Nobody seems to ever
have heard of Arrow speakers,
so I had to write my own review (May 1997):
I
was looking around for speakers that reproduce the music as
accurately and naturally as possible. Personally, I don't think this
is same as "great-sounding speakers", or speakers that try
to sound nice or interesting. In a perfect world, speakers should be
neutral and not add any "colouring" to the music.So, my
criteria for new speakers were:
- neutral, natural sound
- easy, tight (including ultra-low) bass (no mid-bass peaking
please!)
- detailed Stereo image
Arrow is a Dutch speaker manufacturer that has some special
principles:
- optimized (flat) phase curve (instead of flat frequency curve).
This should ensure a natural, non-distorted sound with lots of
stereo information.
- high and contant impedance for easy amplification
- slight suppression of mid-band frequencies to compensate for human
oversensitivity of these frequencies.
The Arrow Zeta is a 2-way, closed cabinet system and costs around
2400 guilders (~ $ 1200). They are about 1 meter high and finished
in high gloss black, very pretty indeed. I use Van Den Hull CS-122
Hybrid cables, they sound alright and look awful (I don't really
know much about cables). A 3 year old Denon PMA-680R is my power
supply.
Update
september 2003: new Hi-Fi configuration
Some first impressions (I've only had them for 2 weeks):
- modest, pleasant sound, not agressive or raw
- mid-band suppression not that obvious
- excellent Stereo image with a lot of depth and width
- very transparent, you can easily focus on individual instruments
- bass extends to ultra-low frequencies, "under-belly"
bass that is felt rather than heard. Spikes installation improves
this.
- No mid-bass peaking (if placed away from walls).
- fast, tight sounding; excellent transient/impulse behaviour
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with them.
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Overall
Rating:
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