Introducing the Mimi by Kroma Atelier

Kroma Atelier are a Spanish loudspeaker brand, based in the beautiful city of Granada, situated in the foothills of Sierra Nevada mountains in the south of Spain.

Within the UK, Kroma are a relatively unknown brand to many as until relatively recently they have not any distribution within our shores. That changed a couple of years ago when their UK distribution was taken on by Boyer Audio. Since then Kroma have been shown at several of the UK Audio Shows, and at each event the Boyer room consistently received tremendous feedback, many people considering it to be the best room they listened to at each show.

Kroma produce an extensive range of loudspeakers, there are 3 different product lines and a total of 13 different models, starting with the Mimi and culminating with their flagship speaker, the Maribel.

All Kroma speakers are visually striking and they are quite different from the norm, which is never a bad thing in my opinion. Anonymous gloss black and traditional wood finish speakers are all to commonplace and to stand out from the crowd with a strong unique visual is important. The standard Kroma finish is white, with numerous finish options for the side panels that give the speaker a strong contrasting look. There are also numerous colour options as well, some of which are very bold and look superb.

The cabinets are manufactured out of a material called Krion which has been developed by another Spanish company, the Porcelanosa Group. Krion is warm to the touch and very similar to natural stone in the way it looks and feels. It has no pores and it is incredibly strong and, importantly, it is non-conductive and non-magnetic, it is very dense and is anti-resonant as a result. The entry level Mimi measures just under 40cm tall and is by no means a large speaker but they weigh in at a substantial 18kg each.

Kroma uses highly regarded drive units throughout their ranges with AMT ribbon tweeters and the Purifi mid/bass drivers. Their attention to detail is exemplary – the bass reflex ports are made from cedar and fir wood and they are handmade by a dedicated luthier, tuned for each model. This is much more costly and time consuming than using a material such as plastic, but the results Kroma achieve make the effort worthwhile.

Additionally, Kroma do not use a single piece of metal in the manufacturing of the cabinet – not one metal screw is used – in the cabinet itself, the crossover, not even in the way the drive units are mounted into the cabinet.

When I first experienced Kroma they instantly grabbed me with their sonic abilities and it didn’t take long evaluating them to know that I wanted to be involved, there are only a couple of dealers and the feedback everyone has received is nothing short of outstanding. I’m also aware of one UK based manufacturer who was so impressed with them that they will be using Kroma in their demonstration room when designing and evaluating new equipment.

Kroma are much more firmly established across Europe, but with Boyer Audio at the helm of UK distribution, exposure across the main UK shows, some great reviews (the Mimi has already won an award in Hi-Fi+ magazine), coupled with dealers showing them off to customers whenever the chance arises it won’t take too long for Kroma to become a more recognised loudspeaker brand here in the UK.

The three products lines are called Classic, Reference and Signature increasing in size, performance and cost as you rise through the ranges. We keep the Mimi on permanent demonstration, this is Kroma’s first speaker from the Classic series and is arguably their most well known model. Some of the larger models could possibly be considered too large for your typical UK living room, but the Mimi and the first 2 floorstanding models, the Thais and the Stella should pose no issue unless your room is particularly small.

The Mimi are what I would describe as a medium sized standmount speaker, they are smaller than both the Vimberg Amea and the Fyne F1-8, which are the 2 speakers that flank the Mimi here at Audio Therapy. The F1-8 are £7499 a pair and the Amea are £15000, the Mimi are £11500 a pair.

The dedicated stands for the Mimi are also manufactured from Krion and have a Panzerholz top plate and are £3495 for a pair, they certainly finish off the speaker visually and easily double the weight of the overall package If these stands stretches one’s budget there are other more affordable options available from Solidsteel and Custom Design.

The Mimi possesses a sound which belies its relatively compact form, they have a weight and fullness about their presentation which wouldn’t be unusual for a more substantial floor-stander. One customer was absolutely convinced that I must have had a subwoofer hidden from view somewhere in the room and he was taken aback when I showed him that wasn’t the case.

For the majority of music types the Mimi won’t leave you wanting for more in terms of the lower registers, they are a perfect fit for the typical UK living room, for those with larger rooms the Thais and Stella will have relevance but the Mimi sounds nothing like you would expect based on its size.  They have a real sweetness and allure about the way they present the music and they have possess a wonderful sense of poise and composure. Dynamics, detail and musical insight are all present in abundance, but at the same time the Mimi are so natural and organic in the way they portray themselves, extended highs are silky smooth, with no hint of aggression or fatigue at all.

They project brilliantly into the demonstration room and they paint a spacious sonic landscape that is as deep as it is wide, 3d openness and holographics are first rate and they have many traits that remind me of Avalon in this regard. No particular frequency is pushed upon you or over-emphasised, the treble will never fatigues or pins you to the listening chair, but the Mimi never leaves you wanting more, they are beautifully balanced and composed, as a result prolonged listening sessions are never an issue which seems to be an unattainable holy grail for many.

Speakers First

For more years than I care to remember we were always told that the source was the most critical component in a system, but as the quality of good equipment has dramatically improved over the years this thought holds less weight today than it did previously. When building a system today I would argue that the loudspeaker is the most important component, they undoubtedly have the biggest influence on the final sound of a system and starting with a well designed, balanced speaker is key to building a superb system and the Mimi checks a lot of boxes here.

In terms of electronics to match up with the Mimi we have no shortage of suitable components, all superb at their respective levels. I have spent a considerable amount of time over the past few months dissecting and evaluating the Mimi with Soulnote, Vitus and T+A, 3 world class brands, but each with their own flavour and strengths and the Mimi responds positively with each of them. There are no right or wrong choices, the final combination comes down to personal preference and budget.

To get the best from any system requires a real understanding of the components in play and the correct cables and ancillaries (isolation, grounding power, network optimisation is all vital here) to exploit each system fully to enable it to perform to the highest standard.

Each aspect of a system must be fully understood, I come across customers reasonably regularly who have acquired a great component on the second hand market after yearning for one from reading about it online, only to be really disappointed with it because the rest of their system wasn’t up to the mark, with an often random mixture of cables all fighting with one another for dominance in a system leaving the final sound disappointing and contrived.  The Mimi is no different, it needs to be understood to get the best from it and I’ve spent a long time over the latter half of last year dissecting them and really getting to grips with them to enable me to exploit their abilities to the highest level.

Music Full of Soul – Mimi and Soulnote

The Soulnote A-2 is a hugely competent integrated amplifier, priced at £6300 is it almost half the price of the Mimi, but anyone who has read about the A-2 in any detail will know that value for money is a key element of Soulnote, the A-2 has no right to perform the way it does relative to its price point. It is a fairly neutral sounding amplifier, it possesses a sweetness about it and it dovetails beautifully with the Mimi and they created a really expressive, engaging sound which has superb focus and precision.

We used a Melco N50-S38 (£5000) to play music from storage plus streaming via Qobuz, this was connected to the Soulnote D-2 DAC (£7700). In this system the Mimi is the single most expensive component, but as a system it really shines and I can see this combination being a winner for many people.

Vitus Audio – A Danish Thoroughbred

Next up we move to the Vitus RI-101 mk2 to drive the Mimi, my demo RI has the streaming DAC board fitted so this is literally a one-box system. A Melco could be added for file playback if relevant.

The RI has been a real stalwart amplifier here at Audio Therapy and never takes long listening to one to discover why, it is a real powerhouse offering enormous grip and control whilst simultaneously possessing a real deft touch and delicacy that never fails to seduce and captivate those who listen.

The Vitus presentation has a real sweetness about the way it portrays the music, it offers endless detail but it never shouts, hardens up or sounds artificial, the RI is a very special integrated amplifier, but to unlock its potential it has to be understood and the system around it has to be put together with care, it always sounds superb but with some careful exploitation we can really push and develop the performance much further.

In amplifier only form the RI is £17,000, the optional DAC board is £4500 and we are using this to stream Qobuz, controlled by J-Play.

With the combination of the RI and the Mimi we may have stumbled upon what could be one of the best performing one-box systems money can buy. Arguably as simple as it gets this system will hugely impress with its musicality, tonal accuracy and transparency, it creates a 3d presentation that is almost palpable that really invites you in and lets you disappear into the music.

The RI really grabs hold of the Mimi, bass weight is prodigious relative to the modest size of the speakers and the AMT ribbon is incredibly lifelike and nuanced with real expression and emotion – the deep gravelly bass/baritone of Leonard Cohen on Thanks for the Dance has never sounded as eerily present and in the room as it does here. It invokes goosebumps and spine tingling moments quite frequently.

Many customers want to keep things simple, with as few boxes and as minimal clutter as possible which I totally get, but here are several elements we can introduce to this system to further develop the sound and take performance even further. For those who stream as a primary source the addition of a Melco switch like the S10 or even the new flagship S1 is a superb addition, they never take long to hear what they bring to a system such as this.

Also, the addition of some Stillpoints under the Vitus is always a great move, this won’t obviously change the box count but the inclusion of some Ultra 6 elevates the RI to a new place in terms of transparency, presence and making the system sound even more addictive and convincing.

Stepping beyond the RI-101 we have the SIA-025, the SIA has a more creamy and silky presentation and it worked really well with the Mimi, but given we’ve already used Vitus for the next system I partnered the Mimi with the T+A PSD PA 3100 Streaming DAC/Preamp and the A3000 Power Amplifier, both from T+A’s flagship HV Series.

T+A HV Series – German Engineering at its Finest

The PSD is £14900 and the A3000 is £16500 so it’s a step up in terms of the cost of the system over the Vitus.

The PSD is a hugely capable Swiss army knife product. It is a preamp, a DAC and a network streamer, it will stream Qobuz and Tidal Connect, Amazon, Deezer, Spotify Connect, plus it is Roon Ready as well.

In addition it also has HDMI connectivity so it can be easily integrated with a TV, there is also an FM/DAB tuner and an array of conventional digital inputs and a single analogue input.

The A3000 power amp is rated at 500 watts into 4 ohms and the Mimi really relishes the extra power, they aren’t a tough speaker to drive in any way, but it is a wonderful combination and is incredibly present and fluid sounding.

The T+A just like the Vitus is supremely natural and they are an incredibly confident sounding pair. The RI is very sweet sounding, in contrast the T+A is just a touch more neutral and they bring out a purity, transparency and calmness that washes over the room when you listen.

I could happily live with any of the 3 combinations that I used here with the Mimi, they are all excellent and dovetail beautifully with the speakers, 3 slightly different flavours and some will prefer one over the others, that is largely subjective when all is said and done, but the Mimi integrates with each of them beautifully.

The first thing about the Mimi that strikes is how well balanced and even handed they are, they excel at just being musical, holding a tune and they are never harsh or lively in the way they present themselves. Many customers dismiss a stand-mount speaker out of hand, but I’d put aside any pre-conceived notions that a smaller speaker can’t do scale and real weight, they are overly generous in both of these areas and everyone who has listened to the Mimi has been very surprised by this particular facet.

The Mimi is a genuine sonic delight, mightily impressive and they could well be the final loudspeaker that many people will desire, they just haven’t discovered them yet!

Anyone looking for a truly exemplary loudspeaker that puts the music front and centre need to hear what the Mimi is capable of achieving, it is a very special speaker from a manufacturer is whose stock is clearly the on rise.

The first of the Kroma floorstanding models, the Thais, will be making an appearance here at Audio Therapy in the not too distant future and will certainly one to look out for as well.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to arrange a demonstration