Arendal 1961 1S Powered Subwoofer

  • Sunday, Jan 21, 2024
blog-image

Foreword / YouTube Video Review

This speaker was loaned to me for review by the manufacturer. The manufacturer did not see the review before public release. If you are interested in purchasing these, please consider doing so through the below affiliate link:

The review on this website is a brief overview and summary of the objective performance of this speaker. It is not intended to be a deep dive. More so, this is information for those who prefer “just the facts” and prefer to have the data without the filler.

However, for those who want more - a more detailed explanation of the objective performance, and my subjective evaluation (what I heard, what I liked, etc) - please watch the below video where I go more in-depth. Additionally, my CEA-2010 test results can be viewed directly via my Google Sheet here.





Information


The current price for this subwoofer is $999 USD direct from the manufacturer.



Manufacturer Specs:

  • Woofer 12.2”
  • Enclosure Sealed
  • Enclosure material High Density Fiberboard (HDF)
  • Amplifier Avalanche 550IQ, 550W RMS
  • Power cable 1.5 meters
  • Frequency response
    • EQ1 19-200Hz (+/-3dB)
    • EQ2 26-200Hz (+/-3dB)
  • Dimensions without feet 41.5H x 31.5W x 41.5D cm
  • Dimensions with feet 42.7H x 31.5W x 41.5D cm
  • Weight 20.0 kg


Test Setup/Conditions:

All measurements - other than CEA-2010 - are provided as full-space anechoic @ 1 meter. This means frequency response, distortion and group delay were taken outdoors with the SPL referenced to a distance of 1 meter.


Frequency Response

The below shows the response in (2) different modes:

  • Sealed EQ1
  • Sealed EQ2

It is evident that EQ2 mode rolls off the response below about 60Hz with roughly 5dB delta between this and EQ1 mode.

specs

Group Delay Comparison

specs



Max SPL / Compression

The following test was ran at 3 input voltages:

  • 0.01 Volt RMS
  • 0.10 Volt RMS
  • 2.50 Volt RMS

The frequency response of each is provided below for comparison and understanding of the built-in limiting function that typically attenuates low frequency with higher SPL.

Max SPL is approximately 107dB @ 1m free-field (not groundplane). When compared to the 82dB output (0.10v input) you can see the max output compresses below 50Hz, increasing in compression going lower in frequency. In this case, compared to the blue line at 84dB, the max SPL is attenuated approximately 2dB at 40Hz, 5dB at 30Hz and ~9dB at 20Hz.

specs

specs



Distortion at Max SPL

specs



CEA-2010 Test Results

CEA-2010-A: Weighted and Limited Maximum Peak SPL (dB) SPL referenced to 2-meters in Half Space (2 pi)

Speaker 12.5 Hz 16 Hz 20 Hz 25 Hz 31.5 Hz 40 Hz 50 Hz 63 Hz 80 Hz 100 Hz
Arendal 1961 1S No Test 93.2 102.5 102.6 107.8 111.3 115.0 117.5 118.0 117.6


Note: All the above data is from my spreadsheet which can viewed directly here.



Parting / Random Thoughts


Relatively slim form factor with good midbass output above 50Hz but doesn’t perform as well as other 12-inch offerings below 50Hz (such as the RSL Speedwoofer 12s or certainly the bigger brother, the 1961 1V Subwoofer).





Support / Contribute

If you find this review helpful and want to help support the cause that would be AWESOME! There are a few ways you can do so below. Your support helps me pay for new items to test, hardware, miscellaneous items needed for testing, new speakers to review and costs of the site’s server space and bandwidth. Any help is very much appreciated.

Join my Patreon: Become a Patron!


Donate via PayPal:


Shopping

If you are shopping at any of the following stores then please consider using my generic affiliate links below to make the purchase through.

Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn’t matter if it’s a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!