SteveW
11-07-2025, 09:59
Arke Audio Mikros
Just to save you reading through this and waiting for a conclusion.. I’ll say this at the outset - these are extraordinary speakers.
They are transformative. By which I mean they are transforming the way I hear and listen to music.
I would never make a hifi reviewer.. I lack that skill of describing how kit sounds and will leave that to those that can.
What I can do though is describe how I feel about the music presented with the results achieved and so far these speakers have amazed me.
These speakers are so defined yet not clinical.
My journey towards buying a pair of Jason’s Mikros began with the realisation that a move to a new home would quite likely mean relinquishing my Troels Gravesen Ekta mk2.
Whilst I considered the Ektas to be end game, my wife didn’t (size matters apparently).
They don’t fit her idea of acceptable equipment for a living space. The Ektas aren’t massive, in fact they are actually quite elegant and compact compared with many a loudspeaker out there… but eye of the beholder and all that.
I have heard the Ektas go head to head with some very illustrious competitors and sound better. So to improve on them seemed a stretch.
I also didn’t fancy using my Harbeth P3ESR’s (currently the acceptable face of hifi in the sitting room)…having got used to the resolution and music that the Ektas provide.
In the early days of the Arke loudspeaker evolution, Jason brought the Solo’s across. In my basement system they sounded sublime. They completely outclassed the Ekta’s … but just a tad too big still.
So when Jason said he was developing a smaller speaker based on the Solo, I was interested …providing the sound quality remained up there.
How little I knew.
The opportunity to hear the Solos, Mikros and Kratos (bass enhancer) came when Jason did his first public demo in Sheffield. Both speakers filled a large room with detail and substance. The party trick was when Jason finished the first few demo tracks through the Mikros and revealed that the Kratos had been switched off. At that point I realised that I had an alternative for the Ektas. If only because of the finish and relative smaller size of the Mikros. So the order was placed (and some rapid fund raising began!).
I wanted to utilise some speaker stands I already had, but the top plate was a small 140w mm by 205d mm. The Mikros measure 220w x 295d
So Jason built an ingenious top plate with inserts fitted to take Stack Audio Auva 100’s.
He then built m6 inserts into the Mikros to take the 100’s. A beautiful and elegant engineering solution.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/70c6f7c101a231a16095e89d57ca7d2f.jpg
Needing to get the top plates fitted to the stands meant a trip to Jason’s in Derbyshire.
I’m so glad that things worked out this way as I was able to hear my own speakers (brand new and not run in) on the end of Jason’s amazing system.
These relatively small speakers defy expectations… their performance is way beyond what you think you will hear.
We heard Jason’s own Mikros vs mine. The run in ones had a lovely relaxed ambience and delivery of spacial information that was outstanding. The new ones still did this with a touch of brightness.
Jasons system of course becomes my benchmark.. as not all my system components match the quality of the components in Jason’s system. I needn’t have worried. It still sounded awesome and addictive
I got them home, plumbed in for a few days and letting the Auva’s settle.
My system today comprises SoTm streamer/Mutec / Topping d70s - M2Tech dacs/ Avalon pre. Vinyl via BB3 and SP10
The Mikros sound..
Very detailed and nuanced top to bottom. Timbre and tone are sublime, leading to massive degrees of separation.
But dynamic. Really dynamic, except set in a defined soundstage.
That’s about me done on hifi description.
I keep playing track after track that completely draw me in because I’ve never heard my room sound like this. Bass is tightly controlled but enough heft where it’s needed. That was probably the area where I would have had most concern. I needn’t have.
The added bonus is that my current dac (an ageing M2Tech Young) is easily improved upon. What that will be depends on budget down the line.
But for now I’m putting tracks like from Time from DSOTM. Totally bonkers. Every instrument seems to be enhanced. At the same time all the others are balanced as a whole and then the deep bass driving it along.
Then there is the delicacy of Richard Hawley Open up Your Door from True Loves Gutter.
Never noticed how important the rhythm of the simple snare drum is… with some beautiful individual instruments… and along comes a wave of orchestration. All locked in with laser precision to Richard Hawley’s voice. Beautiful.
Thanks to Jason for the skills to design and build these great loudspeakers.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/04d1ffdf5226353918eda7f13cdcadd5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/0e4ceb16164e98dcfb812b5dfcd99bf1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/f4230476541c07b758228626a4bc7056.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just to save you reading through this and waiting for a conclusion.. I’ll say this at the outset - these are extraordinary speakers.
They are transformative. By which I mean they are transforming the way I hear and listen to music.
I would never make a hifi reviewer.. I lack that skill of describing how kit sounds and will leave that to those that can.
What I can do though is describe how I feel about the music presented with the results achieved and so far these speakers have amazed me.
These speakers are so defined yet not clinical.
My journey towards buying a pair of Jason’s Mikros began with the realisation that a move to a new home would quite likely mean relinquishing my Troels Gravesen Ekta mk2.
Whilst I considered the Ektas to be end game, my wife didn’t (size matters apparently).
They don’t fit her idea of acceptable equipment for a living space. The Ektas aren’t massive, in fact they are actually quite elegant and compact compared with many a loudspeaker out there… but eye of the beholder and all that.
I have heard the Ektas go head to head with some very illustrious competitors and sound better. So to improve on them seemed a stretch.
I also didn’t fancy using my Harbeth P3ESR’s (currently the acceptable face of hifi in the sitting room)…having got used to the resolution and music that the Ektas provide.
In the early days of the Arke loudspeaker evolution, Jason brought the Solo’s across. In my basement system they sounded sublime. They completely outclassed the Ekta’s … but just a tad too big still.
So when Jason said he was developing a smaller speaker based on the Solo, I was interested …providing the sound quality remained up there.
How little I knew.
The opportunity to hear the Solos, Mikros and Kratos (bass enhancer) came when Jason did his first public demo in Sheffield. Both speakers filled a large room with detail and substance. The party trick was when Jason finished the first few demo tracks through the Mikros and revealed that the Kratos had been switched off. At that point I realised that I had an alternative for the Ektas. If only because of the finish and relative smaller size of the Mikros. So the order was placed (and some rapid fund raising began!).
I wanted to utilise some speaker stands I already had, but the top plate was a small 140w mm by 205d mm. The Mikros measure 220w x 295d
So Jason built an ingenious top plate with inserts fitted to take Stack Audio Auva 100’s.
He then built m6 inserts into the Mikros to take the 100’s. A beautiful and elegant engineering solution.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/70c6f7c101a231a16095e89d57ca7d2f.jpg
Needing to get the top plates fitted to the stands meant a trip to Jason’s in Derbyshire.
I’m so glad that things worked out this way as I was able to hear my own speakers (brand new and not run in) on the end of Jason’s amazing system.
These relatively small speakers defy expectations… their performance is way beyond what you think you will hear.
We heard Jason’s own Mikros vs mine. The run in ones had a lovely relaxed ambience and delivery of spacial information that was outstanding. The new ones still did this with a touch of brightness.
Jasons system of course becomes my benchmark.. as not all my system components match the quality of the components in Jason’s system. I needn’t have worried. It still sounded awesome and addictive
I got them home, plumbed in for a few days and letting the Auva’s settle.
My system today comprises SoTm streamer/Mutec / Topping d70s - M2Tech dacs/ Avalon pre. Vinyl via BB3 and SP10
The Mikros sound..
Very detailed and nuanced top to bottom. Timbre and tone are sublime, leading to massive degrees of separation.
But dynamic. Really dynamic, except set in a defined soundstage.
That’s about me done on hifi description.
I keep playing track after track that completely draw me in because I’ve never heard my room sound like this. Bass is tightly controlled but enough heft where it’s needed. That was probably the area where I would have had most concern. I needn’t have.
The added bonus is that my current dac (an ageing M2Tech Young) is easily improved upon. What that will be depends on budget down the line.
But for now I’m putting tracks like from Time from DSOTM. Totally bonkers. Every instrument seems to be enhanced. At the same time all the others are balanced as a whole and then the deep bass driving it along.
Then there is the delicacy of Richard Hawley Open up Your Door from True Loves Gutter.
Never noticed how important the rhythm of the simple snare drum is… with some beautiful individual instruments… and along comes a wave of orchestration. All locked in with laser precision to Richard Hawley’s voice. Beautiful.
Thanks to Jason for the skills to design and build these great loudspeakers.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/04d1ffdf5226353918eda7f13cdcadd5.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/0e4ceb16164e98dcfb812b5dfcd99bf1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250711/f4230476541c07b758228626a4bc7056.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk