The Arx A3rx-c are wonderful speakers. If you read nothing more, know that. They have their strengths and weaknesses, but overall I think they are worth the asking price and deserve to be more well-known than they are. I won’t claim to have a golden ear, but I like to think I can hear subtle nuances in sound and will do my best to convey my observations as concisely as possible.
Let me preface this by outlining my audio preferences, use case, and equipment:
- Lots of electronic music, but a wide variety of music of all kinds
- Appreciation for textured, deep, tight bass
- Appreciation for smooth but sparkly treble (hard to find)
- Appreciation for quick, not muddy sound
- Appreciation for an open, airy sound (without sibilance)
- Appreciation for rich vocals
- 90% music, 10% movies
- ~7 feet away, ~10% toe-in
- Macbook Pro via Toslink > Emotiva UMC-200 > Emotiva UPA-500 (2ch)
- SVS PB-1000 used in conjunction when running speakers as Smalls
Appearance
Tall, nondescript towers. Jon at The Audio Insider (now Chane) told me that they don’t go out of their way to pretty these up. I happen to like their industrial look. I run them with the grilles off, because I feel they look cooler and sound better that way. The appearances aren’t what matter, though. Let me say that their sound easily defies their appearance.
Sound Signature
Initially, the Arx struck me as fairly warm and even slightly congested. I’m used to a more open sound, so I was slightly worried that this is how they would sound forever. However, I hoped they would open with more play time. Short answer: they did. Long answer: they opened up to the point that they certainly don't sound congested anymore, and the sound is definitely airier than it was before. I’m sure I have adjusted to their sound signature, but they’ve definitely opened up over the ~70 hours I’ve put on them so far. At first I was disappointed because I thought they wouldn’t have the desired signature for electronic music, but as they’ve opened up, I’ve become more and more satisfied with their performance.
The level of detail with the Arx has also impressed me. People sometimes associate forward treble with detail, but that isn’t the case here. There is significantly more noticeable detail than my Polk Monitor70 II despite the treble being more relaxed. I can easily pick out parts of songs I’ve never heard before, but part of that is due to the excellent instrument separation, which I’ll get to later.
I would almost go so far as to call the Arx very close to neutral. The timbre is very natural-sounding, with instruments like pianos, trumpets and saxophones sounding very true to life. It can’t match speakers in higher price brackets, but you knew that already.
I am used an energetic sound, and the Arx are laid-back in contrast to my Polks or Audioengine A2. They’re not slow though – they are actually surprisingly quick given their laid-back and neutral sound. The space between notes is very discernable with a completely black noise floor. When a song stops, even just for a moment, there is no discernable lag in the decay of the note. It just
stops. The PRaT is impressive for something that almost sounds warm. I’m just not used to it.
Lows, Mids, Highs
The bass on the Arx is better than I expected. Their advertised frequency response goes down to 55Hz +/- 3dB (with a cutoff at 45Hz -6dB) which is significantly less (advertised) bass extension than my Polks, which are advertised as 30Hz +/- 6dB. I can comfortably say I think the Arx are very close to matching them on extension, and only a little less on output due to the Polks having 4 larger woofers. They go low enough to be satisfying for electronic music (though lacking for some genres like deep house or
true dubstep) and are more than adequate for everything else, including rap and hip-hop. The bass is very tight and textured, never boomy. They also come with foam inserts for the ports in the back.
The mids are quite breathtaking. They could be a tad smoother and there’s the slightest hint of dryness to them, but it’s only there if you really listen for it. Artists like Lana del Rey, Zoë Johnston, and Richard Bedford sound better on the Arx than I’ve ever heard them before. When running the speakers as Small, the mids open up more as the woofers are freed of their low-frequency shackles. Vocals are effortless in this configuration – pure audio bliss. The midrange really is where the Arx excel, due to their natural timbre. They sound real, not artificial. I won’t go so far as to say it sounds like you’re at a concert hearing them live, but it’s pretty close.
Treble is something that can really make or break a speaker. If it’s too relaxed, music sounds flat and lifeless. If it’s too pronounced, it can more easily induce hearing loss, and your ears can quickly become fatigued. Electronic music really sounds best with sparkly treble, which is tough to get without a little sibilance here and there. The Arx strike a careful balance between flat and sparkly. Cymbals have just the right crash to them without being startling, and snare drums have a satisfying snap to them that sounds pretty accurate to my ears. Airy synths and the endless plethora of electronic samples sound like I imagine they were meant to be heard – without fatigue, but with authority. The Polks were more lively in the treble without being fatiguing (or so I recall) but the Arx manage to balance all frequencies in a way that is accurate but very musical and entertaining.
Soundstage, Imaging, and Separation
I read a few reviews for the Arx A1b and A5 saying their soundstage was huge. I can mostly echo this sentiment for the A3rx-c. It may be the way my room is designed (large rectangle, ~2500 cubic ft) with wood floors, but I didn’t feel that the soundstage was so massive that I felt like I was at a live show. However, it’s much wider than the Polks were, and is more than adequate for something at their pricepoint.
Imaging on the A3rx-c is easily one of its strongest points – no pun intended. There is a very defined center image with sound traveling left to right, while giving the slight impression of sound moving horizontally in a circle around your head for some songs. I didn’t get too much vertical imaging, but it showed itself from time to time on great recordings, like Fleetwood Mac’s
Rumours. Running the speakers as Smalls really improves the imaging as well.
The instrument separation on the Arx was another thing that caught me by surprise, again due to their more laid-back sound. I can hear every single track in a song, even the ones with anywhere from 6-10 tracks playing at the same time. Some music like that of Infected Mushroom (one of my
FAVES) almost always has more than 5 tracks playing at once in the heavier portions of the song. Some parts are extremely faint while others are extremely present, and if I listen closely enough, I can hear the faintest whispers or claps. I can track them through the entire portion of the song once I’ve “locked on” to them. Every track has its place, and they’re overlayed in a way that almost lets me expand them out as layers and pay attention to any one that I choose. It’s a wonderful effect.
Summary
To be quite honest, I was a little disappointed with the Arx at first. They were too warm for my taste, and definitely not tailored for my audio preferences. But I didn’t give up on them! When I spoke with Jon from The Audio Insider (now Chane), he told me that their goal was to give everyone the opportunity to hear music as it was intended to be heard. By this, I assume he meant neutral. I didn’t take him for a swindler, so I kept listening. Slowly but surely, I began to realize what he was talking about. The effortless midrange, smooth, unfatiguing treble, and tight bass really encapsulated the notion of a “balanced” loudspeaker that I had imagined in my mind for so long. I’ve heard great sound on my Sennheiser HD650s and Beyerdynamic DT880s, but they can’t match the feeling of hearing a great loudspeaker.
I really enjoyed the Arx A3rx-c running full-range, but combining them with a good subwoofer and running them as Small has considerably improved almost every single aspect of them. I highly recommend this configuration, though I would still easily recommend them without a subwoofer.
The Arx may not be for everyone. I’ve had to become accustomed to their more balanced, natural sound over something that accents treble and bass with a slight “V” shaped sound signature. I’ve started to prefer this unfatiguing sound, especially when paired with a beautiful acoustic or vocal-centric track. I’ll definitely be keeping them for a long time. I can only imagine they will sound better with more time and a properly treated room.
Jon and company have done a fantastic job with the Arx A3rx-c, and this guerrilla brand is worth more than a look – it’s worth a listen. A thousand listens, to be specific.
