SONUS FABER Gravis I
Subwoofers
The Gravis I is a reincarnation of Sumiko’s model S.5. Removed was the underlit logo on top, which is now clad in leather with SF’s logo embossed. Other than that and some minor cosmetics here and there the S.5’s philosophy was preserved. There is another little sub on the market, REL T/5i, that is essentially identical with the two so I guess it is one factory that makes them all.
Function and form
Why to pay the attention to the Gravis I at all?
Well, it is a well thought and beautifully made subwoofer that features all those good things that are rare to find in single package:
- It has one active driver, no passive cones.
- Its cabinet is sealed, no bassreflex port.
- Its driver fires at the floor.
- It does not have Class D power supply, rather it is powered by the good old Class AB analogue amplifier.
- It does feature the High-level Input.
Bass management
Wayfaring Stranger (Johnny Cash, III Solitary Man, American) is a stunning little piece that features undulating acoustic instrumentation, Mr. Cash’s deep baritone reciting not less deep lyrics, Laura Cash on fiddle, and, behold, Sheryl Crow on accordion. The sound is very spacious with each instrument firmly locked in its position, both vocals and instrumental lines are palpable and three-dimensional, real bodies not just sounds. That’s what I heard with the Gravis I. It is time to switch it off now.
Clarity & delicacy
With the Gravis I in the OFF mode the presence increases. The instruments and the vocal move slightly forward, they sound as if extracted from the background canvas. The Cash’s voice loses a tad of its sonority and now it sounds like a recorded voice rather than ‘a voice on the room’. The instrumental colours fade a tiny bit and their harmonic envelope shifts towards transients. I can hear each lick of a string, each resonance of the bow, yet all those micro-sounds as if compete with each other and the music loses its natural flow. Everything is less relaxed and more pushed to my ears, sounding more ‘electric’ which is not a good thing for the fiddle and the accordion, is it? The 3D soundstage is still there but less palpable, less engaging. The most affected is the depth that shrinks into a much flatter plane right behind the speakers.
Tonal accuracy
Blade Runner 2049 (Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch) is the soundtrack for validation of any subwoofer’s competencies. The subterranean bass is the essential part of this score that induces a sense of a distant earthquake. Now, the Gravis I does not provide deeper bass notes than my resident TAD Evolution One speakers and I did not expect any benefit from adding it therefore. As I explained earlier the difference was remarkable, however, not in quantity but in quality. The TAD’s dual bass drivers, although better than the one in the Gravis I work into a bigger ported cabinet, and fire forward at sofa height. The driver in the Sonus Faber is quite agile in its closed cabinet and uses the floor to a great benefit. The symbiosis of the main speakers and the subwoofer could not be better – the weight was preserved, the definition and palpability was improved. The sound became more enveloping, energetic and penetrating, and much smoother and tuneful at the same time.
Spatial resolution
Why have I kept the Gravis I? Yes, this sub does not leave my listening room. Because, unlike the digital subs, the Gravis I did not induce any HF interference in my system with all its negative effects. There were few subs like sizeable REL, Bowers & Wilkins, Velodyne and SVS that were properly shielded and interference free, yet these boxes were way too big and an overkill for what I wanted them to do down below 40Hz. The Sonus Faber Gravis I is small, neat and a fantastic performer. Who would suspect the real high-end to come in such an understated form?
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OUR COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE SONUS FABER GRAVIS I SUBWOOFER IS AVAILABLE HERE: SONUS FABER GRAVIS I
Recommended resellers
EP Audio, Praha, tel. +420 323 605 088
Manufacturer's website: http://www.sonusfaber.com
Associated components
- Source components: Accuphase DP-720
- Amplifiers: TAD-M2500 MkII, Luxman C-900, Bespoke Audio
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Audioquest Redwood, Ansuz Signalz C2+D2, Ansuz Speakz C2, Tellurium Q Ultra Silver, Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Vovox Sonorus XL, Nordost Valhalla V2, InAkustik Referenz, Nordost Odin
- Loudspeakers: TAD Evolution One E1
- Power conditioning: Shunyata Research Denali, Nordost Valhalla, Ansuz Mainz C2, Pangea AC-9SEMKII, Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 2
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The Gravis I is a reincarnation of Sumiko’s model S.5. Removed was the underlit logo on top, which is now clad in leather with SF’s logo embossed. Other than that and some minor cosmetics here and there the S.5’s philosophy was ...
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