When I reviewed the Rosso Fiorentino Pienze last year, I found it to be a fantastic two-way monitor from Italy that possessed all of the requisite warmth and emotion I expect from that part of the world. But I’ll tell you a secret, After all was said and done, I coveted a rendezvous with the next speaker up the line, a three-way stand-mount known as the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole ($8,500/pr USD, with stands an additional $1,500).
At the 2022 Pacific Audio Fest, Skip of Audio Thesis showed off a pair of the lovely, curvy Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole monitors, and my instincts were right–they were absolutely superb, with generous low frequency extension and a clarity and transparency that made an immediate and lasting connection with my noggin. Paired with the Norma Revo IPA-140B integrated amplifier, the Norma Revo DS-1CD player/DAC ($6,000), a Lumin P1 streamer ($10,000) and plenty of AudioQuest cabling–including some lofty choices from the Mythical Creatures line–the Rosso Fiorentino energized the room like a big speaker while retaining that gorgeous Italian balance and flow.
Starting off with Skip’s unexpectedly thrilling choice of music–David Essex’s “Rock On,” I heard an easy and relaxed sound with an enormous soundstage that vanquished the room boundaries and propelled the entire system into the stratosphere. (Several of my industry friends also visited the Audio Thesis room and loved it, with one proclaiming it to be the Best Room at the Show.) As an added plus, the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole monitors are indeed gorgeous in that inimitably Italian way, with the same red leather accents on the cabinets and the matching stands as the Pienzas I reviewed.
As I’ve mentioned before, the electronics from Norma had a wonderful synergy with the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole. That’s why Skip imports and distributes both brands from Italy. But Skip and I have also discussed the pure magic that comes from the AudioQuest Mythical Creatures line–I have several of these innovative cables in my system right now. In fact, the cost of the cables in Skip’s system surpassed the cost of the components, but who cares when the results are so satisfying?
At any rate, the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesoles were so good that I hope I get a turn with them in the near future. If you haven’t heard Rosso Fiorentino and Norma together, or the Mythical Creatures cable line from AudioQuest, you’re missing out.
