Напольная акустика — Arendal Sound Tower 8

The Tower 8 is the floorstanding model of the 1528 series from Arendal Sound, a Norwegian company that designs and engineers its speakers in Norway and has them manufactured in China. The 1528 line also comprises the Bookshelf 8, Monitor 8, Slim 8 and Center+ 8. The Tower 8 is sold at USD 9,500 per pair with a ten-year guarantee.

Key specs that matter

Arendal uses six drivers in a three-way configuration. Four 8 inch woofers with aluminium cones handle the low range, a 5 inch midrange uses a cone of carbon fibre and graphene in a sealed basket, and a 28 mm tweeter with a lithium-magnesium dome is loaded by a waveguide and acoustic lens that control its directivity. Crossover points are 420 Hz and 2.8 kHz. Arendal quotes 42 Hz to 20 kHz within 2 dB, a nominal impedance of 4 ohm and a sensitivity of 89.5 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m. Maximum output is given as 118 dB peak and 112 dB RMS across 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the recommended amplifier power goes up to 1000 W. With its base supports and pucks the cabinet measures 1430 mm high, 470 mm wide and 548.6 mm deep, and it weighs 88 kg.

Engineering and use context

The owner can run the Tower 8 either ported or sealed, choosing the alignment to suit placement and use. The large port opens at the base of the enclosure and carries perforations intended to control resonance. The tweeter-to-midrange filter uses fourth-order slopes, while the midrange-to-woofer section uses third-order slopes. The woofer cones have ridged surfaces for added rigidity, and copper caps fitted over the pole pieces of both the midrange and the woofer motors serve to reduce distortion. The enclosure is built from 28 mm high-density fibreboard, with a curved front panel and a floating baffle, and it stands on aluminium supports with rubber footers. Two jumpers at the rear shift the tweeter and midrange levels by 2 dB up or down from the reference position. Finishes are matte Basalt and matte Polar.

Pairing

A low nominal impedance spread across four large woofers calls for solid-state power with ample current reserve and dependable behaviour with low impedances. The high peak output means the speaker can use a lot of that power in a large room or a home cinema, well beyond a typical 20 m2 space. The Center+ 8 from the same series is the natural centre channel when the towers anchor a surround setup.

Alternatives

Arendal's 1723 Tower THX is a 2.5-way floorstander with four 8 inch paper-cone woofers and a waveguide-mounted 28 mm soft-dome tweeter.