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Home Theatre Upgrade Discussion

Hope you will enjoy them and let us know your impressions.
 
Hope you will enjoy them and let us know your impressions.
Absolutely! I'm slightly nervous as I really want them to blow me away but I know these types of upgrades sometimes are more of a subtle upgrade in reality! If I do like them and decide the net cost is worth it to keep them then i'll look to upgrade the surrounds/rears/heights in the near future too although those 1723 S heights look absolutely huge at 11KG each and not sure about how well they'll fit with my setup as I had all my speaker cables buried in the wall this year and hooked up to speaker wall sockets that sit behind each of the channels....problem for later I guess :)
 
They will definitively be more accurate than Klipsch. But can tell you that all 3 of my kids (proxy for uneducated listeners, not that I did not try though) prefer my Klipsch HT to the other one that has speakers 10x the price. Part of it might be the smaller room with more bass slam, but Klipsch are really fun (though inaccurate) speakers for most non-audiophile audiences if you run them to the tilt.
 
They will definitively be more accurate than Klipsch. But can tell you that all 3 of my kids (proxy for uneducated listeners, not that I did not try though) prefer my Klipsch HT to the other one that has speakers 10x the price. Part of it might be the smaller room with more bass slam, but Klipsch are really fun (though inaccurate) speakers for most non-audiophile audiences if you run them to the tilt.
Yea the Klipsch are definitely enjoyable speakers, they're very engaging which can work quite well for movies...etc I think what has triggered me to upgrade was putting the Dali opticon mk2 on wall LCR speaker as the center channel in my bedroom setup as for dialogue it's considerably better than my RP-600C in the living room despite being a smaller speaker coupled with the fact of being on wall which presents challenges too. The Dali speakers are definitely less lively than the Klipsch but I prefer the sound signature of them, they seem a lot more balanced with midrange more pronounced and I think the Arendals seem more comparable to the Dali than the Klipsch but with (hopefully) other bells & whistles that the the Klipsch & Dali don't possess. For music though I listen to a wide range and find the klipsch quite engaging for string instruments they give the perception of a lot of clarity but for electronic music (which i listen to a lot) they definitely have excellent dynamics but they get a bit too much after about half an hour. Let's see what the Arendals bring and whether the 3 channels were were worth the £3.3K which coincidentally is pretty much the exact same price I paid for all 11 Klipsch channels
 
When you do set them up remember the Klipsch are much more sensitive. So, to really compare them you will have to turn your volume up from your normal level to let the new speakers sing and strut their stuff. Believe it or not I have had many people try out speakers after owning Klipsch and say, gee these new speakers just don't have the punch of the Klipsch. So I tell them oh, try turning the volume up as your new speakers might need some juice to work. I know an unscientific layman's term. So they then crank up the new speakers and 100% of the time (was I lucky?) they would say "It worked". Then they loved their new speakers. I just have to make it so they are comparing them at the same level of volume. I am still jealous and I wish you could have gotten a 2 for one deal and sent me the other set. I would have at least sent you a Christmas card thanking you.;) Yes, sadly I am a speaker whore..........:facepalm:
 
Really good speakers are, in my experience, current sharks. I mean that in the sense that you increase the volumen in a neutral speaker, sounding on a good rooms, and it does not feel like you're overloading the space.
 
Finally the towers arrived and even with no burn in and using the existing calibration I setup for the Klipsch they're already an improvement! Sound is very clear and balanced with no boominess
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Looking at your set up, it looks amazing. You have way, way more speaker than you need. That center is quite big. I like the two subs too! Way to go! That is Spkrdctr approved!
 
Looking at your set up, it looks amazing. You have way, way more speaker than you need. That center is quite big. I like the two subs too! Way to go! That is Spkrdctr approved!
Haha cheers yea these Arendals are massive! Definitely didn't need the 1723 Non-S center channel. Just need to calibrate it all now
 
Finally the towers arrived and even with no burn in and using the existing calibration I setup for the Klipsch they're already an improvement! Sound is very clear and balanced with no boominess
View attachment 417423
Burn in is BS. You get used to the sound, speakers do not change substantially by use.

That said, I am super happy you enjoy your setup and find it more satisfactory, which is exactly the whole point. :)
 
Finally the towers arrived and even with no burn in and using the existing calibration I setup for the Klipsch they're already an improvement! Sound is very clear and balanced with no boominess
I just caught up with your thread but see you made what I believe was one if not the best choices from your original post!
I believe you will be very pleased in the long run. I will warn that after a couple of my friends upgraded from some Klipsch to Revels, the found
the more accurate speakers a little missing on impact but with time learned to appreciate the more accurate presentation.
My only suggestion going forward would be to add some muscle to your base channels. Personally I'd look into something like one of Buckeys multich options, then letting the Denon take on the overhead channel duties.
Enjoy, you got a great multich rig, congrats.
 
I just caught up with your thread but see you made what I believe was one if not the best choices from your original post!
I believe you will be very pleased in the long run. I will warn that after a couple of my friends upgraded from some Klipsch to Revels, the found
the more accurate speakers a little missing on impact but with time learned to appreciate the more accurate presentation.
My only suggestion going forward would be to add some muscle to your base channels. Personally I'd look into something like one of Buckeys multich options, then letting the Denon take on the overhead channel duties.
Enjoy, you got a great multich rig, congrats.
On usual suspect forums, Arendal are trashed because they are not an old legacy manufacturer against Klipsch.

It is one of the most stupid arguments I have ever red. Perlisten is equally recent and that does not reduce a single db on their performance.
 
On usual suspect forums, Arendal are trashed because they are not an old legacy manufacturer against Klipsch.

It is one of the most stupid arguments I have ever red. Perlisten is equally recent and that does not reduce a single db on their performance.
The problem with the 1700 series is they didn't cost enough to get any respect from the "usual suspects". LOL
I've never heard any myself but have read the measurement and reviews both here, at Erin's, "holics" etc they offer some very strong performance in
their price range. Definitely a "must audition" line IMHO
 
Thanks Pareto for your insights i have a few responses/questions;
  • How would I set the X3700H to 4 ohm?
  • Yes I have considered a phased upgrade like you mention, doing LCR then replacing the rest. Looking on Arendal's website they seem to have an excellent return policy that would help me test the brand before fully committing, additionally i see that they have an 'outlet' section on the site where they offer a 10% discount for items they badge as "opened by staff for inspection, unusued" which would help keep the upgrade cost down and I believe comes with the same return rights/warranty as the new product
  • I'm actually quite impulsive when it comes to buying things but the older I get the more sensible i'm becoming (i think) and given the huge expense that is home theatre i'm keen to make the (subjectively) right choice, rather than a quick one
  • In summary, your recommendation would be Arendal? :)

Never set the amp in 4 ohm mode it limits the output to maybe 30 watts or so, and kill tweeters with klipping signals.
Look for that on audioholics website and avr reviews here.
Arendal is a great choice but also a great one will be upgrading your subs also.
Lfe wil have the biggest inpact in movies
 
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The problem with the 1700 series is they didn't cost enough to get any respect from the "usual suspects". LOL
I've never heard any myself but have read the measurement and reviews both here, at Erin's, "holics" etc they offer some very strong performance in
their price range. Definitely a "must audition" line IMHO
I can't wait for complete measurements of their 1528 line of speakers. That may grants us some good laughs.
 
Some just up,
why would you want that ? get ebay used 2nd hand JBL = THX get the JBL sound power , why half the prices and would put those arendal in the corner , get the real mccoy deal JBL is your leader ,m THX get back into the THX/TAP program get those star wars at JBL THX quality , ultimate power in the universe
 
why would you want that ? get ebay used 2nd hand JBL = THX get the JBL sound power
Did I say I was trading in my JBL's ?
 
Some just up,
I'd like to see something more though, kind of what James Larson, Erin or Amir do. Not that I am complaining, they seem to be exceptional speakers, but a bit further detail does not hurt.
 
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