Short answer: the Buchardt Audio E50 on measured sound quality, the Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 on price. The Buchardt Audio E50 ranks #16 of 130 bookshelf speakers at $4600. The Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 ranks #103 at $3500, $1100 cheaper.
What the Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 offers: Two-way design with a 1.125” damped Apex Dome silk tweeter and 6.5” cone woofer, using a base of concrete, aluminum, and steel with under-cabinet venting. Notably more neutral than Sonus Faber’s own Lumina 2, which runs 2-5dB hotter in the treble. Horizontal directivity narrows at a fairly constant, well-behaved rate rather than narrowing-then-widening-then-narrowing like some rivals (including the Lumina 2), meaning sidewall reflections match the direct sound well enough that the reviewer doesn’t recommend sidewall absorption for this speaker. The tweeter-to-woofer crossover handoff around 3kHz looks clean, suggesting a higher-order crossover than typical for the size/price class. Good dynamic range - the low end loses only about 2dB from 76dB to 96dB, otherwise holding up well. Not a difficult amplifier load (about 4.2 ohms minimum impedance). Bass extension reaches a genuine 50Hz in-room, fuller than the Lumina 2. Watch for: Sounds notably bright pointed directly on-axis; toeing the speaker out about 30° reduces treble energy and sibilance meaningfully. A resonance around 700Hz gives vocals a slightly nasal, hollow quality. A dip in the upper midrange (roughly 1-2kHz) reduces perceived detail and attack, while the elevated treble can read as “analytical” or “detailed” to some listeners despite being a coloration rather than true resolution. Needs more clearance from the rear wall than some rivals - about 1.5-2 feet in an ideal room, more or less depending on your specific room modes - or the 80-120Hz region can become boomy. Vertical listening window is limited to about ±10-15° from the tweeter axis. Some unexplained directivity irregularities appear around 1.2kHz and 1.6kHz, possibly port-related, along with a longer decay in the 800Hz-1600Hz range in burst-decay measurements. Multitone distortion approaches the reviewer’s 3% threshold through the midrange, though likely not obviously audible without direct A/B comparison. A resonance in the cabinet appears around 400Hz in impedance measurements.
What the Buchardt Audio E50 offers: Exceptional bass extension for a bookshelf - F3 at 40Hz, F10 at 34Hz - with genuinely low-end weight the reviewer kept noticing track after track, not just a single room-boosted note. Mid and lower-midrange are very neutral with no coloration and well-executed baffle-step compensation, so it doesn’t need to sit close to a wall like many bookshelf designs. Low distortion throughout the midrange, controlled ~60-degree horizontal directivity, and a striking driver/waveguide integration that looks genuinely upscale. Watch for: A roughly 3dB dip in the upper midrange/lower treble softens attack and dialogue clarity - the reviewer’s main complaint, and it’s baked into the crossover rather than a directivity artifact, so it’s audible both on and off axis. Sounds too bright pointed directly at the listener; needs about 10-20 degrees of toe-out to tame the treble and slightly smooth (not eliminate) that dip. Below-average sensitivity (measured 83.1dB vs 85dB spec) calls for a beefier amp, and the speaker’s tonal balance is unusually sensitive to amplifier output impedance - a poor tube amp can shift the midrange by up to 2dB.
Buy the Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 when the price outweighs sound quality for you, and the Buchardt Audio E50 when sound quality outweighs the price instead.
The Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 is not a sound-quality pick. It sits near the bottom of the 130 bookshelf speakers; there are better options higher up.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Passive Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 | Buchardt Audio E50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3500 per pair | $4600 per pair |
| Ranked | #103 of 130 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #16 of 130 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) | 34Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 62Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) | 40Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (4.2 ohms minimum, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) | 4 ohms nominal |
| Sensitivity | 87dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) | 83.1dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 1x 6.5" mid-woofer (paper cone), 1x 1.1" (28mm) DAD soft dome tweeter | 1" Scanspeak dome tweeter with waveguide, 6.5" Purifi extended-stroke woofer, dual 6.5" passive radiators |
| Weight | 38.4 lbs (17.4 kg) | 19 lbs (8.6 kg) each |
| Dimensions | 16.3"H x 8.9"W x 14"D (414.3 x 227.0 x 355.6 mm) | 15.6" x 7.5" x 11.2" (395 x 190 x 284 mm) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front | Passive radiator loaded |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 3.34 | 5.03 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 5.62 | 6.80 |
| Crossover Frequency | - | 2000Hz |
| Frequency Response | - | 36Hz - 30kHz ±3dB (Manufacturer specified) |
| Recommended Power | - | 60W - 200W |
| Country | - | Denmark |
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Prices on this page were last checked September 16, 2026 at 12:41 AM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2: $3500 per pair Crutchfield eBay
Pros: Two-way design with a 1.125” damped Apex Dome silk tweeter and 6.5” cone woofer, using a base of concrete, aluminum, and steel with under-cabinet venting. Notably more neutral than Sonus Faber’s own Lumina 2, which runs 2-5dB hotter in the treble. Horizontal directivity narrows at a fairly constant, well-behaved rate rather than narrowing-then-widening-then-narrowing like some rivals (including the Lumina 2), meaning sidewall reflections match the direct sound well enough that the reviewer doesn’t recommend sidewall absorption for this speaker. The tweeter-to-woofer crossover handoff around 3kHz looks clean, suggesting a higher-order crossover than typical for the size/price class. Good dynamic range - the low end loses only about 2dB from 76dB to 96dB, otherwise holding up well. Not a difficult amplifier load (about 4.2 ohms minimum impedance). Bass extension reaches a genuine 50Hz in-room, fuller than the Lumina 2. Measured bass extension of 62Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 87dB.
Cons: Sounds notably bright pointed directly on-axis; toeing the speaker out about 30° reduces treble energy and sibilance meaningfully. A resonance around 700Hz gives vocals a slightly nasal, hollow quality. A dip in the upper midrange (roughly 1-2kHz) reduces perceived detail and attack, while the elevated treble can read as “analytical” or “detailed” to some listeners despite being a coloration rather than true resolution. Needs more clearance from the rear wall than some rivals - about 1.5-2 feet in an ideal room, more or less depending on your specific room modes - or the 80-120Hz region can become boomy. Vertical listening window is limited to about ±10-15° from the tweeter axis. Some unexplained directivity irregularities appear around 1.2kHz and 1.6kHz, possibly port-related, along with a longer decay in the 800Hz-1600Hz range in burst-decay measurements. Multitone distortion approaches the reviewer’s 3% threshold through the midrange, though likely not obviously audible without direct A/B comparison. A resonance in the cabinet appears around 400Hz in impedance measurements.
Full Sonus Faber Sonetto II G2 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 38Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 62Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 16.3"H x 8.9"W x 14"D (414.3 x 227.0 x 355.6 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 6.5" mid-woofer (paper cone), 1x 1.1" (28mm) DAD soft dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (4.2 ohms minimum, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 87dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 3.34 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 5.62 |
| Weight | 38.4 lbs (17.4 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, front |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
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Buchardt Audio E50: $4600 per pair Buchardt Audio eBay
Pros: Exceptional bass extension for a bookshelf - F3 at 40Hz, F10 at 34Hz - with genuinely low-end weight the reviewer kept noticing track after track, not just a single room-boosted note. Mid and lower-midrange are very neutral with no coloration and well-executed baffle-step compensation, so it doesn’t need to sit close to a wall like many bookshelf designs. Low distortion throughout the midrange, controlled ~60-degree horizontal directivity, and a striking driver/waveguide integration that looks genuinely upscale. Measured bass extension of 40Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 83.1dB.
Cons: A roughly 3dB dip in the upper midrange/lower treble softens attack and dialogue clarity - the reviewer’s main complaint, and it’s baked into the crossover rather than a directivity artifact, so it’s audible both on and off axis. Sounds too bright pointed directly at the listener; needs about 10-20 degrees of toe-out to tame the treble and slightly smooth (not eliminate) that dip. Below-average sensitivity (measured 83.1dB vs 85dB spec) calls for a beefier amp, and the speaker’s tonal balance is unusually sensitive to amplifier output impedance - a poor tube amp can shift the midrange by up to 2dB.
Full Buchardt Audio E50 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 34Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 40Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Country | Denmark |
| Crossover Frequency | 2000Hz |
| Dimensions | 15.6" x 7.5" x 11.2" (395 x 190 x 284 mm) |
| Drivers | 1" Scanspeak dome tweeter with waveguide, 6.5" Purifi extended-stroke woofer, dual 6.5" passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 36Hz - 30kHz ±3dB (Manufacturer specified) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal |
| Recommended Power | 60W - 200W |
| Sensitivity | 83.1dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.03 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.80 |
| Weight | 19 lbs (8.6 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | Passive radiator loaded |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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