Short answer: the Arendal 1961 Monitor for better sound quality, the Tekton Troubadour for the lower price. The Arendal 1961 Monitor ranks #5 of 34 bookshelf speakers at $1150. The Tekton Troubadour ranks #13 at $1000, $150 cheaper.
What the Arendal 1961 Monitor offers: A physically robust build the reviewer calls “a little bit of a tank,” delivering low compression, low distortion, and overall really good neutrality - one of the reviewer’s top 10 picks under $1,500 across roughly 250 speakers… Watch for: Bass rolls off around 70-80Hz, so it cannot be used as full-range mains for music without a subwoofer, and a sub is recommended for home theater use as well.
What the Tekton Troubadour offers: Offset in-phase array of 2x 5.25” mid-woofers and 3x 1” dome tweeters gives good on-axis linearity (within about ±2.5 dB) and a wide vertical listening window (about ±20°), so seating height isn’t fussy. Watch for: Forward, elevated upper-midrange presentation from increased off-axis energy in the 2-8 kHz range, centered around 4 kHz, that can read as hot or aggressive depending on the room and listener; a couple bands of EQ can tame it.
Buy the Arendal 1961 Monitor if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Tekton Troubadour if the price matters more than sound quality.
Specifications Side By Side
| Arendal 1961 Monitor | Tekton Troubadour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1150 | $1,000 |
| Ranked | #5 of 34 in Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers | #13 of 34 in Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 60Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 84Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 1500Hz | - |
| Dimensions | 16.6"H x 6.4"W x 5.9"D (421.6 x 162.6 x 149.9 mm) | 21"H x 13.5"W x 9"D (533 x 343 x 229mm) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) | 4 ohms nominal, 3.6 ohms minimum (measured above 80Hz, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.9dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 88dB (measured average 300Hz-3kHz @ 2.83V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 2 x 5.5" woofers, 28mm tweeter | 2x 5.25" mid-woofers, 3x 1" dome tweeters (offset in-phase array) |
| Weight | 16 lbs / 7.25 kg each | 32 lbs (32 lbs / 14.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | sealed | - |
| Country of Origin | - | USA |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Totem Kin One
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Acoustic Energy AE100 Mk2
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Ascend Sierra 1 v2
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Dayton Audio OPAL1
The Two Speakers In Full
Arendal 1961 Monitor: $1150 Arendalsound
Pros: A physically robust build the reviewer calls “a little bit of a tank,” delivering low compression, low distortion, and overall really good neutrality - one of the reviewer’s top 10 picks under $1,500 across roughly 250 speakers tested. Works well both as home theater mains and as surrounds. Independent ASR Klippel measurements corroborate the low-distortion finding: THD at 86dB SPL/1m stays well below the reviewer’s audibility threshold, and even at 96dB SPL/1m it stays “far better than most bookshelves” thanks to the built-in high-pass filter that protects the woofers.
Cons: Bass rolls off around 70-80Hz, so it cannot be used as full-range mains for music without a subwoofer, and a sub is recommended for home theater use as well. Vertical radiation window is narrow, typical of MTM (mid-tweeter-mid) layouts - tighter than a standard two-way’s roughly ±20° - so a second home theater row sitting above or below the tweeter axis will hear a noticeably different tonal balance. ASR’s CEA2034 measurements show the response is elevated above 2kHz with resonant peaks around 3kHz and 9kHz, leading the reviewer to predict it will “likely sound bright.” Those same resonances show up as lingering ridges in the cumulative spectral decay (waterfall) at 96dB SPL/1m.
Full Arendal 1961 Monitor review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 60Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 84Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Crossover Frequency | 1500Hz |
| Dimensions | 16.6"H x 6.4"W x 5.9"D (421.6 x 162.6 x 149.9 mm) |
| Drivers | 2 x 5.5" woofers, 28mm tweeter |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (4.1 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.9dB (measured average, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 16 lbs / 7.25 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | sealed |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Moondrop M4P MTM
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs KEF LS50 Meta
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Ascend Sierra 1 v2
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Klipsch RP-500M II
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Philharmonic Ceramic Mini
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Audiofirst Fidelia
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Wharfedale Super Denton
- Arendal 1961 Monitor vs Wharfedale Diamond 12.1
- See all 14 comparisons
Tekton Troubadour: $1,000
Pros: Offset in-phase array of 2x 5.25” mid-woofers and 3x 1” dome tweeters gives good on-axis linearity (within about ±2.5 dB) and a wide vertical listening window (about ±20°), so seating height isn’t fussy. Bass extension is solid for a stand-mount this size: F3 around 51 Hz, F10 around 39 Hz, with distortion staying below 3% THD down to about 40 Hz at 96 dB. Made in the USA. Asymmetrical tweeter/mid-woofer placement broadens horizontal dispersion versus a conventional symmetric layout.
Cons: Forward, elevated upper-midrange presentation from increased off-axis energy in the 2-8 kHz range, centered around 4 kHz, that can read as hot or aggressive depending on the room and listener; a couple bands of EQ can tame it. Multitone distortion climbs to about 10% around 1 kHz at higher output, attributed to the 4-inch mid-range drivers. Because the driver layout is offset rather than mirror-imaged, left/right placement and toe-in matter more than with a standard symmetric bookshelf design.
Full Tekton Troubadour review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Dimensions | 21"H x 13.5"W x 9"D (533 x 343 x 229mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 5.25" mid-woofers, 3x 1" dome tweeters (offset in-phase array) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3.6 ohms minimum (measured above 80Hz, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 88dB (measured average 300Hz-3kHz @ 2.83V/1m, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 32 lbs (32 lbs / 14.5 kg) each |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons