“Find Kroma Atelier. I think they’re upstairs somewhere,” Doug Schneider told me. The MOC is huge, and there are a gazillion exhibitors. I didn’t find them under “C” in the directory, so I told Doug I wasn’t having any luck.
“KR, not CR,” he replied. Next I knew we were in a room with the brand-name KR Audio, which didn’t seem right. Doug was getting testy. “Kroma - K R O M A!”
We found the room, and to my surprise, it was a room I’d visited at the end of the previous day and had quickly determined to be the best-sounding at the show so far. I’m familiar with Engström electronics, but the large, beautifully finished Kroma Atelier speakers were new to me.
Retailing for €88,000 per pair (all prices in euros), the Kroma Atelier Callas is an imposing speaker, beautifully finished, and so juicy-sounding. The cabinet is manufactured from solid Corian, and it looks every gram of its 123kg. There is a lot of high-tech stuff inside that cabinet, which rests on IsoAcoustics feet. The 10″ woofer, 8″ mid-bass, and 8″ midrange are from Purifi Audio. There are two Mundorf AMT tweeters, one radiating to the front and the other to the rear.
Whatever they used in this speaker, they did it right. The pair generated whomping bass—tight, but still redolent with flavor. They were playing the music at elevated levels, and it was beautifully present, but without the slightest sense of edge up top or slop down low.
A highlight was a reggae version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” very cheeky, but bouncy and entertaining. I could feel the kickdrum in my chest, clearly differentiated from the back-beat bass. Percussive effects everywhere. Like I said, this was loud, but utterly without effort. Complementing that ass-kicking bass was a feeling of grace and poise through the midrange and treble—smooth and rich, but at the same time incredibly resolving of details and flourishes.
Next up was a drum-solo piece, the kind that audiophiles love. I don’t hate this sort of thing, but I’m not a fan. This time, however, the subsonic impact of the speakers made me giggle. What an impressive demo—I couldn’t fault the sound in any way. I rarely say that.
I’m quite certain that the Engström electronics, especially those stunning Eric Encore mono amplifiers (€134,400 per pair), just furious with tubes, were significantly contributing to this presentation. The system also included Engström’s Monica Mk3 preamplifier (€50,400) and M-Phono phono stage (€25,200), now in its Mk2 version with balanced connections.
The digital source was the Studio Player from Wadax (€35,000), and the turntable was a sexy TechDAS with a Korf Audio tonearm and X-quisite Voro cartridge, all totalling €24,709. Cables (there were lots of them) were all from Jorma.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
