Blink High End — Local services in Cambridge

If you are seeking a superior, customer obsessed experience in shopping for and acquiring the most satisfying high end audio equipment, look no further than Blink High End (BHE) of Cambridge, MA. I recently undertook a search for a full range loudspeaker and had a phenomenally terrific engagement with Tim Lukas (owner), Veronica Diaz and Kyle of Blink High End. Tim and his team bring years of professional experience and knowledge in offering their clients specialty, curated products (Kroma Atelier, Boressen Acoustics, Ansuz, Aavik, Linn, et. al.) that deliver an emotional, listening impact that is both uplifting and touches one’s soul. For me, Tim, Veronica and the rest of the BHE team bring a keen passion for the excellence of the experience of listening to music by paying attention to details in their customer engagements and applying the whole complement of their collective skills and choice products to fulfilling their clients needs and aspirations.

As a lifetime audiophile local to the Boston area, I had not previously visited Blink High End, but was interested in listening to a few of the speaker model brands being offered there. From the moment I arrived at BHE’s store in Cambridge to demonstrate select makes and models of loudspeakers, through my selection decision process, to the delivery and installation of a pair of Kroma Atelier Elektras in my home, Tim and his team made me feel like a long-standing, valued customer. It’s their keen sense of professionalism, knowledge of what is optimal in terms of product and accessory selection for the customer’s system, and their deep experience that left a lasting impression with me, won me over, and earned my trust. Tim availed himself to answer my endless parade of questions throughout the process, always leaving me with the impression that he was offering his sincere and most thoughtful perspective, regardless of whether or not that it resulted in me purchasing a product from him. If I was to summarize my experience with Tim and the team is that they are excellent at giving the customer premium choices for consideration with the goal of answering the question as to what is possible in terms of the overall listening experience in the client’s system, and, ultimately, how high that experience can go, irrespective of the customer’s budget. In my humble opinion, BHE embodies what customer service means.

I will end with a short plug for Kroma Atelier of Spain. Kroma just may be the hidden gem of loudspeakers for audiophiles to consider everywhere. My experience to date with my Elektras leaves me stunned at each listening session - who thought that music could be rendered so naturally and beautifully in one’s home. Yes, there are many excellent loudspeaker choices, but the Kroma Elektra rises above the crowded field and hits every criteria that I have for an optimal, full range loudspeaker - this is a special product, offered by top notch professionals at Blink High End.

As I end this review I sit in my listening chair captivated and enthralled by the experience of great music in my home. Thank you Tim, Veronica and Kyle for the experience...

I bought a pair of Raidho D2 speakers earlier this year after listening to them at Blink High End. I have been interested in audio for several decades and moved into higher end audio equipment about ten years ago. The Raidho D2s were an upgrade from the Wilson Benesh Arcs that I had been listening to for a number of years in a home theater set up that also doubles for audiophile stereo listening. I am driving the Raidhos with Audionet amplification with Nordost speaker cables and interconnects. While I was very pleased with my speakers at the time, the Raidhos presented a new level of realism that I had not heard before and that I found compelling enough to upgrade to the Raidhos.

I have come to think of the Raidho D2s as being like sonic microscopes. I was hearing things on old recordings that I had not heard before after years/decades of listening. I recall Tim at Blink saying that the sound at his studio had degraded for a week or two after having new electrical power wiring installed. I thought that this was hard to believe, but following recommendations of a number of audio specialists, I invested $150 in having an electrician run a dedicated power line from my circuit breaker box to my living room dedicated to my audio equipment. I was quite surprised to be able to clearly hear this change immediately. Fortunately, the sound quality returned rather quickly over a week or two.

I was highly skeptical about being able to hear noticeable differences in wires (speaker, interconnects and even power cables), but hearing is believing. I even did an A/B comparison with a Berklee student who has helped me set up recording studio software in my living room (some friends think this audio interest is a little over the top) and HE could hear the difference in high end power cables. There are things on your familial recordings that are probably waiting for you to discover.

Bottom line, if you are interested in really listening to music with a sense of “being there”, you may want to give Blink High End a call and arrange to take a listen for yourself. A word of warning, if like me, you will find yourself starting to notice that wires/cables matter, that speaker placement matters, where you sit in the room matters, and the quality of the source materials matter. Sometimes, you just need a sonic microscope...

I recently had a fantastic experience at Blink Hi End with Tim and Veronica.

I was looking for a speaker upgrade and heard amazing things about Kroma speakers from Spain. An audio buddy from the UK heard Kroma speakers at hifi show in the UK and he said the sound was mind blowing. His 2 friends who were with him thought the same and the hifi show reports of this system raved about it.

After researching the brand I decided to call Blink. I spoke to Tim and he discussed the various Kroma models and which models might be a good fit for me. He asked me about my room size, my equipment and my tastes in music.

Although I live in California I was intrigued enough to make a listening appointment at Blink and fly across the country to hear these Kroma speakers.

When I arrived at Blink a few weeks later, I first listened to the Fink Team Kim speaker which I own at home to get a baseline. The Kim’s are a fantastic speaker and an amazing value. We then switched to the Kroma Macbeth and within about 30 seconds I felt I had found my dream speaker. It was significantly better than the Kim’s which surprised me as the Kim’s are very musical and engaging in their own right.

We then listened to the Kroma Jovita which were fantastic as well but I decided to go with the Macbeth as I thought they would be a better fit for my room at home.

I bought the Macbeth and Tim shipped them out on a pallet the next day. I received them a few days later and to say I’m thrilled with the Macbeth’s performance in my room is an understatement. As I write this I’m listening to Nina Simone and it feels like she’s in my room.

The Kroma speakers have a level of realism and an organic and natural quality which is off the charts. Most important though it’s their musicality and engagement factor which is unprecedented in my experience in 35 years in the audio hobby. I think it’s due to the Kroma’s cabinet made of Krion ( an inert material like Corian), their superb AMT ( similar to a ribbon ) tweeter made by Mundorf and the fabulous, low distortion Purifi drivers and of course the crossover design.

Overall, the experience at Blink Hi End could not have been better. Tim and Veronica were both friendly, no pressure and they really knew their stuff. I’m so glad I made the trip from California to hear the amazing...