Maserati’s OEM Audio by Sonus Faber

When it comes to factory-fitted audio, Maserati’s OEM or Original Equipment by Manufacturer sound systems have always been important to them.

A while back, I visited the posh car dealership in Egham that has little boys’ noses on their dad’s car windows as dad drives past..slowly as he can get away with. For this dealership relies on these little boys growing up, getting successful and coming back to buy a Ferrari or Maserati in later years. Just like a measurable quantity of space scientists and astronauts loved Star Trek as a kid, little boys grow up loving super cars and buy Maseratis.

This was the famous Bowers and Wilkins system, as applied to the SUV model called LEVANTE.

Since then, there have been changes. I am never ever able to learn about these relationships’ ebbing and flowing, before the public does but I do notice. The system in the Levante was high end but whilst I rave about the quality of Bowers & Wilkins’ speaker drivers, I have also reviewed home theatre loudspeakers from Sonus Faber. I have been to speaker product launches with the posh hifi journos, where the product cost hundreds of thousands. It was called Aida and the tag is £300,000.

For a pair.

I have carried news of their loudspeakers for many years, this is their ‘affordable’ Sonetto system that will still cost you ten grand or more for a surround system.

So we know that they make awesome speakers, at more than one price point and that they have been in bed with Maserati for some time, as they provided the sound system in previous models.

But today’s news was about the new Maserati Grecale and the two new Sonus Faber offerings as Maserati’s OEM audio provider. To my grizzled eye, I can see a brand being very cards-to-the-chest with their publicity. They have a new car to talk about but in the current times of semi-conductor supply issues, car makers and other consumers of computer microchippery are all suffering deprivation. So it may well be that they are not keen on heating their market too much right now, yet not delaying the flow of new car models’ launch, which take years to develop.

So here is the full SP, with a SLICE more information than anyone else has!

The first system is Termed PREMIUM but described as their ‘standard’ offering. This comprises fourteen active drivers. Four tweeters (45W ea.), three midranges (60W ea.), two surround midranges (45W ea.), two front door bass drivers (60W ea.), two rear door bass drivers (45W ea.) and a 200W subwoofer. This adds up to 860 watts and is a driven by a dual DSP class D multi channel amp. Phase and amplitude alignment between the midrange and tweeter is tweaked to create what they call ‘The Voice Of Sonus Faber’. There are two system cabin tunings and they are called AMATO and GUARNERI. The first means ‘beloved’ and the second simply does not translate into English but I feel has a meaning I want to learn about. The amplifier has an oversized power supply so it will deliver twice the current the amp needs at full volume. This is quietly a HUGE undertaking and not to be under estimated. This power draw has to compete with the whole rest of the car and be computed to be within the alternator’s ability to make juice.

That alone gives me goosebumps, sad geek that I be.

The HIGH PREMIUM system also bravely admits that the transducers themselves are of a higher engineering level. This is not stuff ever normally admitted in OEM car audio, whilst it was the main discussion in aftermarket car loudspeakers. The likes of different grades of B&W OEM systems will only ever be about the number, size and placement of the one quality level of OEM speaker drivers.

Not Sonus Faber. The difference is about being between ‘really good’ and ‘flipping awesome’, I hope.

The High Premium comprises seven more active drivers at a count of twenty-one. Seven tweeters (45W ea.), three midranges (60W ea.), two surround midranges (45W ea.), two front door bass drivers (100W ea.), two rear door bass drivers (65W ea.), four height midranges (45W ea.) and a 200W subwoofer. This adds up to 1285 watts and again, that amplifier has the oversized power supply for twice the current needed at full chat.

This set up also has two system cabin tunings, called REFERENCE and EX3MA. The first is obvious, the second again fails to translate for my ignorant self! As t the cars’ prices and the system upgrade add-on costs, I have no clue but perhaps with a Maserati, that is something you’ll find out on a need to know basis.