Art Speakers who's listened?

hi there,

has anyone listened to the scottish arts?
what are your thoughts?
are they emotion triggers or detail retrievers?
silk and paper or high tech?
thanks for the help.
cheers,
ricardo

 

I've listened to the ART Stiletto's. Not my cup of tea.
I think there is a large "ART" following on hifiwigwam though so try there.

 

I've heard a few, and remain unimpressed by the brand. Maybe they just aren't my cup of darjeeling.

The Emotions certainly seem to be massively overpriced for their performance but that's the case with many others I guess.

 

I haven't heard the Emotions, but they look expensive for what you get.

I've heard the Impressions. I thought they were quite poor, boomy and boxy. They seem popular with some people, for reasons that escape me.

-- Ian

 

I've racked my brain in vain ... when did you last say a speaker was good value, or even worth its price?

 

Merlin's Merlins?

 

well, it looks like this sentence sums up the general opinion... and they are expensive (not necessarily bad value but i have yet to listen)

thanks everyone.
ricardo

 

A good question Markus - I guess it comes from knowing the margins involved with loudspeakers. The Emotions did however strike me as rivalling Naim electronics in the VFM stakes.

I would imagine most audio nuts spend more on loudspeakers over their lifetime than any other component. They are also the product that devalues the most from new and is most likely to be found in the for sale adverts within a couple of years.

On a technical note, I really don't like the design thinking behind the Emotion.

 

Hi Ricardo

I thought they were reasonable, but again expensive on a price/performance basis.

There are a lot of speakers I prefer for less money - like the Hyperions for example, or BC Acoustique's .. there are loads in fact.. I can't reccomend something as individual as a speaker.. it's such a personal choice.

 

hi,
could you tell me what vfm means?
thanks,
ricardo

 

My (almost) neighbour has ART emotions - MF CD and amps Kimber select cabling. I've had very limited listening (about 45mins) but was quite impressed - big "airy" soundstage, good definition and separation but a little "hi-fi" for me.

Value for money - 2nd hand Merlins - amazing.

 

thanks, bottleneck. at the moment i'm planning an upgrade for my current 500 gbp single drivers and started to shortlist those that might be a good match for my fortyseven shig gear. i'm even considering getting the audio note kit if i can find a decent carpenter to make the boxes.

 

Sorry Ricardo - Value For Money.

 

hmm... if i weren't so lazy i could have easily gotten there

thanks

 

I strongly recommend having a go at building something with a Jordan driver, like mine:



They're very easy to build, 47 Lab amps drive them very well, and they sound very good.

Full thread about building them here:

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13307

But if your budget is in the Art Emotions area you have lots of choice. I'd go for some big secondhand Tannoys, but if you want new I enjoyed a pair of Horning Agathons I heard recently. Not exactly single-driver but the nicest Lowther-based speaker I've heard. Similar sort of price to the Emotions I think.

-- Ian

 

i plan to go as far as 1200 gbp... and probably something used like my fortysevens.
thanks for the link. i'll look into it with serious interest.
cheers,
ricardo

 

a very sad state of things.... i'm afraid the most of them come to their real value after a year or so, when they drop 50% of original price and even more in case of more pricey stuff.

which is excellent for everyone who is not afraid of buying an used speaker.

tuga, i would expect that something from the living voice range would maybe rock your boat, considering you want a dynamic speaker with a bit of a different appeal.

 

I have only heard the LV's at shows, but 'dynamic' , innocuous perhaps.

 

Hi Tuga,

The Art Emotions retail from £5000. I don't think you will get a pair 2nd hand/ex dem for £1250.

I have only heard them at shows and they not sounded worth the money. But they have their fans and I have never heard them in the home enironment.

The Hornings are worth a look as well. The Agathons are very but not cheap but there are many versions out. 2nd hand you can pick older versions up from around £1200 to £1500.

You can pick up 2nd hand Audionote E speakers for less than your budget.

The living Voice range is well worth looking at as well. They crop up 2nd hand often.

Another thing, where are you based?

SCIDB

 

my location is part of the problem: i live in lisbon and the used market in portugal isn't something we can brag about...
the electronics were easy to get from abroad but a pair of big, heavy speakers is another story.
a pair of an-e or an-js would be very nice and i'll try to listen to a pair of living voices but they won't be easy to find.
cheers,
ricardo