1723 Monitors vs 1723 Towers and 1723 Surrounds vs 1723 Bookshelf S for rears?

Hello Dylan,

This will be a nice setup for sure!

This question pops up quite a bit. So I will take you on the long explanation here, to cover all ifs and buts.

The main difference between the 1723 Tower and 1723 Monitor speakers are how deep they play and the amount of bass they can convey.

If you are going to have a setup without subwoofer(s) in it, then the larger Tower speaker is the way to go, Monitor will be a little too weak for movies, especially in the bass department.

Let’s assume you have one or several subwoofers. In this case it will depend where you can place the subwoofers in your room. If you are only able to place the subwoofers behind or to the side of the listening position, then you will likely have a better integration using the Tower speaker as you can set the crossover frequency lower and thus it will be harder to locate the placement of the subwoofer(s).

If you have subwoofer(s) placed on the front wall where the speakers are, you really have no need for the large Tower unless you are using subwoofers from other brands that are not as dynamic and tight sounding as Arendal Sound subwoofers are. Our subwoofers will meld into the soundstage of the Monitor speakers making them sound like huge speakers. There is really no gain opting with the Tower speakers in this configuration, well unless you simply like the looks of them.

For back surround, we normally recommend the surround speakers also here, but if you will be placing them more than 2 meters / 6 feet away, our bookshelf speakers are a fine option.

This is because you start to lose the enveloping “bubble” effect of our TriAxial design the farther away they are positioned. So if the distance between the side walls or the MLP and rear wall fit the above criteria, consider our bookshelves.

As a bonus, our 1723 Surround and 1723 Surround (S) offer the option to operate in standard monopol mode.By just disconnecting the jumpers between the terminals and hooking up the speaker wires to the lower binding posts you can decide what sounds best to your ears.A very versatile speaker that can be used in a variety of setups.

To sum up, choosing the right surround speakers will mostly depend on your room, speaker placement options, and of course, personal preference.

Have a nice day Dylan!