Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s National Research Council can be found through this link.
A couple of decades ago, a marketing director for a boutique-type speaker company, vexed by my questioning of his company’s product claims rather than accepting them at face value, called me cynical. I didn’t take offense. On the contrary, I considered this a compliment: it confirmed I was doing my job as a reviewer. Arendal Sound founder Jan Ove Lassesen might have thought the same of me these past few months, having been bombarded by my incessant email queries. But I have learned a good deal.
As I wrote last month, I was planning a trip to Norway to visit Arendal Sound and obtain video footage for a segment about the company’s 1528 series on our YouTube channel. I also wanted to gain a better understanding of how a speaker as advanced as the Tower 8, the flagship model in the 1528 series, can be offered for only $9500 a pair to US customers (all prices in USD). It seemed to me that, considering its size, weight, and technological leap over previous designs, the Tower 8 could reasonably warrant a much higher price. I wanted, therefore, to ask about production costs and was particularly interested in finding out how the company managed to overcome the logistical and financial obstacles entailed in shipping a 400-pound palleted pair directly to consumers.
My visit to Arendal Sound, in mid-November, provided the insight I had hoped for. Once Lassesen recognized my genuine wish to learn, he and designer Thomas Gunvaldsen openly talked about the company’s goals, going back to its 2015 founding, the creation of the 1528 series, and the logistics of shipping the Tower 8. (To immediately address that intriguing last issue: It was Lassensen’s logistics expertise from an earlier direct-to-consumer venture and a favorable collaboration with DHL that made direct-shipping possible.)
Cabinet and drivers, grilles and finishes
The 1528 series is a family of giants. Even the Bookshelf 8 is large, one of the largest standmount speakers I’ve seen. Likewise, the 1528 Center+ 8, a six-driver center-channel speaker—basically a Tower 8’s cabinet turned on its side—is the largest center-channel I’ve ever seen (a smaller, four-driver one is also available). Arendal’s 1528-series speakers have all been designed to be capable of delivering high SPLs and deep bass. To do that with a passive speaker, you need large enough drivers in a large enough cabinet. The Tower 8’s cabinet certainly is: it’s about 53″ tall and 11.5″ by 21.5″ at its widest and deepest. The two aluminum supports that bolt to the cabinet bottom and four soft-rubber footers that thread into them add about 3″ to the speaker’s height and increase its width by about 7″. The thick high-density-fiberboard (HDF) the cabinet is made of imparts a solid look and feel to the speaker as well as considerable heft: with supports and footers, it weighs about 175 pounds!
Were the Tower 8’s cabinet a simple rectilinear form, given its size and bulk, it would have an imposing presence in most rooms. Envision such a pair planted in your living room—not a pretty picture. But the Tower 8’s cabinet is not rectilinear. Its front panel is elegantly arced, vertically and laterally, and the baffle, which is set off from the panel by an inch or so, mirrors this curvature. The arced, floating baffle gives the speaker a bold, attractive look and an acoustic advantage: it aims the six drivers mounted to it more directly at the listener.
Those six drivers include: a tweeter with a 1.1″ lithium-magnesium dome, an acoustical lens directly in front of the dome, and an elliptical waveguide around the whole thing; a midrange with a 5″ carbon-fiber-and-graphene cone, an acoustical lens in front of the cone, and a sealed basket (it is open to the rear in most drivers); and four woofers, each with an 8″ aluminum cone with a ridged surface, for increased rigidity, and a massive motor system. Bass output is increased by a large bottom-venting port. A copper cap on the pole piece of the midrange and woofers reduces distortion, Gunvaldsen informed me. While setting up the speakers, I noticed an array of perforations on the port tube and asked Gunvaldsen about it. That, I was told, helps control port resonance.
I also learned that while the same tweeter and midrange, and the circular baffle part within which they are set, are employed throughout the 1528 range, the woofers, though identical in appearance and quality, are not necessarily the same: the motor systems had to be adapted specifically for each model.
In the Tower and Monitor models of the Arendal 1723 series, the tweeter-waveguide assembly is interposed between two midrange-woofers, an arrangement known as MTM. The tweeter-over-midrange configuration of the 1528 series’ speakers is a significant departure from MTM, but for good reason: better vertical dispersion. The MTM configuration is susceptible to greater interference between the tweeter and flanking drivers than the tweeter-over-midrange configuration is. I discussed this with Gunvaldsen; he did not disagree. When Arendal sent a pair of the 1723 Tower S loudspeakers for us to audition, about a year ago, I photographed and measured them but then passed the pair off to Philip Beaudette to review. Given my bias against the MTM design, I thought Philip would give it a fairer shake than I could—and he did.
With its improved vertical dispersion, the Tower 8 allows some latitude in ear height. Whether standing up or sitting down, I heard very little change in sound. But as the arced baffle points the tweeter and midrange slightly downward, the listening distance should be at least 3m, Gunvaldsen recommended. (The 1528 series handbook specifies an optimal listening height of 88cm–108cm at a distance of 4m [approx. 35″–43″ at 13′]). I set up the speakers in my 16′ × 18′ living room, which does allow for that distance, but smaller rooms may not. One of the smaller 1528 models (viz., the Monitor 8, Bookshelf 8, or Slim 8) would be a better fit in this case.
Limited tweaking of the Tower 8’s mid- and high-frequency output is possible through two jumpers at the back, just below the binding posts, one adjusts the tweeter, the other adjusts the midrange. Each jumper can be set in one of three positions: a default reference position, +2dB, and −2dB. (The default position turned out to be ideal in my listening room and was the setting I used for the duration.) Bass-level adjustment is achieved indirectly, by setting the jumpers to both increase or decrease their output. This, of course, has an inverse effect on bass level relative to that of the higher frequencies. The Tower 8’s tweeter is crossed over to the midrange at 2800Hz with fourth-order slopes, and the midrange is crossed over to the woofers at 420Hz with third-order slopes. Impedance is rated at 4 ohms nominal, and sensitivity is rated at 89.5dB (2.83V/m) with the jumpers in the reference positions.
Two matte finishes are available with 1528-series speakers, Basalt and Polar, in the colors implied. My review pair had the Polar finish. As I mentioned in last month’s article, I’ve developed a liking for white speakers and loved the way the Tower 8s looked in my living room. The first samples Arendal sent to me and other reviewers were early-production units. But only minor cosmetic alterations will potentially have been made, I was assured, by the time the speakers reach full production and start shipping, later this month. One specific change Gunvaldsen mentioned to me concerns the circular magnetic woofer grilles: the white grilles seen in the accompanying photos of my review pair will be silver in production units. I saw the silver grilles in Norway; they nicely match the baffle area around the tweeter and midrange, but I still like the white grilles better—and told Gunvaldsen so. Perhaps this will be a future option.
Cost cutting?
I’ve always assumed matte finishes were cheaper to produce than high-gloss ones—a way to keep the cost down. This is not so, Gunvaldsen informed me. Whereas paint flaws in high-gloss finishes can often be masked during polishing, no such remedy is possible with matte finishes. They must remain flawless from beginning to end and are therefore more challenging to execute.
One factor that does keep costs down is manufacturing location. Although Arendal’s speakers are designed in Norway, they’re made in China, where production costs are generally lower than in Europe or North America. This, however, does not necessarily mean lower quality, Lassesen and Gunvaldsen emphasized, and I agree. The quality of manufacturing in China has improved greatly over the years and is now largely on par with the quality of manufacturing elsewhere. Consumers’ perceptions on the matter vary, however, and do bear on their purchase decisions.
What is cost-saving is Arendal’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model, which a few other hi-fi companies use as well. By eliminating the typical network of retailers and middlemen, the company avoids the attendant markup, which can be thousands of dollars. A speaker like the Tower 8 would easily cost $20,000 a pair or more were it sold through traditional dealer channels.
Inherent to the DTC model are some drawbacks, too, of course. Most notably, prospective buyers cannot view and audition the product in person before buying, nor can they resort to dealer support after. Also, shipping delays and mishaps cannot be entirely avoided. To address these concerns, Arendal strives to ensure a seamless delivery process, includes taxes and duties (if applicable) in the price, provides online and phone-based customer support, backs its products with an impressive 10-year warranty (twice the industry standard), and offers a generous 60-day return policy (double that offered by most DTC sellers).
Setup
In my System One column Last month, I wrote about the Sonus Faber Sonetto V G2 and mentioned that, of late, I had been auditioning speakers with more than one amplifier when I can to get a fuller picture of their performance. Time constraints did not allow for such comparative assessment to be included in this review, but the follow-up article will cover that.
For this review, I slid the Tower 8s into the system I had the Sonus Fabers in at the end of their trial, where a Simaudio Moon 761 power amplifier supplied the driving power. Rated at 200Wpc into 8 ohms, 400Wpc into 4 ohms, the Moon 761 had the right amount of power for a pair of speakers of this size and output capability. Further up in the chain were a Simaudio Moon 791 streaming preamplifier, a Marantz CD 50n streaming CD player, and a Shanling ET3 disc transport. I did not use the Denon DP-3000NE turntable you see in the photos, but I probably will in a follow-up article. The cables and accessories used are detailed in the Associated Equipment endnote.
As noted earlier, I set up the Tower 8 speakers in my living room, which is my secondary listening room. I wanted to try a truly big pair of speakers in that space. Since the Tower 8 can produce much deeper bass than the Sonetto V G2 can, I placed the pair 6″ farther out from the front wall than I had placed the Sonetto pair—2′, back panels to wall. And since the Tower 8 is about 5″ deeper than the Sonetto V G2, the pair’s baffles were about 11″ farther into the room than the Sonettos’ baffles had been. But at 13′, my listening position was about 3′ farther away than it had been with the Sonettos. Initially, I positioned the Tower 8s 8′ apart, tweeter center to tweeter center, as I had spaced the Sonetto V G2s before. I later increased the spacing to 9′ (more on this later). Toe-in was 10 degrees.
Preliminary listening impressions
I set up the Tower 8 speakers before leaving for Norway and sat for a few casual listening sessions, just to get accustomed to the sound. The first track I played, using the Marantz CD 50n, was Bruce Cockburn’s “Pacing the Cage,” from The Charity of Night (True North TND 150). Almost immediately, I was drawn into serious-listening mode. At the moderately high volume level set at the time, the speakers’ performance was jaw-dropping. They sounded natural throughout the frequency range, had a full, accurate bass and clear highs, and presented Cockburn’s voice perfectly centered with stunning detail. The palpable texture of his voice and dead definitude of its image left me awestruck. The sound was as bold as the speakers’ appearance. The voice leapt out, demanding attention even at low volumes. The soundstage, however, seemed unnaturally compressed. Spacing the speakers a foot farther from each other, 9′ apart, widened the soundstage with no ill effect on imaging. That’s where they stayed.
Eager to hear more, I then played “Misguided Angel” by Cowboy Junkies, a track from The Trinity Session (RCA Records). I streamed the 16-bit/44.1kHz version on Tidal through the CD 50n using the companion HEOS app. The sub-50Hz bass on “Misguided Angel,” generated mainly by the bass drum and room reverb, challenges speakers. In my experience, when a pair of speakers is up to the challenge, you hear room-reverb whoomphs; when it isn’t, you don’t. The Tower 8s nailed it, reproducing what must have been 20Hz whoomphs without overpowering Margo Timmins’s vocals. From discussions I’ve had with producer Peter J. Moore, I know that this perfect balance of bass and vocals is precisely how he had intended the track to sound.
Next, I streamed Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” from Rumours (16/44.1 FLAC, Warner Bros.). Stevie Nicks’s vocals were clear, if a touch prominent, but I liked that: it made her voice stand out from the mix, more so than with many other speakers I had heard, but not overly so. The sound of Mick Fleetwood’s drumming was even more impressive. It was breathtakingly powerful and at times startlingly deep, and had broad presence across the soundstage (as intended, I’m sure). Both the moderately-priced Sonus Faber Sonetto V G2 ($6499/pair) and the high-priced Estelon Aura ($19,900/pair), subject of my November 2023 System One column, played “Dreams” extremely well and showed similar clarity in the vocal range and impressive power in the bass; but neither could match the Tower 8s in the low bass. Of course, the Sonetto V G2 and Aura are smaller speakers, with smaller total woofer-cone surface area, and cannot be expected to move the same volume of air that the Tower 8 can.
I noticed that the cymbals in “Dreams” sounded slightly more prominent on the Tower 8s than on other speakers, including the Estelon Auras and Sonetto V G2s, which also delivered highs prominently, just not as much. After listening to other tracks, though, I grew to relish the Tower 8s’ spirited sound and concluded that while their highs were slightly forward in my lively listening room, it was not enough to warrant adjustment (via the jumper); they weren’t objectionably bright. Listeners who do find the Tower 8’s highs too bright can always abate that spirited treble by 2dB using the jumpers. I can’t imagine anyone would want to boost the treble by 2dB unless something else in the signal chain is rolling off the highs.
Follow-up impressions
Before my trip to Norway, I had only positive impressions of the Tower 8 speakers. When I returned, I was set to challenge them with more demanding music and see if I could uncover any flaws. In the end, I found few grounds for criticism and discovered even more reasons for praise.
A reliable source of demanding albums is the Canadian producer and musician Daniel Lanois, whose recordings often present challenges for some speakers due to their thick bass and midrange, which can easily sound muddled. A prime example is Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball (Elektra Records), originally released in 1995. I streamed the 2014 remastered version of the album in 24/44.1 resolution from Tidal (also available on other platforms and for purchase as a download).
The Tower 8s’ presentation of Wrecking Ball was stellar—every single track impressed me; but with track 10 in particular, “Orphan Girl,” they gave a standout performance. The midband guitar sound and tambourine highs that open the song had reference-class clarity and created a stunning sense of spaciousness. But it was Harris’s voice that truly captivated me as it emerged from the mix with singular presence. This was accentuated by the bass, especially the deep, resonant, big-sounding drum played by U2’s Larry Mullen Jr.—powerful, controlled, effortless, even at high volumes.
Effortlessness of presentation is one of the hallmarks of the Tower 8s. Consistently, at all volumes, the pair produced big, dynamic sound with such ease and clarity they seemed to be coasting along, much like good horn speakers do. An expansive soundstage proved to be another of the Tower 8s’ hallmarks. On “Orphan Girl,” it was not just wide and enveloping, it was also deep, which allowed for strongly distinct imaging. Evidently, it’s not only small speakers that can excel in these areas. Just as with high-quality smaller speakers, music floated freely in the room, completely dissociated from the speakers themselves. Sonically, though certainly not visually, the Tower 8s don’t call attention to themselves.
I next turned to another Lanois production: Bob Dylan’s 1989 Oh Mercy (Columbia Records), which I streamed from Tidal at a standard-resolution (16/44.1 FLAC). I am not as fond of this album as I am of Wrecking Ball, and I played track 5 only, “Man in the Long Black Coat”—mainly to evaluate the speakers’ performance with Dylan’s close-miked vocal at a high volume level. With some other speakers, I’ve heard coarseness, even crackling, at high volume, which may indicate driver-cone distortion. With the Tower 8s, however, Dylan’s voice remained clear and crisp. (At lower volume levels, vocals sound great on this track with most speakers. This quality seems to be inherent to the recording.)
To further test the speakers, I turned to two other albums I know well: Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album (Elektra Records), released in 1988, which I streamed through Tidal, and Van Morrison’s Poetic Champions Compose (Mercury 832 585-2), which I played using the CD I’ve owned since its release in 1987.
On Chapman’s “Fast Car,” one of my customary test tracks, I encountered a moment of disappointment—not with the speakers, but rather with the recording itself as revealed by the speakers. The bass guitar sounded as deep and full as I’ve ever heard it, Chapman’s voice sounded as perfectly clear as Cockburn’s and Harris’s voices had sounded earlier and was imaged as distinctly, and the highs were borderline bright, as they are with most other speakers, this being a characteristic of the recording. But when the drums entered, excessive compression of dynamic range and a lack of depth in the bass became quite evident. While the Sonetto V G2s and Auras had hinted at these limitations, the Tower 8s evinced them unmistakably.
Turning to Van Morrison’s album, Poetic Champions Compose, I knew it wouldn’t provide a true measure of bass—this recording seems to cut off below 50Hz—but I thought it could help confirm my earlier assessment of the Tower 8s’ aptitude for casting spacious soundstages and sharp images. And I got my confirmation: the sound was as open and free as that of the Auras, which excel in that regard, and sonic images were planted distinctly on a broad soundstage. As expected, that soundstage appeared somewhat higher than with minimonitors, at about the height of the soundstage cast by the Auras. I normally place small speakers on 24″ stands, which positions the tweeters lower than they typically are in floorstanding towers. This results in a lower soundstage projection.
Caveats and conclusions
The Arendal 1528 Tower 8 is an outstanding loudspeaker with exceptional styling and build quality, capable of delivering clear, dynamic, spacious, full-range sound that reveals every detail in a recording. At its price, it represents an extraordinary value.
All the same, prospective buyers should be mindful of the following caveats. First, a pair of Tower 8 speakers will completely dominate a small listening space and may still feel like the proverbial elephant in a mid-size room. To be suitable for a pair of Tower 8s, a listening room should at minimum be large enough to accommodate the recommended listening distance of 13′. Although my living room allowed for that distance, I still plan to move the speakers to my reference room to test what effect a much-larger listening space might have on their sound. The second caveat to bear in mind is that, again, as a direct-to-consumer product, the Tower 8 cannot be auditioned before purchase. Arendal does offer a 60-day return window, as mentioned, but packaging and shipping such heavy speakers would be a huge hassle. With due consideration to these concerns, buyers are sure to find the Tower 8 a remarkable speaker.
From what I saw on my visit to Arendal Sound and what I learned from the people at its helm, I believe the company is poised to make waves in the hi-fi world for the quality and value of its products and its bold DTC business model. Arendal took a big leap forward with its 1528 series, spearheaded by the Tower 8, and landed on both feet.
. . . Doug Schneider
das@soundstage.com
Associated Equipment
- Speakers: Estelon Aura, Sonus Faber Sonetto V G2
- Turntables: Denon DP-3000NE with Denon Ojas DL-103o moving-coil cartridge
- CD player: Marantz CD 50n
- CD transport: Shanling ET3
- Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon 791
- Power amplifier: Simaudio Moon 761
- Speaker cables: QED XT25
- Balanced and single-ended interconnects: XLO DNA
- Digital cable: Furutech FX-Alpha-Ag
- Power cord: Shunyata Research Venom HC
- Power distributor: Shunyata Research PS8
- Acoustical treatments: BXI Sound Absorber panels (20), Tönnen Sound panels (2)
Arendal Sound 1528 Tower 8 loudspeaker
Price: $9500 per pair
Warranty: Ten years, parts and labor
Arendal Sound
Industritoppen 6C, 4848
Arendal, Norway
Website: www.arendalsound.com
