Sonus faber’s compact standmounts, side by side. Here is the Heritage Collection Concertino G4 alongside two comparable bookshelf models, showing how they differ.

The Concertino is the speaker that made Sonus faber’s name outside Italy, and the G4 marks thirty years since the original arrived in 1994. It sits in the Heritage Collection, which is where Sonus faber keeps the designs that carry the company’s history rather than its latest engineering ambitions, and it looks the part: the trapezoidal cabinet, the solid wood sides, the nod to Cremonese lute and violin making that Franco Serblin built the company on. What has changed underneath is more interesting than the styling suggests. The cabinet’s central chassis is moulded from recycled cork, a first for Sonus faber with a midwoofer-equipped speaker, and the leather is not leather at all but a plant-based textile made in Sicily from orange and prickly pear byproducts.

Brief product overview

A two-way vented standmount with a 1.1-inch DAD Arrow Point silk dome tweeter and a 5.25-inch long-throw paper pulp midwoofer on a ferrite magnet, crossing over at 1,700Hz through a Phase-Coherent anti-resonant network. The enclosure is a vented cork design: the unibody chassis is built primarily from recycled cork, which damps internal resonance well enough to reduce the need for conventional damping material, an approach drawn from Sonus faber’s work on the Suprema and Sonetto lines. The reflex port fires rearward and is made from paper and solid wood. Frequency response runs from 60Hz to 25kHz, sensitivity is 85dB and nominal impedance is 4 ohms, with 30 to 150 watts recommended. Dual terminals allow bi-wiring or bi-amping. It measures 214 x 314 x 296mm and weighs 6.6kg each, with an optional matching stand in steel with walnut inserts, derived from an industrial beam profile and weighing 14.5kg each. The first 300 pairs were badged Maestro special editions with a numbered brass plaque on the walnut side panel.

How it sounds

The Concertino G4 gives an open, spacious presentation with more low-end foundation than its dimensions suggest, and the fast paper midwoofer keeps pace with the silk dome above it so the two integrate convincingly. It is a speaker built around musical honesty rather than analytical detail, which is very much in the Heritage Collection’s character, and it works particularly well near-field or in a conventional stereo setup with the listener two to three metres away. At 85dB and 4 ohms it is not especially sensitive, so it wants an amplifier with real current behind it rather than the most modest ones; within its 30 to 150 watt window it repays quality over quantity.

What we’d partner it with

The Linn Majik DSM/5 is a natural partner for a speaker of this kind: a streaming amplifier that brings Linn’s own network platform, Space Optimisation room correction and Class D amplification into one chassis, so the pair needs nothing else to play. Space Optimisation is worth singling out, because it corrects for the way a specific room and speaker position interact, which matters with a rear-ported standmount that will often end up closer to a wall than ideal.

For vinyl, the Majik DSM/5 has separate configurable moving-magnet and moving-coil analogue inputs and a dedicated phono grounding terminal, so a turntable connects directly with no outboard stage. The Linn Majik LP12 is the obvious companion, and the two are designed around each other: the Karousel bearing, the Majik plinth and Linn’s own tonearm and cartridge. Whether your deck carries the moving-magnet Adikt or the moving-coil Koil, the DSM/5 accommodates it, with the input level set to suit the cartridge’s output.

For stands, the dedicated Concertino stand is worth considering, though at 14.5kg each they are substantial. On cabling, use a well-made speaker cable of appropriate gauge for the run; AudioQuest and Chord are the cable brands we stock.

Who shouldn’t buy it

If you want the most current Sonus faber engineering rather than a Heritage design, the Sonetto I G2 uses newer driver and crossover technology at a comparable size. If your room is large or you listen loud, 85dB sensitivity from a 5.25-inch midwoofer sets a real ceiling, and a floorstander will suit better. And if you want to place these close to a rear wall, note the rear-firing port, which makes Space Optimisation or careful positioning more than a nicety.

The Concertino G4 is designed for stands, and the matching Concertino stand sets it at the right height while adding considerable mass. Because the port fires rearward, keep the speaker clear of the wall behind where you can, and run Linn’s Space Optimisation once the speakers are in position, as it is designed to compensate for exactly this kind of placement compromise. For vinyl, connect the Majik LP12 to the appropriate phono input, moving-magnet or moving-coil to match your cartridge, and its earth lead to the phono grounding terminal; Linn’s guidance is that the input level setting should be at least four times the cartridge’s specified output. The dual terminals allow bi-wiring or bi-amping; otherwise leave the jumpers fitted.