-range drivers situated on each end of the Omnia speaker to combine a mix of in-phase dipole and anti-phase dipole signal processing to create what the company calls a “3D listening experience.”

The two competitors to this system is the Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin and the Naim Muso 2.

This system is so incredibly Italian, it oozes style, and the sound output is magnificent a bit like a Ferrari which is all look and performance. As for attention to detail such as easy access to the cabling system or the management of sources this system is lacking but don’t let this put you off as the Sonus faber Omnia is worthy of a place in any home where design and audio output is more important than access to attached sources.

This is a very stylish sound system, the sound output is as good as the looks, in fact I was so impressed that a bought my review sample because of the quality and the fact that my wife fell in love with it. She is into de cluttering and minimalistic design.

Access to the rear needs to be reviewed for future models. You literally have to turn this system upside down to access the rear where the connector cables can be plugged in.

Level 1, 275 Alfred Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia