I live with my family in a house just outside Stockholm. We moved here from an apartment around the time our son was born.
When we moved, I was on parental leave, which gave me an excellent opportunity to make some improvements to our new home. One of these was to convert parts of the garage into a room fully dedicated to music, movies, and video games – a long-held dream of mine. The result was a 20-square-meter room with a custom-built bookshelf for films, records, and games at one end, as well as a recessed 77-inch TV.
At the time, my speaker setup was, to put it mildly, a Frankenstein build – a mishmash with no clear sonic consistency: Totem stand-mount speakers in the rear, KEF floorstanders in the front, a JAMO center, and a JL Audio subwoofer. As you might imagine, the soundstage was unbalanced, both in stereo and surround, and it was obvious that something was missing. There I was, with a new dedicated “listening room,” but without sound that matched my ambitions. The question was simply: where should I start, and what should I replace? Was there a manufacturer that could truly meet my expectations for sound in movies, music, and video games alike?
What was your goal when looking for new speakers and subwoofers?
I was mainly looking for two things:
Versatile gear that sounded great – suitable both for music, games and movies
Gear that looks right and has the right size, suitable for a 20 square feet room. That is, nice quality build, not too big, but not too small either.
Of course, the price must be within my budget range.
WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US?
A friend then recommended Arendal, pointing to strong reviews, high quality, and an attractive price thanks to direct-to-consumer sales. I’ll admit I was skeptical about buying speakers online without the opportunity to audition them, but the combination of the reviews and the generous satisfaction guarantee convinced me to take the leap.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ARENDAL SOUND?
My friend really recommended me to look you up (and he is really picky with speakers, so I trusted his recommendation). The raving reviews sealed the deal for me, along with a really nice price tag, as it is factory direct. You also had a generous return if you don’t like them-offer.
YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRODUCTS?
That concern [about delivery] turned out to be completely unfounded. The gear arrived on time, extremely well packaged.
Today, I am more than satisfied. Arendal delivers the sound I have truly been longing for, whether it’s movies, music, concerts, or video games. The system is now far more balanced, and in particular the upgrade to stereo sound – with new front speakers and a subwoofer – has made an enormous difference.
The most recent upgrade was this past summer, when I replaced the cartridge on my turntable with an Ortofon 2M Bronze. This made my Arendal speakers sing even more, in a way I had never experienced before – with incredible presence in vocals and guitar.
All in all, there is really only one thing I regret – that I didn’t discover Arendal earlier. The speakers and subwoofers are fantastic, the delivery smooth and exemplary, and the build quality has exceeded my expectations by a wide margin.
WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR SYSTEM CONSIST OF?
My equipment:
Front: Arendal 1723 TOWER S THX
Center: Arendal 1723 CENTER THX
Surround (sides): Arendal 1723 SURROUND S THX
Height x4: KEF R50
Surround (rear): Totem Model 1
Subwoofer: Arendal 1723 SUBWOOFER 1V
Turntable: Pro-Ject RPM 1
Phono preamp: Pro-Ject Audio Phono Box S3 B
Cassette deck: Pioneer CT-656
CD player: Marantz SA-11S3
AV receiver: Marantz SR-8012
Power amplifier: Parasound Halo A31
4K Blu-ray: Panasonic DP-UB9000
TV: LG CX 77″
Cabling: Supra
HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH ARENDAL SOUND PRODUCTS?
Today, I am more than satisfied. Arendal delivers the sound I have truly been longing for, whether it’s movies, music, concerts, or video games. The system is now far more balanced, and in particular the upgrade to stereo sound – with new front speakers and a subwoofer – has made an enormous difference.
Anything else you’d like to share?
The next step will be to replace my two pairs of KEF Atmos speakers with Arendal 1723 Height S. With that, I will also reach my goal of a fully balanced, Arendal-based home theater system.
