Arendal Sound 1961 Monitor Review!

[rvsixer]

@Jambarino - It appears the LX's are up for sale? I take it the 1961's replaced? Inquiring minds want to know ...

 

[Jambarino]

@Jambarino - It appears the LX's are up for sale? I take it the 1961's replaced? Inquiring minds want to know ...

Yes they are up for sale,I currently have the 1961 monitors in my room but I will swap them for either the 1961 towers or the 1723 S monitors,I haven't decided yet. I like the aesthetics of the towers more than the monitors,they are small and compact for tower speakers and I could run three across for my LCR but I want the monitors for more dynamic headroom,and I already have dual 15" subs so the lower bass of the towers won't be needed. When it comes to strictly 2 channel music I still think the LX's beat the Arendal’s. But I definitely like the narrower dispersion of the Arendal’s more for my room. Since I am switching to a more home theater/multi channel focused room I am going to run a full 5.2.2 Arendal set up.

Edited to add this. I do think the LX is the better speaker . It's just not better for me and what I want.

 

[Goliath]

Would these speakers be an upgrade in terms of audio fidelity compared to something like Paradigm Studio 20 v5? I have the Studio 20 v5 and CC690 center. Thinking of upgrading - primarily for home theater (have subs) and occasional music listening. I don't think the Studio 20 v5 are terrible speakers, so I'm wondering how they would compare.

 

[Eppie]

Would these speakers be an upgrade in terms of audio fidelity compared to something like Paradigm Studio 20 v5? I have the Studio 20 v5 and CC690 center. Thinking of upgrading - primarily for home theater (have subs) and occasional music listening. I don't think the Studio 20 v5 are terrible speakers, so I'm wondering how they would compare.

I also have Studio 20v5 and a CC-590 centre and I was considering the Arendals last year. I auditioned various other brands (Arendal did not have free trials in Canada at the time) and decided to keep the Paradigms for now as the difference was not worth the expense in my view. Here's a link to the Stereophile review of the Studio 20. It's still a good speaker, but the graphs show that the Arendal will likely be more neutral. The Paradigm has a bump at 120Hz and there is a slight lift in the highs. I think the Arendal will offer a little more dynamic range as well, particularly with the 1723 monitor vs the 1961, but which one is better will depend on your room size and typical listening volume. If you are in the U.S. or Europe, I would take advantage of the free home trial so that you can compare them side by side.