AR3 Acoustic research

[louped garouv]

highly regarded? for $20, if they look & play (good cosmetics/sonics), I can't lose right?

flip em if I don't like em?

[speakerdave]

Think this: pull the woofers and tunnel through the prickly fiberglass to the input panel, pull it out, rebuild crossover.

If the woofers have the linen surround that's good because it will last forever, but it may be leaking. There's some spray-on dope you can get for that. There's a place on the web that has parts and ideas for refurbishing these speakers. Try googling "AR classic speaker."

The AR3 crosses over to the midrange at 1000, much too high for that woofer, the 3A has a different midrange and tweeter and lower crossover points.

Also, the price is no accident. The level controls go and people think the midranges and tweeters are dead. These speakers are not easy to sell. You may end up dicing them up and selling pieces on ebay.

A pleasant "accurate New England sound"--not dynamic, an amp-sucking 4-ohm speaker. Sensible to buy and rebuild for your own use if you have a place for low budget non-critical listening and a surplus amp to drive them. Mine will be my garage speaker when I get around to it, a little bit of a waste, because the veneers are good.

David

[louped garouv]

exactly what I needed -- thanks a bunch! :bouncy:

[edgewound]

The AR's are a PITA to work on....but...when they are working, they do sound nice, and the cabinets are built like a tank. They deserve some respect...AR is another American Audio icon brand.

[louped garouv]

gor them -- will post pics later...

[Jakeisuseless]

I've never had a chance to hear them, but I hear good things. Midrange detail and high end presence.

I personally own 4 AR-48s which I think are amazing speakers. I also have a pair of smaller AR-28s, the are 2-ways with 8 inch woofers. For a speaker that size they absolutely have amazing presence and great imaging. Not to mention the fact that I regularly disregard their peak wattage rating and they still sound as good as ever.

[tomt]

http://members.tripod.com/~BassPig/project_speaker.htm

[louped garouv]

nice link -- I ahven't had time to yake pics yet -- but they were $20 for a reason for sure -- surrounds on the woofs are toast :(


I guess you get what you pay for....

[tomt]

seen a site in japan where somebody was makin surrounds of sillicone

looking for the link...

[louped garouv]

i finally got some new foams on them a few months ago..

the pots are bad, but i've cleaned them up...
and they seem to be making some contact now at least...

these things are made for miami bass tracks

:D

i bet my neighbors have been loving me....
been pushing them with a Phase Linear 200 Series II


fun to finally hear them...

anyone have another pair?

i bet they would be lots of fun
in pairs, per channel, for subs under
some Altec 406A/Altec 802s on a small lens
with some bullets....




I think "better" than a (similar vintage?) pair of Bose 501 Series I i've been listening to for a day or so....

[bigyank]

Hey not bad. 2 1/2 years to get some surrounds installed. Man you have some patience! :applaud:

How about some pics!

Yank

[louped garouv]

i knew someone was going to ask...

:)

source first...

technics turntable (not pictured)

i'm using a stanton phono preamp in those units in spaces three and four from the bottom...
you can see the one i'm using b/c i boosted the bass knob on the unit's EQ....


the preamp is a custom switcher unit by Al Fierstein of Acoustilog, it was in their copy room,
i picked it up on Ebay...

[louped garouv]

and the bose...

[Mr. Widget]

Glad you fixed those ARs. I have wanted a pair of AR3as for years, but have positively no place for them. Maybe I should post my secret AR desire on that thread about the speakers I'd love to upgrade to? :D


Widget

[johnaec]

Oh, man - foam on the front!! There goes the resale value... :p

John

[louped garouv]

i bet i can still double my investment...

besides, they came that way....

[speakerdave]

Oh, man - foam on the front!! There goes the resale value . . . .

Nope-- that woofer is done that way originally. You can refoam it and not even take it out of the box.

David

[SEAWOLF97]

Glad you fixed those ARs. I have wanted a pair of AR3as for years, but have positively no place for them. Maybe I should post my secret AR desire on that thread about the speakers I'd love to upgrade to? :D


Widget

I currently have 7 AR3's & 3A's boxed and waiting for pickup for a long ocean cruise to OZ... 3 of them are mine and 2 other pairs are eBay bounty that are being combined with my 15 packages.

Hooked them up to verify b4 packing and they sound just as I remember them. Incredible bass, but weak mids and highs. All have chronic pot probs. Very well built , heavy and quite the speaker to have "in their day", but it is a deep , East Coast sound , very un-JBL.

They all have doped cloth surrounds, have never seen one with foam.

[louped garouv]

sure you have you popped the top (well front... ) on any AR3a cabinets?
looks like they are different b/t generations...

but you know people are always claiming crazy things on the internet too...

:banghead:

http://layneaudio.hypermart.net/ARinfo.htm




AR3: The woofer had a cast frame, cloth surround, and ribbed cone. The ALNICO magnet structure was a columnar bolted design, quite different from the modern "plate" magnets you see today.




AR3a: The woofer used in this later version has a very large [approx. 80 oz.] standard ceramic magnet structure, smooth paper cone, foam surround, and stamped steel frame. The overall sound quality is nearly identical to the original woofer, but efficiency is increased.





http://layneaudio.hypermart.net/3awoof.jpg

[speakerdave]

AR1, AR3 and early AR3a were fat single roll doped linen. Then came the foam.

David

[louped garouv]

amazing the knowledge around here....
:rockon2:


thanks for the clarification!