High-End Audio Buyer’s Guide 2024: Rosso Fiorentino Pienza

$5400

Francesco Rubenni is a man to watch. Founder of the Florence-based speaker manufacturer Rosso Fiorentino, Rubenni clearly knows the sound of live music, which he regularly enjoys in his custom-built listening studio/recording venue, La Sala del Rosso. And while his company’s wonderful Pienza is most assuredly a mini-monitor, it’s no small-fry when it comes to sonic performance. Sporting a 1″ silk-dome neodymium tweeter and 5.25″ glass-fiber-composite mid/woofer cone, the rear-ported Pienza delivers a large and deep soundstage, plenty of output for small-to-medium rooms, and notably good low-end output for its size. With a lovely natural tonal balance that convincingly fleshes out instruments and voices and a seductively silky upper end, the Pienza brings a beautiful if slightly romantic tilt to things. Most importantly, it’s a powerful communicator of the emotion behind the music.