Arendal 1723 S Tower THX Speaker Review

[TLS Guy]

Did a continuity test with a multimeter:

1. With the jumpers (bridge) I get instant beep on the multimeter (continuity) for top + and - (High), and bottom + and - (Low).
2. Without the jumpers I do not get continuity for the top + and -, but do get continuity for the bottom + and -.

If I can barely feel them vibrating, maybe that's the way they're designed? Lower in volume than the upper two? I wouldn't know as I have no reference. Do I have to crank up the volume really high for them to be effective? Maybe I could use a MiniDSP UMIK-1 in front of the woofers.

Man, I'm confused. Do appreciate the help though, and Audioholics in general (long time lurker).

Yes, you are confused. That is the way the speakers are designed. They are 2.5 way speakers. You will not get connectivity to the top terminals, as there will be a crossover cap in series in the crossover with those speakers. Capacitors DO NOT pass DC.

Those lower drivers are what is known as fill drivers, and they are low pass below 100 Hz. So you will hear little sound out of them.

Your speakers are working as designed.

 

[GalZohar]

Yes, you are confused. That is the way the speakers are designed. They are 2.5 way speakers. You will not get connectivity to the top terminals, as there will be a crossover cap in series in the crossover with those speakers. Capacitors DO NOT pass DC.

Those lower drivers are what is known as fill drivers, and they are low pass below 100 Hz. So you will hear little sound out of them.

Your speakers are working as designed.

I suppose the best test would be something like a 60Hz test tone, well below the crossover but still at a frequency the speakers should have no problem playing.

 

[TLS Guy]

I suppose the best test would be something like a 60Hz test tone, well below the crossover but still at a frequency the speakers should have no problem playing.

Yes, that would be the test. However those drivers will likely play a little quieter than the two MTM drivers, as there is a huge inductor in series with those drivers which will have a significant DC resistance.

Shady Liked those speakers and they measure well. Standard measurements though crucial do not tell the whole story, not close. This is not a design I would have done myself. I say that, having walked the walk. I did something similar about 30 or so years ago, and ended up changing it to an active speaker, designing and building an active crossover and using two, two channel power amps. That was transformative.

Those lower drivers are to extend the power response. I would bet though that they actually need to play higher, but can't because of peaking of the FR.

This is where an active design has the distinct advantage. You can tailor the response of the fill drivers, and increase the power bandwidth and still have a flat FR.

I have used this design successfully in my home theater front speakers. This really increases the power bandwidth where it is really required and one of the design features that really sets them apart from the crowd.

On the thread by Sigberg audio, they make the same observation, and this is something we really agree on, and many other issues as well.

It is high time for active speakers to go mainstream and ditch those big receiver boxes with insane number of power amps driven from one power supply crammed together in one box. If ever there was a dead end that's it!

 

[Eppie]

Did a continuity test with a multimeter:

1. With the jumpers (bridge) I get instant beep on the multimeter (continuity) for top + and - (High), and bottom + and - (Low).
2. Without the jumpers I do not get continuity for the top + and -, but do get continuity for the bottom + and -.

If I can barely feel them vibrating, maybe that's the way they're designed? Lower in volume than the upper two? I wouldn't know as I have no reference. Do I have to crank up the volume really high for them to be effective? Maybe I could use a MiniDSP UMIK-1 in front of the woofers.

Man, I'm confused. Do appreciate the help though, and Audioholics in general (long time lurker).

No one has asked yet about your setup. If you are using an AVR with subwoofer output, are the main speakers set to large or small? If set to small, they will be high passed and the crossover frequency is typically 80Hz. If those fill drivers are crossed internally at 100Hz, then they would effectively only receive source material from 80Hz to 100z, a rather narrow band. Make sure the speakers are receiving a full range signal. If you have a Umik-1 and REW, you could send a full range sweep to confirm what the speaker is producing.

 

[TLS Guy]

No one has asked yet about your setup. If you are using an AVR with subwoofer output, are the main speakers set to large or small? If set to small, they will be high passed and the crossover frequency is typically 80Hz. If those fill drivers are crossed internally at 100Hz, then they would effectively only receive source material from 80Hz to 100z, a rather narrow band. Make sure the speakers are receiving a full range signal. If you have a Umik-1 and REW, you could send a full range sweep to confirm what the speaker is producing.

That is a good point, but another issue occurred to me that makes that speaker a potentially problematic design for some. I don't know if those fill drivers are in the same enclosure as the MTM drivers. If those fill drivers share the same space, then if a crossover is used then those fill drivers, will become ABRs and seriously miss tune the speaker.

So, if all four drivers share the same space, then those speakers can not be used with a bass management crossover, unless it is set to LFE + main, like can be done in the Marantz/Denon universe. Alternatively those speakers will need to be run without a sub. I suspect there are actually a lot of 2.5 way designs out there, that give rise to this issue, and it has never struck me before. That may be why my speakers in the studio, do not like being crossed over, as five out of the 11 speakers would not work correctly with the standard crossover approach in receivers and pre/pros. So that is why only my ceiling speakers are crossed over. All the rest are set to large and run full range.

That is odd, that that fact never occurred to me before, and explains why my system does not sound good crossing the speakers over, and I have to set all to large except the ceiling speakers which are full range drivers crossed at 100 Hz.

 

[potetgull]

Sorry for late reply (Gamescom, way too many games to keep track of).

So all testing I did was fronts as large, no sub, stereo mode on the amp, no eq ("pure direct"), 20-100Hz sweeps and tones. I just had to crank up the amp loud enough, a bit past what I usually enjoy (-30 on this amp), at which point ~30-50Hz clearly vibrated the bottom two elements/drivers. No doubt, could feel the vibrations with my hands on the side of each driver. No need to measure it.

Really happy now - learned alot. Appreciate all the help.

 

[KurantAK]

As an R700 owner, and a huge fan of what Arendal is doing and their products themselves, it just became really tough to recommend any of the Arendal THX towers over the R700 with ite new price structure.

You can purchase the R700 L/R and the Legend center for close to just the L/R Arendal THX towers. And I'm not sure the Arendal sound any better IMO.

 

[shadyJ]

As an R700 owner, and a huge fan of what Arendal is doing and their products themselves, it just became really tough to recommend any of the Arendal THX towers over the R700 with ite new price structure.

You can purchase the R700 L/R and the Legend center for close to just the L/R Arendal THX towers. And I'm not sure the Arendal sound any better IMO.

While tonal balance is a matter of taste, the Arendals would have an advantage in dynamic range. The Polk speakers would not be able to get as loud. Also, as good as the build quality is on the Polks, it is not quite on the level of Arendal, nor is the finish as nice. The Polk R700s are a terrific value though.

 

[Danzilla31]

While tonal balance is a matter of taste, the Arendals would have an advantage in dynamic range. The Polk speakers would not be able to get as loud. Also, as good as the build quality is on the Polks, it is not quite on the level of Arendal, nor is the finish as nice. The Polk R700s are a terrific value though.

I'm fascinated by Arendal I will end up going down that rabbit hole sooner or later. I'm fighting it But I can already tell. Lol. It's only a matter of time before I give in to the dark side of the force

 

[Thegooseisloose]

Hello! Great article! Could you please expand on why not to bi-wire? Thanks!

 

[paulgyro]

Hello! Great article! Could you please expand on why not to bi-wire? Thanks!

Simply because bi-wiring provides no value. Just use 12-14 guage wire and be done with it.

 

[Verdinut]

If your speaker wire is too small because of distance from the amplifier and increased resistance, just use a bigger gauge wire. Bi-wiring is a waste of money and a gimmick from some unscrupulous wire manufacturers and sellers just to make more money. It's the same situation with expensive cable which will never improve sound quality.

 

[shadyJ]

Here is the long answer to why bi-wiring is a waste.

 

[brian6751]

..... The thing I would try to achieve is for the speakers to act like points of low-frequency emission as though they were also subs, and this could help smooth out room mode effects on the frequency response. The speakers have enough extension and dynamic range to have subwoofer-level performance. Especially if you give them enough power. The only hitch is that you need a system that tames the overall response so that you don't get way too much bass.

Would you also suggest using a LFE+Mains setting in this case?

 

[shadyJ]

Would you also suggest using a LFE+Mains setting in this case?

Yes.

 

[brian6751]

@shadyJ

At first, I still liked them sealed crossed at 80Hz but after tweaking in Multeq-X (adding the same low shelf as with the subs), I am now understanding why you suggest running them full range! Dang!!

 

[GalZohar]

@shadyJ

At first, I still liked them sealed crossed at 80Hz but after tweaking in Multeq-X (adding the same low shelf as with the subs), I am now understanding why you suggest running them full range! Dang!!

Hi,
Do you have REW measurements of both setups to show what was improved?

 

[brian6751]

Hi,
Do you have REW measurements of both setups to show what was improved?

nope. dont have time, sorry but the shelf I use is 8db centered at 120Hz Q of .7. These things actually have subwoofer level bass output. I know James said that but it didnt really click for me since Im not used to any towers working well full range, especially ones with 6.5" woofers.

I do like the added bass with movies, for sure. Jury is still out for music. I do still really like them sealed for that but they definitely do sound good. I think its personal preference. Thats one of the best things about this speaker. It has the built quality and power handling to give it the dynamic range for being EQed more than any other speakers I have had. Its really crazy how much clean output they have. you just dont expect that from a speaker with a silk done tweeter and 6.5" woofers

 

[smellslikegelfling]

I'm considering trying out a pair of Arendals to compare in home with my R700 towers that I just received.

The 1723 THX monitors seem to be the best value, except you have to buy stands which puts them close to the price of the 1723 S towers.

I'd also rather have the 8" woofers than the 6.5", but I don't know if it makes much difference. Would the 1723 S towers best the Polk R700 by that much, or only at the highest volumes?

The full size 1723 THX towers are borderline expensive compared to the Polk R700. At $3700 it's a $1950 difference for the pair.
(Edit: MSRP for the Polk R700 towers is $2200 a pair, so make that a $1500 difference at least)

That means a full LCR with the R700 plus L400 is cheaper than the top of the line Arendal towers by themselves, at least at the price I got them. I managed to snag a pair for $825 each on C-field while they were backordered.

 

[Eppie]

I'm considering trying out a pair of Arendals to compare in home with my R700 towers that I just received.

The 1723 THX monitors seem to be the best value, except you have to buy stands which puts them close to the price of the 1723 S towers.

I'd also rather have the 8" woofers than the 6.5", but I don't know if it makes much difference. Would the 1723 S towers best the Polk R700 by that much, or only at the highest volumes?

The full size 1723 THX towers are borderline expensive compared to the Polk R700. At $3700 it's a $1950 difference for the pair.
(Edit: MSRP for the Polk R700 towers is $2200 a pair, so make that a $1500 difference at least)

That means a full LCR with the R700 plus L400 is cheaper than the top of the line Arendal towers by themselves, at least at the price I got them. I managed to snag a pair for $825 each on C-field while they were backordered.

Both those speakers measure and review well so there's no clear "winner". I think it would come down to personal taste. The Arendals are known to have wide dynamic range, so yes, maybe a little better at high volumes but how long will your hearing last at those levels.