Role Audio Skiff Speaker Review

[DSJR]

The Minimax at least had the virtue of being cheap, almost too cheap to be true. Was it made in what was then Yugoslavia?

Think so. The Kub was slightly wider but similar market and not too different in price (around sixty quid the pair in the mid 70's) - Far eastern speakers made 'for tuppence' today, has totally skewed the lower end speaker market compared to the 70's and 80's and I remember in the 80's, European/UK makers being forced to seriously up their game to keep a quality product at around £100pr (the Mission 70 I remember being one very clever little pretender).

 

[fordiebianco]

Company has just released an update to the original design: http://roleaudio.com/node/119

 

[fpitas]

I hope they didn't reduce that nifty peak at 1.5kHz

 

[Tangband]

This works though only if it hasn't partially compensated in the production and sitting at the sweet spot as in other positions they will be a peak there.

True, but we all sit at the sweet spot, dont we ?

 

[Geert]

True, but we all sit at the sweet spot, dont we ?

On average the ITD dip is more around 1,8 kHz. If you're going to implement a narrow peak like that, then it doesn't make sense to miss the mark.

(A Model for Rendering Stereo Signals in the ITD-Range of Hearing - Siegfried Linkwitz).

I also wonder if implementing a resonance is a smart solution for fixing a frequency response issue. Resonances can sound like ringing.

 

[Rottmannash]

You wrote your post before mine. I missed it. We basically say the same thing.

If you don't want to build something, as I mentioned in my last post, and want some nice small satellite speakers at a good price, buy a couple of used Kef Eggs instead. By the way, it would be really fun if Amir tests a couple of such eggs.

I have a KEF egg I'm not using-perhaps I should send it in...

 

[fpitas]

On average the ITD dip is more around 1,8 kHz. If you're going to implement a narrow peak like that, then it doesn't make sense to miss the mark.

In addition, in my experience when you have a peak followed by a dip it just makes both more obvious. I doubt any calculation went into the peak.

 

[Ken Tajalli]

Conclusions
Once again we have a manufacturer wanting to break the laws of physics. I say they seem to have a decent driver as far as power capability is concerned but otherwise, the concept fails in frequency response as the driver breaks up/resonates. With power of eq we can salvage what is there but I can't see a reason to make it worthwhile unless you really needed such a small speaker.
I can't recommend the Role Audio Skiff.

What I don't get is, why are you being so nice??
This is crap, and for so much money, it looks like a Dollar shop item.
What gives?

P.S I wish somebody would send in a pair of Leema Xen speakers for review.
OK it is 8" x 5.5", a little bigger, and more expensive. from same era.
Built like a tank, looks like a jewel box, sounds pretty good and clean.

 

[Rottmannash]

We had Radio Shack Minimus 7, Archimago did an excellent writeup:

RETRO-MEASURE: Radio Shack / Realistic / Tandy Minimus 7 speakers (early 1980s, Cat. No. 40-2030A)

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

I have a pair, they were my outdoor speakers for the past few decades. Hard to imagine they sound worse than these fullrangers.

I still have a couple pairs but don't use them anymore...

 

[fpitas]

it looks like a Dollar shop item

I was thinking like so-so DIY, but yeah.

 

[thewas]

On average the ITD dip is more around 1,8 kHz. If you're going to implement a narrow peak like that, then it doesn't make sense to miss the mark.

View attachment 313090
(A Model for Rendering Stereo Signals in the ITD-Range of Hearing - Siegfried Linkwitz).

I also wonder if implementing a resonance is a smart solution for fixing a frequency response issue. Resonances can sound like ringing.

Since he is living in Scandinavia he could cool down the air though in his listening room to approximately -70°C to move the ITD dip from 1.8 to 1.5 kHz to match that resonance peak (the loudspeakers should be kept warm though so that resonance doesn't move too).

 

[MAB]

Since he is living in Scandinavia he could cool down the air though in his listening room to approximately -70°C to move the ITD dip from 1.8 to 1.5 kHz to match that resonance peak (the loudspeakers should be kept warm though so that resonance doesn't move too).

Maybe a non-standard ear separation, or ear-extensions? If you had telescoping ears you could tune the ear to the room temperature, and to the actual response peak. Maybe stereo fullranger enthusiasts will develop extensible ears like Giraffes developing long necks. It doesn't seem much of a stretch to me at this point.

 

[MAB]

True, but we all sit at the sweet spot, dont we ?

I like speakers with sweet-spots larger than a singularity. And, sweet-spot is an artifact of speakers in rooms.
While playing with toe-in and a pinpoint sweet-spot may be fun for certain audiophiles (I used to sell B&W for instance, I know this), it's an odd compromise and not particularly useful for trying to reproduce music, unless you listen alone and find having head-in-vice feels and sounds realistic. Hard to maintain an illusion of realism while small movements alter the FR. Sweet-spot is an excuse, not a feature.

 

[DanielT]

I like speakers with sweet-spots larger than a singularity. And, sweet-spot is an artifact of speakers in rooms.
While playing with toe-in and a pinpoint sweet-spot may be fun for certain audiophiles (I used to sell B&W for instance, I know this), it's an odd compromise and not particularly useful for trying to reproduce music, unless you listen alone and find having head-in-vice feels and sounds realistic. Hard to maintain an illusion of realism while small movements alter the FR. Sweet-spot is an excuse, not a feature.

And if there are more people sitting on the couch listening, what happens then?

Let's say if you happen to have the "bad luck" of having a wife who also wants good sound. War over who will sit in the sweet-spot does not sound like a good recipe for a cozy evening at home with music.

On the other hand, that "bad luck" can turn into "good luck" in terms of how deep you can dig into your wallet when it comes to buying HiFi stuff.

 

[MAB]

And if there are more people sitting on the couch listening, what happens then?

Let's say if you happen to have the "bad luck" of having a wife who also wants good sound. War over who will sit in the sweet-spot does not sound like a good recipe for a cozy evening at home with music.

On the other hand, that "bad luck" can turn into "good luck" in terms of how deep you can dig into your wallet when it comes to buying HiFi stuff.

Agreed.
And tiny sweet spots are actually quite unrealistic and distracting, even if you are all alone.

 

[TonyJZX]

I was thinking like so-so DIY, but yeah.

looks cottage industry

but from their viewpoint its probably been a revenue stream for the last two decades

i am reminded of a speaker i own that probably sounds as 'good' as this

this is what my expectation is of a mass produced speaker that ironically probably was about $50 usd lol

 

[AudioSceptic]

This is a review, listening tests, EQ, and detailed measurements of the Role Audio Skiff compact speaker. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $495 to $545 a pair depending on finish.
View attachment 312769
Can't say there is much to look at especially since the grill is glued/screwed on and can't be removed. It is stated (I think) that it is a single 3" driver with no crossover. Enclosure is 4x6 inches and 5 inches deep -- so quite compact. Back panel shows nothing exciting:
View attachment 312771
Speaker came out circa 2000s but it is still being manufactured and sold.

Role Skiff Speaker Measurement
As usual, we start with our anechoic frequency responses:
View attachment 312772
I expect issues with single drivers and we have them here. There are no less than four very pronounced resonances. What I can't figure out is why there is a directivity error where there would normally be a crossover to a tweeter. I would have expected the directivity index to keep going up, not dip down.

Early window reflections are not pretty:
View attachment 312774
As a result, predicted in-room response suffers as well:
View attachment 312775

Speaker started to make odd sounds and compress, getting distorted before I could get up to 86 dBSPL. So I settled on testing it at 80 and 83 dBSPL when it came to distortion:
View attachment 312776
View attachment 312777

Beamwidth is highly variable, as is directivity in both axis:
View attachment 312778
View attachment 312779

View attachment 312780

Impedance is above average at 7.7 ohm:
View attachment 312781

The flat response to DC indicates no high pass for the little woofer. This may be the reason I was hearing severe distortion at the start of sweeps at higher SPLs.

Waterfall shows clear resonances:
View attachment 312782

Here is our step function:
View attachment 312783

Does this indicate one or two drivers? There seems to be a second blip.

Role Skiff Speaker EQ and Listening Tests
First impression was kind of screechy so out came the EQ:
View attachment 312784

Yes, it is by far more filters than I have ever deployed in a speaker. Despite the quantity, the difference is subtle since I left broad areas intact. The immediate difference with EQ is better clarity and more balanced sound. With the filters in place, I say about 40% of my tracks were listenable and pleasant. Anything with bass would upset the applecart as you can imagine. I performed a lot of tuning in bass and midrange response and got what you see.

Sensitivity of the speaker is quite low so took a lot of power to drive. At the same time, there is a cliff after which distortion sets in.

Conclusions
Once again we have a manufacturer wanting to break the laws of physics. I say they seem to have a decent driver as far as power capability is concerned but otherwise, the concept fails in frequency response as the driver breaks up/resonates. With power of eq we can salvage what is there but I can't see a reason to make it worthwhile unless you really needed such a small speaker.

I can't recommend the Role Audio Skiff.

Manufacturer Specifications:

Single-way compact loudspeaker.
3.5" magnetically shielded paper cone full-range driver.
Rated frequency response: 125Hz - 20kHz (-6dB).
Impedance: 8 Ohms nominal (min. 6.5 Ohm).
Efficiency: 88dB 1 watt/m.
6" x 4" x 5", 3.51bs each.

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I just reread your intro. You say "Enclosure is 4x6 inches and 5 inches deep -- so quite compact." This is not "quite compact" - that would be something like an LS3/5a, or even a bit larger than that - it's tiny!

 

[Toni Mas]

I find a bit ridículous to review crappy stuff like this, but if there are people innocent enough to buy ( probably online and based on self reviews), i admit It makes sense.

 

[fpitas]

I find a bit ridículous to review crappy stuff like this, but if there are people innocent enough to buy ( probably online and based on self reviews), i admit It makes sense.

The $500 price just makes things worse. There's an expectation of quality.

 

[Toni Mas]

The $500 price just makes things worse. There's an expectation of quality.

This is why I dont understand how these guys manage to sell a single pair of these and probably the rest of their catalogue. Their website also stinks like hell!