Are you ready to take your audio experience to the next level? Look no further than the exquisite Chario loudspeakers, now available at Kronos AV. These handcrafted speakers from Italy are a true testament to the artistry and passion that goes into creating high-end audio equipment.
What made us look at this brand?
We first came across Chario at the a recent HiFi show, and we were naturally drawn to the aesthetic appeal of the speakers. We later got a chat with Alessandro Migliorini, from Chario and we loved the passion he had for the products.
He explained more abut the company to us, the shortened version of which is this:
Chario was founded in 1975 by two engineers–CHArlie Vicenzetto and MaRIO Murace–hence the name. Both were scientists at the University of Milan being just as interested in how humans hear as they were in how loudspeakers work. The theoretical premise was that if you build a speaker that is optimized for how test equipment measures, you may have been designing for the wrong audience. Likewise, tailoring a speaker for the human ear without technical knowledge regarding loudspeaker mechanics and acoustics prevents you from building an accurate, quality loudspeaker that does what you want it to do.
But here is where it gets really clever!
At the University of Milan, they pioneered research into the shape of the human head and torso and how that affects the way sound is captured by our ears. According to Charlie and Mario, humans aren’t receptive to phase distortion issues between 800-1,500 Hz. The shape of the human ear, head, chest, and shoulders are what defines this range. Loudspeaker crossovers create phase distortions at the crossover frequency, and nearly all loudspeakers cross over from the tweeter to the midrange driver above these frequencies which is where humans are extremely sensitive. So, Chario developed the idea of a tweeter that accurately went below this range and negated the need for a midrange crossover and driver altogether. The Chario loudspeakers in the Aviator series (their second range from the top) all have a tweeter that can—and does—play cleanly down to approximately 1,200 Hz. In the case of the Academy series, the tweeter performs down to 1,000 Hz. This is an insanely low frequency for a tweeter. Chario designed their tweeters to be able to play well below the range we’re sensitive to avoid the problem entirely.
This idea was incredibly interesting, and we were keen to hear the speakers to better understand the philosophy. The idea was extremely clever so we were keen to hear what these speakers could do.
He was also very adamant that the speakers had to be made in Italy because it was the only way to ensure the quality and finish was to their standards. The ingenious design also meant it was hard to manufacturer these externally, as they have to be perfect. They are all built from Italian Walnut and they even go to the lengths of applying their own specially designed ceramic coatings to mid sections because it adds a satin look and feel but also adds durability. It's that level of detail we loved.
He were able to have a quick listen and immediately we could tell there was something very interesting and special about these speakers. You know something is good when David (Kronos AV Managing Director) looks across at you and smiles after about 30 seconds of listening. The theory is more than just a theory, it works!
The speaker we were listening to was the Chario Constellation Cygnus from their Constellation range.
Now for the bad bit, because we spoke to one another and said "Hand made in Italy from scratch, sound quality which was flipping impressive, ingenious designs, ceramic coated cabinets etc... etc..." These aren't going to be cheap!"
We asked Alessandro the price and he said around £4,200. We said under £9,000?!? (We assumed priced individually as is standard in Europe) Thats incredible value when you consider everything! He quickly stopped us and said "No, no, £4,200 for a pair"
We asked a simple question "How? What is the catch?" but Alessandro explained, they can keep the pricing low for customers because they make it all in house. He explained if he gets the cabinets built elsewhere, that factory has to make profit, so it increases the cost to him. If he buys other materials from elsewhere, they have to make profit so it increases the cost to him etc... etc... and all those costs are then passed onto the customer.
He explained that by doing it in house, he not only can oversee the production and quality of the items, but it actually allows him to keep the price down. He explained this is what lets him produce such an item for this price without compromising on anything. He did say it would make life a lot easier having them made elsewhere but that wasn't the point!
This review from What HiFi explains it also:
"These are certainly very ‘Italian-looking’ speakers, not because they’re made in Italy, but because they look so similar to speakers made by Italy’s most famous loudspeaker manufacturer, Sonus Faber.
And it’s not only their looks... there are many sonic similarities as well. So you’ll probably be pleased to find that there’s very little similarity in pricing: indeed when I checked the recommended retail price of these little Italian speakers immediately prior to submitting this review for publication, the fact it was much lower than I’d imagined it might be came as a very pleasant surprise"
We found this section of the review to be spot on, because the Chario's did everything we expected from other famous Italian speakers both visually and sonically, but at a fraction of the cost.
One of our philosophies at Kronos AV is to find new and exciting products BUT that also offer our customers exceptional value for money. The difficulty is normally to find a product at exceptional value, there will be a drawback, but with Chario you don't have that thanks to Alessandro's very clever in house manufacturing style.
What sets Chario loudspeakers apart?
Chario loudspeakers are not just your average rectangular box speakers. They blend heritage, functionality, and Italian styling to perfection. Each speaker is meticulously crafted in their own workshop in Italy, which ensures the highest level of quality and attention to detail.
The other key aspect to Chario is their pricing. The value for money aspect of these speakers is unrivalled, and when What HiFi are comparing them to Sonus Faber but at a much lower price, that is a huge compliment, but that is what we also think. While they aren't exactly "entry level" what you are getting for the price is a lot of speaker!
We also like that the speakers are not massive. They are nicely sized and designed for "normal" home listening areas. This means they are easy to set up, easy to adjust and can slot into most rooms.
Why choose Chario loudspeakers?
When it comes to sound quality, Chario loudspeakers at their price points are in a league of their own. Their sonic performance is superior to most speakers on the market, the quality of finish, the attention to detail, the touches such as the ceramic coating it makes the speakers an absolute show stopper! Looking at them is great, but sonically they do not disappoint. Delivering rich and immersive music experience that will leave you speechless.
Not only do Chario loudspeakers excel in performance, but they are also priced aggressively. By building their speakers in-house, Chario is able to save money on external manufacturing, allowing them to offer their products at a competitive price point without compromising on quality.
What we truly loved about Chario is that these are speakers that are designed for real world environments. They aren't designed for perfect listening rooms, but for living rooms, lounges and 'not so perfect rooms". We love that approach, its much harder to make speakers this way, but its real world application makes them a real show stopper!
If you want a speaker that offers famous Italian Loudspeaker quality but you want to save a small fortune, you have just found your next speaker! I appreciate some of what you have read may sound to good to be true, but it is not! The reason for this is a very clever manufacturing idea that I think we could see more manufacturers moving too.