Louis Desjardins gives us insights into the new KRONOS AUDIO DISCOVERY flagship turntable, the Kronoscope tonearm, the new drive system, and more.
WHY DEVELOP DISCOVERY?
As you know, KRONOS PRO has been a leader in high-definition turntables for the last 10 years. In many ways, it has redefined what is achievable in analog playback. It was a limited edition and is almost sold out. It was now time to come up with a new flagship! I only wanted to introduce a new model if it was a big improvement over PRO. DISCOVERY had to push the edge of performance further. I am proud of what we achieved, DISCOVERY is a new level in analog playback.
HOW MUCH TIME AND R&D WENT INTO THE THE KRONOS PROJECT?
At Kronos, R&D is ongoing. We are always looking for new ways to find gold at the bottom of the grooves. In the case of discovery, it really was a labor of love, it was quite obsessive. Preliminary studies were started over three years ago. We had engineering breakthroughs about 2 years ago when we developed our new exoskeleton chassis. Then things got into overdrive. Endless hours were spent in refining every sub-system of the turntable. The pandemic kept me home and provided an opportunity to focus my efforts on R&D… So I guess there was a positive side to this difficult situation.
WHY THE NAME DISCOVERY?
As I mentioned, the exoskeleton chassis of DISCOVERY was an engineering breakthrough. The result was such that it felt like I was rediscovering the power of vinyl as a music medium… Hence the name. I am very excited to bring this new sound to our customers. I think they will also rediscover their record collections and rekindle their love of audio.
DESIGN INFLUENCES?
The KRONOS design DNA is prominent in DISCOVERY. We always strive to come up with something new and original. There is definitely a nod to the future, to space exploration… a little bit of science fiction. The control display pod glows like a vacuum tube but it really doesn’t look antique, so we’ve had some fun with the design. Some people told me the whole thing looks like a time machine, which is appropriate given our name! Still, it remains form follows function…everything on DISCOVERY is needed, there is nothing unnecessary.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DISCOVERY AND PRO?
From the outset, DISCOVERY can accommodate 2 tonearms, Pro did only one. Because of that, the footprint is 15cm wider. Everything else is new: the exoskeleton chassis, the larger constrained layers platters, the drive/control system, the standard power supply (single bank super caps), the optional scps-d (three banks super caps)… even the record clamp is new!
TELL US MORE ABOUT THE DRIVE SYSTEM
DISCOVERY has a completely new drive/control system. It uses independent processors for each platter, higher resolution motor encoders, magnetic platter speed sensors. W&F are now at 0.015%, a new standard for belt-driven suspended turntables. We basically have the speed stability of a direct drive turntable but with much lower flutter and vibration. You can really hear the difference.
HOW ABOUT KRONOSCOPE TONEARM?
Given our design goals on DISCOVERY, it was normal we would develop a new tonearm. I discussed with Andre Theriault (designer of the Black Beauty) a new approach to azimuth adjustment… the new tonearm has three counterweights to allow an easier and more precise setup. Its structure is monocoque carbon fiber… the only moving parts on the tonearm are the counterweights; this minimizes vibrations within the tonearm. The tonearm wand has a bigger profile and additional carbon fiber layering. The uni-pivot bearing is now a conical sphere, rather than a ball, it has a smaller radius allowing freer movement while maintaining a damped contact with the receiving cup. Finally, the tonearm base was redesigned; it is resonance tuned to mate to the DISCOVERY. Overall, this tonearm has a more neutral frequency response, improved dynamics, and resolution, and just sounds great!
COMPLETE KRONOS ANALOGUE SOLUTION?
Discovery can be matched with our new SCPS-D, the KRONOSCOPE tonearm, our REFERENCE PHONO, and our dedicated DISCOVERY STAND… so yes, there is a DISCOVERY COMPLETE SOLUTION.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR KRONOS?
We are thinking about a new intermediate model that would incorporate some of the technical advancements found in DISCOVERY… but for the moment, we are busy with deliveries… our first production run is already sold out.
ANY PARTING WORDS?
I really can’t wait to travel again and meet our friends from all over the world. I feel blessed to share our love of music. This is what makes this business more than a business… It is a joy. See you soon.