GD70

I decided to put the 3's on the floor (very carefully) instead of keeping them on the stands. They sound better on the floor. I know, they should be set so the tweeters are at ear level when seated, but I felt the bass was lacking believe it or not. On the floor, it's better, deeper, and I feel it more. I did this because I had the KLH Fives on the floor as well, and the bass was outstanding without being boomy at all. With the 3's on the stands, it was so much less, I thought how could this be? Now I'm happy, though I may make some low stands, matching Walnut, slightly angled so the back bottom edge is 2-3 inches raised, the front edge raised a inch or so higher.

Interesting that Mahogany was more popular and cheaper, yet you see more Walnut veneer ARs.

Oh, you don't want to run out of TP! I doubt they are custom, but they do the job. Yard sale season is just around the corner, and don't forget the thrifts.

The first pic is the listening position. 12 feet apart on center. 12º tilt.

Thanks David! I'll have to check the tilt. Found these at a yard sale a few years ago for 5 bucks. Glenn

We had the AK Frankenfest gathering last weekend and when I got home, I moved the 3's to the family room, moving the KLH Fives to the living room. The 3's sound spectacular in this room, better than the Fives did. Just wow! They are about 14-15 feet apart, incredible sound stage, especially live performances! I'm driving them with my JVC A-X9 integrated.

I'm curious about the 2a/3 tweeter's performance compared to original as well. I've got two dead tweeters collecting dust on the shelf. Glenn

Hi Chris! You have given us hope bringing these back! Did you take pics while you had the domes removed, and what is the orange-red foam you used? Thanks, Glenn

Thank you Tom! I'm honored! ra.ra. posted the same first pic as you! The lacquered Mahogony is stunning. I restored a couple cabinets for a power amp, and pre amp set last summer. They were beat up when I bought the two pieces, and incurred more damage while being shipped. The original finish had 21 coats of gloss lacquer and they were stunning. My goal was to mimic the original finish as closely as possible. I did the cab repairs, and reveneered them with Ebony. Mixed some stain for color, then proceeded to apply the lacquer until built up, block sanded it, then another 6 to 8 spray coats. They came out quite well! Lacquer is very easy and forgiving to work with, but it stinks! I did all the lacquering out in the garage. You can see it a bit next to the 3 in the closeup pic. Glenn

You're welcome Luigi!

Roy told me this is the case with just about all AR3's. Very few, if any, are producing output like when they were new.

Hi Liudi! Your English is very good, no worries. The difference is the originals are very recessed sounding, like you have some cotton in your ears compared to the restored mids. I felt they were a little recessed and now, in comparison, very recessed sounding. I didn't realize how much so until I finished the current pair. The restored mids are crisp, very detailed, much higher output. Now that I've done this, I would recommend to anyone having their mids restored. Roy states, that a percentage are not repairable, so to keep this in mind when making the decision to proceed with the work.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "backwards band". I compared the restored vs the original and the improvement is night and day! The originals sound terrible! They will be pulled and sent to Roy. Glenn

Hi Luigi, Thank you! An enjoyable project. The mids in this pair had almost no output. Roy said there was no guarantee how well they would sound, and luckily, they are sounding terrific. I have not had a chance to compare them to my other pair yet, which sound very good, but suspect they will need Roys touch once I compare both pairs. Glenn

Thanks Reel Man! They just stay in place on their own. I measured and cut the frames, taking into account the thickness of the Saran, and have a very snug fit. Happy New Year! Glenn

Looks just like mine! ;-) Thanks Robert! I'm very happy with the end results, and they sound fabulous! Thanks to Roy working his magic on the mids. Glenn

Finished the grills this morning. They came out looking terrific I think! The Saran is a little difficult to work with as it's somewhat stiff. Once I had it stapled down and trimmed. I used a match to quickly melt the edges at the corners to keep it from fraying. Here's a few pics of the finished AR3's!

Hi Rich! Your complements are much appreciated! I agree, these look better than the original foam grills. Superb sounding speakers, and your 11's are suppose to be even better! The grills were quick and pretty easy to do, so I expect to see some pics of yours soon! Glenn

Thanks Kent! The 3's grills are next! Excited to get them finished. Also grabbed a pretty nice set of AR badges that had very little tarnish off eBay. Glenn

Thank you Pat! I'm quite happy with the finished result. Even my wife thinks they are beautiful! She's my biggest fan, and appreciates the work I put into my restoration projects. Glenn

Thanks Klaus! I have to agree! I love the cave. I only wish it was larger! Cheers! Glenn

Hi Larry! Thanks, and I like seeing the drivers a bit too! Glenn

Thank you Robert! I'm happy with the end result. I wanted to mimic the original look as much as possible, and I like the fabric more than the original foam look. Glenn

I finished the grills and they came out pretty good! So I can officially say this resto project is completed! Cheers! Glenn.

Going on two weeks since finishing the restoration, and been listening to these exclusively. Damn they sound great! Roys restored mids are amazing!