Ambassador Isaac

HOW IS YOUR ROOM SET UP?

16.5 ft x 30 ft x 7.7 ft Dedicated home theater room. It will be remodeled eventually to be more soundproof and nicer looking. We use the setup to listen to music, watch movies, and play video games. Mostly movies and TV shows.

While watching movies or listening to music, I have to sit right in the center home theater chair that is about 12′ from the Center+ 8. It can be a battle to get to that seat sometimes, because everyone loves sitting there.

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

I currently have the 1528 Center+ 8 and plan to purchase the 1528 Tower 8s (L&R), 1528 Bookshelf 8 for rear surrounds, and 1528 Slim 8’s for side surrounds.

I started my speaker upgrade with the center channel because dialogue is such a crucial part of movies, and this has been one of the best upgrades I’ve ever made. Every time we watch a movie that we have seen before, we notice things in the dialogue, fx, or score that we haven’t noticed before. Same goes for music that we listen in a multi-channel setup.

I went from a Zu Cube as my center channel to the Center+ 8 because I wanted a speaker that was large enough to fill my room and still be clear and able to handle dynamic range well.

WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?

A guy in my local home theater enthusiasts Facebook group has a pair of the 1723 towers, center THX, and surround THX speakers, and he invited me to his house to check them out. I think he was one of the only people in Utah that owned a setup of Arendal speakers. He demoed some movie clips, and I was blown away. I hadn’t heard such clear and precise dialogue in a home theater before.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ARENDAL SOUND?

After checking out my friend’s setup, I watched videos on Facebook and YouTube about the 1528s from several online influencer/home theater enthusiasts. I’ll be honest, I was nervous about paying $5K+ for speakers from a fairly new company in Norway. My wife was always complaining about our Zu Cube’s ability to put out clear enough dialogue during movies to understand them properly. We were putting on subtitles every time we watched movies. So one day I decided to just take the chance, and I decided to get the Center+8.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRODUCTS?

My friends and family were shocked by how big and heavy the box was when the center speaker arrived. I got it properly hooked up and calibrated with my other existing speakers. My wife and I were astonished by how clean and clear everything became. We didn’t need subtitles anymore when watching movies. We did some A/B testing between the 1528 Center+ 8 and the Zu Cube, and the difference was night and day.

My boys came downstairs, and I demoed Ready Player One for them, and they had huge grins on their faces. I knew then that I made the right choice.

Movies sound very expansive compared to our old Zu Cube. It is like the room opened up, and now it sounds larger. When I am listening to music, it sounds like I’m in a live concert. The vocals and instruments are as detailed and clear as I imagine they can be.

One of the craziest things about the Center+ 8 is how it is able to hit the full range of a loudspeaker, but in a center channel. There isn’t any noticeable distortion or issues when pushing this speaker. My old Zu Cube would get distorted when pushed to higher volumes, and it couldn’t hit anything lower than about 80hz, but the Arendal Center+ 8 can go way lower. I noticed that the bass keeps pace with my L&R Zu Presence speakers. The Zu Cube is pretty solidly built, but the Center+ 8 takes build quality to another level. It is like a tank, but in a good way. Beautiful design and very capable too.

Something that surprised me is that when watching a movie, and a character would walk offscreen and the dialogue switched from the Center+ 8 to the Zu Tower Presence L& R speakers, there was a strong tonal and clarity shift. The dialogue on the Zu speakers just didn’t sound as good. I was bummed I don’t have the 1528 tower 8 speakers yet. One day, I hope to complete the Arendal setup.

WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR SYSTEM CONSIST OF?

• Processor / AVR: Denon X3600H (Powers Atmos SVS Ultra Evolution Elevation x2 and rear L & R)
• Amplifier: Anthem MCA 325 Gen 2
• Source devices: 4K Bluray Player: Oppo 203; Gaming Systems: XBOX Series X and Nintendo Switch 1 & 2
• Subwoofer: SVS PB-17 Ultra
• Other: ATS Screen: Severtson 153″; Bass Shaker AMP: Fosi Audio ZA3 x 2; Bass Shakers: Dayton Audio BST-300EX x4; Power Conditioner: Panamax MR5100
• Display: Projector: Valerion Max
• Future upgrades: 1528 Tower 8 (L & R); 1528 Bookshelf 8 x 2 (RL & RR); 1528 Slim 8’s x 2 or 4 (SL & SR); More amps to power the speakers; JVC Projector

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH ARENDAL SOUND PRODUCTS?

So far, I have loved my 1528 Center+ 8, and I can’t wait to hear the 1528 Tower 8s and others in the lineup. Hopefully, I can get them sooner rather than later.

I am extremely happy with my Center+ 8 purchase, and it is the right center channel speaker for my room. It is the biggest upgrade that my home theater has received so far, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the 1528 towers will blow me away when I get them. I honestly cannot wait until I can pick up the rest of Arendal’s 1528 line to complete my home theater setup.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

When I purchased my Zu Audio speakers almost 20 years ago, I thought I had my end game speaker company, but after hearing the Arendal center channel, I think I may have really found my end game speaker company.

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