PAF 2022

"Really nice alive sound." Simple words, they. But truth be told, they only apply to a limited number of systems at an audio show and far beyond, in the supposed "real" world.

I first encountered consistently handsome Rosso Fiorentino speakers at a show years ago, and immediately encouraged a now-retired distributor to pick up the Italian brand. I'm so happy to discover that AudioThesis is now bringing them into the US.

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.

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.

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.

In a somewhat lower priced system, the Børresen 01 Silver Supreme Edition standmount loudspeaker ($55,000/pair), Aavik U-580 300Wpc Unity DAC/integrated amplifier ($35,000) and S-580 streamer ($25,200) paired with Ansuz cabling and accessories to deliver lots of fun. I loved the sound on a 16/44.1 file of Yello's "Planet Dada." The sound, a bit dry, had life and pizazz for days. I loved it. Had the volume level not overdriven the room, I would have stayed for more.

Let's start with the music. On Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's RCA Living Stereo recording of Rimsky-Korsakoff's Scheherazade, the solo violin's sound epitomized beauty of tone. Smoothness was the system's strong suit, dwarfing (in this room) layering, detail, dynamics, and grandeur.