Kroma Thaïs wins The Ear’s Editor’s Choice

Jason Kennedy of The Ear has spent a long time with the Thaïs — longer, he admits, than the review needed — and has given it an Editor’s Choice award. The Thaïs is a two-and-a-half-way floorstander a metre high, in a Krion stone cabinet with two Purifi woofers, an AMT tweeter and a reflex port hand-made in spruce by a Spanish guitar luthier. It is nearly the least expensive speaker Kroma makes. Some of what he found is below.

“I used the Kroma Atelier Thais speakers for a lot longer than was necessary for the review because they are so damn good, genuinely revealing yet relaxed and with a superbly effortless sense of timing.”

- Jason Kennedy, The Ear

“One visitor remarked that they look like high end cars such is the depth of shine of the cabinet.”

- Jason Kennedy, The Ear

“This is a revealing loudspeaker have no doubt but not one with a take no prisoners approach that limits you to polished material, I particularly like the way that the highs are never hard or in your face.”

- Jason Kennedy, The Ear

“It’s unusual to find a speaker with such sensible dimensions that can do so much so well and not require a mountain of power to provoke it into doing so.”

- Jason Kennedy, The Ear

“For now I can highly commend these Spanish beauties.”

- Jason Kennedy, The Ear

The Ear’s verdict

• Fast, clean, transparent sound that’s also relaxed
• Forgiving of lesser recordings; highs are never hard
• Strong, clean bass for two compact drivers, with very low colouration
• Keeps the focus on rhythm and melody
• Superb build and finish
• Doesn’t need a mountain of power
• Thoughtful touches: hand-made spruce port, IsoAcoustics Gaia feet, acrylic terminal clamps