High End 2018: Kaiser and Kondo Audio Note

German loudspeaker manufacturer Kaiser demonstrated their speakers together with Japanese electronics manufacturer Kondo Audio Note.

The large demo room housed two separate systems.  The first consisted of Kaiser's flagship loudspeaker the Kawero! Classic, driven by Kondo's statement level electronics, including the Ginka turntable, the SFz MC step-up transformer, the G-10 phono preamplifier, the G-1000 preamplifier and and the Gagura 211 monoaural power amplifers.  With this system I was treated to a perfect presentation of Hugh Masekela's "Stimela."

The second system featured the Kaiser Furioso Mini and Kawero! Chiara loudspeakers driven by the Kondo Overture integrated amplifier using the AMG V12 turntable as its source.

The smaller Kawero! Chiara demonstrated excellent reproduction of female vocals, with Linda Ronstadt's "What's New?"  it also produced surprisingly deep bass for such a small speaker. The Furioso Mini produced very similar quality, playing "Draw your swords" by Angus & Julia Stone and Albinoni's "Adagio In G Minor" by Gary Karr.

The Kaiser-Kondo systems all produced amazing sound, with wide soundstages, precise imaging and all the tone and texture of live music.  They provided some of the best sound I heard at the show.

The Furioso Mini, the larger of the standmount Kaiser loundspeakers on demo,

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