d e s c r i p t i o n   a n d   d e t a i l s

Amazing Grace

Many loudspeaker designers have despaired over building a loudspeaker which achieves awe-inspiring and magnificent sonic performance. This was not the case for the Audio Physic masterminds Joachim Gerhard and Manfred Diestertich. The designer team rose to the occasion and strove to build as slim and graceful a loudspeaker as at all possible. Far from being yet another anachronistic loudspeaker like so many sonic dinosaurs who find their last chance of survival in the „Jurassic Park“ of some HiFi magazine reference list, the Kronos was designed as a visual stunner to match and complement the stylish interior of modern and traditional homes as well as conquer the hearts of the most sophisticated audiophiles. Audio Physic went a long way to finding the perfect blend of visual and sonic appeal.

As a result, the Kronos is equipped with four 10'' woofers which are mounted on the opposite sides of the woofer chamber. This enabled us to design a trim-looking baffle with no compromise in the low frequency reproduction. The woofers are arranged effectively back-to-back in two separate closed blocks so as to avoid interactions. We had to dig deep into our tool kit for solutions on how to avoid the loudspeaker sounding thin or fragile. Despite its graceful curve and delicate shape, the Kronos was intended to deliver a full natural bloom and reproduce every single note and nuance of sound from the lowest to the highest octave. Therefore, two 6'' drivers arrayed in the sides of the cabinet and only operating in the frequency range of 250Hz to 500Hz were added to support the front-firing coax unit. Despite its slim silhouette, the Kronos produces an incredibly substantial sound which otherwise only occurs with a large baffle design.

In addition, the unique cabinet architecture combines all the advantages of a smaller speaker such as excellent radiation behaviour with the full-range performance of a large speaker. The outcome is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Since being founded in 1985, Audio Physic has achieved something which only a few German loudspeaker manufacturers have ever succeeded: an excellent reputation as a leading international loudspeaker manufacturer. Joachim Gerhard – founder of the German manufacturer based in the idyllic town of Brilon – insisted on setting up key performance criteria which are neither subject to national listening characteristics nor influenced by short-lived trends from the very beginning. Audio Physic's first goal is to bring the live experience into your listening room with stunning accuracy, down to the finest detail. Hence our credo no loss of fine detail which has been at the heart of every music lover all over the world.

Even for a renowned company like Audio Physic a new chapter is about to unfold as the Kronos loudspeaker takes central stage. The no-compromise, partly-active three-and-a-half-way design of the loudspeaker not only lifts the entire system that decisive bit closer to the pure live experience, it also represents a fundamental shift away from conventional loudspeaker concepts. Three times reviewed – three times the Kronos earned the pole position in top-class charts.

More than ever before, we at Audio Physic have been challenged to design such a system since we have broadened our horizons over the years and come up with a loudspeaker technology based on self-developed coaxial tweeter-midrange drivers. Our highly sophisticated and unique know-how gained over the decades in loudspeaker manufacturing has enabled us to use trend-setting active technology in our four 10" long-throw woofers where the roomgain can be comfortably set by remote control.

In the end our novel approach, which was courageous from inception to execution, has lead to the creation of a truly unique loudspeaker which brings magnificently fine detailing to your listening room without turning it into a room full of audio equipment. The fabulous Kronos swiftly and completely conquered the hearts of the test crew of the stereoplay HiFi magazine: „Despite its slim and graceful build, the Kronos paints a sonic picture of overwhelming beauty and impressive size“.