ART skibo

[m. anders]

hi everyone,

i'm new to this forum so please be gentle haha. i am about to purchase a set of art skibo's and i'm not very fond of the stands they offer. so i was hoping some of you might be able to give me some good options for these. i've always had floorstanders so stands are new to me. well all input will be greatly appreciated.

best,

mike anders

 

[Effem]

Welcome to the forum Mike.

Here is the best advice you will get regarding Art Skibos, asI have a pair myselfso I am speaking from first hand experience.

Not had them for long I will admit, but during the setting up process I tried running the Skibo's without the optional bass enclosures connected, using the monitor enclosures on their own. You would think that the bassunit is there just to support the upper module with added bassbut I say it's more complex than that because the sound moves up into anotherdimension. Audition if you can the Skibo's with and without the bass enclosures and I'm sure you will agree with that opinion.

That's all well and good for me to say that but we are talking doubling the price of the Skibo speakers now from £800 for the monitor on it's ownto £1600which will I'm sure have a major influence on what I have written above.

As for the alternative stand solution, the Skibo monitors need to be raised fairly high to get the best out them soundwise and I don't know of many stands that reach that high without looking ungainly. Rule out silver and black stands too which I think wouldlook ghastly and the field of choices narrows down considerably again. If it was me I would bite the bullet and buy the 'proper' Skibo stands to match.

 

[m. anders]

ok thanks, about auditioning the skibo's that is definitely out since i haven't an ART dealer in my state. i think however i will take your advise and bite the bullet. i don't really care for those stands but assume it would be best match. well thanks for your input and take care.

regards,

mike

 

[Umberto]

I have heard the skibos with and without the bass modules and in both cases the sound was superb. The skibo stands can be mass filled and they also take the speaker up to the correct height for listening. I recommend you use the dedicated stand if possible.

 

[Biscuit]

it tells you how much hifi is in perception, because every (no exageration here either) dealer I took my stiletto's too commented (always just as I was leaving) how much they enjoyed listening to the music coming from the speakers!

must be those cloth-ears

but ART speakers are definately a love/hate kind of thing. if I could afford to move up the range I would without a second thought (guess they are more similar to Naim than we'd like to think!

)

 

[Biscuit]

it wasn't a dig at you my fellow cat lover - they really aren't for everyone, and there are a wealth of other fantastic speakers on the market (as you've found out). They are just another option on the demo list, nothing more, nothing less. You came, you tried and you hated - fair enough.

The fact that Frank is happy with them shows how different we all like our music presented.

 

[Effem]

Yes I agree the Skibo's are certainly "different" from any other speakers I have had and it has brought into question whether it's the Skibo's that are truthful and accurate or the others are.

I listened again to the Canton's the other night which are now set up on Maxine's system and where I thought they had a stunning treble before now sound overly bright with a resultant leaner sound compared to the Skibo's. I was never disappointed with the bass from the Canton's or the Castles for that matter yet the Skibo's really have that department well and truly sewn up with bass that's detailed, rich and articulate, without a trace of boom - exactly what I wanted in my new listening room. Imaging depth and width is a quantum leap ahead of the Castles which in turn left the Canton's lacking in that respect.

Both the Cantons and the Castles made the leather sofa vibrate so you managed to feel the music through your rear end concurrently as you listened, they both excited different room resonances so listening was an ear wincing affair, yet the Skibo's can be well cranked up and zilch, nothing, as if they are completely decoupled from the room, hanging on bungees fixed to the ceiling.

I said in my little reviewette that the Skibo's were a series of paradoxes which I am still on a learning curve discovering.Now you would have thought that a pair of speakers like that would have instantly triggered a thumbs down vote and putting the "For Sale" up yet again as I have for other kit I didn't instantly fall in love with. No, the Skibo's are stopping and they are the first pair of speakers that do all the work for me so at last I don't spend my listening brushing out the system's or room's faults but enjoying the music. Coloured they may or may not be and I don't give a toss to be truthful, as theymake music, not hi-fi type ofnoises.

 

[earl of sodbury]

From the various responses it seems reasonable to conclude the Skibos are both room sensitive and very much a matter of taste - they certainly didn't work well in my tiny room when I demo'd a pair.

I've yet to hear speakers with side-firing bass drivers (Skibos, Rega R7, Audio Physic Tempos) that sound "right"; had ART bitten the "ugly" bullet just a little harder and put the bass drivers on the front of the bass modules (widening the cabinet accordingly) I believe the Skibos would have been World-beaters. It seems bass and treble really must be well-integrated to sound right, and with side-firing drivers I just don't think that's possible...

(IMHO/IME etc.)

W. Rong, Gent.

 

[Mr Coherent]

earl of sodbury wrote:

I've yet to hear speakers with side-firing bass drivers (Skibos, Rega R7, Audio Physic Tempos) that sound "right"; It seems bass and treble really must be well-integrated to sound right, and with side-firing drivers I just don't think that's possible..

Add to that Vienna Acoustic.

I very fair point raised Mr.C

 

[Effem]

earl of sodbury wrote:

From the various responses it seems reasonable to conclude the Skibos are both room sensitive and very much a matter of taste - they certainly didn't work well in my tiny room when I demo'd a pair.I've yet to hear speakers with side-firing bass drivers (Skibos, Rega R7, Audio Physic Tempos) that sound "right"; had ART bitten the "ugly" bullet just a little harder and put the bass drivers on the front of the bass modules (widening the cabinet accordingly) I believe the Skibos would have been World-beaters. It seems bass and treble really must be well-integrated to sound right, and with side-firing drivers I just don't think that's possible...

(IMHO/IME etc.)

W. Rong, Gent.

This is yet another paradox with the Skibo's Paul.

The bass enclosure as I understand it is an OPTIONAL addition as the Monitor (the top bit) is a seperate speaker system in it's own right - hence the query at the start of this thread about buying the matching stands.

With that in mind, you would expect the bottom bass box being there only to supplement the Monitor's bass output, but from my brief listening session without the bass enclosure connected I found this wasn't the whole picture which is what baffles me. The sound throughout the range seemed to fall apart, taking on a peculiar nasality and bass bloom that was entirely unexpected.

Also, before I didRTFM I wired them up in a way that seemed mostlogical to me and it sounded great. After I read the firkin manual I realised that I hadn't and connected them up the way the book told me to do and sure enough, the sound went pretty much as Cloth Ears described above. I'm going to send an email to Art with an explanation of the way I wired them up which sounded great, yet when wired the way they suggest it was another matter entirely.

I haven't found any difficulties at all with havingside firing bass units. Directional bass is catered for I believe by the bass reflex ports facing forwards. Facing the bass drivers themselves inwards they are fine in my location and having tried them facing outwards they were too close to the side walls in my narrow room so they developed a loss of bass definition rather than booming or overblowing.

 

[earl of sodbury]

Effem wrote:

This is yet another paradox with the Skibo's Paul.The bass enclosure as I understand it is an OPTIONAL addition as the Monitor (the top bit) is a seperate speaker system in it's own right - hence the query at the start of this thread about buying the matching stands.

With that in mind, you would expect the bottom bass box being there only to supplement the Monitor's bass output, but from my brief listening session without the bass enclosure connected I found this wasn't the whole picture which is what baffles me. The sound throughout the range seemed to fall apart, taking on a peculiar nasality and bass bloom that was entirely unexpected.

Also, before I didRTFM I wired them up in a way that seemed mostlogical to me and it sounded great. After I read the firkin manual I realised that I hadn't and connected them up the way the book told me to do and sure enough, the sound went pretty much as Cloth Ears described above. I'm going to send an email to Art with an explanation of the way I wired them up which sounded great, yet when wired the way they suggest it was another matter entirely.

I haven't found any difficulties at all with havingside firing bass units. Directional bass is catered for I believe by the bass reflex ports facing forwards. Facing the bass drivers themselves inwards they are fine in my location and having tried them facing outwards they were too close to the side walls in my narrow room so they developed a loss of bass definition rather than booming or overblowing.

It's an ironic possibility Frank, that the very side-firing bass drivers that troubled me, are the exact reason the Skibos work for you, given that your room doesn't seem to welcome more conventional floorstanders? Like for you, the monitors on their own made me reach for my little Castles - wonder if anyone ever bought them on their own? Anyway, glad they're working for you - something unconventional for an unconventional listening room! Result!

cheers, Paul

 

[Guest]

didn't sound weird in my room, and incidentally the speakers are now obsolete, so any discussion about price is academic, you CE didn't like them, plenty do, perhaps they all have strange rooms, I suppose that the Martin Logans you seem to like will have problems too, as thier bass fires up the way, also those with subs, whose bass is in the corner, what a load of nonsense you talk.

 

[Effem]

Cloth-Ears wrote:

Well stone the crows. You find the funny firing positions ok? Earl didn't and I didn't. You must have a weirdo room, or am I a weirdo ? Probably. l amor, at least have cloth ears.You know when you connect properly then deliberately connect out of phase, the funny effects you then hear. Well, I would seriously describe the differences between bass on differentrecordings like this: that modern recording technique assumes cetain givens in speaker design and placement and therefore, given the weirdo design of the Skibboo's its not surprising that certainrecordings sound somewhat"radical".

Am I right, or do I have cloth ears. Please, those responding to that question limit themselves both to direct experience AND not having pretentions to becoming ART dealers. ( oooh, biatch! )

No Ihave not deliberately connected them OUT OF PHASE FOR FUNNY EFFECTSand I'm surprised you even suggested that. I said I connected them in a different manner to what is written in the manual.

Can we not finally agree that you and Earl have different systems, different listening environments and different hearing tastes than I do? I'm probably far more fastidious than either of you for listening criticality, my system is 'unconventional' to say the least and my listening room easily spat out the THREE sets of speakers before I got the Skibo's, yet I sat there for a full two hours last night bathing in the superb noises the Skibo's were making with no complaints whatsoever

 

[JamPal]

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Right... Cloth Ears, Art owners, everyone.

CE, you must have been pissed last night or stoned or something, but it looks to me like you posted wind ups in almost every Art thread ( and yes that is a lot of threads on this site:roll. I don't care who likes fucking Skiddaldes or whatever they are called. All I care about is that this forum remains a freindly place to come and chat about HiFi, cars , beer. whatever, This is meant to be fun. Anyone intent on spoiling it will get short bloody shrift from me. Remember Paul Berry?

Bollocking over.

Can we talk about something else now please.

James.

 

[Biscuit]

I still like ART speakers..... :green:

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I still haven't heard any ARTsyet. I hope to do so soon.

 

[dudywoxer]

my rega's fire bass sidways, does that make them regart's. o stuffit, its not worth it

 

[Sony6million]

Well done G, what a humble cat you are

 

[windom]

"Also, before I didRTFM I wired them up in a way that seemed mostlogical to me and it sounded great. After I read the firkin manual I realised that I hadn't and connected them up the way the book told me to do and sure enough, the sound went pretty much as Cloth Ears described above. I'm going to send an email to Art with an explanation of the way I wired them up which sounded great, yet when wired the way they suggest it was another matter entirely."

Hi Effem,

Just bought a pair of Skibos with Bass Units & wondered how you setthem up in terms of wiring?How did you get on with the differing voodoo of options?