I'm not here to disagree with Don's comments. They are very valid. What I would like to add is that demos on a show floor are the biggest challenge. More so than having a solid room to work with. At some point the structure is the limiting factor especially when you are attempting to reproduce infrasonic bass. Happy holidays
How have the arendals been surpassed. I currently own focal aria towers and was looking at Arendal 1723 S. but it’s probably not that different in a home theatre set up with subs. Thoughts? :) love the channel.
Making my own "MadVR" HTPC for under $2k was the best home theater decision I ever made. The tone mapping and aspect ratio switching are game changers. And I saved myself $14k!
Once again the Shane and Don show kills it with great info and fun. The banter is hilarious. Would only be bested if Gene showed up. Thanks guys, you made my night
K isn't overrated it's overpriced. I can afford it but for the few Hollywood releases i want to see in superb quality, i buy the 4K disc. The rest i stream where the quality is good enough for the so so movies that trickle out. Truth is there has been a shift, to me more content of interest now available from streaming services, Reacher, For All Mankind etc. etc.
Also overrated in couple ways: Best way to watch a movie as long as your internet doesn’t go out or until a studio decides to pull out of the service and you lose a portion of the collection that you don’t actually own.
I got my Arendal 1723 Towers in May of 22 based on advice you and Gene gave in a live stream. At the time they were completely unknown to me but I took your word for it and couldn't be happier. At $2800 they would be hard to beat, though they are more now. They look great and sound better. I do agree they are all over the place this year, making several reviews and a few end of year "best of" lists. Might be better out there but I feel like id have to spend at least double to notice the difference
Arendal is creedping in on Klipsch status. They're becoming a common brand brought up in discussion, particularly among beginners. I don't know why Don took offense to relating the two. The RF7 III's sound better than anything Arendal offers. IMO Arendal should be happy to be compared to Klipsch. MartinLogan's Motion series is underrated, particularly the F100/F200. The original XT line had some cabinet resonance but the latest generation addresses that and they revised the AMT tweeter. One of the better non-Mundorf AMT tweeters out there.
I would definitely say Kscape is underrated. I don't think you get the full vibe of it by demoing. you need it to incorporate into your HT process, and you will really see its value.
I don't think that's the issue. It's more like imagine collecting every retro video game; the effort, the time and money collecting, to only get rugged pulled and needing to buy every movie again. Remember Kscape only has 8140 titles right now and there is over 280,000 movies in existence and over 31,000 DVDs not including Blu Rays. So a collector will have over 4 times the amount of movies even showcased on Kscape. You can say it's better, but collectors are not going to buy the 4000+ movies not on Kscape and imagine the price tag. Many titles are rare and hard to find. Sure you can spend your 28k+ on Kscape for your say 100 movies to show off to your friends but look what you paid for that justification. If people have an opinion don't get it twisted as hate. I also see people wasting money in all kinds of subjects it's your debt.
@Masterslessons I agree with part of that. I do understand that kscape isn't the best option for all people, especially if you have a super large system. I can only tell you how I use mine. I had about 500 movies. Mainly 4k. I bought a out 200 of them on kscape with their disc 2 digital program which made them about 5 bucks each. I also have the entry system which was aboht 7k. Since the server downloads within 8-11 minutes, I didn't see a need to have a large server space. I can download anything in my account quite fast. Currently I have kscape and my Nas system, and I have bought most movies that I love on kscape. I rarely use the Nas system.
@brucecarter6205 o do, and I understand why it's so expensive, it's proprietary and closed systems. Once you get past the investment though, you see it's value surpasses that issue. Atleast it did for me.
Mad Vr is over-rated especially because cant the you get luamgen much cheaper , to change aspect ratio for a lot less money even though it may be slower at changing aspect ratio overall?
@@nodoubt1616they're excellent. They've exceeded my expectations for the price. I replaced a single SVS SB 16 Ultra with them. I was able to buy two Speedwoofers with the proceeds from selling the SB16. Love them paired with the 1723's. Using the Emotiva XMC-2 an XPA 4 amp and OSD 7 channel to power the 1723s. It's a 7.2.4 setup. Fantastic sound in my 14x12 room.
I think if you're looking at Kaleidescape just from a 2023 perspective then definitely overrated. I have a Kaleidescape now, but they keep releasing new hardware with incremental upgrades while ignoring the software and feature side. It's still a cool product but this year was over hyped for sure. All they did was give slightly more storage and a little faster download. There are so many features missing that people are asking for that they've ignored for a while. They seem to be resting on their own hype and using that to push new hardware on you. I would love to see them go really hard on updating their UI, software and features in 2024. For example: allowing users to catalog non-downloaded movies on their poster wall would be huge. They're never going to do it though bc they dont want to make it convenient to live with the base storage.
Competition is entering the space as we speak low key physical is dead. Soft killed. But Kscape will lower its prices and competition is coming. I would wait. Buy the dip
@@Masterslessons Ha. Being a bit vague? I currently have a low hope that there will be anything to replace the physical media quality wise. Sounds like you're talking about something specific.
@@danielwander605 Yes it's called Steaming 8k versions of the same movies you already bought on DVD..Blu Ray...4k and you will eat the bullet and buy the 8k future version. There is a market for distracted individuals whom need to just buy out of a mix of missing out and nostalgia. They can't fit 8k into a physical and they don't plan to. Unless they put movies on some sort of flash drive which they already brainstormed and probably just threw the idea away. Everyone is steaming and using soundbars. Physical will be dead soon. What happen to video game industry will just be applied here it's about profits. They don't want to make those beer coasters
An htpc + NAS + hard drives + your time to learn & build then maintain can easily be thousands. I know I have them. I am thinking about a kaleidescape maybe in the next couple years. It can be fun to build but the maintenance part can get old after 5 years and upgrading your video cards and other parts. I see the value in the K player.
Hey Shane, Nice summary of the best products of the year! What are your thoughts on the Perlisten r4b? A retailer in my country offers a pair for a great price. I am contemplating to get them as my fronts in the living room. How would you rate the B&W CT series nowadays? For example, a full setup with CT7.4 or CT7.5 all around? They still seem interesting with the discounts they are sold at sometimes. Greeting from Germany! Keep it up!
Look, it is just sooo expensive that’s all! I would love a Kaleidecape, but that is not just “spare change” that a car!! Ugh sorry I love your work but the things u are talking about now are way out of range for me. Sorry! I still watch what you put up because I still love the content.
Oppenheimer had me hyped to see in cinemas and so did napoleon were interesting movies of the year and wasn’t disappointing in anyway but barbie was flat same with a few marvel movies but liked guardians of the galaxy 3
Remeber when physical dies more. Sony and Panasonic etc will not make Blu Ray players as any focus but a Kacape Alternative. Kacape could get a lawsuit made by any big company and pushed to the side like a rabid dog. Just be logical. I see a bunch of Supe Steaming devices as people still using very old in the tooth Nvidia shields. Its coming. Just save your money a Kscape alternative is coming
I was underwhelmed by Oppenheimer as well. Reserved IMAX tickets weeks in advance and expected so much more. Good story but I expected to be blown away with nuclear blasts.
Oppenheimer wasn't made for the "BOOM 😅😮" gang. It was made for adults, and made a billion at the box office despite that handicap. Nolan's done something no one else has managed to do in a generation. Good thing, too, as most adults were ready to give up on Hollywood - maybe now studios will realize there's enough adults still that will pay to see a movie in a theater if it's actually good.
@@michaelmityok1001 Well said! It's the most successful biopic in movie history. Really great to see that a movie which is "people in rooms talking" can be so successful, when done so well.
Watch it with a Barco G62 W14 with a direct laser in the eye and you will for sure experience that blast. I'm kidding don't do it. Movie was boring like watching Uma Thurman's The Avengers..
@@mrtickleuk Yeah but..... I remember the commercials coming out saying MUST SEE in IMAX to truly experience this thriller. I go to IMAX to really enjoy the sound and visual effects. Not a F'n biopic. My bad for getting hyped from the advertising.
Please learn to pronounce Arendal properly. A "pro" reviewer should get this right and yes, it matters. If someone always did this to your name, you would want them to get it right.
Depends where you're from. I have Norwegian friends that pronounce it exactly as I do and others are different. So please learn to be more courteous and be a grown adult.
*DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING ON THIS LIST? LET US KNOW*
I'm not here to disagree with Don's comments. They are very valid. What I would like to add is that demos on a show floor are the biggest challenge. More so than having a solid room to work with. At some point the structure is the limiting factor especially when you are attempting to reproduce infrasonic bass.
Happy holidays
Maybe Ultra Short Throws? R.I.P 2023
Hisense C1 stomped on that whole market.
@@davidmeyerowitz5086yes good comment
How have the arendals been surpassed. I currently own focal aria towers and was looking at Arendal 1723 S. but it’s probably not that different in a home theatre set up with subs. Thoughts? :) love the channel.
Making my own "MadVR" HTPC for under $2k was the best home theater decision I ever made. The tone mapping and aspect ratio switching are game changers. And I saved myself $14k!
Post a vid on how it works. Folks would love to see.
What capture card did you end up using?
Once again the Shane and Don show kills it with great info and fun. The banter is hilarious. Would only be bested if Gene showed up. Thanks guys, you made my night
K isn't overrated it's overpriced. I can afford it but for the few Hollywood releases i want to see in superb quality, i buy the 4K disc. The rest i stream where the quality is good enough for the so so movies that trickle out. Truth is there has been a shift, to me more content of interest now available from streaming services, Reacher, For All Mankind etc. etc.
Also overrated in couple ways: Best way to watch a movie as long as your internet doesn’t go out or until a studio decides to pull out of the service and you lose a portion of the collection that you don’t actually own.
Once it's downloaded it's yours and can't be pulled. And why would you need the Internet to watch?
Don’t you need the internet to download?
@@scottywright1 once you have the movie downloaded there’s no need to redownload.
No one said redownload. How did the movie get into your collection in the first place?
I got my Arendal 1723 Towers in May of 22 based on advice you and Gene gave in a live stream. At the time they were completely unknown to me but I took your word for it and couldn't be happier. At $2800 they would be hard to beat, though they are more now. They look great and sound better. I do agree they are all over the place this year, making several reviews and a few end of year "best of" lists. Might be better out there but I feel like id have to spend at least double to notice the difference
They're great speakers.
Great Live as usual, thanks guys! Thanks Don for the theater tips.
Arendal is creedping in on Klipsch status. They're becoming a common brand brought up in discussion, particularly among beginners. I don't know why Don took offense to relating the two. The RF7 III's sound better than anything Arendal offers. IMO Arendal should be happy to be compared to Klipsch. MartinLogan's Motion series is underrated, particularly the F100/F200. The original XT line had some cabinet resonance but the latest generation addresses that and they revised the AMT tweeter. One of the better non-Mundorf AMT tweeters out there.
I would definitely say Kscape is underrated. I don't think you get the full vibe of it by demoing. you need it to incorporate into your HT process, and you will really see its value.
I don't think that's the issue. It's more like imagine collecting every retro video game; the effort, the time and money collecting, to only get rugged pulled and needing to buy every movie again. Remember Kscape only has 8140 titles right now and there is over 280,000 movies in existence and over 31,000 DVDs not including Blu Rays. So a collector will have over 4 times the amount of movies even showcased on Kscape. You can say it's better, but collectors are not going to buy the 4000+ movies not on Kscape and imagine the price tag. Many titles are rare and hard to find. Sure you can spend your 28k+ on Kscape for your say 100 movies to show off to your friends but look what you paid for that justification. If people have an opinion don't get it twisted as hate. I also see people wasting money in all kinds of subjects it's your debt.
@Masterslessons I agree with part of that. I do understand that kscape isn't the best option for all people, especially if you have a super large system. I can only tell you how I use mine. I had about 500 movies. Mainly 4k. I bought a out 200 of them on kscape with their disc 2 digital program which made them about 5 bucks each. I also have the entry system which was aboht 7k. Since the server downloads within 8-11 minutes, I didn't see a need to have a large server space. I can download anything in my account quite fast. Currently I have kscape and my Nas system, and I have bought most movies that I love on kscape. I rarely use the Nas system.
Way overrated! You have to factor in price.
@brucecarter6205 o do, and I understand why it's so expensive, it's proprietary and closed systems. Once you get past the investment though, you see it's value surpasses that issue. Atleast it did for me.
Who says you need to rebuy everything you own when buying a Kscape. I bought my favorites. It’s much cheaper to get OCD treated
You guys started talking about the Focal Bathys and I got nervous, have a pair coming. Glad to hear you both give it high praise.
ua-cam.com/video/0Eopm_pgGe8/v-deo.html
You will love them!
Mad Vr is over-rated especially because cant the you get luamgen much cheaper , to change aspect ratio for a lot less money even though it may be slower at changing aspect ratio overall?
"falling asleep." A lot of people need a nanna nap when they get older! Don't forget the middle choice, accurately rate or well rated.
I thought music on perlisten was disappointing at capital audio fest. I don't get the hype at all after that. Maybee they are better for ht.
I run all towers in my 7.1 bed layer. I love it
I got Arendal 1723's based on your recommendation Shane. I also got a pair of RSL Speedwoofer 12s's mostly because of your reviews.
Awesome! I'm sure they pair nicely together.
How do you like the RSL speedwoofers ?
@@nodoubt1616they're excellent. They've exceeded my expectations for the price. I replaced a single SVS SB 16 Ultra with them. I was able to buy two Speedwoofers with the proceeds from selling the SB16. Love them paired with the 1723's. Using the Emotiva XMC-2 an XPA 4 amp and OSD 7 channel to power the 1723s. It's a 7.2.4 setup. Fantastic sound in my 14x12 room.
Shane Arendal owes you a finder fee, so many people got those speakers off your review
I understood that dirac art works through noise cancellation (AirPods style) on all reflections. therefore having a shorter reverberation time.
I think if you're looking at Kaleidescape just from a 2023 perspective then definitely overrated. I have a Kaleidescape now, but they keep releasing new hardware with incremental upgrades while ignoring the software and feature side. It's still a cool product but this year was over hyped for sure. All they did was give slightly more storage and a little faster download. There are so many features missing that people are asking for that they've ignored for a while. They seem to be resting on their own hype and using that to push new hardware on you. I would love to see them go really hard on updating their UI, software and features in 2024. For example: allowing users to catalog non-downloaded movies on their poster wall would be huge. They're never going to do it though bc they dont want to make it convenient to live with the base storage.
Competition is entering the space as we speak low key physical is dead. Soft killed. But Kscape will lower its prices and competition is coming. I would wait. Buy the dip
@@Masterslessons Ha. Being a bit vague? I currently have a low hope that there will be anything to replace the physical media quality wise. Sounds like you're talking about something specific.
@@danielwander605 Yes it's called Steaming 8k versions of the same movies you already bought on DVD..Blu Ray...4k and you will eat the bullet and buy the 8k future version. There is a market for distracted individuals whom need to just buy out of a mix of missing out and nostalgia. They can't fit 8k into a physical and they don't plan to. Unless they put movies on some sort of flash drive which they already brainstormed and probably just threw the idea away. Everyone is steaming and using soundbars. Physical will be dead soon. What happen to video game industry will just be applied here it's about profits. They don't want to make those beer coasters
These hang outs are where we can let our hair down, have some laughs and talk crap to each other in a non-serious format.
An htpc + NAS + hard drives + your time to learn & build then maintain can easily be thousands. I know I have them. I am thinking about a kaleidescape maybe in the next couple years. It can be fun to build but the maintenance part can get old after 5 years and upgrading your video cards and other parts. I see the value in the K player.
Shane could you clarify which speakers you think have surpassed the Arendal 1723s. I’m in the market for new LCR speakers in my home theater.
What would be your choice between Arendal 1723s monitor, M&k s150 and other ? The build quality and the components would be better in which brand ?
Hey Shane,
Nice summary of the best products of the year!
What are your thoughts on the Perlisten r4b?
A retailer in my country offers a pair for a great price. I am contemplating to get them as my fronts in the living room.
How would you rate the B&W CT series nowadays? For example, a full setup with CT7.4 or CT7.5 all around? They still seem interesting with the discounts they are sold at sometimes.
Greeting from Germany! Keep it up!
Safe buys on both. Pick them up if you can get a good deal.
Look, it is just sooo expensive that’s all! I would love a Kaleidecape, but that is not just “spare change” that a car!! Ugh sorry I love your work but the things u are talking about now are way out of range for me. Sorry! I still watch what you put up because I still love the content.
Some of us can't afford the creme' de la creme. Disc player works for me
Is anthem mca325 a good choise for R5T and r5c?
Yes
I do love my envy Extreme, but its not worth 16k. It is overpriced.
The price is a bit. Extreme 😁
@@therealshanelee lol I see what you did there.
Thanks
Overrated Barbie underrated. Indy 5
This was surprisingly good. I didn’t click it at first but was fun to watch, Don is awesome
Sony putting the pressure alrwsy this year and Kacape has to honor Ultravoilet. KEEP YOUR FREINDS CLOSE BUT YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER.
A hyped product that I thought earned the praise was the new agd class d amps. Just wow
Spending thousands on gear, then watching Barbie and Taylor Swift...go figure!
I don't see the problem with that.
@@therealshanelee But of course you don't. That's why you're doing it and that's simply why I made the observation.
What would you guys say the Arendal is relative to the Perlisten R series, 90%?
Lol. No.
@@therealshanelee lol ok, I was trying to quantify Dons comment that “it’s damn close”.
Shane what speakers are better nowadays than arendals but in the same price range for 2 channel and home theater.
Hi Madvr is over rated to me
I agree.
Oppenheimer had me hyped to see in cinemas and so did napoleon were interesting movies of the year and wasn’t disappointing in anyway but barbie was flat same with a few marvel movies but liked guardians of the galaxy 3
I still refuse to watch Barbie. Even Free. Like Dance Moms it will sit there under never watched forever
Emoji Movie also will forever sit there and rot
@@MasterslessonsOf course. Both of those, goes without saying.
Remeber when physical dies more. Sony and Panasonic etc will not make Blu Ray players as any focus but a Kacape Alternative. Kacape could get a lawsuit made by any big company and pushed to the side like a rabid dog. Just be logical. I see a bunch of Supe Steaming devices as people still using very old in the tooth Nvidia shields. Its coming. Just save your money a Kscape alternative is coming
I was underwhelmed by Oppenheimer as well. Reserved IMAX tickets weeks in advance and expected so much more. Good story but I expected to be blown away with nuclear blasts.
Oppenheimer wasn't made for the "BOOM 😅😮" gang. It was made for adults, and made a billion at the box office despite that handicap. Nolan's done something no one else has managed to do in a generation. Good thing, too, as most adults were ready to give up on Hollywood - maybe now studios will realize there's enough adults still that will pay to see a movie in a theater if it's actually good.
Why? It's a biopic, not an action movie!
@@michaelmityok1001 Well said! It's the most successful biopic in movie history. Really great to see that a movie which is "people in rooms talking" can be so successful, when done so well.
Watch it with a Barco G62 W14 with a direct laser in the eye and you will for sure experience that blast. I'm kidding don't do it. Movie was boring like watching Uma Thurman's The Avengers..
@@mrtickleuk Yeah but..... I remember the commercials coming out saying MUST SEE in IMAX to truly experience this thriller. I go to IMAX to really enjoy the sound and visual effects. Not a F'n biopic. My bad for getting hyped from the advertising.
rsl 12 vs klipsch rp1200sw
KEF doesn’t have a signature sound! If you look at the data same with Genelec! How much is Perlisten paying you for this video?
Stop only following data. You got to use your ears too.
Barbie just proves how stupid society has become. 🙄
Please learn to pronounce Arendal properly. A "pro" reviewer should get this right and yes, it matters. If someone always did this to your name, you would want them to get it right.
Depends where you're from. I have Norwegian friends that pronounce it exactly as I do and others are different. So please learn to be more courteous and be a grown adult.