By Lam Seng Fatt
Many Malaysians are fans of Sonus Faber and there is sad news for them – Franco Serblin, founder of the legendary Italian high-end loudspeaker manufacturer passed away on March 31 at 73.
His speakers were not only loudspeakers, but works of art. They looked as good as they sounded.
While others used boring old cloth to hide the speaker units, he used rubber bands. That was truly a sight to behold, yet it was a functional design.
After he sold Sonus Faber in February 2007, he started another eponymous company and launched a speaker called Ktema which was an evolution of his beautiful and cutting-edge designs. Malaysian audiophiles who went to the Kuala Lumpur International AV Shows last year and the year before would have heard the Ktema speakers.
He wrote in his website: “My passion for music, as well as my interest for musical instruments and their materials, have led my research since the early 1980s. Lutes and violin, through the use of wood, strings, their forms and harmony of their constitution, have inspired my systems.”
Audiophiles around the world will miss him.
