Arendal Sound 1528 Speakers Unboxing and First Impressions

[@Youthman]

"I'm not weak, this is just heavy." LOL Love it bro!

[@Jordonater]

These weigh 47KG each! even the bookshelf model is 30kg which is heavier than a lot of floorstanders. Id like Audioholics to see what's inside causing this weight.

[@michaelschultz1125]

Looking forward to how they sound.

[@ThaVillaMan]

Def

[@Diatonic5th]

They look amazing! Looking forward to your review. I'm seriously interested in the Bookshelf 8 model as well.

[@robertforet4477]

Yes, after seeing a video on the 1528 tower speakers, I found your video on the monitor 8 arendals and really can't wait to see your review. I am currently devoted to building my dream stereo system and the 1528 series line of speakers has my full attention. My room is big enough in square feet to go with either the towers or monitors, so it is important to see reviews on each. Look forward to your review. Peace

[@Darrylizer1]

I just heard about these speakers and they look fantastic. They may be just what I'm looking for.

[@fashyontime]

Love your reviews, I can't wait to hear your comparison of this speaker to the 1723 tower you reviewed earlier. They even weigh almost the same

[@adamjj85]

They seem to be going after Perlisten R series with these. Will be curious to see how they stack up!

[@Zoranurai13]

I was like okay they are good looking and sound great. Price aside. The center speaker is heavier than i weigh, is almost as wide as a 65” tv and is as deep as a kitchen cabinet. Holy shit.

[@snowinokinawa]

Movie demo on two speakers? Go there! Go there! Go there! Nothing wrong with movies through two sensational monitors! Thanks for your efforts…

[@topsyturvy4386]

How tall are the stands? Speaker itself is over 80 cm, not sure if any standard stands would work with those (acoustic center would be too high)

[@kevinv6882]

Can't wait for the review on these..

[@klewja]

From the knuckle wrap it sounds the the cabinets are pretty resonant.

[@Gimmesoup88]

🤨

[@therealdarcman]

The one thing I do think is the stands are to tall at 22", they would be ok with the smaller bookshelf 1528. The stands probably dont need to be any taller than 16" or 18"

[@kaymanul]

They do seem to project a bit downwards, so maybe the height was considered as part of this behaviour? I understand that the stands are just for testing purposes only right now and they might be modified. Height adjustable would be very useful, but most likely won't happen.

[@therealdarcman]

@@kaymanul 22" for the stands and another almost 32" for the speakers is quite tall at 54". The towers have to be that tall becuase of all the drivers. The 22" would be right for the bookshelf 1528. Shorter stands for the monitor 8 would also lower the C of G too. At 104lbs the monitor 8s are built like a tank...even the smaller bookshelf are 66 lbs. I think these look awesome!!

[@Trønderfår]

Make a stand that follows the structure, like the one discontinued, more aesthetically pleasing

[@techsamurai11]

Sound and build quality aside which I suspect are off the charts, my initial reaction is this. It's a heavy 5.1 system - first there's the weight of the cost (which could be a bargain for what you get) but the 2 towers along with the soundbar-sized center are $15K. Then there's the actual weight and this is a big one. The center channel alone weighs 81kg or 181lbs! To put that into perspective, the Perlisten S7T weighs 122lbs and the Revel Ultima Salon 2 weighs 146 lbs. The center channel is 50% heavier than the S7T and 20% heavier than the Salon 2. Without a doubt, these speakers are built like a tank and they maybe a bargain when you think about the cost of the S7T and Salon 2 🙂 Kudos to Arendal for making such a beast but the weight, size, and cost become an encumbrance. Even the smaller center weighs 104 lbs! For instance, you can't use a cabinet with the larger center, even a $4,000 BDI cabinet. It needs a stand to rest on and probably 2 of them for the large center since it's horizontal. What about your consoles, your AVRs etc? Where will they go? Then there's the visual component of seeing so much speaker which, of course, is personal preference. Then you get into electronics. Arendal recommends up to 1000 watts, even for the center so factor that in. You're going to want 500 WPC min for each of these so say hello to a rack smack dab in the most valuable real estate of your house. The logistics alone for these speakers are almost too much for any living room but I guess you'd have that issue to some extent with any series at that level and you'd probably pay more for less.

[@therealdarcman]

They wont go in a broom closet thats for sure. I have substancial system and a medium sized room. I wouldnt get the towers, but I would love to try the monitor 8. My monoblocks would power the towers easily, so I am good for the monitor 8. The 1528 are expensive, but for high end audio I think they are a bargain.

[@Kmahomie]

So are the 1528 monitor gonna include the stands ?

[@ThaVillaMan]

No, the stands I have are prototypes. They aim To have them ready by Q1 2025

[@Kmahomie]

@@ThaVillaMan AHHH copy that. thanks' for the reply

[@Audfile]

I've never seen any speaker include stands. Maybe like 1. And they weren't cheap. Think about having to stock and ship those too.

[@willgatlin8229]

Please let us how they preform! 16:36

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

Thanks for the initial review. Looking forward to your full review. I like the bookshelves but it doesn’t look like they make a matching stand which is disappointing. They make them for the monitors should it could be done.

[@MasterChief37]

From what I understand the same stand can be used with both speakers

[@emadal-tamimi5811]

Hey there! Those speakers look incredible! I can't wait to hear your review. I've seen some reviewers mention some speakers need a big room, but I'm not sure what they mean by that. Is there a specific room size category that I should consider when choosing speakers? I'm currently building a room with the following dimensions: - Length: 23.2 feet - Width: 15.4 feet - Height: 9.8 feet Can you help me determine if this room would be considered large, medium, or small in terms of speaker placement? Appreciate in advance for any support from any one reply me in this regard.

[@Jordonater]

Im no expert but i believe the distance you listen at is more important than the actual size of the speakers for the room. If you get a speaker with more than 2 drivers in it then you must sit farther from them to get the drivers to sum up properly at the listening distance. 2 meters is usually the minimum listening distance that is recommended which is why i find it very awkward to get a suitable speaker as i am sat in nearfield basically.

[@DonPrimitivo263]

Nice Review, hope the audio Demo coming soon

[@davemccague222]

Hi there. I’m anxiously awaiting your Arendal 1528 monitor review. Can’t wait. Will it be dropping soon?

[@ThaVillaMan]

I’ll try to get the demo out this weekend, at least

[@bobbyp9099]

Good looking speakers

[@rwaring58]

Thanks for the early look at the monitors! Approximately how heavy are the stands?

[@ThaVillaMan]

Probably about 20 or so pounds

[@DearSX]

Looks like they knocked it out the park.

[@ThaVillaMan]

I’d say

[@lights80088]

Hi, great video as always. Where can we get the stands? Can't find them on the website.

[@ThaVillaMan]

Not sure why they aren’t on the site. Will ask them about it

[@lights80088]

Thank you for checking. Please let us know. Won't spend that kind of money unless you can buy stand. They really stuck it to us on the 1723 Monotor thx speakers and didn't seem to care.

[@God_y_u]

@@lights80088 @ThaVillaMan the Stands are still in revison (not final design if i remember correctly) but will be listed in the shop at a later date

[@lights80088]

Ok, thanks.

[@shortstack31489]

I see that UHD8000 in the background 👀

[@ThaVillaMan]

Indeed. Gotta make a video about it

[@junior-OG]

👀

[@DearSX]

This is a speaker that is easier to build and smaller to match the enclosure size needs of the drivers used. Kinda like classic 3 way large bookshelves.

[@ThaVillaMan]

It’s one of several in the line and it’s anything but small. It’s larger than the 1723 monitor, which was also pretty big

[@kevinr1282]

They are starting to price themselves out. The JTR Noesis 215RT are $4500 each. I have blown the tweeters on the 1723 twice. I doubt the 1528 tweeters are much stronger. I bet my ears would give out before the Noesis 215RT did. Note: Both times were with music, the 1723's are great for movies.

[@danemoreno88]

Would much rather have the 215rt

[@Novilicious]

Villa man, how much better are these than the Atlantic Technology 8600s? You reviewed those a while back, but as best as you can tell from memory. Thanks 🙏🏼

[@ThaVillaMan]

That’s a tough question since all I’d have to go on is memory and I still haven’t set these up properly yet. The AT were more detailed than the 1723 for sure, that’s the most I can say at this point

[@Novilicious]

@@ThaVillaMan thanks! I bought the 8600’s right as you reviewed them and I LOVE them. I’m in the market to upgrade. I’m wondering if these are a worthy upgrade. I think they are but will wait till 2025 to buy. I’m not big on buying the first ones for quality issues. Thanks for your advice!

[@liamporter1137]

Saw good reviews for this product range. Unfortunately, it's a bit too big for me even this bookshelf.

[@generynkewicz4871]

I can’t find any info on their stands.

[@mikeblack3657]

I have a Dolby Atmos receiver that is connected to my PC. Using HDMI, how can I get Dolby Atmos audio to my receiver?

[@ThaVillaMan]

From a PC? If connected through HDMI and the program supports Atmos (gaming, etc) and the settings are enabled

[@mikeblack3657]

@ThaVillaMan think you a lot.👍

[@eddietours3728]

Looks very nice 👍🏼

[@ThaVillaMan]

Sounds killer too. Had my floors vibrating for that excursion clip

[@eddietours3728]

@@ThaVillaMan😂👍🏼

[@noahman27]

Interesting. I just watched a review of the 1528 towers. 175 lbs/each!! Beasts! only $10k for a pair.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

$9500

[@MrMichaelEsser]

Have you ever heard JTR Speakers?

[@ThaVillaMan]

Nope, not yet

[@henrikhengerics6782]

Hi, Where is the port? I do not see it anywhere. Not at the bottom (as in tower 8), nor front and the back is not shown in full.

[@ThaVillaMan]

It’s in the back. One big port.

[@johnlira3316]

Woofers look and function similar to KEF speakers too bad that tweeter wont play to reference levels as horns

[@danielaylward6148]

Price

[@selassie123GA]

Nice unboxing! ...i think i hear your Room too much, might need a Rug?😅

[@ThaVillaMan]

You do. I have a bunch of treatment in the works. Hence why the demo will have to wait until it’s done

[@selassie123GA]

@@ThaVillaMan looking forward to it 🙃

[@sammy10001]

Im an on wall type of guy, but damn these look good

[@larsv6144]

Please get a better shot of the speaker on the stand in the next video

[@ThaVillaMan]

I’ll post it in an Instagram reel in a few hours

[@jjguillen65]

I just drool a little bit lol

[@TheArtOfJerry]

Haha... ❤❤ I thought you wanted to say ... Friendly neighbourhood, Spiderman 😂😂. Great fun. Super pumped for your coming demos. I think the movie demos will be amazing.. too.

[@bingdong8571]

no problem looking past the keffish drivers but HOW IN THE HECK DO THEY HAVE THE SAME MID TWEETER GRILLES AS PERLISTEN!!! THAT IS ABSOLUTELY BLATENT

[@ThaVillaMan]

Can’t go wrong, either way lol

[@damonrice8047]

That’s because the same designer had a hand in designing Perlisten, Arendal, and the Monolith Encore series. A simple Google search will verify this.

[@bingdong8571]

@@damonrice8047 thats nuts, why would u want ur flagship speaker to look like u copied the competitions flagship speaker?! I dont understand this?

[@klewja]

@@bingdong8571perlisten used the spread tow carbon fiber as Rockport but I can guarantee that the Rockport drivers are so far from them in quality it is not even funny.

[@bearclaw5115]

@@bingdong8571 1st, it def looks cool! 2nd, it's functional. 3rd who cares, only so many things you can do with speakers.

[@LordGiorgioCapital]

Is he high?

[@ThaVillaMan]

No, why do you ask?

[@exlipse123]

Specs are available online for anyone to read...what's the point to telling us the specs? How much it weighs? How the frequency response looks like? It's all on their website. How do they sound? Timbre, speed, decay, midrange presentation, sound stage width, depth, channel sepparation, tweeter airiness and speed, bass extension and behavior below 40 Hz. Behavior with high output? Do an SPL measurement? Tell us how do they behave regarding the dynamic compression? What's the IN_ROOM response? ...and so on...

[@ThaVillaMan]

Dude, chill, that’s all coming. I’ve had the speakers out of the box for a a few hours at that point.

[@tuncayyasar635]

Paranin alabileceği en iyi hoparlörler.Kaliteyi ulaşılabilir fiyata sunuyorlar.Benim takdirimi kazanan Norveç markası.

[@chrislukowski1825]

🎵 STANDS in the place where he lives New in box Think about announcements, wonder why we haven’t seen them before 🎵

[@ThaVillaMan]

The remix? 😆

[@jdx4174]

Too Bulky, too heavy, too expensive. Arendal sadly went away from the mainstream market and put everything into the high-end luxury home theater. You only get small improvements in sound quality, but have to pay significantly more to get them. I still got my 1961 bookshelf speakers that i love very much. Those were fantastic for the price (740€/Pair) and just need a good subwoofer.

[@ThaVillaMan]

I think it’s more that they’re catering to another market segment which wants a more premium speaker with more refined materials. They other speakers still exist for those not interested in a high end audio gear

[@gintokigriffiths1086]

just buy perlisten

[@ThaVillaMan]

Perlistens are more expensive

[@Audfile]

Maybe not!

[@hotdog9262]

why assume perlisten is better

[@EEAMD-co6nw]

look similar to KEF

[@paulpaulzadeh6172]

Made in China 🇨🇳 🤪 😎 😀 😄

[@dextermorgan1]

Everything is made in China nowadays.

[@erikschon2222]

- Your point being...? My wife was made in China and she is build like a tank. Her tweeter is still intact 22 years later!🤫

[@alwayspushing2031]

Sorry but way, way out of my budget

[@ThaVillaMan]

They’re building out their lineup, so there’s one for everyone

[@bearclaw5115]

Your budget is your problem. They might be more than I'm willing to spring for too but no need to complain about it. Plenty of other speakers out there at all different price points.

[@alwayspushing2031]

@@bearclaw5115😂😂😂 sorry "dad"

[@dextermorgan1]

​@@alwayspushing2031Well, "Dad" is correct. 🤷🏻

[@alwayspushing2031]

@@dextermorgan1 😂😂😂😂

[@ryanschipp8513]

Stiff competition in the 6000 range for Tower speakers. Plus with these you have to get a stand so now you're spending more money. Doesn't make sense from a business perspective, they should have just made a tower and a bookshelf

[@ThaVillaMan]

They have a full range. Towers, 2 center channels, monitor (this one) and 2 bookshelves

[@ryanschipp8513]

@@ThaVillaMan you are missing my point. At 6,000 people are better off getting a very high-quality full tower speaker from another company. It doesn't make sense to pay a bunch of money for a monitor speaker and then pay more money for stands. The monitor option simply doesn't make any sense in their lineup. Yes I know they have towers and one bookshelf. They do not have two bookshelves one of them is an on-wall speaker

[@bearclaw5115]

@@ryanschipp8513 You do not know what people are better off doing. This speaker line looks like it is extremely powerful. This Monitor 8 probably puts out more bass than most full size towers. I wouldn't doubt that they could take the R11 Meta's for a walk. Another reason to choose it would be the fact that the full size tower is probably too much for many people's spaces, acoustically and maybe sizewise too. I for one don't like how high the tweeter is on the full tower model. But like you, I also don't like paying for stands either. Choices, choices.

[@ryanschipp8513]

@@bearclaw5115 been in the is game for 25 years. I have 3 rigs in my place. I have a really good idea of what is good for people out there based off of my experience. There are towers out there from many manufacturers for 4k to 6k they are coming from a brand that's been making speakers for 3 to 4 times as long as Arendal Sound. They haven't been around that long just making okay speakers. The towers from other manufacturers will have more internal volume and in some cases more drivers. This will make a difference in scale and dynamics. Your comment of speakers being too big for a room is a fallacy. It has more to do with the room itself. Some larger speakers do fine in a smaller room. Also Tower speakers take up the same amount of room as a monitor or bookshelf on a stand. So your comment about Towers taking up more room doesn't make any sense.

[@bryanhenn3223]

They are ugly. They may sound good, but Aesthetics count big time to me they have to be appealing to my eyes as well as to my ears

[@dextermorgan1]

That's your opinion. Most people, including me, think they look great. Maybe these aren't the speakers for you. 😉

[@therealdarcman]

Look pretty good to me too

[@JG-gg9wk]

Hope they sound better than they look. Cause those are some cheap ugly plastic looking boxes. Easy pass on this

[@storkfletcher821]

Why do you think they look plastic when the only thing you see is paint? That's a pretty weird take.

[@johnwet6969]

Interesting speakers and probably very well made. But as for the stands they seem to be too large/high for these 1528 Monitors. Maybe in very large rooms it can be optimal but for standard small rooms in EU, UK, JPN, etc. smaller stands lowered by 10” will be much better. These stands are optimal for 1528 Bookshelves IMHO. We will see in the future. I would like to hear these in smaller room closer to the wall and with port plugs (close mode) for more precise bass.

[@ThaVillaMan]

They’re prototype stands, so the design will change. I’ll do the music demo with the port closed, especially since the right speaker is so close to the corner

[@johnwet6969]

@@ThaVillaMan Placement so close to the side wall is always a big problem. Not only for bass but also for the imaging.