Arendal 1723 Speakers/dual PSA TV1813M Sub Setup

[LCSeminole]

Aug 28, 2022 17:02:40 GMT -5 LuisV said:

Have you seen this speaker placement video?

I haven't seen this one. Will watch it right after I finish preparing dinner. Thanks for the link!

[hdkeith]

Aug 28, 2022 12:17:00 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

So, I've continued to put more and more time on the "1723's"(which refers to the particular Arendal Sound speaker series). While in the past, I enjoyed my Klipsch Legend and Emotiva Reference speaker lines, I can sincerely say I'm coming home looking forward to listening to whatever CD I've not heard/played in quite some time. The 1723's have made listening to music again, quite the event for me. I've also been constantly playing with placement of all seven speakers, and while I think I've maximized positioning over the past 3+ weeks of listening, I'm sure there will be a small tweek here and there that may make that sweet spot even sweeter, but for now I believe I'm really close. This is where I go on a small tangent, "SPEAKER PLACEMENT". I've known this for quite some time, but seeing and checking out others speaker placement at times makes me cringe!.......has me asking what research or advice were you given for your speaker placement?......when all it would take is to read several articles on-line, and there are lots of good articles on the net. Yes I know no room reacts acoustically the same as another one of similar characteristics, but there are quite a few steadfast generalities that one can start from and build-on from there. I'm thinking "The Lounge" needs a thread, which I'm probably going to start, about Speaker Placement, Room Acoustics and Room Treatments. I've been diving head first into these subjects for the past 10 or so months, and the amount of good knowledge that is out there is astounding. I've latched on to a few websites and YouTube channels(yes YouTube has quite a few channels that are worth watching if you just do the searches and weed out the crap), which have enlightened me on the Physics of sound(for me a minor in college) so my learning curve has been shorter because of this. So anyhow back to the 1723's, sorry I digressed a bit.

The timbre matching of the Arendal 1723 drivers is seemless, and I mean SEEMLESS! It literally for me, is hard to tell where one speaker field ends and the next begins. Concert blu-rays have me in the middle of the crowd, enveloped with the cheering and clapping between songs. I had watched a review of the 1723 Bookshelf S THX on "Erins Audio Corner" on YouTube(if you haven't encountered Erin's channel I encourage you to do so) and a couple of his measurements and tips led me to place these bookshelf's tweeter line just above my ears. I initially had them directly radiating to the MLP, well the waveguide effect on the dome tweeters are a slight bit on the bright side at ear level, but about 8-12 inches below the tweeter line made a world of difference. Anyhow, enough of my thoughts for now and back to listening. Oh yeah, it looks like I should be on-schedule to run Dirac next week(Labor Day week) when I'm on vacation from work, looking forward to the results one way or the other!

I am glad you are enjoying them. I have 1723 Towers/center on order due in about 10 days. I just put up my 1961 heights as side/rear surrounds. And also have 1723S  heights coming for the front heights. I spent about 2 months researching new speakers as well,as auditioning a few (Focal 826, 936, Monitor Audio Silver 500 and Gold 300 and Martin Logan 60XTi) and was considering Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers. The stellar reviews from Audioholics and Erin’s Audio Corner helped me get there and then the price increase coming I pulled the trigger. Keep us posted one you dial them in with Dirac.

[LCSeminole]

Aug 30, 2022 19:28:26 GMT -5 hdkeith said:

Aug 28, 2022 12:17:00 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

So, I've continued to put more and more time on the "1723's"(which refers to the particular Arendal Sound speaker series). While in the past, I enjoyed my Klipsch Legend and Emotiva Reference speaker lines, I can sincerely say I'm coming home looking forward to listening to whatever CD I've not heard/played in quite some time. The 1723's have made listening to music again, quite the event for me. I've also been constantly playing with placement of all seven speakers, and while I think I've maximized positioning over the past 3+ weeks of listening, I'm sure there will be a small tweek here and there that may make that sweet spot even sweeter, but for now I believe I'm really close. This is where I go on a small tangent, "SPEAKER PLACEMENT". I've known this for quite some time, but seeing and checking out others speaker placement at times makes me cringe!.......has me asking what research or advice were you given for your speaker placement?......when all it would take is to read several articles on-line, and there are lots of good articles on the net. Yes I know no room reacts acoustically the same as another one of similar characteristics, but there are quite a few steadfast generalities that one can start from and build-on from there. I'm thinking "The Lounge" needs a thread, which I'm probably going to start, about Speaker Placement, Room Acoustics and Room Treatments. I've been diving head first into these subjects for the past 10 or so months, and the amount of good knowledge that is out there is astounding. I've latched on to a few websites and YouTube channels(yes YouTube has quite a few channels that are worth watching if you just do the searches and weed out the crap), which have enlightened me on the Physics of sound(for me a minor in college) so my learning curve has been shorter because of this. So anyhow back to the 1723's, sorry I digressed a bit.

The timbre matching of the Arendal 1723 drivers is seemless, and I mean SEEMLESS! It literally for me, is hard to tell where one speaker field ends and the next begins. Concert blu-rays have me in the middle of the crowd, enveloped with the cheering and clapping between songs. I had watched a review of the 1723 Bookshelf S THX on "Erins Audio Corner" on YouTube(if you haven't encountered Erin's channel I encourage you to do so) and a couple of his measurements and tips led me to place these bookshelf's tweeter line just above my ears. I initially had them directly radiating to the MLP, well the waveguide effect on the dome tweeters are a slight bit on the bright side at ear level, but about 8-12 inches below the tweeter line made a world of difference. Anyhow, enough of my thoughts for now and back to listening. Oh yeah, it looks like I should be on-schedule to run Dirac next week(Labor Day week) when I'm on vacation from work, looking forward to the results one way or the other!

I am glad you are enjoying them. I have 1723 Towers/center on order due in about 10 days. I just put up my 1961 heights as side/rear surrounds. And also have 1723S  heights coming for the front heights. I spent about 2 months researching new speakers as well,as auditioning a few (Focal 826, 936, Monitor Audio Silver 500 and Gold 300 and Martin Logan 60XTi) and was considering Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers. The stellar reviews from Audioholics and Erin’s Audio Corner helped me get there and then the price increase coming I pulled the trigger. Keep us posted one you dial them in with Dirac.

With the Sept 1 increase, I decided to replace my SVS Prime Elevations heights with the 1723 Height S and broke down and ordered today. Looks like the expected in-stock date for all of the out of stock speakers is Sept 5. While height speakers aren’t as important to be timbre matched, I decided I didnt want to be wishing later on that I had bought them when I had the chance.

[LCSeminole]

I have also ordered four of these speaker wall mounts off Amazon, from the manufacturers store(K&M - Konig & Meyer) These mounts allow left to right movement and a 30degree tilt. This allows the height channels to be angled right at the listening area, especially in my situation where one side of my living room is open to the kitchen, so the front and back walls are the only mounting positions possible, especially with a stud that will need to support 25lb height speakers(not to mention that I already have pre-existing 12g speaker wire run behind the drywall).

www.amazon.com/24471-000-55-Surround-Wireless-Adjustable-Multipurpose/dp/B000NU0ISG

[LCSeminole]

WOW!!! just WOW!!! Pink Floyd’s - The Dark Side of the Moon blu-ray audio pcm 5.1 sounds absolutely amazing on my 1723’s. Thanks to Geebo for introducing me to this multi-channel track!!!

[LCSeminole]

Same experience with my Billy Joel multichannel 5.1 SACDs - 52nd Street and The Stranger. Why did I wait so long!?!

[LCSeminole]

Well my color and series matching Arendal height/Atmos speakers that were on back order have finally been re-stocked and were shipped out on Friday, via FedEx Ground. The expected delivery date is Monday, so if that remains true to the FedEx website, then the shipping from the Arendal Sound warehouse in Elk Grove Village, IL(Chicago area) to the Florida Panhandle is pretty fast. Just happy they have shipped!!!

[LuisV]

Sept 24, 2022 7:18:04 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

Well my color and series matching Arendal height/Atmos speakers that were on back order have finally been re-stocked and were shipped out on Friday, via FedEx Ground. The expected delivery date is Monday, so if that remains true to the FedEx website, then the shipping from the Arendal Sound warehouse in Elk Grove Village, IL(Chicago area) to the Florida Panhandle is pretty fast. Just happy they have shipped!!!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on an all Arendal HT setup... should be rather insane.  I'll need to go through this thread again... did you buy one of their subs?

[LCSeminole]

Sept 24, 2022 8:57:57 GMT -5 LuisV said:

Sept 24, 2022 7:18:04 GMT -5 LCSeminole said:

Well my color and series matching Arendal height/Atmos speakers that were on back order have finally been re-stocked and were shipped out on Friday, via FedEx Ground. The expected delivery date is Monday, so if that remains true to the FedEx website, then the shipping from the Arendal Sound warehouse in Elk Grove Village, IL(Chicago area) to the Florida Panhandle is pretty fast. Just happy they have shipped!!!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on an all Arendal HT setup... should be rather insane.  I'll need to go through this thread again... did you buy one of their subs?

I haven't had need to consider new subwoofers. This past March I upgraded to SVS's latest replacement Sledge DSP amps, and quite literally I was floored at the difference compared to the older Sledge amps. I got a much needed advancement in their DSP and amplifier power which was like getting new subwoofers all over again. The blu-tooth control settings through my iPhone or iPad is quite nice and going from 800 to 1200 watts of amplifier power was quite noticeable. If I were to get new subwoofers, PowerSoundAudio would be at the top of my list for an in-home trial, then the newest SVS subs. I'm just not a fan of the looks of the Arendal subs, though I do hear they perform admirably.

[LuisV]

I hear ya on the looks, but the design appears to be a huge space saver. Keeping my eyes on Arendal and Perlisten. For now the EVO 4.4s keep a smile on my face... a few years from now, I might take a similar plunge as you did.

www.perlistenaudio.com/

[LCSeminole]

Sept 24, 2022 10:00:47 GMT -5 LuisV said:

I hear ya on the looks, but the design appears to be a huge space saver. Keeping my eyes on Arendal and Perlisten. For now the EVO 4.4s keep a smile on my face... a few years from now, I might take a similar plunge as you did.

www.perlistenaudio.com/

Perlisten is another one of those speaker companies on my radar. It is widely believed that the current Arendal 1723 series speakers were engineered by Dan Roemer of Perlisten, and Perlisten speakers, IMO, look to be based on the 1723 series and improved/upgraded from there. This is even insinuated by a few very reputable reviewers and as far as I know has not been debunked.

[LuisV]

Exactly what I heard; besides any sonic differences, I believe the main difference will be cost as Arendal takes out the middleman.

[ttocs]

Laurence, I too will be eager to hear your thoughts on you completely matched speaker system!!

I've said this many times. The best surround experience I've witnessed was a totally matched system using B&W speakers. This was 12 years ago with a 5.1 system, and all five speakers were the same. It was truly remarkable!

So the moral of the story, go matched if possible for the best experience.

Enjoy the new toys.
Hope the storm passes meekly.
scott

[LCSeminole]

Sept 24, 2022 10:37:54 GMT -5 ttocs said:

Laurence, I too will be eager to hear your thoughts on you completely matched speaker system!!

I've said this many times. The best surround experience I've witnessed was a totally matched system using B&W speakers. This was 12 years ago with a 5.1 system, and all five speakers were the same. It was truly remarkable!

So the moral of the story, go matched if possible for the best experience.

Enjoy the new toys.
Hope the storm passes meekly.
scott

Most definitely, I will be adding to this thread, so no worries!!! Timbre/Voice matching speakers were a priority of mine, which is one of the several reasons I chose the 1723 series speakers. The height speakers that are arriving on Monday(fingers crossed) actually have identical drivers and crossovers to the side/back surrounds(1723 Bookshelf S) that I'm using, only the cabinet shape was modified for wall mounting. Arendal says that their entry level 1961 series speakers are also voice matched to work with their 1723 & 1723 S series, and I've heard owners say as much, so this was obviously important to their engineering/design team to be able to mix and match speaker lines.

[LCSeminole]

Once I get all of the speakers exactly where I want them, I'll put up pictures as well. This is a work in progress even after speaker placement, as I'm planning on painting the room and probably a new couch, so you'll see plaster repairs and such before painting.

[oidarnam]

I have my eye on the 1961 bookshelf speakers for a small living room stereo setup. Thought a BasX A2 would be a good amp to drive them plus add a subwoofer. Arendal has 60 day trial period and US distributor, as I think was already discussed.

Erin also reviewed the 1961 tower and 1723 S THX bookshelf:

[LCSeminole]

So this past weekend I headed to Home Depot to get the hardware necessary to mount my new Arendal Sound 25lb Height/Atmos speakers. After thinking it through for a week or so, it's apparent that the wall mounts I bought for these height speakers are more than capable of handling their weight. On the other hand, I don't believe two of the four mounting holes in the wall mounts will suffice in supporting the speakers with just two studs being used. So this coming weekend I'll be pulling out the DeWalt table saw and cutting exact backing boards a little smaller than the back of the speakers, attaching that to four stud points and attaching the four wall mounting points to the backing board. For you woodworkers out there, is there a preferred wood, strength-wise, that will handle 25 lb speakers attached to wall mounts where the wall mount will be attached to the backing board which is attached to the wall in four different stud points? I have more than enough wood scraps to make four backing boards, but what type of wood will be the best?....oak, pine or a high grade plywood?

[LCSeminole]

Interesting observation from this weekend. I sold my existing four SVS Prime Elevation height speakers, so I had to finally take them down to ship out to their new owner. I temporarily have disabled the front and back heights in the RMC-1 and while watching different content, college football, Hulu shows, YouTube videos, Disney+, etc, I began to realize that the heights/Atmos channels(if you will) definitely add a dimension that I had grown accustomed to over the 2+ years I had been using them. Particularly with 2.0 and 5.1 content where DSU matrixes the four immersive channels. I might have thought this to be a placebo effect, but my brother-in-law was here visiting this past weekend, and he heard the difference right away, as I did. I never would have thought before installing height channels that I would've heard a discernible difference, but here I am hearing it...........

[AudioHTIT]

I’d go plywood for strength and long term stability, if you need it to match something you can get the veneered type and add edge banding (I use cherry ply with edge banding for almost everything). That said, use whatever looks best (if you’ll see it).

[LCSeminole]

Oct 3, 2022 22:30:56 GMT -5 AudioHTIT said:

I’d go plywood for strength and long term stability, if you need it to match something you can get the veneered type and add edge banding (I use cherry ply with edge banding for almost everything). That said, use whatever looks best (if you’ll see it).

Good advice indeed, I’m getting the same feedback on a couple of woodworking communities I frequent as well.