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Found 5 results

  1. Hi, new member here. I just purchased a pair of AR-3a's at an estate sale for $350. To be honest, I did not know much about these speakers, but a quick eBay price check convinced me to snap them up. From what I can tell, they likely had one owner who took amazingly good care of them. The cabinets are in excellent condition with only a few minor scratches and dents. The grills are near perfect with only a couple light stains. After some internet research I've come to understand the history and significance of these speakers and I'm now excited to get these speakers running their best. I did a low volume test and, after a lot of turning of the pots, everything works! I listened to some jazz and was really impressed by the sound, piano was fantastic. I did my usual Donald Fagan test and was not so impressed- really limited highs and not much punch. My suspicion is that these will benefit from a recap, but I'm hoping to get some suggestions from the experts here. After reading through the restoration guide (what a fantastic resource) I opened up one up to determine what year these are. Removing the grill proved extremely challenging. Starting with a screw in the badge hole, I worked on it for an hour with putty knives, long screwdrivers and whole host of other items. I got it off without any damage to the cabinet but did crack the grill frame in one spot. So there's my first question: are there any suggestions for removing the grills without damage before I attack the second one? The glue on these is crazy strong. I pulled out the woofer but the year on the date stamp is not legible so I'll have to wait until I dig in a little further to know exactly what year these are. Maybe late 60's base on the look of the drivers? In any case, I'm excited to get these restored and welcome any information and suggestions as I move forward. A second question for now: should I attempt to restore the pots before buying new one's? Thanks in advance. More photos and questions to come.
  2. For many years—perhaps from the very beginning—AR had a difficult time selling their products in typical audio salon showrooms. In fact, from 1954 until around 1974, AR made no attempt to cultivate good dealer relationships. Nevertheless, and despite the lack of dealer success, AR outsold nearly every other speaker manufacturer worldwide for many years without a strong, formal dealer network. How was this possible? AR products traditionally had the highest ratings and best reviews, but a prospective speaker buyer would never know it to visit the typical, small hi-fi showroom where one usually encountered a negative vibe in a showroom when an AR speaker was being demonstrated. Many times, dealers would "doctor" the speaker, reverse the polarity, turn-down the level controls or place the speaker inappropriately or disadvantageously for good A-B demos with competing products. Some dealers felt that customers would enter a store, make a decision to buy an AR product and simply go out and order it from the Allied Radio or Lafayette catalogs. Was it due to.... 1. Low dealer profit margins? 2. Lack of dealer salesman "spiffs" paid by AR? 3. Lack of dealer promotionals? 4. Lack of dealer co-op advertising? 5. AR's lack of "hand-holding" and blasé attitude towards dealers? 6. AR's traditional laissez-faire method of doing business? 7. Other reasons? Give examples of experiences you've had in dealer showrooms where AR speakers were intentionally maligned, "bad-mouthed" or "doctored" in order for a dealer to steer an unsuspecting customer to another product. —Tom Tyson
  3. Shipping is not a concern. No there is no condition requirements. Solid and without traumatic holes I guess everything else will work for me for the most part these are all going to be revenued so as long as there's not any super massive you know trauma which means you don't have to be super careful with white gloves and packaging them and of course I would composite you in the sale price for your time to package and ship now I'll gladly pay you half immediately on whatever we negotiate on and if it takes you to 2 weeks, 6 weeks+ to ship...I'm patient. The balance a payment will be paid whenever you ship them out and include a tracking number. Living in Detroit area so it'd be nice if it was closer to me but again I'll take what I can get. Beat the hell up cabinets are fine even preferred for cost sakes they're all going to be revenued so that's I'm good with just about any condition if you got any other classic era beat up or not up cabinets like that please let me know same goes for ar5 or 4X (6, 7?) looking for cabinets for all thank you very much
  4. >I also recall having read the same detailed information from Stereophile, and I assume its correctness against what appears to be a sort of revisionist article containing conflated timelines, unattributed premises and boot-strapped conclusions. >I've been wishing & hoping for Tom Tyson's definitive AR history for years...would a GoFundMe effort be in vain? —ar_pro Book: The History of Acoustic Research Any and all suggestions and ideas here would be greatly appreciated! Any thoughts about what you would like to see would be great as well. To do a complete history would be difficult, but a history of the "Classic Period," from 1954-1974 (or 1980 perhaps) in one part and the Teledyne/International Jensen/Recoton/Voxx period in another part or in a revised edition. The most important part of AR history is the first 25 years or so. Anyway, please reply with your thoughts and ideas, for example: The best title for such a book? The period covered with this book; part of all? The amount of detail to be included in this book? The size of this book, a small book with 150 pp or so, or comprehensive with perhaps 300 pp? The other questions you might have. There are also many people here on this website with detailed knowledge of specific aspects of AR history and technology. Therefore, give me ideas about how you would like to see such a book. —Tom Tyson 06Jun2017
  5. I've just finished restoring a pair of AR-3a's and I'm interested to know how people find they get the best sound from them. I've read a few comments here and there on the forum but couldn't find a specific thread on the subject. So, how do you find the AR-3a to sound its best? Against the wall or out in the room? Toed in or parallel? Tipped back slightly or level? I know some people say they should really be on their sides but that's not an option for me at the moment due to the space. I have mine on home made stands, tipped back about five degrees. I had been enjoying them toed in, a couple of feet out from the wall but since rebuilding the crossovers, I'm finding that I like them better parallel, back against the wall. It seems to open up the sound stage in every direction for a much more immersive listening experience. What works best for you? Ben
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