Loudspeakers

These days we could probably name no more than 11 or 12 manufacturers of TVs, but ask us about loudspeakers and you'd fall asleep before we'd got as far as companies beginning with the letter 'D'. The industry appears to be in rude health, with models to suit all tastes and budgets, and there are plenty of options that you might not have come across before. Kroma Atelier's Stella Xtreme perhaps being one of them.

This dramatically styled floorstander sells for £28,800, but such a price doesn't even put it above the half-way point in the Kroma Atelier portfolio. Ever since the company launched in 2016 as Kroma Audio, before adopting a name to reflect new ownership and a 'focus on artisanal production', it has been busy assembling a range of high-ticket loudspeakers. Taking the flagship spot is the Elektra, which will set you back £99,950, while below this are the £69,950 Norma and £51,950 Carmen tower models. Its most diminutive standmount, the Mimi, is priced at £7995, with custom stands for a further £3495.

Krion Out Loud
It doesn't take long browsing the company website to understand these price points. For a start, Kroma has turned to fellow Spanish company Porcelanosa (see www.porcelanosa.com) for the Krion material used across all its loudspeaker cabinets. Described as a 'non-conductive and non-magnetic aluminium trihydrate and resin composite material', Krion is more typically employed in the building industry, so you're more likely to have seen it used in a luxury bathroom than on a loudspeaker.

This is, of course, unusual, but there's nothing in the hi-fi rulebook that says a speaker cabinet needs to be made from wood – although the latter is chosen for the Stella Xtreme's twin rear-facing bass reflex ports, each being a cylinder of cedar hand spun by a Spanish luthier.

The drivers are also out-sourced, the AMT (Air Motion Transformer) U80W1.1 high-frequency unit with neodymium magnet being from German marque Mundorf. Measuring 95x55x45mm (hwd), this tweeter is housed within a shallow 'diffuser' to massage horizontal and vertical dispersion and is sandwiched between two 165mm bass/mid drivers from Purifi Audio. Meanwhile, a third 165mm Purifi driver sits at the bottom of the array and is dedicated to frequencies below 450Hz. The bass/mid duo drop as deep, but extend to a claimed 2.75kHz.

Glam Rock
Mundorf crops up again in discussion of the Stella Xtreme's three-way crossover network, which is mounted within its own resin-insulated 'hermetic chamber', and uses components from Mundorf and Duelund. Bi-ampers should note that the entry-path here is on a single set of heavy-duty binding posts (also from Mundorf).

While Kroma Atelier isn't the most forthcoming when it comes to detailed information, it does tell us that a layer of bitumin is employed inside the Stella Xtreme cabinet to control resonances and vibrations, together with acoustic foam supported by a layer of fabric. What I can tell you is that the speaker feels rock-solid, and sounds it too – but more on that later.

And, eye of the beholder accepted, the styling of the Stella Xtreme is gorgeous. Sure, there are not the curved edges beloved of some brands, but our white Krion sample, with carbon fibre panels – other options are Titanium, Aluminium, Champagne and Wood (burl walnut) – appears faultlessly crafted. Black is an 'on request' alternative for the enclosure, and you can even splash out £2650 for the limited edition Vacas Art option, which arrives with panels hand-painted and signed by artist Juan Pablo Perez Vacas.