Help Restoring My AR-3a's

[Edward]

2 hours ago, DavidR said:

Have you considered Emotiva:

https://emotiva.com/collections/amps

Also an option for sure.

[Edward]

I will need to find an interested party for Sony TA-3120 and sell it before moving to more modern power unit.  A warranty for the first several years cannot hurt.

[Edward]

4 hours ago, Aadams said:

That thread has several opinions.

If these excellent examples ever come up for assessment against a normative 3a , originality will always require the least amount of explanation.  To a knowledgeable observer the AR11 tweeter is an immediate sign of a non-standard configuration that should raise skepticism.  Keeping the original internal configuration and putting the mod on the tweeter makes this more of an expedient tweak that is easier to explain.  Without this thread as provenance, an objective, knowledgeable buyer of 3as would discount the value based on appearance alone and even more if the crossover is modified, unless, perhaps, the owner could show the page in the restoration guide on how to electronically reconfigure the crossover to take make AR11 tweeters compatible. 

From a performance standpoint,  the only tweeter that bridges the 5k gap between the classic mid and tweeter combo while maintaining the power response of the midrange unit, is the original tweeter.  All subsequent tweeters are stronger on axis and do yield a different sound when the harmonics and overtones are strong in the 5k range.  The only time this difference can be heard is using a rebuilt unit that has been tailored to crossover correctly at the 5k point AND if you are listening to source material that contains the information.   Its kind of like torque in a Tesla, being there instantly in unmatched quantities when you need it but otherwise, unapparent to anyone when in normal use. 

Adams

 

In the end, after my repairs have been completed, I will most certainly create a diagram showing what component are in the cabinets and why the particular caps and resisters were used.  If next owner wants to rearrange the cap network they will at least know where they are starting from.  This paperwork will be in a manila folder under home audio.  My wife and I are quite organized that way.

 

[Edward]

Nice American hi-fi for sure.

[lARrybody]

21 hours ago, Edward said:

I would love twin tube amps, but @ 61 yo I'm looking for something small and little to no maintenance.

Hey Edward how about these jewelbabys. I am getting ready to swap out my Adcom separates(GFA555II) currently driving my AR9's with this new Crown XLS 2502 and vintage Yamaha C-70 preamp. Crown is less than 11 lbs. and should put out about 700 watts per channel into 4 ohms. The cool thing is that the Crown is 2 ohm stable and with a easy mod I can run the AR9's that low. Lots to do to get the room ready. The newer amplifiers are lighter and very powerful , but I still love my vintage stuff. 

[Edward]

The future of my soon-to-be refurbished AR3s is ;

By choice, my only source of music now is a cd player. Two years ago I  moved from a Duel 1229 TT (sitting in my garage) to an older Pioneer PDM 550CD player; including the collections of each of the formats.

Like many of you, I test drove a wide variety of separates over the last several decades. But back in 1978 I bonded with the sound produced by the magnificent AR3a's, for a wide of genres, as long as it was clean power.

Soon I will diagram my cap. replacements with resistor for the newer ver tweeters and post on this thread.  And since the metal surfaces are not corroded I will properly clean and treat metal to revive original Pots.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Edward
grammer/spelling