Arendal 1723 Speaker Review

[Beershaun]

That's fantastic that they are sending you this speaker for review. It seems very solid and high performing. One thing I doubt understand is the port frequency response. It seems very low volume and not having much if any impact on the low frequency extension. Am I understanding that right? If so why would that be?

 

[amirm]

It seems very low volume and not having much if any impact on the low frequency extension. Am I understanding that right? If so why would that be?

I manually adjust those levels. So you can't rely on that. There are two ports also. What I measured is one. The other would add to it.

 

[JSmith]

Nice to see these measured on the Klippel @amirm confirming their performance status.

Some pics;

JSmith

 

[Doodski]

Nice to see these measured on the Klippel @amirm confirming their performance status.

Some pics;

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JSmith

To summarize, all Arendal Sound crossovers have the same characteristics:

• 24dB/octave slopes.
• Heavy gauge, low DCR air-core coils.
• Metalized Polypropylene capacitors.
• High power, low inductance wire wound resistors.
• Wide, 1oz copper traces on 1.6mm thick FR4 PCBs.
• Low inductance, low insertion loss, twisted-pair wiring.

 

[Doodski]

@JSmith check out the braided conductor going into the voice coil. It's zig zagged. First time I have ever seen that. Very different.

 

[paulgyro]

Controlled vertical dispersion? Really? More like "Out of control" vertical dispersion. The first Corian D'Appolito loudspeaker I ever designed and built was from that book. I also have Dunlavy SC-1's in storage. I bought those in 1996.

The data presented above nor the THX Ultra certification (which has strict vertical dispersion) agreed with your "out of control" assertion.

 

[voodooless]

@JSmith check out the braided conductor going into the voice coil. It's zig zagged. First time I have ever seen that. Very different.

That’s actually the cheap version. Some have them weaved into the spider.

Pretty good performance overall though.

 

[Chromatischism]

So many companies seem to fall in the trap of having a flat on-axis frequency response above 2kHz combined with constant directivity...this always equals a bright in-room sound.

I wouldn't say always. No one has ever said this speaker sounded bright.

 

[Geert]

The data presented above nor the THX Ultra certification (which has strict vertical dispersion) agreed with your "out of control" assertion.

According to the vertical directivity plot, 'controlled vertical directivity' between what, 400 Hz to 1100 Hz? Ignoring the fact that in this range directivity goes from about 75° to 20°, and the strong irregularity from 600Hz on where directivity becomes highly frequency dependent (worst case shooting back to 130°). I think these days we have higher requirements for 'controlled dispersion'.

And what are the THX vertical dispersion specifications (angle and frequency range)?

 

[Geert]

I wouldn't say always. No one has ever said this speaker sounded bright.

Indeed. Because they have better directivity in the mid range...

 

[Deleted member 49933]

Might disappoint you but it meets the design criteria @ 80 hz and above.

This is marketed as a THX certified speaker and it's performing no better than conventional ones.
The 96dB THD test is still 9dB below referente level at 1 freaking meter.
I'm not saying it sucks, but Klipsch offers less distortion at a lower price.

How come when it comes to amps, you shout out loud SINAD!!!, but with speakers you just look at FR?
Isn't that a little incoherent?

 

[voodooless]

This is marketed as a THX certified speaker and it's performing no better than conventional ones.

THX certification is just paying for the label and having some basic tests done. It doesn't say that the speakers are any better than others without the label.

The 96dB THD test is still 9dB below referente level at 1 freaking meter.

That is for peaks, this test is quit different.

I'm not saying it sucks, but Klipsch offers less distortion at a lower price.

What Klipsch?

For that matter, the 5.25" Genelec 8030C does better even, with better than .5% THD below 150 Hz. No need for dual 8" clearly if you don't intend to play louder than that.

 

[DSJR]

I wouldn't say that's especially good for the price asked these days - and it's a passive speaker made in the (cheaper) far east too, a box on a stand as the tweeter must be at ear level for best reception.. I got stung once with a floor standing MTM design where the tweeter basically fired into the listener's knees if sat too close, so forgive my negativity here.

Mind you, Tune Tots are worse on paper and cost four times as much...

 

[Tangband]

I wouldn't say that's especially good for the price asked these days - and it's a passive speaker made in the (cheaper) far east too, a box on a stand as the tweeter must be at ear level for best reception.. I got stung once with a floor standing MTM design where the tweeter basically fired into the listener's knees if sat too close, so forgive my negativity here.

Mind you, Tune Tots are worse on paper and cost four times as much...

The smaller and cheaper Arendal center speaker seems to be a bargain though. Since the main use for those speakers are home cinema, they gonna be crossed at 80 Hz to a subwoofer anyway and the bass performance is maybe less important If you have a smaller room. Here is some comparisons regarding distortion:

Arendal 1961 Center/Monitor Speaker Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and measurements of the Arendal 1961 Center or Left & Right speaker. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $599 each or $1,099 a pair. This is a surprisingly compact speaker but is built like a tank. The enclosure feels like cast...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Multicore]

While I liked it with the filter, I must say the higher level of detail without it was rather captivating. Our youngest son was here so I had him listen. He definitely thought without the filter it was too bright for him and had strong preference for the EQ.

Ah, the science of preference curves, eh? To me the most interesting thing about the study preference is not the central tendency but the variation and what about the individuals might predict their individual deviations. In this case an obvious possibility is age.

 

[pierre]

With a light EQ, you can optimise the speaker quiet a bit since the DI is pretty flat before 10k.
Score goes from 5.0 to 6.5 with EQ (and resp. 7.1 and 8.1 with the same EQ and a perfect subwoofer).
The histograms show improvement on ON, LW and PIR at the same time, both full range and over mid-range.
So if you want an MTM this one is not bad.

P.

EQ for Arendal Sound 1723 Monitor THX computed from ASR data
Preference Score 5.07 with EQ 6.48
Generated from http://github.com/pierreaubert/spinorama/generate_peqs.py v0.23
Dated: 2023-07-04-15:03:31

Preamp: -3.0 dB

Filter  1: ON LS Fc    63 Hz Gain +3.00 dB Q 0.75
Filter  2: ON PK Fc   309 Hz Gain +1.27 dB Q 1.27
Filter  3: ON PK Fc   790 Hz Gain +0.79 dB Q 1.29
Filter  4: ON PK Fc  1394 Hz Gain +2.65 dB Q 3.23
Filter  5: ON PK Fc  1822 Hz Gain -1.90 dB Q 1.95
Filter  6: ON PK Fc  3216 Hz Gain -0.84 dB Q 4.33
Filter  7: ON PK Fc 14473 Hz Gain -1.04 dB Q 0.74

 

[sarumbear]

I think it's the least bad way to employ 2 of the same woofer to gain sensitivity...

Why? Why would that not be the case on 2.5 way design? @amirm says the expected low distortion (of the bass frequencies) of the MTM design; a 2.5 way design will have the exact low distortion.

My view is the manufacturer's marketing department wanted to kill two birds with one stone: they want to market the speaker as a centre speaker as well. Otherwise how can a manufacturer that has the ability to build a speaker with the following response...

can say the following (as posted by @agave) while delivering the following response.

Lowering the crossover point, removed concerns about turning the 1723 Monitor on it’s side for use in the horizontal format under a screen. As such, the 1723 Center is the same speaker as the 1723 Monitor but sold separately and with the grill badges moved for aesthetic purposes.

 

[sarumbear]

Nice to see these measured on the Klippel @amirm confirming their performance status.

Some pics;

View attachment 296675

View attachment 296676

View attachment 296678

View attachment 296677


JSmith

Self branded capacitors! They are aiming to or already selling a lot of these then...

 

[Robbo99999]

My thoughts on this speaker: it may be low distortion in the bass (& elsewhere), but there is not a lot of bass at all - it starts rolling off slowly at 80Hz, and it's 5dB down at 52Hz already. So if low distortion is supposed to the main attraction of this speaker vs other competent speakers, then I don't understand this speaker, because you'd have to combine it with a subwoofer(s) due to lack of bass, at which point you're taking away the whole point of the speakers power handling & low distortion in the bass - because there are plenty of bookshelves that can play loud & at low distortion when combined with a subwoofer, and they'd be bookshelves with better horizontal & vertical directivity (because not MTM) and they probably wouldn't cost as much either, and their frequency response can be just as good if not better.......so I don't really understand this product in terms of it's benefit.

 

[normanu]

Seems you are guys are quite negative only going on the measurements?
I have the 1723S speakers and they are definitely very good.
My previous speakers where PMC IB2i which I loved but where to big.
This is a different sound, but for sure its not bright.