MarkG2019 Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 I have a pair of working vintage AR1 speakers that I need to sell because we are moving. I have seen some of these type speakers going for a lot of money on eBay. They are in fairly good condition with intact grill clothes and a few stains on the cabinets. What are these worth and should I bother refinishing them or leave them in original condition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimpy Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 I can't really quote a value. But, if you're certain to sell, I'd leave the speakers as-is. To many, your speakers are true collector's items, and any changes from stock, would hurt resell value. Wipe them down, to dust them, get good pictures, then leave them be! GLWTS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Depending upon condition, a single AR-1 might sell for $1,000 to $2,000 on eBay, with the value relying heavily upon originality (no replacement or modification of anything) and the physical & operational state of the Altec upper range driver. An excellent working condition pair in mahogany recently sold for $5400. There is really nothing that you could do to your speakers to enhance their value; they are what they are, and you could negatively affect their potential selling price by changing them in any way. Getting top dollar for the AR-1 can be demanding - people who pay for these speakers know exactly what they are, and what to look for. A thorough, accurate description is important. You'll need to take lots of photographs that clearly show the condition, and be willing to properly prepare the speakers for shipping. Handing off to a "professional" like the UPS Store is not adequate - you'll need to do it absolutely right, and document everything or prepare for the possibility of an eBay "not as advertised" complaint from the bidder. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknofossil Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Interesting, those AR-1 systems. My question is "why"? Why are AR-1 systems worth so much? Is it the novelty of the fact they are the first of the "new" generation of speakers? Certainly by today's standards they are inadequate in the upper ranges. If I was inclined to spend 3 to 4 thousand dollars on a vintage AR system it would be the LST or a truck load of AR3a systems which are a better system by all standards above 575 hz. Below that there isn't any real difference, sound wise. Just as a benchmark here my uncle passed away in 2015. He had a huge collection of audio and electronics related items that went through an estate auction. Someone on these pages bought a single AR-1 at a radio swap meet for I believe was around 50 bucks. His story was the seller at the swap meet said it had come from my uncles (Ben H Tongue of Blonder Tongue Labs) estate. Also, somewhere in his home was the Jantzen 4 element ESL tweeter array. He told me decades ago the AR1/Jantzen array was THE system to own and was considered the ultimate system of the time. I think I saw the tweeter array in one of the photos. Someone missed out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 6 hours ago, teknofossil said: My question is "why"? Why are AR-1 systems worth so much? It's the Altec 755A. I've never heard them but my understanding is they are vastly overrated and insanely over-priced. Audiophiles in Asia are especially fond of them. Tom Tyson answered the question here: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 The 755's were outstanding for their time. By today's standards they're still pretty good for a speaker with no usable response below 70 Hz or above 13kHz. Or, you could get some of these for $120 a pair: http://www.wildburroaudio.com/speakers.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknofossil Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 I was wondering how the 8" Dayton full ranges would be. https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-ps220-8-8-point-source-full-range-neo-driver--295-346?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2ITuBRDkARIsAMK9Q7Mt6U3spv6JCqCR-geVkYvIN-g38UhGG2P2wKmDWAqCcQZSrHcp3DwaAi5QEALw_wcB It would need level reduction and a proper crossover to properly mate with the AR woofer. Also, I see that Steve at Decware created some sort of a transformer based correction device mated with the previously mentioned Dayton that according to his posted details correct the response of the driver dramatically. https://www.decware.com/newsite/FRX.html I think not...... -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 On 11/5/2019 at 7:52 AM, teknofossil said: Someone on these pages bought a single AR-1 at a radio swap meet for I believe was around 50 bucks. His story was the seller at the swap meet said it had come from my uncles (Ben H Tongue of Blonder Tongue Labs) estate. Also, somewhere in his home was the Jantzen 4 element ESL tweeter array. He told me decades ago the AR1/Jantzen array was THE system to own and was considered the ultimate system of the time. I think I saw the tweeter array in one of the photos. Someone missed out! teknofossil, I'm the someone that bought that speaker but it's not an AR-1, it's a 1W. All it needs is a 3T, but I'm not holding my breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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