Sonus Faber Cremonas or JM lab Diva


I am thinking of buying either the Sonus Faber Cremona Floor Standers, or the JM Labs Divas for my home theater and initially to be used for my two channel. I have actually never heard either, but I like the lower end models by both except the JM Labs 907be which I was not crazy about. I will admit I got the green light to do this from my wife because of the way they look, so I think that choosing between the two is something I can live with, even though I know there are more choices out there. I love the Grand Pianos which I own, nd like the concertos which I have owned in the past. The Novas and the Altos are something special but I have never heard the Divas. I of course plan to audition both, but I would like to hear some opinions of other people. I will use the following equipment

First Sound Pre amp (Deluxe)

Cary v12r (intially not the monos, but I will move to them soon)

Balanced Audio Tech Super Tube CD or Sim Audio eclipse not decided. I would like to go with the Balanced but I am scared it would sound muddy.

I have also considered the Audes Orpheus.

I have even had someone suggest using two JM Labs LR's

Any thoughts?

Ted
tedmcq
Hi Ted-

Are you restricted to only the JM Lab or the SF? Of course these are both respected speakers, but there are others out there that I feel are better "all around" dynamic speakers such as Von Schweikert, Dynaudio, and Wilson. (your opinion may differ, of course). System Synergy is extremely important with the Dyns and the Wilsons, less so with the VS. Have you ever heard a pair of well setup Wilson Sophias? Wilson has a reputation of being detailed but not "musical", but this is not the case at all with Wilson's current generation of speakers.
Goatwuss thanks for the input. I am not limited to those, but I guess you could say that I got the green light to put them in our living room which is also our listening room. My wife agrees to let me buy floor standing speakers as long as I meet her half way and go with something that looks good. I have kind of replaced the JM Labs with the Audes Orpheus another speaker that I have never heard, but comes highly reccommended by the person I choose to purchase from. I am not familiar with the Schweikert but my wife who also acutally likes audio and is involved in the decision loves a dynamic speaker and those might be some I need to look into. Does anyone have any input on the orpheus or the Dali line. The Dali Euphonia is stunning to look at but I heard lacks in base. The Helicon is also a good looking speaker, any thoughts on those lines?
I feel as though Dyns and VS are very lady friendly with fine wood veneers - Maybe the wilson if you have a more "modern" atmosphere
I have heard the Dali Euphonia and Helicon many times. And as far as I am concerned the Euphonia is overpriced for what you get sonically, the larger Helicon is a nice speaker and has decent bass response,plus the price isn't too bad. It is not in the same league with the Wilson Sophia as far as imaging and detail and depth, but then it is half the price of the Sophia. I think with the Audes Orpheus you get it all, a reasonable price and sound that is in the same league as the Wilson Sopia, stunning craftmanship, plus more finish choices than the Cremonas or the Dali's. I don't think you can go wrong with the Orphues, sonically or financially.