OMNIA

40 years of Sonus faber history in a self-powered package

Over its forty years of existence, Sonus faber has helped bring hi-fi and speaker technologies to new heights, making them a beloved name in many households. Their new offering, the Omnia (roughly meaning "everything" in Latin), pays homage to the company's Italian style and and shows off their dedication to hi-fi.

This speaker uses new and innovative acoustic technologies to deliver powerful, realistic sound. It also offers tons of ways to get your music going, offering both wireless and wired connections for input. The gorgeous wood panel on top helps the speaker fit into any decor, and it's even illuminated and touch-sensitive for easy hands-on control.

Seven drivers to bring your music to life

The Omnia has no shortage of powerful speakers. On the far left and right sides of the front panel, there are 3/4" tweeters paired with 3" midrange drivers. The tweeters use neodymium motor structures to keep them agile and detailed. Together, the midrange drivers and tweeters create a wonderful, lifelike soundscape you can close your eyes and lose yourself in. Vocals, pianos, violins, and more come through with tremendous accuracy and texture.

On either side of the speaker, there are 1-3/4" full-range drivers that help fill in the remaining soundstage. These inverted-dome-shaped drivers are made from a cellulose pulp membrane, with neodymium motor structures that allow them to put their full capabilities on display. The drivers, coupled with Sonus faber's Crescendo tech (more on that in a sec) create an impressive sense of soundstage width, depth, and accuracy.

The 6-1/2" bottom-firing woofer is a hard-hitting workhorse. The bass is extremely potent and authoritative without being muddy. The woofer's aluminum cone allows it to take effortless plunges down to super low frequencies and make a graceful ascent to the upper end of bass notes without missing anything.

Notes on unboxing and listening

I was honored to spend some time with Sonus faber's latest powered speaker. When it arrived in a premium, multi-layered box, I knew I was in for a treat. The company has a reputation for innovative design, and their careful attention to every part of the experience — even the packaging — boded well for what was to come.

Setting up and logging in

Setting the Omnia up was a breeze. I'm a Google user, so it connected to the Google Home app in a matter of minutes, and I was ready to get jamming. I brought up TIDAL and decided to take a trip down memory lane. “20th Century Boy” by T. Rex sounded fantastic. The first thing that really struck me was the texture of the voices and instruments.

The guitars had a satisfying amount of grit, Marc Bolan's vocals were fun and engaging, and the drums came through cleanly. The clarity is important to note, as “20th Century Boy” isn't the most well recorded song out there. When the song really picked up, the wide soundstage made it easy to lose myself in the music and I soon myself grooving right along.

Breaking out the vinyl

I wanted to see how the Omnia performed on my deluxe vinyl pressing of Opeth's Blackwater Park. I hooked my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon up to the speaker using the included MiniDin cable, switched its analog input to phono, and put the needle on the album's title track.

I was delighted at how the Omnia brought out the nuances of the song — particularly Martin Lopez's amazing drum work — and gave everything its own rightful spot in the soundstage. Everything from the crunchy electric guitars to Mikael Akerfeldt's belts, to the not-so-often-heard bass guitar came through with a tasty amount of texture and accuracy.

From music to movies

The last thing I tried on this powered speaker was watching a movie. After setting my TV's output to PCM — an important step, since the speaker does not decode Dolby Digital — I connected the speaker to my TV via HDMI and pulled up one of my favorite films on Netflix, Six Underground. This action-packed movie starts with one of the most awesome car chase sequences I've ever seen, and I frequently use it as a stress test for home theater systems. I'm overjoyed to report that the Omnia kept up exceptionally well.

Ryan Reynolds and his quirky dialogue came through clear as a bell, interspersed between moments of rapid gunfire, squealing tires, and tons of gorgeous Michael Bay explosions. Speaking of explosions, I cannot overstate how impactful the Omnia's woofer is in relation to its size. I was seriously impressed by how deeply it dug into the bass register. Despite the low frequencies it put out, I didn't notice it overshadowing the mids or the highs.

Proprietary Crescendo™ technology for a wide soundstage

Crescendo technology is one of Sonus faber's exclusive features. Crescendo uses top-of-the-line digital signal processing, tweaked by Sonus faber's "artisans of sound" to create a large, wide, spacious soundstage. The way it works is pretty sweet.

By mixing signals, adjusting individual driver delays, and modifying the phase behavior of drivers, the company has managed to squeeze a lot of rich sound out of a modestly sized self-powered speaker. Crescendo also uses a mix of in-phase bipole and anti-phase dipole concepts to create a three-dimensional soundscape. The end result is sound that brings the excitement and engagement of live performances right into your listening room.

If you've got an oddly shaped room or lots of acoustic barriers for the sound to overcome, don't fret — you can optimize the Omnia for your room by using the speaker's web-based setup page. From there, you can pick from several room placement options and EQ modes to get it just right for your listening environment.

A touch-sensitive, real wood top panel

Senso™ touch technology is another of Sonus faber's premier technologies. The beautiful (and totally rad) illuminated walnut panel offers satisfying, tactile control over your music. Two touch-sensitive "dots" allow for direct control over volume. An illuminated line between the dots provides visual cues for which streaming service or wired input is being used. Above all that is another illuminated line that indicates the current volume level. You also get a high-quality remote for making adjustments from the comfort of your couch.

Stream almost anything

The Omnia supports a lot of ways to stream your music. Once it's set up on your Wi-Fi network, you can play content using Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and Roon. Already have a lot of devices on your network and don't want to add another? Pair your smartphone, computer, or other device up to the speaker via Bluetooth and stream away. Since the speaker supports aptX® HD and aptX Low Latency, you won't have to worry about losing fidelity.

Wired connections

This speaker's versatility cannot be understated. Not only does it provide a lot of streaming options, but there are also wired inputs as well. The HDMI ARC input can be used to hook the Omnia up to your TV. There's also a switchable analog line/phono input that accommodates a moving magnet turntable. An RCA-to-mini-DIN cable is included to make that connection easy.

Product highlights:

• self-powered speaker
• Crescendo™ technology creates a wide soundstage by using advanced digital signal processing
• illuminated real walnut Senso™ top panel
• touch-sensitive controls for making volume adjustments
• illuminated indicator lines show source and volume

Driver specs:

• seven drivers powered by a 490-watt amplifier:
• two front-panel 3/4" neodymium magnet tweeters
• two front-panel 3" midrange drivers
• two 1-3/4" side-mounted full-range drivers
• one 6-1/2" downward-firing bass driver

Wireless specs:

• built-in dual-band Wi-Fi for wireless music streaming and setup
• supported streaming services: Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect
• Roon Ready (subscription required)
• built in Bluetooth with aptX HD and aptX Low Latency for streaming from compatible devices

Connections:

• HDMI ARC input for use with a TV (Note: TV's HDMI output must be set to PCM to ensure compatibility. Dolby® Digital signals not supported)
• switchable LINE/PHONO input for analog sources, including a moving magnet turntable
• RCA-to-mini-DIN cable included
• Ethernet port for wired network connection

Other info:

• web-based setup for adjusting EQ and room placement options
• dimensions (measured by Crutchfield): 25-7/8"W x 5-1/8"H x 11-1/16"D
• 16.76 lbs.
• warranty: 2 years parts and labor (3 years with product registration)

What's in the box:

• Wireless powered speaker
• 57" AC power cord
• Remote control
• 14" RCA-to-miniDIN cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty/Setup Card
• Safety Instructions