Arendal Sound 1961 Monitor Speaker Review

Arendal Sound 1961 Monitor Speaker Review - A Category Leader?

Рет қаралды 13,135

11 ай бұрын

‪@ArendalSound‬ 1961 Monitor (MSRP: $1,099/pair, shipping included) is one of the more affordable offerings from the Norwegian company that is quickly building up a reputation for offering high-end yet high-value products. It's a unique product in a form factor rarely found but greatly needed in the audiophile community. The 1961 Monitor requires the use of a powered subwoofer to get full range extension but what it lacks in low end, it more than makes up for in dynamic range, sensitivity and ease of integration. Think of this speaker as an audiophile alternative to a soundbar or lame on-wall speaker system.
Gene discusses the Audioholics written review with James Larson and talk about how this speaker objectively performs and it's best use cases.
Read our Arendal Sound 1961 Monitor Review: www.audioholics.com/bookshelf...
► Buy the Arendal 1961 Monitor: bit.ly/Arendal1961Monitor
► Buy the Arendal 1961 1S or 1V Sub: bit.ly/Arendal1961sub
► Buy the Arendal 1723 1S Sub: bit.ly/Arendal17231Ssub
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Arendal 1961 1S or 1V: bit.ly/Arendal1961sub
Arendal 1723 1S Sub: bit.ly/Arendal17231Ssub
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Denon AVR-X6700H 11.2CH AV Receiver: audioadvice.io/3HsdEou
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Anthem AVM 90 15.4CH Processor: bit.ly/AnthemAVM90
Monolith M8250x 8CH Amp: bit.ly/8CHamp
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Пікірлер: 76

@adamjj85 11 ай бұрын

Love it, another winner for Arendal! I have the 1723 S Monitors for LCR and they are excellent! Agree with you that I would love to see more companies release monitors.

@RickRalstonAsumendi 11 ай бұрын

Can confirm, these 1961 Monitors are awesome as the 7 bed channels in a smallish theater (17.4ft x 13ft). I picked them specifically because the shallow form factor allowed me to mount behind my screen without losing too much room depth.

@SunnySkiesInAZ 11 ай бұрын

This is the route I want to go with my 11’x18’ room. 7 bed layer 1961 monitors. Just recently I started talking myself into 1723S monitor lcr w? 1961 monitor surrounds. I’m worried about a tonal issue though by having a combination of different speakers. My hope is for a undeniable increase in dynamics by going 1723s lcr. Please help with your thoughts any one.

@RickRalstonAsumendi 11 ай бұрын

@@SunnySkiesInAZ I wouldn't worry about a mismatch between 1961 and 1723. Still, you may not need the extra output of the 1723 series in that size space.

@SunnySkiesInAZ 11 ай бұрын

@@RickRalstonAsumendi currently I have 11 identical bookshelf speakers rated at 120w rms 8 ohm. They struggle at loud volumes w/ high dynamics. Love the tonal consistency though! 1723s LCR seems a little counterintuitive to me, I don’t know why I’m trying to talk myself into using those over 7 identical 1961 bed layer. Maybe have been watching too many videos of people with higher dynamic lcr in their systems.

@TonyZ1717 11 ай бұрын

Finally !!! Audioholics review on my Monitors. The sound is fabulous paired with my SB-3000 sub. Question - I have an older Sony AVR 1100 receiver and while sound is very good I feel that maybe I should go with a higher amp given the speakers 4 ohm impedance. ? Great review Gene and James.

@firestar3x 11 ай бұрын

Great timing this review, trying to decide between the 1961 and 1723s for a small 7.2.4 home theater running Rotel amps with two SVS subs.

@duriarte3190 11 ай бұрын

I bought the 1723 monitors and thier surrounds and love them.

@Bradimus1 11 ай бұрын

I really like their products. I should have put more consideration to working for them when they were encouraging applicants.

@svensvensson627 11 ай бұрын

I just got my 1723 thx s bookshelves. Absolutely blown away by them. +2 1961 1s subs

@robwalker6378 11 ай бұрын

I'm using the 1961 Monitors as front wides, with 1723 Monitors as LCR. They sound awesome.

@ernst4878 11 ай бұрын

1723* 😅

@robwalker6378 11 ай бұрын

@@ernst4878 wrong year! ha

@iariag1 11 ай бұрын

I have had these speakers for over a couple of years now and love them,they are in white and use the grill on as it looks better

@DanRichardson 11 ай бұрын

Thanks James. Curious if you did a listening test in a wall mounted config? Been eyeing them for an LCR behind an AT screen. Erin had done a test with the 1961 bookshelves which ahowed them hollowed out when wall mounted

@gianfrancocastellano601 11 ай бұрын

Another great review thank you. So are these the the style speakers one should look at for a dedicated theater room with tv on a stand relying on room correction only vs something like a tower and bookshelf? Im really interested in ascendos speaker line also just hard to buy for diy and no center

@justinbeamon6624 11 ай бұрын

The cool thing about the Arendal is it has VESA mounting so you can buy any VESA 100 mounts and use that.

@JosephTongret 11 ай бұрын

Hey Gene, the only way to find this video is through the forum where you embedded it. Not sure if that was intentional or not. Great content and thank you both!

@Audioholics 11 ай бұрын

Yes. Intentional until tomorrow. You got a sneak peek 😉

@paultravisano9403 11 ай бұрын

How would you go about recessing these in a wall for surrounds?

@Rene_Christensen 11 ай бұрын

23 lbs is about 10 kg, not the stated 7.25 ;) Great review as always

@Dasbeerboots 10 ай бұрын

DALI has the Oberon, Rubicon, and Opticon On-Walls, which are two or three way single mid-bass driver units, but can be mounted in the same way. Monitor Audio also has a number of on-wall speakers, as well. One of them being the Cinergy 200, which is a three-way WMTMW design. Monoprice has the M-OW1, which is basically a cheaper clone of the 1961 Monitors, and I believe they were designed by the same person.

@glenis83 10 ай бұрын

Do you have a recommendation for LCR for any of the speakers you mentioned? I've been looking at a few of these models, specifically DALI and Monoprice. I currently am running KEF T301s as LCR integrated with an SVS sub. The combo is actually really good but I felt it was missing some depth. Ordered the Arendal 1961 monitor to try out as a center and even though there was more fullness to the sound (definitely filled some mid bass gaps) I still felt it was lacking. I actually found that the KEFs have a surprising amount of clarity in comparison. Their weak point is just the slim factor so no bass whatsover. Maybe I need to allow the Arendal to break-in or maybe just replacing the center was not going to cut it?

@Tearial311 11 ай бұрын

I have the 1723THX LCR. Really nice

@OSUFANATIC1980 11 ай бұрын

Currently trying to decided what to do for fairly big theatre room for LCR. Currently have two JTR 4000's and wondering if I should just stick to JTR for the LCR or if there is another brand I should be looking at for LCR? Like maybe the 1723 of these or their towers.

@tazoriginal 11 ай бұрын

So did i miss it did you post an on-wall response?

@AKrumenacher 11 ай бұрын

Would be interesting to see these compared to the Ascendo 5 or 6.

@ChihuAudioMan 11 ай бұрын

These or the SVS Ultra bookshelves? Ignoring the extra bass extension of the ultras, and just going on pure sound quality, realistic voicing, and sound integrity at high volume?

@ediarapi2213 11 ай бұрын

Would these or the 1961 bookshelves work good as surrounds wall mounted ?

@Audioholics 11 ай бұрын

Yes!

@jrep88 11 ай бұрын

If used as side and back surrounds, do you think they could hit 100db clean using a 90hz crossover at 10 feet?

@palmspar 11 ай бұрын

thy can play 100db with 16watt on 1 meter distance, 103db with 32 watt and so on. In a 5.1.2 setup, 106db with 64 watt is the max for most home receivers i think. On 1 meter 106db is 96.46db@ 3 meters. But if you give them 120watt or higher crossed @90hz, yes i think they can play 100db@3 meters

@JamieOverTheHill 10 ай бұрын

I know an MTM horizontally is not optimal but I don't have room to place one vertically for a center speaker,would I be better off using the bookshelf version then? I feel like I would be trading dynamic range and sensitivity for better dispersion.

@Audioholics 10 ай бұрын

No, get the horizontal MTM from Arendal instead of a bookshelf. As long as you sit +-20deg from tweeter axis, you'll be fine.

@hotdog9262 11 ай бұрын

3:02 id imagine they also do this to be able to pick or design a mid/bass more in the direction of a pure midrange

@SunnySkiesInAZ 11 ай бұрын

@fvec9868 10 ай бұрын

Talk to arendal as they will give you honest feedback and advice. I have the 1723 fr8nt stage and 1961 monitors for surrounds and surround backs and I feel they integrate really well. According to arendal, the 1723 and 1961 speakers were made to integrate together as they all share the same wave guide tweeter.

@mikedinno8413 10 ай бұрын

Ascend Acoustics new CMT 340SE2 should be reviewed as a definite competitor to these.

@romo119 11 ай бұрын

I'm considering the 1961 bookshelves for a desktop setup. Would these work well in nearfield?

@palmspar 11 ай бұрын

yes the monitors do, i sit sometimes 1 meter away from the speakers. I have a 5.1.2 atmos setup with the 1961 speaker line, all crossed at 80hz with the svs sb2000 sub.

@jamesbrettell3765 11 ай бұрын

I also have the 1961 as a 5.1 setup. Centre, monitors for the L/R and bookshelf’s for the rears. Running them with a denon x4700h. What avr are you using? Do you use a amp?

@romo119 11 ай бұрын

@@jamesbrettell3765 Not using an avr, I have a dac and amp. The amp is a Burson funk max current. I use a subwoofer at my desk as well so I'm thinking this will be a good fit

@romo119 11 ай бұрын

@@palmspar monitors might look a little large on my desk, bookshelves would probably be good enough with sub?

@palmspar 11 ай бұрын

@@romo119 yes they sound the same, only the monitor has more output.

@junior-OG 11 ай бұрын

24:25 yes please review wharfedale elysian 4

@SoCalVipers 11 ай бұрын

I really need your help because you are the ones I trust the most. I'm about to move into a new home, so I have a great opportunity to re-think my home theater setup. I won't have a dedicated theater room, but I'll do a 10' wide screen in the great room. The room is huge, but the theater area is not. I'll be sitting about 15' from the screen. I don't listen loud, It's usually a few db less than a movie theater when I watch movies. I currently have for LCR the Monoprice Monolith THX-365T speakers. I really don't like them. I think they sound harsh - my assumption was they sound harsh because they don't make any bass. The THX-365T speakers are pretty highly praised online. What is your opinion? I'm an audio engineer by trade, so I really like the ide of using accurate monitors in my home theater, but my Barefoot work speakers are too big and expensive for the house. In the new house, I plan to have the speakers behind the screen, and these 1961 Monitors might be ideal for me. What do you think?

@jameslarson2277 11 ай бұрын

The Monolith THX-365T speakers should not sound harsh at all. You are using subwoofers with them like they were intended, right? You might have them miscalibrated? The only reason I can think why they would sound harsh is that you are over-driving them and pushing them into distortion. I really hope you are not running them full range with no sub, because that would be a problem.

@karadason 11 ай бұрын

I think one of the mods, rickra, at the Home Theater subreddit has this setup. Three Arendal 1961 monitors.

@sudd3660 11 ай бұрын

i would call them category leader, sealed MTM is rare and has large benefits. i cross mine over at 180hz to subwoofers. 12db oct if i remember correctly.

@palmspar 10 ай бұрын

80hz i hope? 180hz is way to high.

@sudd3660 10 ай бұрын

@@palmspar it is 180hz, and i set up 18db slopes and listen to it again. higher frequency gives more power to the upper bass. so it sounds more like a large floorstander than bookshelf's with subwoofer. and of course have two subwoofers in stereo for this to work. and dsp.

@sudd3660 11 ай бұрын

yes Arendal Sound 1961 Monitor is quite unique. so i had little other choice of speakers, and a good choice at that :) KEF have something similar, R2c or the new R2 meta. cost a bit more and a little bit larger. and marketed as center speaker.

@Dasbeerboots 10 ай бұрын

I have both. They're different designs. The R2C is a 3-way concentric design. The Monitor is a 2-way design.

@sudd3660 10 ай бұрын

the similarities i was looking for was sealed design, and shallow and narrow design, with woofers in MTM. do they also sound very different?

@boba2783 11 ай бұрын

I have these and finding a stand is a problem - I use portable fold up stands and they are ok

@neilhutchison222 11 ай бұрын

I use these 2 I have metal desktop stands then iso acoustic monitor stands on the metal stands angled up my tv sits just above the top of them really gd for my extremely small living room with svs 3000 sub and 6 1961 bookshelves for surround and atmos

@boba2783 11 ай бұрын

@@neilhutchison222 similar set up tp mine - they are very cohesive with movie soundtracks and blend with a SVS sub perfectly

@neilhutchison222 11 ай бұрын

@@boba2783I seen on Andrew Robinson channel he said he crossed them over at 110 my avr set them at 80hz my sub volume is -26 I really am not experienced enough to know anything about subwoofers it sounds ok but kinda worry about if iam annoying the neighbours wish I knew more but it’s pretty good sounding to me

@palmspar 11 ай бұрын

@@neilhutchison222 80hz is thx advise and works perfect in 99% for the use case, my 1961 line speakers are also crossed at 80hz. On some spots in my room the monitors play to 60hz flat, i think 80 hz is perfect for them.

@pauldoyle8986 11 ай бұрын

I think the Arendals are great with music. I don’t do the home theater thing…l

@pumpituphomeboy 11 ай бұрын

Brian you mentioned that Arendal do not have any competitor in terms of design. The new KEF R2 Meta LCR is a direct competitor to these. The R6 Meta LCR from KEF is a direct competitor to the Arendal 1723 THX Monitors. The new R6 from kef is maybe the best speaker they have produced for the money in a long time! Gene when you are at Audio Advice you will hear these babies in action and look forward to your comment. Kef and Arendal are producing some of the best speakers at this price point. I have extensive experience with both. IMHO Kef have the edge in music playback, Arendal have the edge in movie playback due to a slightly better dynamics in power output.

@jameslarson2277 11 ай бұрын

The KEF R2 Meta still don't compare directly because they aren't at all designed for on-wall use. The 1961 Monitors are as good for on-wall use as they are for stand-mount, and that is the unusual aspect that I am referring to. In fact, they might be a bit more suited for on-wall use since they have such a small footprint which makes them a bit top-heavy.

@pumpituphomeboy 11 ай бұрын

@@jameslarson2277 James, honored you took time out to reply to my comment. Yes of course there is no arguing with the on wall use where the R2 & R6 are designed to be placed next to a wall. Love your work and the effort you put into your reviews. Keep them coming sir.

@Techdiscussed 7 ай бұрын

Pitty they are no longer available....

@chrislukowski1825 11 ай бұрын

Sounds like you guys need to get the 1723 S Monitors in for a 3-way shootout! 😁

@dansuess4859 11 ай бұрын

@jameslarson2277 Lots of good info here, thanks so much guys. Quick question, how do you think the 1961 Bookshelf would do as a desktop speaker?

@jameslarson2277 11 ай бұрын

If you can give your listening position distance from the speakers, they would probably work fine, but at a very close distance, these are not the kind of speakers you would want. I wouldn't use them as desktop speakers if you can't get at least 3 feet distance from them.

@dansuess4859 11 ай бұрын

@@jameslarson2277 Thanks James. I'm curious why is that? Is it because of the distance between the woofer and tweeter? Or the waveguide doesn't lend itself to nearfield?

@jameslarson2277 11 ай бұрын

@@dansuess4859 Distance between the woofer and the tweeter means that the sound they produce respectively will not integrate at a super close distance. For desktop speakers, I would be mostly looking at non-MTM speakers where the tweeter and woofer are not mounted far from each other.

@dansuess4859 11 ай бұрын

@@jameslarson2277 OK, that makes sense, and I'm guessing that applies to the bookshelf version of this speaker too? So with your experience, if you were looking for a small, passive speaker for desktop use in a very small home office with a sub what are some examples you'd be looking at? I can't do anything too deep hence my interest in the 1961. I'm also looking at the RSL CG3M and the Paradigm MilleniaOne. Thanks again.

@jameslarson2277 11 ай бұрын

@@dansuess4859 Hard to come by a shallow speaker that is great. Between the speakers you are choosing from, I would probably give the 1961s a try. I don't know about the MilleniaOne but Paradigm can be a real hit or miss, and the port-boosted bass on the CG3 speakers was way too much for me.