My room is approximately 35 square meters. It’s rectangular; I’d like to have more space between the speakers to create a wider soundstage and to be able to move the listening position a bit further away, but the proximity to the side walls doesn’t allow it. At least I can place them quite far from the back wall. There’s also plenty of free space behind the listening position, so I don’t have any problems with sound reflections there.
The triangle formed by the speakers and the listening position is about 2 meters on each side. I have an amplifier for music and a 5.1 receiver for home theater, and I use a selector to switch between them. I don’t use a subwoofer; the bass from the 1528 bookshelf speakers is sufficient. I’ve had the 5.1 system for a long time before I got the Arendal speakers; if I were starting from scratch, my setup would probably be 2.0. I love music and movies.
What was your goal when looking for new speakers and subwoofers?
You know… Audiophiliacs are always looking for step further.
WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?
I was quite happy with my previous front speakers. I saw a YouTube video of the 1723 and 1961 series and went to the Arendal website to investigate. They caught my eye and piqued my curiosity. I told a friend and fellow audiophile about the brand, and we bought speakers from both series to try them out.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ARENDAL SOUND?
The reviews were very, very good, and I could test the speakers at home. For me, that´s totally essential.
I was going to keep the 1723 Tower S, as they offered a cleaner and less fatiguing sound than my old ones. Very pleasant.
But right around that time they announced they were releasing a new series, the 1528, and I decided to wait and try them out. My friend did too. We were both amazed by them, and we both have them in our systems.
Before getting to that point, I contacted the guys at Arendal many times. I also watched tons of reviews. All the feedback I received, combined with a reasonable price, top-quality materials, the ability to buy directly without intermediaries who inflate the price, and the chance to try them out in my room for two months, were the reasons I made my decision.
YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRODUCTS?
The 1528 bookshelf speakers deliver a transparent sound. They’re easy to place, I suppose thanks to the HDF cabinet, which doesn’t radiate as much sound out the sides as other speakers. When I play music at high volume, they don’t cause as much ear fatigue as my previous speakers.
It’s true that, at first, coming from floorstanding speakers with 12-inch woofers, I felt the sound from the bookshelf speakers was a bit “small.” I don’t think so anymore. In any case, we all know that hi-fi is a matter of compromise: what you gain in one area, you usually lose in another. In that respect, the Arendal 1528s offer a lot and take away very little. Tower speakers would probably offer that extra edge in a larger room.
WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR SYSTEM CONSIST OF?
My music system consists of a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 streamer and a NAD M23 Class D power amplifier. I expect the next upgrade I’ll make, when the time comes, will be the streamer. I don’t use any analog music sources.
My room has been acoustically treated to reduce reflections and echoes, but I’m sure it could still be improved considerably; I’ve never taken measurements due to a lack of equipment.
HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH ARENDAL SOUND PRODUCTS?
I’m happy with how the system makes me feel right now. I’m really enjoying it. The well-recorded music is very real. I’m sure we’ll be together for a very long time.
