AR3a speakers: any good today?
Luis Abdon Cifuentes
I have the opportunity to buy a pair of Acoustic Research AR3a speakers.
From what I understand, they were the best speakers on earth some time ago
(actually like 25 years ago!).
My question to the venerable net readers is: are they still worth something?
I mean, do they sound still ok by today standards, or has progress in speakers
leave them behind?
How is a fair price for them?
Also, I think there was an article back in 1988 in Speaker Builder about
an upgrade for the AR3a's, but I don't have that issue. What do they say
about the AR3a there? How extense were the modifications?
I would appreciate any answers/comments/opinions.
Thanks in advance
Norm Strong
}
}I have the opportunity to buy a pair of Acoustic Research AR3a speakers.
}
}From what I understand, they were the best speakers on earth some time ago
}(actually like 25 years ago!).
}My question to the venerable net readers is: are they still worth something?
}I mean, do they sound still ok by today standards, or has progress in speakers
}leave them behind?
}How is a fair price for them?
I bought a pair of AR-3a's about 6 months ago. One was $30, and the other
was $20, because it was scratched on the side. I think I got my money's
worth, but not a colossal bargain.
--
Norm Strong (str...@tc.fluke.com)
2528 31st S. Seattle WA 98144 USA
Len Moskowitz
the woofer performance. It and the AR-1 had very nice low bass. Its
original mid- and high frequency response was pretty poor by today's
standards.
The Speaker Builder article details a mid-fi upgrade. You can do
better with a more refined (read that as "costly") midrange and
tweeter.
Make sure the woofers' surrounds are intact. That's a weak point.
Selling price around here (NJ) is under $100 for a pair. I commonly
see them for $75 or so. They make a good subwoofer at that price.
Expect to spend $150 - $200 to upgrade them to modern specs.
Oh, almost forgot: they're very inefficient.
Len Moskowitz
Jim Matthews
If you don't want them, then I do!
>From what I understand, they were the best speakers on earth some time ago
>(actually like 25 years ago!).
>My question to the venerable net readers is: are they still worth something?
>I mean, do they sound still ok by today standards, or has progress in speakers
>leave them behind?
Well, an original AR-3a still has very impressive bass, but the midrange
and tweeter drivers are out of date, so overall they won't sound very
lively.
>How is a fair price for them?
Probably $150 for a pair in good condition.
>Also, I think there was an article back in 1988 in Speaker Builder about
>an upgrade for the AR3a's, but I don't have that issue. What do they say
>about the AR3a there? How extense were the modifications?
I had a pair of AR-3a speakers, but I loved them so much that I didn't want
to chance destroying them by messing up Speaker Builder's upgrade. So I
bought another pair and tried the upgrade on those. I replaced the midrange
and tweeters with drivers from Peerless, and lowered the bass/mid crossover
frequency to about 500Hz. In my opinion, the resulting sound is outstanding.
I now have all four (the original pair and the modified pair) running off
of an Adcom GFA-535 (no problem driving the 2ohm load at very loud volumes)
and it sounds TERRIFIC!
>I would appreciate any answers/comments/opinions.
>
>Thanks in advance
--
____ |
( / fl...@wam.umd.edu | University of Maryland
/._ _ fl...@eng.umd.edu | Computer Science
\_/// X \ | Standard Disclaimers
John Pierce
>
>From what I understand, they were the best speakers on earth some time ago
>(actually like 25 years ago!).
>My question to the venerable net readers is: are they still worth something?
>I mean, do they sound still ok by today standards, or has progress in speakers
>leave them behind?
>How is a fair price for them?
Uh, we had AR3a's at home when I was a kid. They always sounded kinda dead
and flat to me, and were VERY power hungry. I don't think they EVER qualified
as the _best_ speakers, just decent bookshelf speakers for a reasonable
(sorta) price. Remember, the 60's (yes thats right, the 60's) was the era
of BIG Altec's and James B. Lansing systems, not to mention Klipsch and
a few others. I always liked my friends Malibus with custom drivers on the
horns back then, but that was then and this is now. No, I wouldn't even
consider ANY speakers of that vintage (short of a set of Altec A10's with
the appropriate horns, and then only with new woofer cones, and then only
for PAing a LARGE auditorium!) ;->
-jrp
Roger Hoover
them on their trash pile. Any good today? Well I've got
them in my basement and what I can hear over the noise of
the table saw sounds fine to me....
R. S. Statsinger
They have had new mid's & tweeters a few times, new pots (needed
again), the cabinets have looked better, and so have the grillcloths.
But OH do they still sound marvelous!
Bob Statsinger