Kroma Audio Mimi stand‑mount loudspeaker

The Mimi is a clever and distinctive two-way stand-mount bass reflex loudspeaker. However, there are a gazillion two-way stand-mounted loudspeakers, many of which are ported. Do we need another one? Kroma shouts a loud ‘yes!’ and on the basis of the Mimi, the company makes a very good case for its inclusion in the mid-sized stand-mount pantheon.

Kroma Audio is a Spanish audio company. Spanish audio brands are relatively rare, but the manufacturing community there can best be summed up as ‘small, but perfectly formed’, with a few brands generally making outstanding products, as opposed to a plethora of companies making some OK and some not so OK product lines. Kroma makes seven loudspeakers, two stand-mounts and five floorstanders, of which the Mimi represents the entry point. It also makes a generic stand for bookshelf loudspeakers and cable elevators. The Mimi’s cabinet – like all the other speakers in the range – is made from Krion, a material produced in Spain made of two-thirds gibbsite (aluminium trihydrate, or ‘ATH’) and one-third resin. Think of Krion as a rival to Corian, but with a look closer to porcelain (Corian often goes for marbled or stone-like finishes, thanks in part to its extensive use in kitchens and bathrooms).

Mimi itself is a back-swept design with a fully Krion cabinet. Although the front, rear, top and bottom of the cabinet are finished in white or black, the side-walls have a range of options that go from ‘contrasting’ to ‘wild’ with the Vacas art finishes. There’s even a 24ct gold leaf finish! It features a Hiquphon tweeter with a 165mm Scan-Speak mid/woofer. The single-wired, front ported cabinet hides a crossover made of some of the finest new and new-old-stock components known to man, all sealed in resin. The matching stand is also made of Krion, but with a Panzerholz top plate and feet. Panzerholz is an extremely high density ‘tank-wood’ plywood material that can be used as a metal substitute and is actually bulletproof (think of it as a 21st Century alternative to ebony without the terrifying sustainability issues). This means you get the anti-resonance and acoustic damping effect of Panzerholz and Krion combined. Because the loudspeaker itself is backswept and tall the stand is relatively low, but the speaker+stand combination looks good and the Panzerholz plinth stands slightly proud in the middle of the speaker’s lines. The Mimi comes with a set of tiny clear plastic blobs to attach to the base of the speaker, just to stop it moving around on the semi-matt top of the Panzerholz plinth. The combination of Krion and Panzerholz is also used in the new Organic range of Artesania Audio stands, which is perhaps not that much of a surprise when you discover there is a business connection between these two Spanish companies.

An interesting aspect of the Mimi, and Kroma speakers in general, is the nature of the port. It’s a carefully tuned choice of cedar or fir, as used by Spanish and Flamenco guitar luthiers.