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This review first appeared in the November 2013 issue of hi-end hifi magazine fairaudio.de of Germany. You can also read this review of Kelinac
in its original German version. We publish its English translation in a mutual syndication arrangement with the publishers. As is customary for our own reviews, the writer's signature at review's end shows an e-mail address should you have questions or wish to send feedback. All images contained in this review are the property of fairaudio or Kelinac - Ed.

Reviewer: Tobias Zoporowski
Sources: Transrotor Insigne with Rega RB 300 arm and Goldring 1042 GX cartridge, Lehmann Audio Black Cube Statement phono stage, modified Sansui T-80 tuner; Lua Appassionato and Yamaha CD-S 1000 CD players, modified Advance Acoustic MiP-Station for iPod, Musical Fidelity vDAC, Naim DAC
Amplification: Symphonic Line RG 9 MK IV, Yamaha A-S 1000
Loudspeakers: Magnat Quantum 905, Klipsch RF-82 II
Cables: inakustic looms, Eagle Cable and WireWorld alternates
Review component retail: €4.000/pr

Hot feet in patent leather? The French enjoy a good reputation for knowing how to live. And I don't merely mean food, wine and the cool Gauloise hanging stylishly from the corner of the mouth. From the often strict Teutonic perspective, our sympathetic neighbors can seem more unconventional and carefree than us. That this attitude extends to products we already know very well from cars, be it the beloved if funky duck, the charming R4 or the unforgettable goddess Citroën DS.


It's no wonder that French hifi products too should carry this spirit. It's more of a surprise that many of them aren't better known in Germany. Did you know of Kelinac? My point precisely. When colleague Ralph Werner proposed the top model KEL 711MG from this Versailles marque, I barely twitched.


But that changed once I researched the Internet and international print press. Best Buy 2011 in France. "Efficient" and "acoustically precise" and "unusually emotional" it said there.


I also realized that it was just in the spring of 2013 when Kelinac had finally introduced itself to us Germans during the Norddeutsche Hifi Tage. Now my antennae had signal.


I had zero reception issues when this 1.16m tall merely 21cm wide sound furniture finally settled down in my digs. And 'furniture' is quite fitting.


My first focus was the nearly custom-furniture grade quality of the flawless veneer my loaners flaunted proudly in natural Cherry and to great cosmetic effect. The enclosure ends in a bigger plinth protruding all around which doesn't merely add stability to a tall slim tower but in its high-gloss black skin also looks terrific. Four threaded inserts take the included spikes if desired. And for a €500 surcharge Kelinac can go to town with the full palette of RAL color lacquers. If you've always dreamt of hot traffic orange - voilà, here's your bonne chance!


Regardless of chosen designer skins, the high-quality driver trim won't pale by comparison. The treble up to 40kHz is covered by a 25mm Magnesium dome—hence the MG suffix—whilst a 13cm Aerogel unit handles the mids. Aero who? Wikipedia identifies aerogels as "highly porous materials made up of 99.98% pores" of concomitantly very low mass yet stable and easily shaped. These are ideal properties for driver membranes. To the touch similar to foamed plastic, the surface texture here is a direct result of the manufacturing process where a gel-type substance gets dried with silicic acid, then molded. And there's no added color. Aerogels naturally are a translucent black already. If you aim a bright flashlight at this driver, you'll see the spider and magnet through it; acoustically irrelevant but still fascinating as our favorite Vulcan would say.