Kronos - The Next TT Revolution In My Book

Every other hifi visits that I go to, I get to see various unique turntables. Each with its own merit and forte with regards to certain sound character and also the mechanism of the TT itself. AFO, Clearaudio, Thorens, Lenco, Dr. Feickert, Rega, Musical Fidelity, Linn etc...each of them carry a different experience. Owning a Clearaudio and Lenco (used to), I have grown accustomed to certain level of excitement in listening to TTs when I listen to a fellow audiophile TT set up. I am 'blessed' with a strong will of going back home and still feels that my set up is able to deliver the same satisfaction and at times, even more than these other TTs.

But on 24th October, I have experienced something different. An excitement that left quite an impression sonically of a very unique TT; built wise and sound quality. Thank you to Victor Pheh of HiFi Creations for his invite to a private listening session of the mighty Kronos. I also had the privilege to meet and chat with Kronos designer Mr. Louis Desjardins.  The first time I had listened to this TT was in 2015 KLIAV show back in the mid year. And it was already mind blowing at that time. Snippet from that show below:

Now, this write up is not a review. It is more of an experience sharing of a wonderful music listening day... delivered by a Kronos - The Next TT Revolution In My Book!

I will not bore you readers with the technical specs of this unique TT as the net is already full of technical spec reviews of it. It is a TT with the highest number of awards received at least for this year. But what mattered to me how it faired in providing the listening pleasure.

Maybe the one thing technical I will mention here is its dual platter system; with the bottom platter counter rotates. This is the heart behind this TT. This is claimed to eliminate the torsional forces. For full specs, please click here.

THE VENUE

This TT was nicely set up in a small cozy apartment, fully converted to be a dedicated listening venue. There are still some minor works to be done but relatively a very comfortable and sonically acceptable venue to do some critical listening. The Kronos was supported by Magnet amps, Nagra pre and Skogrand cables throughout. The power management was via Frank's Power Banks. Six of them if I am not mistaken!

THE LISTENING SESSION

The first few tracks were selected by the host and Louis. Coincidently enough I believe this first track was by Louis Armstrong. The vocal sent a chill to my spine. Such emotion that I can feel it to the core. The deep 'rough' voice of his was unmistakably very well delivered by the Kronos. The trumpet of his, was soooo melodious and energized yet still delivered an overall airy and lively ambience. On top of all that, I can hear layers of music presented throughout this track. From the soft 'background-ish' percussion to the centre stage of the vocals.

I have not listened to techno music for such a long time. And even that, my exposure to this music genre was limited to the music I heard during my clubbing era. Louis then played Doin' It Right by Daft Punk. Even though I am not really into this music genre, it really got me going. I literally got up and started to move my head to the rhythm and beat. Excellent extensive bass delivery. Looking at those huge towers you call speakers, I was expecting a hard hitting and physically in your face bass slam. But no. It was sweet bass I call it. Extended low end that wraps around you throughout. Nice!

One of the track that I requested was this Metallica's rendition of Lynyrd Skynard's classic Tuesday's Gone. I have purposely brought this LP along as I have yet to find one other set up that can deliver a heavier music genre especially metal. But yes, the Kronos delivered such a distinctive performance even for Metallica. Heck, if James Hetfield hears this, he might be setting up a Kronos in his home! Lars's drums on this track was presented in such detail that the dispersion of the snare and hi hat sound was very evident. Again, wind instrument, the harmonica in this song sounded very melodious with a level of sharpness that was just adequate to create the emotional harmonica solo. Detail and more details... thats what I can conclude from this track... and it was the highlight of the session for me.

THE CHIT CHAT

Louis is a very passionate man. Passionate for music. For the perfection of music delivery. Throughout the 3 hour session, he was moving around making sure everything was set up properly. To the question on where to start when building a system, he strongly believes in the source. Get the wrong source and your amps and speaker will not be able to deliver. He also have a preference on a tube phono stage for its sound. But the Kronos can deliver the same performance with other type of phono stage. High efficiency speakers is also good to be in a system. Technomusic seems to be Louis's interest and he is very passionate of it. However, I was surprised that he played the Metallica track at least three times :).

THE CONCLUSION

You want to listen to the black disc? Really listen? This is one TT to me delivers what the LP medium is intended to deliver. The science behind the dual platter spinning in opposite of each other, eliminating torsional forces means nothing if it cannot deliver the music to the audience. And this TT, my beloved readers, is the one TT that I personally feels have delivered the long awaited quality. I have heard various tweaks, mods, design have been introduced in the market with regards to suspension, stability, vibration elimination etc, but this gem, definitely delivers what it claims. This is one session that made me feel uneasy when I returned home and started listening to my set up again. It might be the whole she-bang of Kronos, Magnet, Nagra etc.... but I believe in garbage in garbage out... But in this case, the Kronos was definitely putting in top quality caviar into the system...

My set up is not necessarily expensive in this beautiful world of hifi in comparison with the high end set ups but I have always been contented that I have reached that level of satisfaction. Even coming back from listening to various set ups of friends and show rooms, I still am very happy with my set up. But this day, Kronos has put something in my conscience that I am missing something.

Thank you again HiFi Creations and Louis for a very entertaining session. Kronos is definitely a beauty in all aspect.

If anyone interested to audition, please call Victor on +6012 2962799

Look at the smiley faces below...

Clean Up Time: Magnet ISO-CLEAN 1000S

                              

Thanks to Mr. Victor from Hi Fi Creations again, I was given the opportunity to do some hifi cleaning with the Magnet ISO-CLEAN 1000S Power Station Series.... This is a plug and play cleaning device hehehehe :).... All it does is 'clean' the power supply to all my hi fi components...

Since it was Chinese New Year.... I had a good ample time to use this unit.

A full review will come soon.

In the mean time, feast your eyes to the pics.

Here we go....

So I got this unit together with the power amp that I reviewed last month... However, to ensure I can properly review the power amp, I did not hook this unit together with it. Just to ensure whatever different in sound I heard is coming from the power amp.

There is always a debate about purity and clean power supply to one's hifi system. Though I do not question the debate itself, I do question how clean and pure can the supply be when I have done absolutely zilch on the wiring in my house.

I am currently using a Belkin PF50 Pure AV to hook up all my hifi kit. Been using it for more than 2 years now. Though it claims to improve things, This unit neither improve nor made the SQ worst. It is purely there to protect my equipment from a surge which it happened once and it did its job. Oh.... I will get shot again here by audiophiles.... because all my power cables are UK 3 pin type....not US receptacle ones.

Truth be told... for those whom have been following my blog, I usually do my listening late at night (after midnight) or early in the morning at about 6 am. Mainly because my system sounds better at those times. I dont really enjoy listening in the afternoon or early evening between 2 to 4 pm. So for this ISO CLEAN revie, I did it during noon to early evening for a few days.

BUILT

Again, I am fully impressed with the workmanship from this Thai company. Solidly built at 20.5 kg in weight. Nicely packed in the box and can be easily unpacked by 1 person. The double shielded low impedance toroidal isolation transformers is housed in a 432 x 141 x 437 mm (W x H x D) black metal casing.

The front fascia looks elegant which is a bonus if you have your hifi system in the living room. The buttons are semi soft buttons but does not feel cheap.

All the blue  and red LED are dimly lit which is easy on the eyes. However, I do feel that they can improve on the voltage input display. It looks toooo industrial....and it does not fit well with the elegant look of the unit.

You will get not 4 or 6....but 10 power outlets .... so its more than enough for a common hifi set up. These 10 are divided into the following:

• 4 x Isolation Output
• Duplex AC outputs for any AV equipment with less than 1000VA total output power
• 2 x high power filtered
• Duplex AC outputs for any high power filter equipment with less than 2000 VA total output power
• 4 x high power non filtered
• Duplex AC outputs for any high power equipment with less than 2000 VA total output power

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

It comes with a thick and long power cable with US receptacle plug, fits snugly into the power outlet behind the unit.

Magnet also provides 3 different spare fuses for the isolation output, high power output (filtered) and (non filtered)

FUNCTIONS

In the front fascia, there are indicators for various status of the power supply. There are indicators when:

Display:

• input voltage is higher than 245 V
• input voltage is lower than 190 V
• the unit is connected in the correct phase to the wall outlet
• the ground is operationally fully
• the input voltage display can also be dimmed (thanks for this)

There is also a Balanced option for the output isolation ground system at a flick of a switch in the rear panel. The balanced mode is suitable for grounding system which can reduce AC noise floor.

NOTE: This unit will automatically shut down if the voltage drops less than 185 V or goes higher than 250 V

You can also set the timer for on and off in between power outlets up to 60 seconds.

It also acts as surge protector.

PERFORMANCE

Thanks to Victor again, I replaced my UK 3 pin power cords of my amps, CDP and DAC with US receptacle cords which were provided by Victor.

First up was a track from the French Kiss OST, La Mer by Kevin Kline. I must admit that the first impression that there was an audible improvement in noon listening session. Kevin's deep husky voice was more prevailing and involving than usual. The flatness that I usually get during noon session was no longer there. What I got was a more energetic and melodious tone from this quite slow rendition of the Charles Trenet original version.

I then put on a more complex music arrangement, Mustika by M. Nasir. The traditional wind instrument on this track sounded very free and airy, as if a veil was taken off. Something that was restricting in my set up to deliver a free and unrestrained music was taken off during my noon listening session. The emotional journey throughout this song was exceptionally good.

On metal tracks like Metallica's Until It Sleeps, the bass drum was really tight but had some subtlety to it as the slow part of the song was supposed to be a bit mellow. And when the heavy guitar riffs kicked in, again the sound was so free to flow... unrestricted but bold. True metal experience.

Although all these good first impressions are good but I was not fullly convinced that it was the ISO CLEAN that is giving this new listening experience.So, I went on and on and on listening to various tracks  between 1 pm to 4 pm every day over the long CNY break. And yes, it was the same experince back to back everyday. This continued for the next few weekends until I was ready to return the unit.

During my normal listening hours (night, midnight and early morning), the experience however was similar to my standard set up with Belkin PF50. Not much dissimilarity. 

And this is another way to proof that my ears are not deceiving me. After my last session during the day, I immediately hook up my amps, CDP and DAC to my Belkin PF50 and I got back that unsatisfied day time listening session. Arrrrrggghhh :(

FINAL VERDICT

I am convinced that a good power conditioner can help my system (or any other system that is suffering from 'dirty' supply). And this unit is a fine example of how a conditioner should be designed and built. It brings out the colour and emotion of various musical genres and injects melodious element to a flat musical deliverance. With all the function provided by this unit, its a no brainer that is quite a value for money kit.

What stopping me then to replace my Belkin PF50? Two things. First, the incoming voltage from my mains can go up to 255 V which the Magnet unit shuts down automatically. Not fun when that happens in the middle of a heavy listening session (ie I need a voltage regulator more). Secondly, the prooven surge protection and warranty that Belkin provides.

But nevertheless, for those without my requirements or situation, this unit can definitely put some shine on a system that is connected to a standard wall outlet.

This unit can be purchased from the sole distributor in Malaysia. Contact Mr. Victor Pheh of HI Fi Creations. It is retailed at RM 5,800. Details below:

Magnet MA400S - BBB... Beautiful But Beastly

 

I am kicking off this year review runs with a product close to Malaysia.... A Magnet MA-400S Limited Edition power amp... a design from neighbouring country Thailand.... courtesy Victor Pheh of HiFi Creations.... A BIG THANK YOU to Victor for his trust in my review.

And of course... out of eagerness to listen to this amp, the unit was delivered within 2 days of confirmation to review. It came with a Magnet power conditioner.....but I will leave that for a separate review.

Truth be told.... I didn't know what to expect of this product. Doing some research and browsing on the company's website (Magnet Website)...It looks that Magnet takes it seriously when it comes to corporate image as well. The company actually has been around for over 20 years now where the founder, designer Khun Pongtorn Malakul Na Ayudhya takes pride of his approach of handcrafted amplifiers.

BUILT

Weighing a monstrous 25 KG, I had the concern of setting it up on my own. But surprisingly enough, the way it was packaged, it was easy for even 1 person to unpack and set it up. One plus point is how the internal components are positioned such to evenly distribute the weight over the whole unit. It is not one of those design which is heavier at one end which can catch you off balance while unpacking it.

Solidly built aluminium chassis with a well thought design of curved edge for the heat sink fins... no concern of cutting yourself during handling. 

The front fascia is a clean design with a power button and a blue LED....soft to the eyes at night.

In the rear panel, the banana plugs on my IXOS 604 biwire speaker cable can snugly fit the speaker gold plated binding post (2 pairs to allow bi-wiring). There is also a gold plated ground post.

The RCA input is also gold plated and my Cambridge Audio RCA interconnect fit nicely into it.

Now... for the XLR balance input, it comes with a unique design protector cap.

The inputs are switchable between XLR and RCA. The switch is an old school type click switch.

The unit comes with a thick and sturdily built power cable with a US receptacle plug.

Its 10/10 in my books when it comes to built quality. 

SPECIFICATIONS

This power amp uses a Full Complementary Symmetrical Push-pull and direct coupling with JFET differential input circuit and output 200 WPC into 8 ohms. Its an AB design amp.

It has both unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR inputs which can be chosen with a flick of a switch.

It offers 2 pairs of speaker binding post so that you can bi-wire your speaker if you wish to do so.

There is also a remote loop to allow the unit to be turned on or off when receiver or pre amp is turned on or off. One trigger cable is included with the amp.

There is also a built in fuse to protect the amp from overloading. And yes.... a spare fuse is also provided. 

THE SET UP

1. Musical Fidelity M1 CLiC preamp/streamer/DAC connected directly to the MA400s using Cambridge Audio RCA IC

2. Sony XB930E CDP connected via Cambridge Audio coaxial cable into the M1 CLiC

3. IXOS 604 bi-wire speaker cable into ProAc Response D18

THE MUSIC

1. Eva Cassidy - Wayfaring Stranger and Wade in The Water

2. Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger

3. Because We Believe - Andrea Bocelli

4. Classical Music from French radio station - Classic and Jazz

5. Mariah Carey - Hero

6. Getz and Gilberto - Girl from Ipanema (Hi Res FLAC)

THE SESSION

I kicked it off with Eva's sweet and luscious voice. First thought was.... This is something different. The high frequency sounded elevated as in it was taken up a notch. Not an ear pinching level but its some how a little bit too clear and sounded digital. The guitar plucking in the intro of Wade in The Water was giving me the shivers as it sounded too clear and digital. The vocals were however quite upfront and sounded airy. The Wayfaring Stranger sounded livelier with the melodious guitar and keyboard sound. Quite a first impression it gave me.

Now, I thought of giving the unit a bit of a kick. Went in Maroon 5. Now this was a very good experience as the bass on this track especially in the intro part, was very authoritative and commanding. It does lack a little bit of punch and control but it still made me start tapping my foot....and my head started to nod to the beat. Now, thats what I call a unit that has that one element to move you. And this was played at a moderate mid level volume.

None of my review will be complete without my beloved Andrea Bocelli. This is when the amp really excel. The overall presentation on this track provide me with a very big and spatial sound. It delivered a powerful performance with quite a balance between highs, mids and lows. Andrea's vocal sounded crisp and deep. The music accompanying his vocals sounded uplifting and full of emotion. This is where I think this amp forte is; vocals and classical/opera-ish music. This was further confirmed when I put on a random classical piece from the famous French internet radio station Classic and Jazz. Played it loud and this amp just smiles on delivering such powerful performance through my ProAc D18 speaker. I am not much of  a classical music fan but I must say, one can be influenced into listening to classical music when listening to this amp. I wonder why not many exhibitor puts on classical music during the annual KLIAV show.

Mariah Carey's Hero was presented with a tad more bass than I would like it. Not overwhelming but it made her vocals seems a little bit 'mellowed'. The bass on this track was also a little bit dispersed instead of tight. The overall sound still sounded airy and that is what I usually like. 

Playing Getz/Gilberto hi res piece through this amp reveals quite a detail presentation of this track. Even at lower volume, it still provided me with quite refreshing sound. The different layers of music/vocals  in this piece can easily be delivered and noticeable.

CONCLUSION

BBB....Beautiful but beastly... Beautiful built quality with such a beastly speaker driving performance. Dont worry if you want to drive your speakers hard with this amp. It can deliver enough power for most speaker set up. It also does not run hot even without air conditioning your room.

The amp performs best for classical, vocals and jazzy music. For rock and bass heavy music, one might find that the low end a bit muddled. It might be my speakers but they do not sound muddled when driven by my MF amp. 

I now have a big admiration towards Asian hifi products after good experience with Magnet and also Kingrex products. Would like to be exposed more to designs from this side of the globe as well.

This unit can be purchased and demo-ed at HiFi Creations. Contact Victor on 012-2962799.

It is retailed at RM12,800.

New toys for 2014

Just received these 2 Magnet products...

MA400 Limited Edition power amp and Iso-Clean-1000 Power Station Series....

Great start for 2014.... Review soon...

Courtesy of the nice and friendly Mr. Victor Pheh of HiFi Creations.... Sole distributor in Malaysia for Magnet products...