Sonus faber’s Olympica G3 collection, side by side. Here is the bookshelf Olympica G3 I alongside the two floorstanders in the range, showing what your money buys at each step.

The Olympica G3 I is the only standmount in the third generation of one of Sonus faber’s most recognisable ranges, and it distils the collection into its smallest form. Olympica has always been more than a product line for the company: since 2013 it has carried explicit references to Vicenza, to Palladio and to the traditions of Italian craftsmanship. This generation keeps the asymmetrical lute-shaped cabinet that identifies the range while adding acoustic thinking drawn from the flagship Suprema, and a striking 45-degree herringbone wood veneer inspired by the Stradivari.

Brief product overview

A two-way vented standmount, using a para-aperiodic enclosure with Sonus faber’s Stealth Ultraflex system, with a 28mm DAD Arrow Point extended-frequency silk tweeter and a 165mm paper-cone midwoofer with a copper cap, crossing over at 2,300Hz. Frequency response runs from 57Hz to 40kHz, sensitivity is 87dB and nominal impedance is 4 ohms, with 30 to 250 watts recommended. Notably for a speaker of this size, it carries four binding posts labelled for high and mid-low sections, so it can be bi-wired or bi-amped properly rather than as an afterthought. The cabinet combines handcrafted wood with leather and aluminium detailing, and a refreshed top plate carries the Sonus faber logo on the upper surface. It measures 21 x 37 x 37cm and weighs 11kg; on the optional aluminium stand with stainless steel spikes the system stands 105.2cm tall. It is made in Vicenza.

How it sounds

The Olympica G3 I brings the range’s character to a smaller room: clear, balanced and emotionally direct, with the imaging precision a well-made two-way can achieve and a tonal richness that flatters voices in particular. The 165mm midwoofer with its copper cap gives it more body and low-end weight than its dimensions suggest, and the 2,300Hz crossover keeps the tweeter working comfortably within its range. At 87dB and 4 ohms it is not a difficult speaker to drive, but it responds clearly to an amplifier with real current behind it, and the four binding posts mean there is room to experiment with bi-wiring later.

What we’d partner it with

The McIntosh MSA5500 makes a well-judged partner. It delivers 100 watts into 8 ohms rising to 160 into 4, comfortably inside Sonus faber’s recommended range, and it brings a quad-balanced 32-bit DAC and full network streaming built in, with Roon Ready certification, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz Connect, plus an HDMI ARC input for a television. The blue watt meters alongside the Olympica’s wood and leather make a handsome combination, and it means a complete system needs only the speakers.

For vinyl, the MSA5500 has a dedicated moving-magnet phono input, so a turntable connects directly. The Linn Majik LP12 fitted with the Adikt moving-magnet cartridge plugs straight in, and it is a deck that will outlast several upgrades elsewhere in the system. If you would rather run a moving-coil cartridge such as Linn’s own Koil, note that the MSA5500’s phono stage is moving-magnet only, so an external moving-coil stage would be needed alongside it.

For stands, the dedicated Olympica bookshelf stand is worth the outlay, being built from aluminium with stainless steel spikes and designed specifically for this cabinet. 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 your room is medium-sized or larger, the Olympica G3 III adds a dedicated Camelia midrange driver in its own sealed chamber and two 165mm woofers, which is a considerable step up in scale and midrange resolution. If you want the range’s fullest expression, the G3 V adds a third woofer. And if you want a standmount for a genuinely small space, this is a substantial speaker at 37cm deep and 11kg, so measure before committing.

The Olympica G3 I is designed for stands, and the dedicated Olympica stand sets it at the right height while isolating it properly. Place it clear of the rear wall where you can, with a modest toe-in towards the listening seat. Set the MSA5500 up over the network, using a wired Ethernet connection where you can run one, and connect a television to the HDMI ARC input if you want one in the system. For vinyl, connect the turntable to the moving-magnet phono input and its earth to the ground post. The four binding posts allow bi-wiring or bi-amping; otherwise leave the jumpers fitted.