Overall verdict
“This is one of the most satisfying setup upgrades I’ve ever made in my listening room.”
“After many, many movie nights with this setup, I can clearly say it’s a completely different level than before.”
“I genuinely feel like I’ve arrived with this setup.”
“There’s no urge in me right now to go chasing even more extreme speakers.”
“The Arendals deliver brilliantly for my needs, at a price I consider genuinely worthwhile.”
“In my experience, you really can’t go wrong with Arendal.”
1723 Center THX
Sound quality and dialogue clarity
“The Arendal center simply has more punch.”
“Vocals gain noticeably more body, and in dialogue scenes it doesn’t sound thin, it sounds naturally full.”
“It’s clear and precise without ever tipping into harshness.”
“The Arendal is more honest and straightforward here.”
“Dialogue clarity is front and center, and it’s noticeably better than with the old B&W.”
“Voices used to be fine, now they’re punchier, clearer, and easier to understand.”
Tonal matching and seamless integration
“With the Arendal center it’s completely seamless, a smooth transition.”
“After the ARC calibration, the front ends up sounding like one seamless, cohesive soundstage.”
“The center closes exactly the gap I’d hoped it would after the tower review.”
Dispersion and dynamics
“The dispersion stays consistent across a wider angle.”
“The dispersion is so forgiving that even from that position I don’t see any benefit to angling it.”
“The speakers never sound strained, even during demanding passages.”
1723 Bookshelf S THX
Surround performance
“Together with the center and tower speakers, you get a really cohesive sound, tonally right on the same level.”
“You genuinely feel enveloped.”
“The tonal character just blends together more seamlessly than my old hybrid setup ever could.”
“In a direct comparison I have to admit, it really is a noticeable difference.”
“As a surround building block in a homogeneous multichannel setup, it’s even more impressive.”
Build quality and design
“Same series, same DNA, no compromises.”
“HDF cabinets instead of MDF, flawless satin finish, solid rhodium-plated terminals, magnetically attached fabric grilles.”
“Visual consistency, matching design language, matching finish across every channel, it simply looks a lot more polished.”
Engineering, performance and value
“The cleaner the power you send to the Arendals, the more effortlessly they play.”
“These speakers are tuned neutral, but they’re not divas that demand high-end electronics.”
“These speakers do reward serious source equipment, they just don’t require it as an entry barrier.”
“Compared to the competition, you’re getting an incredible amount for your money.”
“Plenty of cinemas I visit these days can’t sonically keep up with this setup anymore.”
The cinema comparison is about his complete home theater system, not the individual speakers.
Read the earlier HiFi Geek review: 1723 Tower THX
