INTRODUCTION
ARENDAL, NOT a name many people know. Ask your friends about them and I'll bet most look at you with a bewildered stare. I first ran across the company around 3 years ago but at that time they weren't doing much in the US so I filed them away in the “check back at a later date” section of my product review list. I guess you can consider it a later date as I now have before me a 5.1 system consisting of the following:
2 - 1723 Tower S
1 - 1723 Center S
2 - 1723 Bookshelf S
1 - 1723 Subwoofer 2S
The entire 1723 line is physically smaller than the driver quantity and their size would suggest, it's clear Arendal is going for room friendly here. The S in the speaker name actually stands for "smaller" (relative to their flagship 1723 series). Each product in the S line is THX Ultra certified meaning rated for reference level volume in rooms up to 3,000 cubic feet at a 12-foot listening distance. Products that have achieved Ultra certification are seriously capable, an impressive accomplishment for speakers and subwoofers as small as these.
Arendal includes free shipping and a generous 60 day in-home trial. There is a 5 year warranty on electronics, 10 years for everything else.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It's often said you don't get a second chance to make a first impression, start off on the wrong foot and it's difficult to make amends. Here's how my first interaction with Arendal went:
Everything they sent me came wrapped in black plastic to protect it from the elements, a nice touch. The boxes themselves are triple walled which is very rare. Inside you’ll find special corner edge protectors, the longest dimension is reinforced with cardboard slats to resist crushing forces. Sturdy foam covers the entire top and bottom, in some areas it's 2.5" thick. Protecting all 4 sides of the cabinet are individual blocks of foam that have been custom cut depending upon what they're shielding (amp, driver, etc).
After extracting the speakers and subwoofer from their protective foam cocoon you'll find them tucked inside a satin-like drawstring bag. Grills are contained in their own cloth bag, separated from the cabinet and securely held in distinct cutouts in the foam. Accessories include white
