Ambassador Kees

HOW IS YOUR ROOM SET UP?

My room is 8 meters wide and 6 meters deep. It started out as a home theater, but since Corona, it also doubles as my home office. My movie watching has become less and less over the years, and now it’s 98% music. My listening position is optimized for surround sound.

What was your goal when looking for new speakers and subwoofers?

Speakers that would improve upon my 30-year-old full-range speakers and 18″ subwoofer. I was looking for the feel of a good rock concert on the one hand, and high-end detail on the other.

WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?

I was introduced to Arendal by watching two channels on YouTube: Jay’s Iyagi and Audioholics. That was around the time the 1528 Series was launched. The design and very positive reviews made me follow Arendal on YouTube and social media.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ARENDAL SOUND?

For over 30 years, I listened to five full-range speakers that were built by a friend and later modified by another. I had already compared them with speakers more expensive than Arendal, but they were no match for what I had. After watching various Arendal reviews, I thought I had to give it a try. And now I’m the proud owner of five 1610 Tower 8’s and two 1723 Subwoofer 2S’s.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRODUCTS?

The build quality and sound quality of the 1610 Tower 8 and 1723 Subwoofer 2S are phenomenal. They look, feel, and sound like premium products. I very much like the Basalt finish.

WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR SYSTEM CONSIST OF?

I stream all music from my NAS through an LHY AS-6 switch to my Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition Gen 2 audio streamer. This is the only streamer on the market that handles 5.1 audio files. My preamp is an Anthem AVM-90. For power amps, I use three stereo NAD M23s.

All sources are connected to an AudioQuest Niagara 5000 power conditioner with AudioQuest power cables. All interconnects and speaker cables are from Kimber Kable.

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH ARENDAL SOUND PRODUCTS?

I’ve calibrated the system with ARC Genesis and am still tweaking it for the best results. What strikes me most is the awesome holographic surround bubble when playing surround audio (5.2). Having five identical speakers supported by two subs is truly jaw-dropping, and I can strongly recommend this setup.

When playing in stereo (2.2), the ‘air’ around the instruments is something I have never heard this well in my system before. Voices are very articulate, and the bass is heavy but well-controlled.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

I held off on ordering Arendal because of the size and weight of the speakers, as I had to get them to the first floor via the stairs. In the end, I’m glad I ordered them and want to thank three friends (you know who you are) who helped me with the heavy lifting and setup.

Setup details