High dollar AR's

[JBLRaiser]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Acoustic-Research-AR-3-Vintage-Speakers-Unfinished_W0QQitemZ200066437666QQihZ010QQcategory Z50597QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[SEAWOLF97]

wow ..I've got a pair of these in walnut , wud be happy with 1/10th that price.

[JBLRaiser]

wow ..I've got a pair of these in walnut , wud be happy with 1/10th that price.


DARK:barf:

[Storm]

Proves my point - Birch, while cheaper made, there are fewer and demand more money.

Please, let's not make this thread political.

Just stating the facts, jack.

-Storm.

[hjames]

Proves my point - Birch, while cheaper made, there are fewer and demand more money.

Please, let's not make this thread political.

Just stating the facts, jack.

-Storm.

Not the facts - you just can't read!
Its not BIRCH, the AR ad plainly states - super rare unfinished pine cabinets

Yep, its not Dark wood, its not Walnut veneer,
but its unfinished PINE - thats sure not Birch ...

You need to get off that Birch ride and get out more ...:D

[Storm]

unfinished pine was ar's unfinished birch for altec.

get off your horse.

i was just stating that lighter color cabinets are more rare and hence, worth more. maybe not more desirable, but definately worth more.

-storm.

[hjames]

unfinished pine was ar's unfinished birch for altec.

get off your horse.

i was just stating that lighter color cabinets are more rare and hence, worth more. maybe not more desirable, but definately worth more.

-storm.

Storm - take a good look at my equipment below - I'm a fan of light wood colours myself - I have a gorgeous teak equipment rack and coffee table, and a Beech TV stand /DVD cabinet. And if I don't have new cabinets built to make 4344s out of my 4320s and midbass drivers, I'll probably strip those big box speakers and refinish them lighter myself, 'cause thats what I currently like. But thats me.
And lots of folks like a pickeled-pine finish - but I think its a gawd awful washed out wood finish that takes the soul right out of the wood.
Its not just the light color alone that I like, its the pattern and the grain, the burls and the swirls, the character of the wood.


But my point was that you actually said BIRCH - I wouldn't have quoted you as saying birch if you hadn't said birch. And, because you apparently don't know exactly what you said - here's your own words quoted directly.


Proves my point - Birch, while cheaper made, there are fewer and demand more money.

Please, let's not make this thread political.

Just stating the facts, jack.

-Storm.

[jackgiff]

Proves my point - Birch, while cheaper made, there are fewer and demand more money.
After being called for being either vain or stupid, you said:

i was just stating that lighter color cabinets are more rare and hence, worth more. maybe not more desirable, but definately worth more.I didn't read that in your first quote. Maybe it is time to quit trying to make your unfinished birch Altecs the holy grail.

[SEAWOLF97]

Not the facts - you just can't read!
Its not BIRCH, the AR ad plainly states - super rare unfinished pine cabinets
You need to get off that Birch ride and get out more ...:D

and even Widget added in another thread:

Birch is usually used in America for low cost kitchen cabinets, unfinished loudspeakers, and as a general paint grade plywood.

As a general rule....it doesnt hurt to re-read your own post , BEFORE clicking REPLY , making sure you really did understand what you are replying to.

[Storm]

You guys think you know everything.

I am only stating what I think - you don't need to get all hostile in your responses.

Okay - to be more correct: Light color speaker cabinets will always be desireable. And, the AR auction proved my point.

I was clearly refering back to the birch discussion and stating that while birch was cheap to produce, since not alot were produced - like the AR's Unfinished Pine - therefore, they will command more money.

But, I guess I will never know because they will never be available for sale.

Shoot me for having an opinion, please. It would be easier than reading the posts bashing my views.

Thanks.

Seawolf - why would Altec produce a speaker, made for the upper class who can afford it - unfnished? That does not make any sense. I think unfinished is just that they are refering to it that it does not have a coat of anything over the top of it, that's it. And don't forget, california was where Altec was headquarted and that is where birch was popular.

Again, I am glad we all have our opinions - but is seems as though I get called out more often than some.

-Storm.

[Storm]

Altec Lansing A7
http://www.hedmag.com/images/spacer.gif

While most will feel the A7’s unabashed professional audio aesthetic limits its visual appeal, I assure you the speaker’s build quality is rock solid. This is a two-way woofer-and-tweeter design, but unlike conventional speakers the woofer and tweeter voice their sound through flared horns (which somewhat resemble the bell of a trumpet or tuba) mounted in front of the speaker drivers.
http://www.hedmag.com/Product-Reviews/Speakers/asset_upload_file141_4443.jpg (javascript: _cpt=window.open('/Product-Reviews/Speakers/asset_upload_file410_4443.jpg','','scrollBars=yes, resizable=yes,toolbar=yes,menubar=no,location=no,d irectories=no,width=650'); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)The A7 can blanket a large commercial theater in sound because of its horn-loaded drivers, which also permit it to play loudly when driven by a small amplifier. (Click image to enlarge)
Why horns? Remember, Altec created this speaker to project sound all the way to the back rows of large theaters, and power amplifiers in the 1950s never produced much more than 75 watts. Therefore, Altec added the horns to increase the amount of sound the speaker produces and, most important, to push sound out over long distances. No conventional box speakers can even come close to equaling the A7’s skill set. Like its ancestors, the A7 is built almost entirely from parts proudly made in the USA, including the swoopy, die-cast aluminum tweeter horn that resembles something out of Star Wars. The original production tooling parts are still being used, and the A7’s tweeter and 15-inch woofer are still fabricated by a small group of craftsmen with almost 100 years of collective experience in the hand assembly of Altec Lansing speaker parts. The 13-layer birch-wood cabinet is coated with a black splatter finish—a rough, unattractive yet rugged covering that attests the speaker’s form-follows-function professional lineage.

[DavidF]

"...Seawolf - why would Altec produce a speaker, made for the upper class who can afford it - unfnished? That does not make any sense. I think unfinished is just that they are refering to it that it does not have a coat of anything over the top of it, that's it. And don't forget, california was where Altec was headquarted and that is where birch was popular."

-Storm.
It was not unusual to offer unfinished cabinets for those wanting to finish themselves or as a "decorator model". The later would be finished to fit a certain decor or installed in separate cabinets or built-in wall units. Klipsch sold a corner horn sans the side and top panels in unfinished plywood to allow even more finish customization. Some would prefer birch plywood to pine plywood for structural considerations but the reasons for offering the units unfinished are the same.

If this sale holds up I just have to think that amount is an anomaly. True enough if a collector needed one pair of pine plywood AR3s as shipped 50 years ago to complete a collection, who knows what (or why) they will pay. But unfinished cabinets in of themselves are not so rare from that era.

DavidF

[JohanR]

I once picked up a pair og AR3's for very little money together with a Fisher 400 receiver and an AR turntable. They where unfinished (not pretty) as the ones in the ad. Pity I didn't know they would fetch those prices 20 years on...

JohanR

[doucanoe]

Unfinished Birch/Fir/Pine.

Klipsch, AR, KLH, Frazier and Im sure many other manufactures provided this cabinet option at a lower price point. I have seen it promoted as "designer", "utility" . Could be that the owner liked birch so thats what they purchased but it was usually a less costly cabinet.

All these were provided to allow the user to paint finish or cover as required for the application or personal taste.

Rarity does not necessarily make anything more valuable. I would be hard pressed to find a nice condition AMC Gremlin on Car Soup in my area but I doubt that if I did, The rarity of it wouldn't be reflected in the asking price.

I am not comparing your Altec's to a AMC Gremlin, just commenting on rarity in regard to price. I like Altec.

RC

[Mr. Widget]

I am not comparing your Altec's to a AMC Gremlin, just commenting on rarity in regard to price. I like Altec.Hey... I like AMC Gremlins! The Pacer was a travesty, but the Gremlin with a V8 stuffed in there could really wake you up... especially with the absolutely scary stock suspension. :D



Widget

[doucanoe]

Now thats one hot looking Gremlin!

Nothing against Gremlin's here either, Just illustrating my point. Actually I was trying to decide between the Gremlin, Pacer and Matador for my example and I figured that the Gremlin was more recognizable :D

[duaneage]

If he paid more than 50 dollars for them I'd be surprised. He was probably remodeling a client's home and asked about "those old speakers"

The AR3 had great bass but it's hardly the stuff of 2000.00 dollars. That's got to be a record for AR3's. I bet champaign bottles were opened on that one.