Floorstanding loudspeakers — Kroma Atelier Matilde

The Matilde is a four-way floorstander from the Signature range of Kroma Atelier, the Spanish loudspeaker maker from Granada, and was first presented to the public at Audio Show Deluxe in 2024 together with the Macbeth stand-mount. Kroma says the name was chosen for its sense of strength, resilience and nobility and for a timeless quality, and that it is also the name of a member of the Kroma Atelier team. The US price is USD 66,000 per pair in white standard Krion, the UK price was GBP 62,000 and the Canadian price is CAD 103,000.

Key specs that matter

Five drivers per side comprise one AMT tweeter, two 6.5 inch midrange units, one 8 inch midrange unit and a 10 inch woofer, with every cone made of anodised aluminium. Rated sensitivity is 90 dB, impedance is 4 ohm, and Kroma quotes a frequency response of 20 Hz to 27 kHz with recommended amplifier power of 30 to 1,000 W. Each speaker is 140 cm high, 34 cm wide and 48 cm deep and weighs 80 kg.

Engineering and use context

At launch Kroma identified the tweeter as a ribbon design built to its order by Mundorf and the cone drivers as Purifi Audio units, with the woofer being a new Purifi model at the time. Splitting the band four ways confines the woofer to the lowest bass while the larger midrange driver and the pair of smaller units cover the region above it, so each cone works over a narrower range. The cabinet is made from Krion, a synthetic stone produced by the Porcelanosa Group that offers high acoustic insulation and is almost insensitive to vibration. The brand builds its cabinets without metal parts or screws, and wooden components are made by hand in its own workshops. Compared with the three-way Jovita, the Matilde is 23 cm taller, 32 kg heavier and adds a dedicated woofer, which extends the rated low end by 5 Hz. Paint choices run from white and black to Seychelles Blue, Supernova Red, Magneto Bronze, Magnetic Silver and Buckinghamshire Green, and seven full Krion finishes called Sky, Midnight, Ruby, Lunar, Mocha, Ocean and Graphite add CAD 3,525 over standard white.

Pairing

With its fairly high sensitivity the Matilde needs no huge amplifier for everyday levels, yet the low impedance load needs an amplifier that keeps delivering current into low impedance. The recommended power range stretches from mid-size integrated amplifiers to large monoblocks. At its premiere the Matilde was driven by a Wadax source and Engstrom amplification.

Alternatives

Kroma Atelier's Mercedes is the larger Signature Series floorstander, a three-way with two Purifi woofers and a 138 kg cabinet.