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LATEST ADDITIONS

MK Audio's Arion Audio Apollo 9 loudspeakers sing with Audio Research, Chang Lightspeed, VIP, Soundsmith, EMM Labs, and Wolf Audio Systems

A direct-sales company new to me, MK Audio of Charlotte, North Carolina, journeyed cross-country to present their Arion Audio Apollo 9 loudspeaker system ($35,900/pair) with full DSP and advanced room correction. The Apollo 9 is also available in Dual-Pack Woofer Package ($5900) that includes two additional woofers with two amps. With AMT drivers built in-house, the speaker is an open-baffle design with a claimed whopping 105dB sensitivity.
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Kroma Atelier Mimi Xtreme loudspeaker with Creek, Viola Audio Labs, Linn, and Ansuz

A speaker brand new to me, Kroma Atelier from Spain, caught many an eye and ear with the US premiere of their small black Mimi Xtreme standmount loudspeaker ($12,600/pair in white, $13,860 in black, left in photo) with Mimi stands ($3600/pair). Introduced by Tim Lukas's Matterhorn Audio Group of Boston, whose other brands include FinkTeam and Creek, the speaker is claimed to work with amps that output as little as 15Wpc. With a 6.5" midrange with proprietary cone, and a special AMT neodymium-ribbon tweeter designed by Mundorf to Kroma Atelier's specifications, the speaker boasts a 4 ohm nominal impedance, an 88dB sensitivity, and a frequency response of 30Hz–25kHz. The design of its woofer's surround (below) is intentional—it is possibly one the new Purifi drive-units.
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Olson's HiFi of Lynnwood: Krell KSA i400 and Illusion, Innuos, MSB Reference, Estelon X Diamond MkII, AudioQuest

As if to dispel concerns spurred by former Krell VP Walter Schofield's surprise departure from the company, Krell's very own Director of Product Development, David (Dave) Goodman (above), journeyed to WA state to present another pre-listen to Krell's not-yet-released KSA i400 stereo amplifier ($35,000). Given that Dave designed this amp, this was quite the opportunity for savvy showgoers.
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Innuos Statement Music Server/Ripper with Next Gen LPSU Upgrade

There was one and only one raison d'être for this room: showcasing the Innuos Statement Music Server/Ripper with Next Gen LPSU and 1TB internal SSD ($21,700). If it wasn't an unqualified success—two other pieces of equipment, borrowed for the show, were not broken in and produced flat and uninvolving sound on Day 1—it mattered not to moi, because the same Statement sounded fantastic during a 7-hour post-show visit to my Port Townsend music room by Innuos software designer Nuno Vitorino.
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Aurender's Strong Showing at PAF

Aurender, whose music servers were in use in some of the best sounding rooms at PAF, had its own separate static display (with every model) and listening rooms. In the latter, the Aurender N20 ($12,000) produced excellent sound through the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 3 ($10,995), Constellation Argo Integrated Amplifier ($35,800), Magico A5 loudspeakers ($26,800), Shunyata Research cables and power conditioning, and Grand Prix Audio Monaco equipment stand.
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