Arendal Sound 1610 Series 8 Loudspeakers: Flagship DNA, Refined for Real Rooms

Arendal Sound has built its reputation by doing something increasingly rare in the loudspeaker market: evolving its products deliberately rather than rapidly. When we reviewed the 1723 Series we immediately saw that Arendal was a serious engineering-driven brand, offering THX-certified performance, high output capability, and excellent value in the premium home theater space. In fact Audioholics contributing writer James Larson said of the 1723's, "The build quality is extremely good for the price point. In fact, I can’t think of any other loudspeaker brand that can match its build quality for the same cost". We then reviewed the 1528 Series and found it to be a decisive step upward, embracing flagship aspirations with time-aligned cabinets, premium materials, and driver technologies aimed squarely at audiophiles who desire deep bass extension as much as home theater enthusiasts thirsting for high dynamic output levels.

The Arendal 1528 series doesn’t just compete with the best in their price range—it redefines what you can expect in its category and hence why they won our 2024 Product of the Year Award. 

--Don Dunn - Contributing writer, Audioholics

With the introduction of the 1610 Series 8, Arendal appears to be executing a carefully calculated move—bringing much of the 1528’s acoustic architecture and philosophy into a speaker line that better fits real-world rooms, budgets, and placement constraints. Officially launching today, February 10, 2026, the 1610 Series is not positioned as a replacement for either the 1723 or 1528, but rather as a bridge between them, blending musical refinement with home theater capability in a more approachable package.  Audioholics Editor-in-Chief, Gene DellaSala got a chance to take a look at the 1610's and gave some initial impressions via a series of Youtube Shorts with a full review in the works.

Arendal Sound 1610 Series 8: Inheriting the 1528’s Acoustic DNA

Arendal describes the 1610 Series as being “engineered from the top,” and that phrasing is key to understanding its place in the lineup. At the heart of every 1610 speaker is the Røst Essence Acoustic Core, a design philosophy carried directly over from the flagship 1528. This approach focuses on time alignment, controlled directivity, and seamless integration between the tweeter and midrange drivers, ensuring that sound arrives at the listener’s position coherently and without phase-induced smearing.

The most visible expression of this philosophy is the curved, passively time-aligned front baffle, which physically angles each driver toward the listening position. This geometry isn’t cosmetic—it’s critical, particularly in multi-driver loudspeakers where timing errors can quickly degrade imaging and soundstage stability.

Gene DellaSala, Editor-in-Chief of Audioholics, immediately recognized this lineage when handling the speakers:

The 1610's are very similar to a 1528 series concept that has the curved baffles on it that acoustically timelines the speakers… all the drivers are angled toward the listening position for optimal phase coherence and transient response.

--Gene DellaSala - Editor-in-Chief, Audioholics

That emphasis on coherence is a recurring theme throughout the 1610’s design and is arguably the defining trait that separates it from many speakers in its price class.

Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8: Design & Driver Topology

The 1610 Tower 8 (MSRP: $7,600/pair)  is a full-range, three-way loudspeaker designed to deliver authoritative bass, articulate mids, and controlled treble without requiring heroic room sizes or extreme listening distances. While it clearly borrows its conceptual framework from the 1528 Tower 8, the execution has been scaled and refined to strike a different balance.

Low frequencies are handled by three 8-inch aluminum cone woofers, rather than the four used in the 1528. These woofers are engineered for high excursion and low distortion, with reinforced surrounds and motor systems optimized using COMSOL simulations. Aluminum was chosen for its stiffness and predictable breakup behavior, allowing the drivers to operate cleanly within their intended range while maintaining excellent transient clarity in bass lines and lower male vocals.

The midrange is entrusted to a 5-inch carbon cone driver, housed in its own sealed sub-enclosure. This driver is extremely stiff and lightweight, designed to maintain linear behavior even at high output levels. Its high sensitivity and low distortion characteristics are critical to preserving vocal clarity and instrumental texture, especially in complex mixes. By isolating the midrange from the pressures generated by the woofers, Arendal ensures consistent performance regardless of listening level.

High frequencies are produced by a 28 mm aluminum-magnesium dome tweeter, mounted within Arendal’s Røst Essence elliptical waveguide. While the 1528 Series employs a lithium-magnesium tweeter for ultimate resolution, the aluminum-magnesium unit in the 1610 strikes a careful balance between detail, smoothness, and long-term listenability. The waveguide geometry controls dispersion into the upper frequencies, maintaining a wide and even listening window while minimizing floor and ceiling reflections. A protective tweeter lens further improves sensitivity and off-axis response while reducing distortion in the critical 7–15 kHz range.

The elliptical waveguide tightly integrates the tweeter and midrange, resulting in cohesive sound and impressively controlled dispersion.

--Gene DellaSala - Editor-in-Chief, Audioholics

Arendal Sound 1610 Series 8: Cabinet Engineering

True to Arendal’s design ethos, the 1610 Tower 8’s cabinet prioritizes structural rigidity over visual excess. The front baffle measures a substantial 46 mm thick, constructed from multiple bonded HDF layers to suppress resonance and coloration. Side panels reach up to 25 mm thick, reinforced internally with heavy cross-bracing that keeps the enclosure inert even at elevated playback levels. This attention to cabinet integrity is immediately apparent in person. 

Gene was candid about the physical impression. 

These cabinets are heavy. When I took these out of the box, I struggled… the front baffles are almost two inches thick!

The speaker’s bass loading is handled via a large, low-tuned port system located at the bottom of the cabinet. The ports are carefully shaped and damped to minimize turbulence and resonances, and Arendal has implemented strategically placed internal vents that introduce canceling airflow to further reduce unwanted noise. For users who prefer tighter low-frequency control—or who plan to place the speakers closer to boundaries—the ports can be sealed using included plugs.

Arendal Sound 1610 Series 8: Crossover Design & Electrical Considerations

Arendal has long placed emphasis on crossover quality, and the 1610 Series continues that tradition. The crossover network uses fourth-order filters for the tweeter, combined with second-order filters between the woofer, midrange, and tweeter, maintaining accurate phase relationships across the frequency spectrum. Only non-ferrous components are used in the signal path, avoiding magnetic interference and preserving signal integrity. Air-core inductors, polypropylene capacitors, and wire-wound resistors are selected for thermal stability and long-term reliability. Electrical connections are handled by solid copper terminals plated with rhodium, ensuring consistent contact and corrosion resistance over time. 

Gene noted this attention to detail: 

One thing Arendal Sound does is they give you a great crossover network… no ferrous materials within the signal path.

With a 4-ohm nominal impedance and a minimum impedance dipping to roughly 3.2 ohms, the 1610 Tower 8 does demand a capable amplifier. Sensitivity is rated at 89.5 dB, which is respectable given the speaker’s extension and output capability, but pairing it with quality amplification will allow it to perform at its best.

Arendal Sound 1610 Series 8: Initial Listening Impressions

Unlike the THX-certified 1723 Series, the 1610 is voiced explicitly with a music-first tuning philosophy. The goal isn’t to impress with exaggerated highs or overblown bass, but to present music with neutrality, balance, and emotional engagement across a wide range of genres. Gene’s early listening impressions strongly support that intent:

The speakers did not sound bright. They actually sounded very neutral… very cohesive at a short distance tells you the engineers did the right job.

Even at relatively close listening distances—around seven and a half feet—the speakers maintained a stable, well-defined soundstage, a direct benefit of the time-aligned baffle and tightly integrated driver array. Compared to the 1528, bass extension is slightly reduced, but control remains excellent:

They don’t dig quite as low as a 1528, but the bass they give you was very tight and I really enjoyed the presentation.

Importantly, the 1610 maintains its composure across listening levels, sounding equally convincing during low-level late-night sessions and higher-output home theater playback.

Arendal Sound 1610 Series 8: Pricing, Positioning, and Final Thoughts

The 1610 Tower 8 will retail for approximately $7,600 per pair, placing it squarely between the 1723 and 1528 Series. That positioning feels deliberate. The 1610 doesn’t aim to replace Arendal’s flagship, nor does it lean as heavily into THX-style output as the 1723. Instead, it focuses on coherence, musicality, and real-room usability. If early impressions hold, the 1610 Series 8 may end up being one of Arendal’s most broadly appealing speaker lines yet—delivering much of the 1528’s engineering sophistication in a form factor and price that make sense for a far wider audience. 

As Gene summed it up: 

They sound great, they look great, and they’re manageable. They’re meant for real rooms.

A full review will ultimately determine where the 1610 lands in the crowded premium loudspeaker space, but on paper—and by ear—it already looks like a compelling evolution of Arendal Sound’s design philosophy. The 1610 Series comes in 4 models, including the Tower 8 (MSRP: $7,600/pair), Bookshelf 8 (MSRP: $3,600/pair), Slim 8 (MSRP: $2,800/pair) and Center 8 (MSRP: $2,300). All of the speakers in this series utilize similar drivers and waveguide and time alignment features including a 1" aluminum-magnesium tweeter, 5" carbon midrange, 8" aluminum cone bass driver(s). 

Be sure you read our review of the 1610 Bookshelf 8 speakers and our pending review of the 1610 Tower 8s in the coming weeks and feel free to leave some comments about the Arendal 1610 series in the related forum thread below.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.