Ambassador Eugene

HOW IS YOUR ROOM SET UP?

Small, basic, multi-purpose guest room measuring 9.5’W x 13’D x 8’H with a listening position of about 7′ from bookshelf speakers. The primary use of the room is for music listening.

The room is fully carpeted with no real room treatment besides furniture and books. As a multi-purpose room, I haven’t found issues working on my laptop while listening to music in the background. The 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers are pretty forgiving in seating position listening, and so it fits very well for my use cases in the room, including building Lego!

WHAT WAS YOUR GOAL WHEN LOOKING FOR NEW SPEAKERS AND SUBWOOFERS?

The search was for a pair of 3-way bookshelf speakers that provided a wide soundstage with detail and, at the same time having good dynamic and body to the music without needing a subwoofer. A speaker that plays well with different music genre was also important.

WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?

In my journey, I discovered Arendal Sound mainly from Jay’s Iyagi, Audioholics, Thomas & Stereo, and Nemo Audio Project YouTube channels, to name a few. The sheer size of the 3-way 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers was definitely what caught my attention, followed by the design and fair pricing. It was built to last and to provide endless listening joy.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ARENDAL SOUND?

Ultimately, I chose Arendal Sound because of the assurance I felt through my research that the design team had put great consideration and passion into the design of the 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers, that it resonated through those that listened and talked about it. The speakers stood on its own and shine for what it was designed to be.

That was also enforced through the confidence and transparency of the company to back the product with first-class delivery, which I felt was very important, especially for a direct-to-consumer model.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRODUCTS?

The 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers truly surpassed my expectations in so many aspects. The build quality was amazing, with a sound quality to match!

When listening to the album “SERIOUS HITS… LIVE!” by Phil Collins, the vocals had great clarity, with instruments sounding real and true, which gave me the feeling of being at a live concert. The solo drum on the song “In The Air Tonight” was jaw-droppingly good!

The full-range 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers plays different music genre effortlessly without ear fatigue over a long listening session. Time just flies blissfully and bring smiles to everyone listening.

The bass goes deep, precise, and tight that I didn’t need to add a subwoofer to my stereo system setup.

Artist: Madonna
Album: Something to Remember
Track: Rain
Impression: Amazing bass with crystal-clear vocals. At 3:12 into the song, there is a speech portion that hops between the left and right speakers, it sounds holographic and amazing!

Artist: Yello
Album: Touch Yello
Track: Kiss in Blue (feat. Heidi Happy)
Impression: This track covers a lot of ground, to the greatness of the 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers. Instruments swirling around, deep bass, forward female and male vocals all wrap in a very wide soundstage with depth! Splendid!

Artist: MISIA
Album: Super Best Records – 15th Celebration
Track: Aitakute Ima
Impression: MISIA’s powerful vocal sends goose bumps every time I listen to her. Powerful performance that sounds like she is singing right in front of you!

WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR SYSTEM CONSIST OF?

• Amplifier: SMSL VMV A1 Pro x 2 (Mono blocks)
• Source devices: Eversolo DMP-A8 Master Gen 2
• Other: Speaker Stands – NorStone STYLUM SQUARE

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH ARENDAL SOUND PRODUCTS?

My experience with Arendal Sound and the 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers have been top-notch all the way. Premium quality speakers at fair price, bundle with excellent customer support, Arendal Sound got you covered. Highly recommended!

Thank you for bringing the joy of music listening back to my life!

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

This journey of speaker selection has been an interesting experience for me, to say the least. I was looking into getting a stereo system set up in my small room measuring about 9.5’W x 13’L x 8’H in dimensions, which narrowed down to a bookshelf speaker size, as a tower would very likely introduce bass problems. I didn’t want to add a subwoofer if at all possible, and so I decided to look into a 3-way design speakers, and to my surprise, there are not many out there! Might actually be a good thing, less distraction for me. Upon listening to a mixture of bookshelf speakers at my local dealers, the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G stood out to me the most. It sounded was very good (airy and detail but I wanted a bit more body to the sound, and the bass was good enough for me), and the speakers is an eye-catcher for sure! This led me on a hunt for a speaker that could give that little extra body I wanted, which was how I first stumbled on the brand Arendal Sound online.

I found quite a handful of online materials and video talking about the Arendal speakers, but mainly on the flagship 1528 speakers. It gave me a very good impression and some insight into the Arendal Sound company. This was when I found out Arendal Sound is a direct-to-customer sales model, and it would be hard to physically listen to one before committing. At this time, I had my eyes on the 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers. I really appreciated that there was a 60-day home audition, but in me I still wanted to know more about this Arendal speakers, there is just something intriguing about it. It’s like the speakers were telling me to temporarily look beyond the simplistic / minimalistic though functional look… there are more to it that meets the eye. So the discovery started (there are very limited resources since the speakers are still very new), but boy, I was so glad I did just that!

The journey became like a virtual meet and greet so to speak, each time to learn more about the speaker’s capabilities, requirements, the thoughts that went into creating the speakers, etc… they all started to give me confidence and resonated with all the tiny details that went into the speaker design. It was simply amazing, and I felt the speakers is what I was looking for. I really enjoyed watching the technical video sessions Thomas Gunvaldsen did, as it not only showcase the amazing thoughts in design but also shows the passion given to the speakers at Arendal Sound. I was really impressed with the crossover component in the speakers as well. At this point, I was 98% certain the 1610 Bookshelf 8 would be a good match for me, and the tipping review by Jay’s Iyagi on “Don’t Buy the WRONG Hi-Fi Speakers! Top 3 Choices for Home Audio” did it. Call it coincidence, but one of the speakers on the list was the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G too. His remarks resonated with my earlier findings and solidified my decision.

Fast forward, and it has been about 1.5 weeks since I got the speakers, and it doesn’t disappoint one bit. I’m truly enjoying all the music I throw at it from different genres, it performs amazingly. What was once information on a piece of paper translated perfectly to the real world that is pure bliss. What I envisioned through the whole process was the reality to what I wanted is pure satisfaction. The music is presented in such a wide stage, it has depth, detail, dynamics, and body that wraps you in the song it’s amazing, just like a live concert at times too! Instruments sounds true, real, and believable. Bass is jaw-dropping good, deep and not muddy… not needing to add a subwoofer, check!

I’m really glad to be able to experience music on a new level with Arendal Sound. I wish Arenal Sound the best, and once again thank you very much for all your assistance in making my journey complete.

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