Kronos keeps getting better

Tango

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This is my first. My business is in crop protection. Audio is only my hobby.

Currently I own a Kronos Pro with Black Beauty arm and Airtight Opus1 cart. A few weeks ago I received a new power supply SCPS-1. Before I hook it up to the Pro, I had watched the product review by Peter B. in AVshowrooms. My expectation of this power supply was drawn by halving the positive comments Peter B. made in his review.

The first five seconds I listened to the Pro with SCPS-1, my eyebrown raised. It sound way better than I expected. The improvement was everything Peter B. described in his review. I would like to add that this SCPS-1 is quite sensitive to grounding. Dont connect it to grounding devices. Louis Desjardins even recommends not to plug it to power conditioner. Just plug it to the wall. Normally I ground all my gears to a few Tripoints. This time I have to leave alone the Kronos.

Yesterday Louis Desjardins visited me at my office. Btw my system is at my office. I thought that it was just gonna be a courtesey visit but he was kind enough to fine tuned the arm and cart for me. The result was a big smile on my face. What he did in addition was to replace the metal cup that holds the bearing that attached to the arm wand. This new bearing cup is ceramic coated if I am not mistaken. It is a tiny metal cup that should not cost more than a lunch. You can hear that the sound is more refine. It is noticeable but like all tweaks your ears get used to after a while.

What's next. Louis showed me the prototype of his new arm board. It looks like an aluminum bonded with carbon composite on the surface. Looks good and a lot lighter than the arm base that came with the Pro. He said it improves sound much much more than the bearing cup he installed but not to the SCPS-1 extent. We didnt have time to try it. Given my experience of earlier upgrades, I believe him. Now I hesitate to switch the Black Beauty to my new SAT that will arrive next month.

What I like most about Kronos is Louis business policy. I think the sound improvement his customers get from all upgrades combined is more than significant enough to launch another better model higher up which he could price way higher. But he chose to offer upgrades instead.

Before he left, he also showed me pictures of another proto type. It was a tube phono stage. It looks really good. Polished aluminum with copper accents. He said he works this piece with a company that has a product listed in Stereopile recommended A+. So for Kronos fans, there is more to come.

*** I am an inexperienced listener comparing to many people in this forum. My vocab of sound is very limited. I admire people who can put sounds into words. When I say this sound great or this is sound improvement I can only mean it sounds "closer" to "what I perceived" to be natural and real.
 

asiufy

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Hi Tango!

I have a good idea of how amazing your system must be sounding, specially with the addition of that AirTight cartridge. That was a revelation! The SCPS-1 is indeed special, and Louis is indeed on the right path by offering incremental upgrades to its product, instead of just putting a new, slightly changed model out...

Now I'm curious to see how the SAT is going to fit into an already impressive system :)


cheers,
alex
 

PeterA

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Welcome Tango,

I know your Kronos Pro well because my good friend MadFloyd has one. I am also very curious about how the SAT arm will sound in your system. I have the AirTight Supreme which is excellent, but I would love to try the Opus. What is in the rest of your system? I am intrigued by the location of your system at your office. Do you have much time for listening there? Congratulations on a great analog front end.
 

Tango

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Hi Tango!

I have a good idea of how amazing your system must be sounding, specially with the addition of that AirTight cartridge. That was a revelation! The SCPS-1 is indeed special, and Louis is indeed on the right path by offering incremental upgrades to its product, instead of just putting a new, slightly changed model out...

Now I'm curious to see how the SAT is going to fit into an already impressive system :)


cheers,
alex

Alex,

Music coming from BB w/ Opus in a proper set up is already a relavation as you said. I bought the SAT with Atlas SL to 1) see if the Pro could even leap further and max out 2) prove if the SAT is that good in the extent I shout "What the F_ck!!" like Mr. Fremer. This was before Louis came and showed the new arm base that cannot be used with SAT. Of course, he also Gave me "the" look, shaked his head and implied why I bother thinking of putting other arm on his table. You know Louis, he is very passionate of his products.

I am not going to put the SAT in right away. I will see if Marc Gomez could swing by and do the set up for me. Set up is extremely crucial at this level. I admit I am inexperienced in setting up arm/cart. Marc said if you damage the bearing you are on your own. The one sent for a review by MonoandStereo a while back was damaged and they didnt get maximum performance he said. Once I received the SAT I will post the pic just for the heck of it. The Atlas SL is already in my hand.

Have a good day,
Tang
 

Tango

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Welcome Tango,

I know your Kronos Pro well because my good friend MadFloyd has one. I am also very curious about how the SAT arm will sound in your system. I have the AirTight Supreme which is excellent, but I would love to try the Opus. What is in the rest of your system? I am intrigued by the location of your system at your office. Do you have much time for listening there? Congratulations on a great analog front end.


Hello PeterA,

I have a 2 yrs old son and spend most of my time at home with him. I am fortunate to be able to put a system in front of my desk at office. I play music all the time while I work. Sometime friends drop by after office hour and enjoy with me. My listening position in five meters away from my speakers. I am in the process of tuning my room at the moment. I dont want to post the pic of my room until it looks good..haha

The rest of my system consists of a pair of Ayon SET mono bloc, Ayon Spheris Pre, Ayon Phono, Cessaro Gamma II horn, Acqua Formula Dac, JMF transport, etc. I use a lot of Ayon because they sound super good and I know and like Gerhard the owner of Ayon. Next month he will send me his new masterpiece pre amp the Qonquistador. He also customized his amp for me to better match my highly sensitive horns. Very nice guy.

Try the Opus, PeterA. You will not regret.

Have a good day,
Tang
 

asiufy

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Yeah I tend to agree with Louis that the Kronos Pro + Black Beauty is such a good combination that in 99% of the cases, people really shouldn't look further, and I believe that about 95% of the orders for the Pro are actually bundled with the Black Beauty tonearm (or a similar number).

But of course I understand that audiophilia, and specially analog, is a passion, and as such, different things strike people in different ways, so trying different cartridges and tonearms is always a lot of fun :)

And you're right in not underestimating the importance of setup! A lot of folks do, and end up frustrated...


cheers,
alex
 

Leif S

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I love our KRONOS. Louis is awesome and is always there for support. The new power supply is fantastic!!!
17309375_1270679882981868_274346563265153556_n.jpg

17424942_1270680369648486_447424992584943233_n (1).jpg
 

Leif S

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Tango

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Another Kronos w/ SCPS-1 review from Highfidelity.pl. A Gold Fingerprint.

http://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-2968&lang=

I particularly like this site because often when they review a product they have 6-7 people in the listening room and make comments. If you dig up info you will find that these people are extremely experienced listeners, music lovers, or in recording business. Their comments are normally diverse and often contradict one another.

This review is in Polish.
 

MadFloyd

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It's about time we start to see some feedback about the new power supply! I've been curious for a while now...
 

Tango

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With the SCPS-1, I say the resolution is boosted just like a turbo. The sound is better defined and pronounced especially on vocals. Bass gets tighter. Once you have it in your system you wont have it without. May be putting this way is more tangible. The effect is as dramatic as when I first put a Tripoint in my system, or more than when I tried playing the Pro without counter rotating platter. Your quiet Kronos can get even quieter.
 

MadFloyd

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With the SCPS-1, I say the resolution is boosted just like a turbo. The sound is better defined and pronounced especially on vocals. Bass gets tighter. Once you have it in your system you wont have it without. May be putting this way is more tangible. The effect is as dramatic as when I first put a Tripoint in my system, or more than when I tried playing the Pro without counter rotating platter. Your quiet Kronos can get even quieter.

Now I have to not only try the SCPS but a Tripoint. :)
 

spiritofmusic

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MadF, you don't HAVE TO,
But you WANT TO
I have to say the Kronos Pro w this psu option must be right up there
It was playing at Munich in quite a few rooms, and IMHO I give it the edge over AF-1
Having heard the vanishingly low noise flr of the SGM streamer, I'd love to find a top tt that gets closer than most, and my guess is this might be the one
 

PeterA

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MadF, you don't HAVE TO,
But you WANT TO
I have to say the Kronos Pro w this psu option must be right up there
It was playing at Munich in quite a few rooms, and IMHO I give it the edge over AF-1

Having heard the vanishingly low noise flr of the SGM streamer, I'd love to find a top tt that gets closer than most, and my guess is this might be the one

Spirit, how were you able to separate the performance of the Kronos SCPS from the rest of the components in these various systems under Munich show conditions, let alone make a comparative statement with the TechDas AF-1? Were they demonstrated in the same system?

Does anyone know if the SCPS is available as an add-on for the Spartan model?
 

spiritofmusic

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Oh Peter, I couldn't, didn't etc
Just my (very) rough comparative impressions
 

PeterA

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Oh Peter, I couldn't, didn't etc
Just my (very) rough comparative impressions

Ok, thanks, Marc. I was just trying to understand the context of your statement. I've heard both tables in different systems and thought you may have had a more direct comparison which would certainly be of more value in assessing the qualities of these two turntables.
 

Tango

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Does anyone know if the SCPS is available as an add-on for the Spartan model?

The SCPS is only available for the Pro, Ltd.
 

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