faber

Mood lighting to cook by

Dining can be a delicate thing. Finding the right balance of flavors and ingredients can be tricky, but the meal is only half the story. Surrounding whatever food is on the plate, of course, is the environment. The setting could be anything from the soft glow of a candlelight dinner to the bright glare of a midday meal. Or, it could be any number of options dialed up from the range hood. Yes, that oft-overlooked thing above the stovetop.

The color of meal-making can now be controlled with the Arkea range hood made by the European firm Faber. The striking … Read more

Where are the truly beautiful speakers?

Go to any hi-fi show and you'll see room after room filled with the latest and greatest-sounding speakers, but chances are you won't come away from the experience captivated by brilliant designs. I sometimes wonder if the audio industry will ever get its act together and make speakers you don't have to be an audiophile to love.

Extreme cars, like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, arouse strong, positive reactions from people who would never buy or even drive them, but high-end audio speakers rarely achieve that sort of admiration. My best guess as to why that's so is that truly beautiful audiophile speakers are rare. Or to put it another way, do you have to be an audiophile to think speakers are beautiful? Granted, if you're already an audiophile you might be predisposed to view large speakers in a positive light and see their form as part of their function. For nonaudiophiles, size is definitely a factor, in the opposite direction: the smaller a speaker is, the easier it is to fit into the average person's living space.… Read more

Sound Italian style: Sonus Faber Liuto speaker

Sonus Faber may be a small Italian speaker company, but you can literally see its influence in the curvy look of various B&W, KEF, Magico, Tannoy, Wharfedale, and countless other speakers. Thanks to Sonus Faber, the box is out and round is in.

Looking straight down on the top of the Liuto's cabinet, you can't help but notice its curves mimic those of a classical lute (liuto is the Italian word for lute). The shape has graced a number of Sonus Faber speakers, but instead of the company's traditional solid-wood cabinets, the Liuto's is … Read more

It's a vent hood AND an air conditioner!

The guys at Crave beat me to the punch on the Imago Plus hood, but they didn't mention Faber's other new product: the Hybrid super-hood. The concept is deceptively simple--it's a traditional vent hood with super-quiet operation, but it's also a climate control unit that can efficiently heat or cool about 430 square feet while purifying the air.

Fry up those greasy foods and let Hybrid clear the air; it takes care of the odors, smoke, and steam, and it keeps the kitchen cool and comfortable for you and your guests. The unit's heat-source recovery … Read more

Italian cooker hood does Internet and multimedia

Buy a stylish stainless steel and glass cooker hood and get yourself a kitchen TV and computer free. That's right, folks. The Faber Imago+ isn't your average grease and smoke buster. It's a fully equipped entertainment console with a bag of tricks that includes DVB-T digital broadcast playback, video call, home monitoring via up to four Webcams, and even real-time recipe downloads.

To ensure a holistic experience, there are two stereo loudspeakers, a wireless keyboard with an integrated joystick, and an auxiliary USB port. We have one burning question for the Italian manufacturer. Can we actually cook … Read more