DESIGNED WITH NORWEGIAN PASSION
FWD Magazine visits Arendal HQ for the 1610 launch.
Over the past decade, several audio companies have emerged outside the traditional hi-fi industry. Arendal Sound, founded in 2015, is a perfect example. Rather than building budget products, the company focuses on expertly engineered premium loudspeakers sold directly to consumers. Even their massive tower speakers bypass traditional retail channels. But what does such an audio company actually look like behind the scenes? We traveled to Norway to find out.
A Company Rooted in Arendal
When we say we’re traveling to Arendal, it has a double meaning. Arendal Sound is headquartered in the municipality of Arendal itself, a picturesque yet modest harbor town in southern Norway, about an hour from Kristiansand. Many travelers know Kristiansand as the arrival point for ferries from Denmark. From there, countless visitors continue north toward Norway’s breathtaking western fjords.
Oslo, home to several well-known audio brands, lies more than four hours away in the opposite direction. Arendal certainly doesn’t feel like a big city, especially during our visit. In fact, getting there was something of an adventure. The day before our departure, Schiphol Airport had been largely shut down due to snowfall. Yet the amount of snow in the Netherlands was only a fraction of what awaited us in Norway.
For a moment, we wondered whether the trip would happen at all. Fortunately, it did. Norwegians seemed completely unfazed by the weather. While the drive over snow-covered roads felt nerve-racking to this Belgian journalist, Arendal Sound founder Jan Ove Lassesen, who was behind the wheel, treated it as just another ordinary workday.
The fact that Arendal Sound is based here is no coincidence. Jan was born and raised in the area and is clearly deeply attached to it. That connection is reflected in the names of the company’s speaker series, each named after a year significant to the city’s history. This affection for Arendal is also embodied in the company’s motto, prominently displayed in the entrance hall: “From Norway With Love.”
As journalists, we’re accustomed to hearing carefully crafted marketing pitches during company visits. Here, however, things felt different. Jan and his team certainly have a story they want to tell, but they present it with a refreshingly straightforward and down-to-earth approach. Communication is open, direct, and honest.
The New Experience Center
FWD was just one of several magazines and websites invited to visit Arendal Sound, each on different dates. Jan wanted to demonstrate that his company is far more than a brand that simply purchases speakers from a factory and applies a logo.
While manufacturing takes place in China — “It’s simply too expensive to do it in Norway,” Jan explains — research and development are conducted at the company’s headquarters. A key figure in this effort is Thomas Gunvaldsen, Arendal’s Product and Technical Manager. Thomas has been involved with Arendal Sound since the beginning, having previously worked for Jan’s former distribution company before Arendal began designing its own loudspeakers.
The company’s offices are surprisingly spacious. That’s particularly notable considering that many employees work remotely from different countries, while only three people regularly use the Norwegian office. The warehouse is located elsewhere as well, with Arendal speakers actually shipping from the Netherlands.
The available space has been transformed into a brand-new Experience Center, complete with an attractive listening room and a large showroom displaying the company’s speaker ranges and impressive subwoofers, another Arendal specialty.
We spent an enjoyable hour in the listening room experiencing the then-unannounced 1610 Tower 8 speakers powered by robust Hegel amplification. Fittingly, Hegel is also a Norwegian company.
“They’re people we enjoy working with, and their amplifiers pair exceptionally well with our speakers.” — Thomas Gunvaldsen, on Hegel
An Experience Center may seem like an unusual investment for an internet-direct brand. “We’ll use it for our team, but also for future events with our ambassadors and customers,” Jan says.
That ambassador program is another distinctive aspect of Arendal. Around the world, many customers are so enthusiastic about their systems that they voluntarily act as brand ambassadors. It’s not a formal role, but rather an expression of pride in owning an Arendal system.
Thanks to Klippel
One of Arendal’s primary goals during our visit was to demonstrate how thoughtfully and scientifically their loudspeakers are designed.
To develop the 1528 Series and later the 1610 range, Arendal invested in a Klippel measurement system capable of performing Spinorama measurements. It’s an advanced and expensive setup that relatively few companies have adopted.
The Klippel Near Field Scanner (NFS) uses a robotic arm equipped with a measurement microphone that captures hundreds or even thousands of measurements at close range around a loudspeaker. These measurements are combined to create an extremely detailed picture of the speaker’s radiation characteristics. Because the measurements are taken so close to the speaker, room effects are effectively eliminated. As a result, testing can be conducted in any reasonably large room without requiring a prohibitively expensive anechoic chamber.
Of course, the system itself isn’t cheap. Prices often exceed €100,000 — a significant investment for a relatively small loudspeaker manufacturer.
“For the 1610 Series, it dramatically accelerated the development process. It’s not only about speed; accuracy improves as well. When you’re constantly revising crossover designs and driver configurations, that’s a huge advantage.” — Thomas Gunvaldsen
Jan agrees: “As CEO, you’re naturally inclined to focus on the cost of a system like this. But it saves money too. Development happens faster, fewer expensive prototypes are required, and you waste less time. Time is money.”
Having visited numerous loudspeaker manufacturers over the years, we’re familiar with traditional measurement setups. Compared to repeatedly entering anechoic chambers and carefully positioning microphones, or investing millions in massive facilities such as Dynaudio’s Jupiter chamber, the Klippel NFS appears remarkably practical.
During our visit, Thomas demonstrated measurements on a 1610 Slim 8 speaker. A complete sequence of around 1,000 measurements can take an entire night to complete, but even a brief demonstration revealed how efficient the process is.
The area surrounding the NFS system is very much Thomas’s domain. Messy? Not really. More accurately, it reflects the workspace of an engineer continuously experimenting with crossover designs and evaluating new driver concepts.
Arendal takes this process very seriously. “For the 1528 Series, we evaluated existing drivers from companies such as Purifi and others. Choosing off-the-shelf drivers would have saved a great deal of time. In the end, however, we concluded that our own designs were the better solution for our speakers.”
Computer simulations play an important role in that search, as does a 3D printer that Thomas uses to rapidly create prototypes. Together, these tools have transformed loudspeaker R&D throughout the industry.
At one point, Thomas showed us a collection of waveguides he had designed himself. The shape of the waveguide surrounding a tweeter significantly influences how high frequencies are dispersed throughout the room. The same applies to the tweeter lens, for which Thomas spent considerable time refining the exact perforation pattern.
Even the cone materials received extensive consideration. For the 1528 Series, Arendal ultimately selected a combination of carbon fiber and graphene — an advanced and costly material. However, that solution proved too expensive for the more accessible 1610 range.
This strong in-house engineering expertise enabled Arendal to pursue an ambitious goal.
“When we started developing the 1528 Series, we immediately felt that we could achieve something truly special in the high-end market.” — Jan Ove Lassesen
For manufacturing, Arendal partners with a factory in China that builds products according to the Norwegian company’s specifications. Thomas spends significant time there each year collaborating directly with local engineers.
The finished speakers themselves exude a premium feel. Throughout our reviews, we have never had any complaints regarding build quality. Unboxing an Arendal product is also a luxurious experience. Each speaker is wrapped in a thick satin-like protective cover, the documentation is beautifully produced, and white gloves are included to help avoid fingerprints during setup.
A More Accessible Version of the 1528
Another reason for our visit was, of course, to discover the new 1610 Series.
The range follows the 1528 Series, a product family that marked a major step upward for Arendal Sound. Before our visit, we reviewed the 1528 Bookshelf 8 and found it to be an impressive high-end loudspeaker offering remarkable value for money. The speaker is large, heavy, and incorporates premium materials, particularly in its tweeter design.
Why introduce a more affordable 1610 Series? “We received excellent feedback on the design and virtually every aspect of the 1528,” Jan explains. “That gave us the opportunity to create a trickle-down version. The 1610 shares many characteristics and the same level of build quality, but uses some less expensive solutions, such as eliminating the floating baffle used in the 1528.”
Thomas adds that the lithium-magnesium tweeter and graphene components used in the flagship series were simply too expensive for a product line starting at around €1,300.
As mentioned, the 1528 represented new territory for Arendal. A direct-to-consumer company offering products at this level of quality and price remains relatively rare.
“Yes, the 1528 was our first step into the higher-end market, and we’re very happy to see how well it has been accepted. The premium segment is where we’re focusing our efforts moving forward.”
The 1528 also represented a shift in brand perception.
“When we launched the 1723 Series, we emphasized its THX certification. We didn’t communicate clearly enough that those speakers were equally suitable for music listening. Today, around 20 percent of our sales used to be stereo-focused — now it’s roughly a 50-50 split between surround sound and hi-fi.” — Jan Ove Lassesen
Jan frequently emphasizes that Arendal’s direct-sales model allows the company to offer products at significantly lower prices than traditional distribution channels would permit.
“We have to challenge the emotional assumption that more expensive automatically means better. We tell people they’re getting the same level of performance for a fraction of the price, but not everyone believes it. Sometimes we’ve wondered whether we should simply charge two or three times more. We’d sell fewer speakers but earn more per unit. Yet we always come back to our current approach.”
According to Jan, younger customers often approach audio differently. “They don’t necessarily have strong ties to the traditional hi-fi industry and therefore carry fewer preconceptions. They’re more willing to evaluate a newer brand like Arendal on its own merits.”
Good Advice Above All Else
“We strongly believe in price stability,” Jan says as our conversation turns toward the broader hi-fi industry.
In some corners of the market, pricing can fluctuate dramatically. “Maintaining consistent pricing can sometimes be a disadvantage, but we don’t think it’s fair for one customer to pay a certain amount while the next person receives a twenty-percent discount. Products should retain their value over time. For us, it’s more important to maintain a stable business and focus on customer service.”
Which brings us to one of Jan’s favorite topics: customer service.
It begins with a website that occasionally seems determined to talk customers out of a purchase. Add a 1528 Tower speaker to your shopping cart, for example, and a pop-up appears asking whether you realize just how large the speaker actually is. Potential buyers are encouraged to contact customer support to ensure they select the right speaker for their room.
“Many times we’ve recommended a smaller and less expensive speaker instead.” — Jan Ove Lassesen, on customer service
The Road Ahead
Jan is clearly pleased with the direction Arendal Sound is heading. The company stands apart not only because of its products, but also because of the way it conducts business and the priorities it chooses.
The fact that most employees focus on customer service while being spread across different countries is another unusual aspect of the company. “They all come to Arendal at least once a year so we can spend time together and strengthen the team.”
Don’t expect dramatic changes anytime soon. “No, we’ll continue to be a premium loudspeaker manufacturer selling directly to consumers. Naturally, existing speaker lines will be updated, and our subwoofer range will continue to evolve. From a technical perspective, we’ll remain focused on dispersion control and time alignment, ensuring controlled radiation characteristics and precise synchronization between all drivers.”
Arendal is also preparing to enter the custom installation market. “We’ve received many requests for custom-install products over the years. Initially, we held back, but now we have the technology and the solutions fit naturally within our product portfolio. For example, in-wall speakers make a lot of sense for Atmos channels in a home theater.”
Arendal’s future appears firmly rooted in the same philosophy that brought it this far — thoughtful engineering, direct customer relationships, and a distinctly Norwegian passion for great sound.