Starting from Scratch

[Bill DePalma]

My basement Home theater was destroyed over the Christmas holidays, a busted pipe allowed 3 feet of water to invade my basement HT taking out a good portion of my gear. The theater was a front projection, 7.1.4 atmos system with Marantz separates for power and processing. The speakers were  DefTech for LCR and a number of different brands for the rest. Given the opportunity to upgrade my speakers I have decided on the Arendals for LCR but am on the fence about keeping it all Arendal. The theater is mostly for movies but also 2 channel music. If I go all Arendal my budget is going to explode but perhaps it is worth it to keep it all in the family. I don’t listen loud and I have a penchant for old films. That’s my story, would love your input. Thanks

Bil

[Luis Vazquez]

Welcome to the community and sorry to hear about the damage to your basement during the Christmas Holiday.   What size is the room?

[Bill DePalma]

Luis

thanks, excited to get this going. My theater is a little odd since it is open on one side. The dimensions are 14’ deep, 9’ high, 20’ wide but open on the right side to a total of 30’ wide. It will be carpeted and while not sound treated it is a soft space, black velvet curtains on most of the walls. I like it or I liked it before the flood. I never loved the Def Techs, so am looking forward to a fresh sound. Not bass crazy but miss it when it is not there. Only had a 12” SVS before, but the DefTechs LCR’s were bass amplified. I am looking at the 1723 monitors and center for the mains. Thanks

[Luis Vazquez]

Safe to assume you’re also looking at a subwoofer or two?  Asking as the monitors will not have enough bass output to properly pressurize that space.  If you wish to skip the subwoofers, then I would consider the 1723 s or 1723 towers with the center from the same line for that size of a room.

[Bill DePalma]

Yes, thinking about the 1961 Arendal or 2 small svs 1000 subs. I am guessing that might not be enough?

[Luis Vazquez]

My son has the SVS SB-1000-Pro in a similar sized room as mine and we prefered the Arendal 1961 1v; we tried both in my room.  The Arendal sounded great with music, yet could go much deeper when the soundtrack asked for it.  Fit and finish of the Arendal subwoofer is much better than the SVS, but you do have the convenience of the phone app with SVS.  Warranty is 10 years on cabinet and driver, with 5 years on the amp from Arendal; I believe SVS is 5 years all around.  My room is 10′ 11″ wide x 15′ 7″ long with 10′ ceilings is treated with GiK acoustic panels and bass traps, and I’m considering a second 1961 1v to even out the bass response across the seating area.  For your size room, I would probably go with the larger / more powerful 1723 subs or possibly four 1961 subwoofers; one in each “corner” of the room.  You have a lot of airspace to pressurize, so dual 1723 subwoofers might be the ticket, but four 1961 1v subwoofers might solve room modes easier and price wise within the same ballpark as two 1723 subs.  Fingers crossed someone from Arendal weighs in here as I’m curious as to their recommendations.

With a single 1v the system hit 106db rather easily with the volume know just north of half way, wasn’t uncomfortably loud as average was 85db, but the system didn’t strain at all… I could go higher, but there wasn’t a need.  I usually listen at lower volumes, but it’s good to know that I have the headroom when needed.

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[Bill DePalma]

Luis, thanks great advice

I knew I was cheating out on the subs but was not considering 4, but you make great points.

what are your feelings about keeping the surrounds and heights all Arendal?

at the moment I only have the budget to go Arendal as LCR and maybe 1 Arendal sub. The 1723 subs are quite big and heavy and getting them into my space will be a challenge. Thanks so much for your input

[Luis Vazquez]

I’m a fan of all timbre matched speakers, so I would stick with Arendal; I’m running the 1961 towers, center, surrounds, heights and 1v subwoofer.  In my previous setup, my LCR were from one brand and my surrounds from another… there was always a difference in tone when the sound field panned into the surrounds and effect channels, now it’s 100% seamless.

That being said, representatives from Arendal may provide additional feedback, but from my understanding, the 1961 line is timbre matched to the 1723 line, so you should be able to use the 1961 surrounds and heights with the 1723 line if budget is a constraint.  Keep in mind that you may loose the ability to hit the same impact with the 1961 line as the 1723, but they should be timbre matched or as close as possible.  That being said, there is nothing stopping you from initially purchasing the 1723 LCR, then adding surrounds and heights as the budget allows.  Many options for you to purchase as budget allows… you just need to make wise decisions with the end goal in mind.

Glad I could help… it’s exactly what the community is for.

[Bill DePalma]

Super advice, thanks

[laurence-chan]

If you want to maintain voice matching, as well as having a seemless sound field from speaker to speaker, then stay with the same series of whatever manufacturer you choose.  Arendal different series are all supposed to be voice matched, so mixing and matching their speakers is more budget friendly than most other manufacturers.  I have mixed the 1723 and 1723 S series and they are most certainly seemless in my 7.x.4 setup.

Checkout the Arendal outlet for even more budget savings.

ARENDAL SOUND OUTLET

 

[Bill DePalma]

Good to hear, I will be mixing the 1723 LCR’s with the 1961 surrounds. Not exactly what you are recommending but hopefully it will work out. Thanks for your advice