Arendal speaker, front or back?

[neil-h]

Just out of curiosity, wondering if people like the look of the front or back of the Arendal speakers, one side more than the other? I’ve never seen a speaker that has a back side as beautiful as the Arendals 1723 Monitors. They make me want to put a mirror in the back so I can see them all the time. Arendal went above and beyond to make the back of the speakers so beautiful. They could of made a plane flat panel but instead, put great effort into making the back so good looking. Personally, it’s a hard decision for me, maybe a draw.

[laurence-chan]

The 1723 and 1723S series, in my opinion, are designed quite beautifully.  Everything from the looks of the cabinet lines, the grills, drivers, waveguide, rhodium plated jumpers and speaker terminals, floor spikes on the towers, the crossovers, the aluminum backplate, the paint and even the inside being painted, this all screams of quality and detail.  To top it all off, these speakers sound BEAUTIFUL, to me there is no other way to put all of this.  I’m also amazed at the pricing.  These 1723/1723S speaker lines easily compete with speakers 2 to 3 times there price and I took a leap of faith having never heard them.  My choices for new speakers came down to three finalist: Revel Performa3 and Paradigm Prestige(which were discontinued), both of which I had several audition sessions with, and the 1723/1723S which I had never heard.  Everything I stated above as well as James Larson’s reviews on Audioholics are what persuaded me to take that leap of faith without ever having hearing them.  If Arendal Sound weren’t an “internet direct” company, I know these speakers would easily have a much higher MSRP.

[arkmann]

Have had the 1723S towers in black gloss and the 1723 towers in black satin.  I love the look of both fronts with the grilles on.  Can just see the one side with them slightly toed-in which gives a nice contrast with the front.  The 1723 are sharp looking black monoliths that would fit in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[Luis]

I have speakers from the 1961 series and I appreciate their simplistic design and styling.  Although the 1961 line doesn’t have the additional binding posts, large aluminum back plate, etc. as their bigger brothers; their driver mounting screws are completely hidden.  Although some might feel it’s a minor difference, in my opinion and for this reason, I prefer my LCR grilless… it’s a cleaner more modern aesthetic.

[Kristoffer Svendsen]

Interesting takes! I’m also a really big fan of the screw-less fronts on the 1961 series. It looks really clean in my opinion!

[Lukas]

I have to agree with Luis and Kristoffer. As much as I love the 1723 series, the looks of 1961 are just a step above, in my opinion.
The proportions, the sleek look, no visible screws, everything blends, and the matt structured paint.
All in all a very balanced design.