Полочная акустика — Kroma Atelier Mimi

The Mimi, written Mimí on the maker's own pages, is the entry-level stand-mount of the Classic Series from Kroma Atelier of Granada in southern Spain. The company started in 2016 as Kroma Audio and later took the Kroma Atelier name to mark new ownership and a focus on artisan production. Its range is split into Classic, Signature and Reference series, and every model is named after a female lead from opera. The UK price was GBP 11,500 per pair.

Key specs that matter

The current driver complement is one AMT tweeter and a 6.5 inch mid/bass unit with a cone made from a paper fibre mix, loaded by a bass reflex port. Kroma rates the Mimi at 88 dB sensitivity and 4 ohm impedance, with a frequency response of 31 Hz to 25 kHz and a recommended amplifier range of 30 to 300 W. The cabinet measures 39.8 cm high, 20 cm wide and 25 cm deep, and each unit weighs 18 kg. Finishes include Aluminium, Carbon Fibre, Champagne, Titanium, Black, Wood and automotive colours such as Supernova Red, Seychelles Blue, Magneto Bronze, Buckinghamshire Green and Magnetic Silver.

Engineering and use context

Every panel of the box is Krion, a solid surface material developed by the Spanish Porcelanosa Group from about two thirds gibbsite, or aluminium trihydrate, and one third resin. It has no pores, does not conduct electricity, is non-magnetic and is very dense, which suits a small box that must stay inert. The front baffle is swept back to bring the two drivers into time alignment. The reflex port opens at the front and is turned from cedar or fir, the same woods Spanish flamenco guitar builders use, by a luthier who tunes it for each model. Kroma avoids metal in the build - no metal screws hold the cabinet together, secure the drive units or appear in the crossover. The network combines new and new-old-stock parts sealed in resin, and the speaker is single-wired. The first Kroma Audio version used a Hiquphon tweeter with a 165 mm Scan-Speak mid/woofer, and a later Mimi Xtreme uses a Mundorf AMT with a Purifi Audio driver.

Pairing

The moderate sensitivity and low impedance ask for an amplifier with stable current into low loads, and the wide recommended power window suits compact integrateds and big power amps alike. Kroma offers a dedicated stand in Krion with a Panzerholz top plate and feet, priced at GBP 3,495 per pair. The stand is fairly low because the back-swept cabinet is tall for its footprint.

Alternatives

Kroma Atelier's Macbeth is a Signature Series stand-mount built around an 8 inch Purifi aluminium woofer and a Mundorf ribbon tweeter.