I have a pair of AR-3 speakers that were part of a stereo component system I purchased around 1968. (Including an AR turntable and Electrovoice 50 watt receiver). Currently, I am converting my vinyls and tapes to CD's. I want to purchase a new amp and CD player. My question is how much amp power will the AR-3's tolerate? I appoligize in advance if this is a dumb question but I am not an audiophile.
There is no one right answer. The requirement depends on how loud they have to play, the size and acoustics of the room, the distance you will listen to them from, and the types and contents of recordings you will be playing. AR3a used the same cabinet and woofer as AR3 (the only things they had in common) but the woofer requirements defined the overall power requirements because that is where a speaker system is usually most demanding so what was true in this regard for AR3 is true for AR3a.