I don't want to throw any shade on the Arendal sub because it's a quality product that's not astronomically priced, but there is better to be had for a few less bucks. Kudos to Arendal, though.
I've seen reviews of a bunch of subs that cost around $8K that are not better than this one or the one I'll bring up. Hell, I've seen glowing reviews of single driver, 10" subs with 7.5kW amps that cost $6K. Of course, forget about the fact that no woofer on the planet is rated for more than 800W continuous so why do you need amps that beefy? It's a waste of money.
As to the better, Rythmik Audio makes a sub almost identical to this that can be had for $300-500 less (depending on finish and that includes shipping) that will edge this one out. Why?
- The cabinet is sealed so it's smaller
- It uses 15" drivers so it has a touch more radiating area (yeah, I know this isn't huge)
- This is big: it uses a proprietary servo system that controls the driver better than any standard sub. This cannot be downplayed.
- I don't have the stats on it's uncrated weight, but it would seem to be about 10-20lbs. heavier so, for a smaller cab, I would assume that means it's even denser than the Arendal. Not a bad thing.
The DSP controls on the Arendal are nice, but, if you have a pre/pro with Dirac or something like it, you don't need them. Also, if you have a really great room, you won't need them as well.
Being ported, the Arendal will offer more output than the Rythmik, but at the cost of more temporal distortion as well as more distortion in general. That being said, I don't think the Arendal is a dog, just an 8.5 to 9 against a 10.
Being a bass player, I'm hypersensitive to any type of bass distortions. That's just me.