Arendal 1723 S Tower THX Speaker Review

[vladimir]

Silly question...

Your review states; The four 6.5” woofers of the 1723 Tower S speakers...

But the manufacturer's web site shows; WOOFER 4 x 8"

Is the item that I linked to above for a different speaker? Or which spec is correct?

 

[ryanosaur]

Silly question...

Your review states; The four 6.5” woofers of the 1723 Tower S speakers...

But the manufacturer's web site shows; WOOFER 4 x 8"

Is the item that I linked to above for a different speaker? Or which spec is correct?

The “s” version is 6.5.
The 1723 tower is 8” woofers

 

[vladimir]

Apparently I need to have my glasses checked again. I didn't initially see the 'S' model on their website!

 

[GalZohar]

Any ideas how those compare to the 1723 monitor S, when used with a subwoofer and 80Hz crossover? Seems like the extra woofers are crossed at 100Hz (although from the graph in the video they seem like they contribute a up to ~150-200Hz). Wouldn't having 2 crossovers at very close frequencies be problematic when integrating the subwoofer? What would be the practical contribution of the extra woofers?

In the video the 1723 monitors are mentioned but I'm missing a comparison to the 1723 S monitors, although I asked about that in the 1723 monitor thread:

Arendal Sound 1723 Monitor THX Loudspeaker Review

Did you get your Arendals? What are your thoughts? I did get the Arendal 1723s for the front stage. I was nervous about not being able to audition them before purchase but I’m glad I did. They sound great, super impressed with the detail in sound even at low volume listening. Wether I’m...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[shadyJ]

Any ideas how those compare to the 1723 monitor S, when used with a subwoofer and 80Hz crossover? Seems like the extra woofers are crossed at 100Hz (although from the graph in the video they seem like they contribute a up to ~150-200Hz). Wouldn't having 2 crossovers at very close frequencies be problematic when integrating the subwoofer? What would be the practical contribution of the extra woofers?

You are correct that having two crossovers at such a close frequency can lead to integration problems. It's not ideal. That is why I say to use a lower crossover frequency for the sub, or to use the speakers full-range along with the subs, although that does take some work to get right.

If you plan on crossing over the bass to the subs, just make it easy on yourself and get the 1723 S Monitors (or regular 1723 monitors).

 

[GalZohar]

You are correct that having two crossovers at such a close frequency can lead to integration problems. It's not ideal. That is why I say to use a lower crossover frequency for the sub, or to use the speakers full-range along with the subs, although that does take some work to get right.

If you plan on crossing over the bass to the subs, just make it easy on yourself and get the 1723 S Monitors (or regular 1723 monitors).

Thanks!
I have also been searching about effective ways to use "double bass" but found very little practical information, and no actual comparisons with using a regular crossover.

 

[TLS Guy]

You are correct that having two crossovers at such a close frequency can lead to integration problems. It's not ideal. That is why I say to use a lower crossover frequency for the sub, or to use the speakers full-range along with the subs, although that does take some work to get right.

If you plan on crossing over the bass to the subs, just make it easy on yourself and get the 1723 S Monitors (or regular 1723 monitors).

Shady, that is exactly why I would not design a speaker that way. Measurements are in many ways steady state. That crossover will have changed the Q alignment of the driver, but I suppose they might have corrected the tuning for that. Even so, when you listened to it critically, was the bass really tight? Somehow I have to doubt it. I abandoned that approach many years ago. I have to admit though, I am a much more critical listener than the norm. I still maintain that is not the best design approach. If you are going to do that, then in my view an active design is the far better approach. That is the high road to that type of design.

 

[Chromatischism]

Great review, as usual. We have a lot more great choices than we used to...

Speaking of, if the choice were between Arendals and Paradigm Founders, what differences should I be aware of? I use subs and like a neutral speaker.

 

[ryanosaur]

Great review, as usual. We have a lot more great choices than we used to...

Speaking of, if the choice were between Arendals and Paradigm Founders, what differences should I be aware of? I use subs and like a neutral speaker.

My knee-jerk reaction is that the Paradigm Towers will be easier to integrate. Would be interesting to see a full spin on them...
Neither are perfect, but both look good paper.

Eager to see what @shadyJ might have to say!

 

[shadyJ]

Great review, as usual. We have a lot more great choices than we used to...

Speaking of, if the choice were between Arendals and Paradigm Founders, what differences should I be aware of? I use subs and like a neutral speaker.

Which Founders would you be using exactly?

 

[Chromatischism]

Which Founders would you be using exactly?

The 80F is the closest to the Arendal 1723 S towers. Crossover is stated to be 2nd order at 1.8 kHz to the tweeter, and 2nd order at 500 Hz to the two bass drivers.

Just from that alone it looks like the Paradigms might be more subwoofer friendly, but what else is there to consider? Does one of these have the edge in sound quality? They seem to have a similar design approach but the Paradigms as you know have a few fancy tricks up their sleeve.

Also the Tweeter height could be different.

 

[shadyJ]

The 80F is the closest to the Arendal 1723 S towers. Crossover is stated to be 2nd order at 1.8 kHz to the tweeter, and 2nd order at 500 Hz to the two bass drivers.

Just from that alone it looks like the Paradigms might be more subwoofer friendly, but what else is there to consider? Does one of these have the edge in sound quality? They seem to have a similar design approach but the Paradigms as you know have a few fancy tricks up their sleeve.

Also the Tweeter height could be different.

It's hard to say who would have the edge in sound quality. They would both be relatively neutral speakers, I would think. Without subs, the Arendal's would be the easy choice, but with subs, that changes things.

Something else you could do is get the 1723 THX Monitors. That will get you more headroom from the woofers.

 

[Chromatischism]

Comparing your measurements and looking at the pictures, I wonder if I'm seeing baffle edge diffraction on the Paradigms due to the smaller waveguide.

 

[shadyJ]

Comparing your measurements and looking at the pictures, I wonder if I'm seeing baffle edge diffraction on the Paradigms due to the smaller waveguide.

Baffle diffraction wouldn't be a serious problem with either speaker. What you are seeing is probably waveguide issues. Perhaps the waveguide could use a bit more optimization with that tweeter.