From Buchardt to Sasandu

An owner's account from Paulo Miguel Faustino, who had the Buchardt S400 MKII before the SB Acoustics Sasandu, written after the Sasandu had been running for 100 hours. Reproduced from his Facebook post with his permission.

Review by Paulo Miguel Faustino posted here with his kind permission

Original post in facebook

Pair of white SB Acoustics Sasandu floorstanders flanking a dark AV console below shuttered windows

I got the SB Acoustics Sasandu running for a total of 100 hours now. I had Buchardt S400 MKII before. The Sasandu is heaps better in almost all technical aspects.

Gear used is Denafrips stack of Thallo, Athena, Pontus, Hermes with BIC500 power conditioner.

Soundstage is about 2-3 times bigger. Resolution is effortless and holographic, has pinpoint imaging, full of air and ambiance while not being harsh or sharp. Vocals are clear, organic, full sounding. Bass is snappy, punchy, weighty, full of texture and authority.

Download the Sasandu user manual (PDF)

Sasandu cabinet drawings (PDF)

My impression of the speakers is that it is transparent, resolute and quick. Does not have a sound signature which is good if you want to color it with your gear. Every bit of change I did to my system is easily heard like the length of generic usb cord, usb to SSD vs SD card and HDMI cable.

Very sensitive!

This is different with the Buchardts, refined and smooth character with a bit of sweetness but amazingly able to keep up with the amount of bass of a floorstander.

Living room with plantation shutters and beige sofa; white SB Acoustics Sasandu floorstander at right.

Overall, with a little bit double the price of the S400 MKII, you get the Sasandu, very capable end game speakers. It will bring out the maximum performance of most systems and will not run out of steam. It will keep up and scale well with all the future upgrades of your components.

I am very happy to experience and own these speakers. In my experience and opinion, the S400 MKII is mid-fi and the Sasandu is in the hi-fi realm.

Paulo Miguel Faustino