In this review, we will be comparing 1610 Tower 8 and Silver 500 7G, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Arendal Sound and Monitor Audio.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|---|
| Brand | Arendal Sound
Norway · founded 2015 | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.1" Dome | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
|---|
| Midrange | 5" | 3" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 8" Aluminium cone, reinforced ribbed surround | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II |
|---|
| Frequency response | 28-20k Hz | 27-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89.5 dB | 90.5 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | up to 800 watts | 80-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 45.37kg / 99.8lbs | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 45-1/4" x 10-7/16" x 17-11/16"
1150.0 x 265.0 x 450.0mm | 42-11/16" x 12-11/16" x 15-7/16"
1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both 1610 Tower 8 and Silver 500 7G are 3-way speakers.
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5-inch |
1 x 3-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
1610 Tower 8 features a 1.1" Aluminium-magnesium dome in the Rost Essence waveguide with acoustic lens Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 3 x 8" Aluminium cone, reinforced ribbed surround Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 380Hz / 2600Hz. On the other hand, the Silver 500 7G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II Tweeter, a 3" Midrange and 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II Woofer.
Frequency Response
1610 Tower 8 has a frequency range of 28-20k Hz whereas Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Silver 500 7G can go slightly deeper then the 1610 Tower 8's min frequency of 28Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
1610 Tower 8 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Silver 500 7G which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the 1610 Tower 8 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. 1610 Tower 8 sensitivity is rated at 89.5 dB and the Silver 500 7G's is rated at 90.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G a more sensitive speaker compared to Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
1610 Tower 8 can handle a max power of 800 watts RMS, whereas Silver 500 7G has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 550 watts less than the 1610 Tower 8.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Silver 500 7G features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. 1610 Tower 8 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
1610 Tower 8 has a bottom firing port whereas Silver 500 7G has a rear firing ports. Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G with its rear-firing port.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8's and Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's external dimensions. Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 has external dimensions of 1150.0 x 265.0 x 450.0mm (45-1/4 x 10-7/16 x 17-11/16inch) whereas Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G has external dimensions of 1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm (42-11/16 x 12-11/16 x 15-7/16inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is 65mm shorter and 57mm less deeper than Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 but it is also 58mm wider.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Near-identical footprints. Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 is 57mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 is 65mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 is approximately 1192.5cm2 / 184.8inch2 and base area of the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is approximately 1269.4cm2 / 196.8inch2. The 1610 Tower 8 requires 6% less surface area than the Silver 500 7G which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 weighs 45.37kg / 99.8lbs and the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G weighs 22.53kg / 49.6lbs. This makes the 1610 Tower 8 101% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how 1610 Tower 8 and Silver 500 7G's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G?
Here are the items that come with the Silver 500 7G:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed on outrigger feet)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Bolts
- 4 Machine screws
- 2 Foam port plugs
- 2 Hex-keys
- Owners Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
 Max Input Power |
800 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 Base Surface Area |
1192cm2
vs
1269cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Sensitivity |
91 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
28 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1150mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
7600USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
| Brand |
Arendal Sound |
Monitor Audio |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
up to 800 watts |
80-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
89.5 dB |
90.5 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
28-20k Hz |
27-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminium cone, reinforced ribbed surround |
C-CAM RST II |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Dome |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5" |
3" |
| Crossover Frequency |
380Hz / 2600Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1150.0mm (45.3") |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
| Width |
265.0mm (10.4") |
323.0mm (12.7") |
| Depth |
450.0mm (17.7") |
393.0mm (15.5") |
| Weight |
45.37kg (99.8lbs) |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
HDF, painted |
MDF/Wood veneer |
| Available Colors |
Basalt, Polar, Black |
Oak |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
No |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
|
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
|
5 Years |
These sit in different price classes - Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 costs roughly 2.4x what Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | evenly matched | Much the same reach (28Hz vs 27Hz). |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 91dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Amplifier match | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | A | Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 takes more power (800W vs 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping. Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G sits in a wider range (8 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is cheaper - $3,200 against $7,600, about 58% less; arguably a different class. |
A Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 B Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. Match it to your room: we rate Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. If your amplifier is modest, vintage or valve-based, Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the safer partner - the other will want more current or more watts to sound its best.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.