But that looks set to change. Munich saw the emergence of the first 12” Safir tonearm, complete with on-the-fly VTA adjustment. Far more compact (and arguably less convenient) than the off-set tower on the 4Points, it nonetheless promises to deliver the best of both worlds. It retains the single, locking counterweight of the Safir 9 and is internally wired with Kuzma’s silver tonearm wire. Effective mass? We’ll have to wait and see, but at €35,000 the Safir 12 certainly looks set to shake up the exotic tonearm market – and I for one have a really bad case of the wants!
In other gem-related news, Kuzma also showed the prototype and parts of the new CAR -70 cartridge, featuring a one-piece diamond stylus/cantilever, mated to a sapphire armature mounted in a machined from solid sapphire body. The results are claimed to be spectacular – which at the same €35,000 asking price as the arm, they need to be. And to complete Sir’s sapphire equipped ‘table, why not include the solid sapphire record weight – a snip at €6,500?
Aiming High!
You can’t fault the ambitions of the Kroma Atelier Callas loudspeaker. Like Tidal’s La Assoluta it aims for the stars – and get’s damn close to reaching them. An unusual four-way floorstander, it combines front and rear firing AMT tweeters with a pair of visually identical upper and lower 200mm/8” midrange drivers and a rear-reflex loaded 250mm/10” bass unit. The bass and mid drivers use aluminium cones and are built into a sumptuously curved and internally complex Krion cabinet that uses tuned chambers and resonators to control and dissipate vibrational energy in both the enclosed volume and the enclosure itself. Despite the 133cm/4’4” height, the Callas succeeds in seeming visually smaller than it is. Sensitivity is quoted as 91.5dB with a 4Ω impedance.
Despite those numbers, the Callas made impressively lively, open and engaging music on the end of the Ubiquitous Wadax Studio Player and Engstrom Monica/Eric amplification. Dynamics were broad and expressive, stereo perspectives natural and overall balance excellent. At €88,000 (plus tax) the Callas faces stiff opposition in the marketplace, but like its namesake, it’s more than able to hold its own against the more illustrious competition.
Computer Audio Design 1543 Mk.III DAC
In a world where the term ‘digital’ seems to have become a synonym for ‘versatile’, CAD’s 1543 DAC is the iconoclastic exception to that rule. Wilfully, almost obstinately, hair-shirt in approach, this a DAC that offers a single (USB) input and one pair of RCA outputs. The unadorned Perspex case features an illuminated CAD logo front and centre – and, aside from a captive power cord, that’s your lot. Outwardly unchanged, since its launch, yo, many years ago, the venerable 1543 DAC has been re-minted in all-new Mk.III form.
Don’t be fooled by the unchanged connectivity and exterior: inside this is a whole new animal. There’s a massive new power supply, with a totally redesigned transformer and significantly increased storage and smoothing caps. The TDA 1543 chips remain, but there’s now 20 as opposed to 16. There’s a completely re-engineered USB interface with significantly improved oscillators and new I2S galvanic isolation. It all amounts to a hugely improved musical performance, with increased transparency, focus, resolution, musical flow and dynamic authority.
