Arendal an upgrade from Canton?

[HawgHead1960]

For the past 5 years have been using Canton Chrono SL-596.2 8" Towers and Chrono SL 556.2 6" center for the LCR of a 5.2 setup with a pair of HSU 15" subs on a Denon 3600H. Have enjoyed them very much....but. These Arendals have gotten my attention and upgradeitis has set in. Considering the 1723 series monitors and center for the LCR. Have not been able to listen to them in person but all of the research I have seen on them is positive. Would those with better ears than mine consider this an upgrade? Thanks for any advice or opinions you are willing to share.

 

[lovinthehd]

Better ears? How does that work? No experience with Canton myself, never have seen one even, let alone Arendal....but no way to do that without significant travel. Curious, what do you want improved particularly? What is lacking with the Cantons? Have you tried comparing measurements?

 

[HawgHead1960]

Honestly, I have no complaints with the Cantons. Maybe just a case of FOMO, but always looking at equipment upgrades if not too hard on the pocketbook. As far as measurements, afraid I am a perpetual noob when it comes to all that, may as well be a foreign language.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

but always looking at equipment upgrades if not too hard on the pocketbook.

You’ll end up wasting a lot of money.

Just plan your dream system, save up, then buy it when you have the money and knowledge.

 

[Bobby Bass]

I have the 1723 towers and I love their sound. I also had the 1723S towers but not the monitors. Have not listened to the Cantons so I can’t compare. If you are in the US you can buy and try Arendals for 60 days and return for free for a full refund if not satisfied. You could A/B test both sets of speakers for 2 months and decide which you prefer.

 

[Kingnoob]

For the past 5 years have been using Canton Chrono SL-596.2 8" Towers and Chrono SL 556.2 6" center for the LCR of a 5.2 setup with a pair of HSU 15" subs on a Denon 3600H. Have enjoyed them very much....but. These Arendals have gotten my attention and upgradeitis has set in. Considering the 1723 series monitors and center for the LCR. Have not been able to listen to them in person but all of the research I have seen on them is positive. Would those with better ears than mine consider this an upgrade? Thanks for any advice or opinions you are willing to share.

Unless some has heard both it’s hard to say. If these are your speakers they look great. I don’t know if it’s even an upgrade.

Canton Chrono SL 596.2 DC Floorstanding Speakers; Black Pair (Closeout)

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tmraudio.com

 

[isolar8001]

For the past 5 years have been using Canton Chrono SL-596.2 8" Towers and Chrono SL 556.2 6" center for the LCR of a 5.2 setup with a pair of HSU 15" subs on a Denon 3600H. Have enjoyed them very much....but. These Arendals have gotten my attention and upgradeitis has set in. Considering the 1723 series monitors and center for the LCR. Have not been able to listen to them in person but all of the research I have seen on them is positive. Would those with better ears than mine consider this an upgrade? Thanks for any advice or opinions you are willing to share.

Cantons are very similar to MB Quart home speakers (no longer made).
I sold MB Quart and still own a pair of 350S speakers (below)....one of the finest speakers I have ever heard.
Arendals are nice speakers....Will they sound better than your Cantons ?

I seriously doubt that, but as Bobby Bass said, if you want you could try them out.

 

[head_unit]

Considering the 1723 series monitors

Wait, why wouldn't you go to the 1723 towers? Anyway, there is no free lunch in speaker design. My vague rule of thumb as a designer is that to get clearly to a better sound plateau is like 3X the money, so if your Canton were $4k that implies $12k to really improve instead of just different. I always liked Canton at audio shows. Arendal I've never heard; waveguided tweeters are a great design choice but given the similar price I'd suspect a sideways move rather than a leap forward. Since you seem to really like your Cantons I'd urge you to keep the same brand but move up to their Reference or something.

 

[Kingnoob]

Wait, why wouldn't you go to the 1723 towers? Anyway, there is no free lunch in speaker design. My vague rule of thumb as a designer is that to get clearly to a better sound plateau is like 3X the money, so if your Canton were $4k that implies $12k to really improve instead of just different. I always liked Canton at audio shows. Arendal I've never heard; waveguided tweeters are a great design choice but given the similar price I'd suspect a sideways move rather than a leap forward. Since you seem to really like your Cantons I'd urge you to keep the same brand but move up to their Reference or something.

Better but the weight is pretty heavy 111 pounds. So plan a way to move them.

1723 Tower THX

Our approach to audio is simple — if it doesn’t make it sound better, we don’t do it. We take pride in the craftsmanship behind every speaker, focusing on acoustic excellence without unnecessary…

arendalsound.com

 

[isolar8001]

Better but the weight is pretty heavy 111 pounds. So plan a way to move them.

Not everyone here falls into the "fat little sissy-boy" category like you do.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you're putting 'em up on ladders like shadyJ might do in a review a 110lbs is a lot....but moving a 110 lb speaker on the floor isn't that bad, can be done with less issues, a dolly might help tho.

 

[TankTop5]

I have the 1723 towers and I love their sound. I also had the 1723S towers but not the monitors. Have not listened to the Cantons so I can’t compare. If you are in the US you can buy and try Arendals for 60 days and return for free for a full refund if not satisfied. You could A/B test both sets of speakers for 2 months and decide which you prefer.

Do they have their own “house sound”? If so is it a bit forward, large sound stage, sweet mids or higher are they very neutral? I really loved my Dynaudio Contours, got a sweet deal on Revel PerformaBE’s which may be some of the best neutral speakers made but they just don’t “do it for me”. I like a speaker that’s a little fun whatever that means, just like to get lost in the music and stop analyzing it.

 

[isolar8001]

If you're putting 'em up on ladders like shadyJ might do in a review a 110lbs is a lot....but moving a 110 lb speaker on the floor isn't that bad, can be done with less issues, a dolly might help tho.

Maybe ShadyJ pops some steroids before he hefts speakers around....or maybe he does a Baby Billy !

 

[Bobby Bass]

Do they have their own “house sound”? If so is it a bit forward, large sound stage, sweet mids or higher are they very neutral? I really loved my Dynaudio Contours, got a sweet deal on Revel PerformaBE’s which may be some of the best neutral speakers made but they just don’t “do it for me”. I like a speaker that’s a little fun whatever that means, just like to get lost in the music and stop analyzing it.

In my room and setup they have a wide and deep soundstage with excellent bass. Great dynamics. Give them enough power (my amp delivers 350 WPC into 4 ohms) and the right song and they rock. The mids are clear and the top end sounds good to me without being harsh or sibilant. I have a pair of Revel PerformaBe M126 standmounts and I agree they sound more neutral. comparing towers with standmounts is a little like apples to oranges but the sound is different. I like classic rock, the Who, Zeppelin, Dire Straits and Santana, played at about 70-80 dB and the Arendal towers are the best I’ve heard in my listening room. Highly recommend.