zelgy1 Posted December 2, 2019 Report Share Posted December 2, 2019 Hi all, I purchased a pair of AR-3's and their is a gap in the serial numbers. I noticed that one unit has the plastic grill that slides into the grooves within the cabinet. However, the 2nd unit has a particle board type grill material and the speaker cabinet lacks the groove found on the other. I'm wondering if the AR factory ever utilized the AR-3a cabinet for AR-3 builds at any point? The speakers and crossovers all seem to match, only the enclosure being different. I look forward to any feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted December 2, 2019 Report Share Posted December 2, 2019 Are both cabinets the same size? The height and width should be the same. The 3 cabinet should be 11 in, deep and the 3a cabinet closer to 11 3/8 in. deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelgy1 Posted December 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2019 2 minutes ago, lARrybody said: Are both cabinets the same size? The height and width should be the same. The 3 cabinet should be 11 in, deep and the 3a cabinet closer to 11 3/8 in. deep. The cabinets have the exact same dimensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted December 3, 2019 Report Share Posted December 3, 2019 This thread might shed some useful light on your situation. You'll find confirmation of the 3a cabinets used for late-issue AR-3's, and see examples of Masonite grille frames. http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?/topic/8833-are-these-ar3s/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 3, 2019 Report Share Posted December 3, 2019 7 hours ago, zelgy1 said: I'm wondering if the AR factory ever utilized the AR-3a cabinet for AR-3 builds at any point? The speakers and crossovers all seem to match, only the enclosure being different. I look forward to any feedback. zelgy1, As time went on the AR-3 shared a number of components with the 3a, including cabinets. Later 3's were equipped with the AR-3a mid, and, later still, the 3a foam surround/ferrite magnet woofer (just before the end of AR-3 production). It is also not unusual to find complete 3a's housed in AR-3 cabinets, as AR offered a 3 to 3a factory conversion. The 3 and 3a never shared the same crossover. Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelgy1 Posted December 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2019 I greatly appreciate the informative feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 On 12/2/2019 at 10:55 PM, RoyC said: zelgy1, As time went on the AR-3 shared a number of components with the 3a, including cabinets. Later 3's were equipped with the AR-3a mid, and, later still, the 3a foam surround/ferrite magnet woofer (just before the end of AR-3 production). It is also not unusual to find complete 3a's housed in AR-3 cabinets, as AR offered a 3 to 3a factory conversion. The 3 and 3a never shared the same crossover. Roy Good information. I was always under the impression, no 3 had foam surround woofers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 3 minutes ago, GD70 said: Good information. I was always under the impression, no 3 had foam surround woofers. Hi Glenn, These mutations are not common. There was a photo of a pair posted in the forum awhile back. Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffS Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 Here's a link to the thread I started back in 2017, regarding a pair of last generation 3's that I found: I really do intend to finish these at some point, other stuff just keeps leapfrogging these on the priority list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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