A praising short review on Kronos Pro turntable

CKKeung · Jul 23, 2015

A praising short review on Kronos Pro turntable :

http://www.monoandstereo.com/2015/07/kronos-pro-turntable-first-impression.html

However Dato' Danon Han seems to be avoiding to say anything on how Krono Pro compared with his Air Force One and Clearaudio flagship is.

MadFloyd · Jul 23, 2015

Thanks for sharing.

PeterA · Jul 23, 2015

That reads like something a forum member would write because he got a good deal on a particular component. After commenting on how great it made the piano notes sound, why not then try to describe how those same piano notes sound on the TechDas, which is sitting right next to it. Sure the cartridge and tonearm are different, but there is an implication that the counterrotating platters of the Kronos are able to present the music in a better way than other designs.

There should be more comparative audio reviews. They would tell us much more than what we usually learn from reviews like this one. What a missed opportunity.

audioblazer · Jul 23, 2015

I like the AF1 a lot better but it's different catridge , different gain , different tone arm . Generally , reviewers are seldom critical . All the goods & none of the bad is the standard motto

Peter , let's be fair to the guy & not speculate . He didn't buy the Kronos as far as I know

CKKeung · Jul 23, 2015

Hi audioblazor,

I notice that you have an Axiom/Aiwon on loan.
May I have your comments on them?
Some audiophiles say that Aiwon is a bit better than the Lyra flagships which have similar sonic sonic characters.

Thanks!

audioblazer · Jul 23, 2015

Initial impression was " wow , I like it very much ". It seems to emphasize so much on the mid range . After few days of listening , I got a bit bored . Too much emphasize on mid range . Don't quite like the tonal balance& not as refine as my reference catridge ie koetsu coral stone . However bear in mind Aiwon is much cheaper . So if ur very much into vocal , u may like Aiwon. To me most of my listening is into Jazz & classical music. For that I prefer coral stone anytime

Chuck Lee · Jul 25, 2015

Prior to this table,I listened to a SME 30/12 set up with Clearaudio Goldfinger.
The new table with the arm made especially for it is an improvement using the same Goldfinger.

PeterA · Jul 25, 2015

Chuck Lee said:
Prior to this table,I listened to a SME 30/12 set up with Clearaudio Goldfinger.
The new table with the arm made especially for it is an improvement using the same Goldfinger.

Chuck, do you mean the Kronos Pro turntable or something else? Which arm was made specifically for that table? How would you describe the differences between it and your former SME 30/12, which I presume had the SME V-12 arm? Thank you.

Steve Williams · Jul 25, 2015

out of curiosity how does the SME V12 compare to the SME 3012 that ddk raves about

PeterA · Jul 25, 2015

Steve Williams said:
out of curiosity how does the SME V12 compare to the SME 3012 that ddk raves about

Interesting questions Steve. If it is meant for me, and you are asking about the sonic differences between the two arms and not about physical and design differences between the two, I can not answer because I have not heard the 3012. I asked David this very question, but I don't think he has heard the V-12.

I believe both arms are still being produced and I'm sure someone has directly compared them in the same system.

Steve Williams · Jul 25, 2015

Sme 3012

sme v12

microstrip · Jul 25, 2015

Steve Williams said:
out of curiosity how does the SME V12 compare to the SME 3012 that ddk raves about

I think that ddk raves about the SME 3012 when used with his choice of turntables and cartridges. I have owned a vintage SME 3012 with a Thorens TD124 long ago and it was not a miraculous tonearm in my system.

BTW only much later I learned that the main guilt was the standard Thorens plinth, that completely spoiled the quality of good turntable.

Chuck Lee · Jul 25, 2015

It's numbered Pro table.The arm is called the Black Beauty($8500.00).
The table was installed at the audiophile's home by Mr. DesJardins himself.

It wasn't a back to back comparison of both tables and arms.The SME was gone.
I played some vinyl on the Kronos that I had played on the SME.

There was a lot more separation between vocals and instruments with the Kronos Pro and Black Beauty arm.
More of a 3d type of presentation.

The best vinyl replay of my records that I've ever heard.

My SME 10 and V arm are what I use,but compared to the Kronos, it sounds broken.
Harsh I know, but there is a vast difference in how the music is suspended in the air with the Kronos, that I haven't heard the likes of before with Linns, Oracles and SME.

Chuck Lee · Oct 29, 2015

I listened to my friend's Kronos Pro the other night.
He had Louis upgrade the motors, do some board tweaks and some power supply tweaks I believe.

I thought the sound before was the best I've heard.
This is even better.
There is more three dimensional image and transparency than there was before.
I never thought anything was lacking, this upgrade improves things even more.

For a comparison review of this table, The tech Das One and the Walker unit ,go to Peter Brueneger's web site.
He has some very interesting things to say, especially when it comes to the cost of these tables.

Another interesting view on the Tec Das One can be read in this months Stereophile where Mickey likes the less expensive Tec Das Two more than the One.

Since the Two and the Kronos are closer in price, that would make for an interesting shootout.

I doubt I'll ever hear the Two, the Kronos will be staying in my friends system, and if there are more upgrades I'm sure he'll get them.

PeterA · Oct 29, 2015

Chuck Lee said:
Prior to this table,I listened to a SME 30/12 set up with Clearaudio Goldfinger.
The new table with the arm made especially for it is an improvement using the same Goldfinger.

Chuck, Have you done a proper, direct comparison between the SME and the Kronos in the same system with the same arm and cartridge? If not, have you compared the SME and Kronos with different arms and cartridges, but in the same system, back to back?

Ron Resnick · Oct 29, 2015

Chuck Lee said:
For a comparison review of this table, The tech Das One and the Walker unit ,go to Peter Brueneger's web site. He has some very interesting things to say, especially when it comes to the cost of these tables.

The Kronos may be the best turntable in the world. I have no idea, as I have not heard it in a controlled audition.

But I do know that Peter Breuninger's Kronos review is logically flawed and intellectually dishonest. Please see post #222 at http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?18367-Introspection-and-hyperbole-control/page23

Chuck Lee · Oct 29, 2015

I can't speak for Peter's cred,I can only speak about what I heard, and the latest mod to the Kronos does up the ante in what you get for your money.
I would like to say that what Peter is hearing in his review(which I read AFTER my listening session and,sent to me by the owner of the Kronos )mirrors much of what I heard.

My friend's system is the same as it was before he got the Kronos,if you look at my previous posts, I believe I said that the SME 30 with the V12 arm had the Clearaudio Goldfinger cartridge.
His Kronos has the Black Beauty arm(made in Quebec)but the same Clearaudio Goldfinger cartridge.

He also has the top of the line DCS digital set up, and pre amp and amplification and wiring that are all in the same league.
I should add the system has it share of several Shunyata Triton power conditioners.

It is a system that in my opinion sets a benchmark for clarity and dimensionality.

After listening to this system, it is hard to come back to reality and the artificial sound of my system and most of the systems I've ever heard.

Strong words, yes, but,the Kronos set up compared to the digital set up is about 1/5 the cost, and yet it does so much more to convey a sense of real musicians in the room.
More so than the SME set up.

I also had the pleasure of hearing some direct recorded files of some musicians my friend recorded on his upgraded Nagra P7 I believe,throught he DCS clock and dac.
It was very realistic,as were any of the LP's played on the vinyl set up, and most of those were off the shelf,non audiophile recordings.

I don't have anything to gain from promoting the Kronos, except to spread the word.

spiritofmusic · Oct 29, 2015

Just saw it at the Windsor Hi Fi Show, near London, on static display, and I have to say it's a damn sexy and poised design. A lot of photos can make it appear a little cheap from certain angles, but in the flesh it's highly impressive.

MadFloyd · Oct 29, 2015

spiritofmusic said:
Just saw it at the Windsor Hi Fi Show, near London, on static display, and I have to say it's a damn sexy and poised design. A lot of photos can make it appear a little cheap from certain angles, but in the flesh it's highly impressive.

I think the Kronos is a work of art. Part of the reason I went with it is because of it's aesthetics. The fact that it sounds good is a nice bonus.

DaveyF · Oct 29, 2015

Chuck Lee said:
It's numbered Pro table.The arm is called the Black Beauty($8500.00).
The table was installed at the audiophile's home by Mr. DesJardins himself.

It wasn't a back to back comparison of both tables and arms.The SME was gone.
I played some vinyl on the Kronos that I had played on the SME.

There was a lot more separation between vocals and instruments with the Kronos Pro and Black Beauty arm.
More of a 3d type of presentation.

The best vinyl replay of my records that I've ever heard.

My SME 10 and V arm are what I use,but compared to the Kronos, it sounds broken.
Harsh I know, but there is a vast difference in how the music is suspended in the air with the Kronos, that I haven't heard the likes of before with Linns, Oracles and SME.

I have heard the Kronos with the Black beauty arm. While it is undoubtably good, it is IMHO not any better than a well set-up 'current' LP12/Radikal D/SE. The LP12 has come a VERY long way in the last couple of years, so much so that IF you haven't heard the latest full-bore version, then IMO you haven't really heard this table.

A praising short review on Kronos Pro turntable

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