wanting to purchase an AR-3a

[Guest soultribe]

Hi there,

let me begin how AR had a deep impact on my life...

i have a pair when i was 14, which my dad got it back from my uncle shop. Year ago, he gave it to him as a present( but i dont think my uncle know how to appreciate it, and the reason he gave .. cos he dote on him deeply). at that time i was just venturing into hi-fi, and he told mi he got a" lengendary speaker", i was all excitment, and he will tell me tale and tale of AR. but upon receiving it,i was pretty disappointed at it look. and doubt his word for it deeply, for a moment i hook it up with a old sony amp, once in a while an SAE amp. it didnt really set an impact much then...

once during an hi fi session with him, he suggested hooking up with his PRE.POWER set up, a proton Pre/Power. and compare withhis SAE speaker and Bose 901.( my eye was on his 901 and SAE) than AR he given me. he wanted to convinced me AR was a better speaker than any of it.

and when the comparsion were done!!!... AR really came out superb sounding. the mid and high were excellent. that was the only time

i think i reached Nirvana.!!.. i relook at my speaker with apreciation. and year later, did i know(AR is power hungry, an intergated amp cant drive it well )

whenever i went, i asked around vintage hifi shop, hi-fi expert. they were saying i am a lucky chap.

but things happened........

while i was away on my study for a year....

My landlord( i move out from home) sold it away cos she thought i don want it anymore.

that were really saddened. i was a poor chap at that time. and couldnt afford a new set..

as i am working now,i hope fellow frenz can help me sought another good decent pair.

and i stay in singapore/ asia.

i can arrange for courier.

thank you

[mocmoon]

Hi there,

There is a pair of 3a available at audioclassics.com for $399 (in speaker section). But it may cost you a fortune to ship to singapore because of the weight of the 3a.

good luck

Vince

[Guest soultribe]

>Hi there,

>

>There is a pair of 3a available at audioclassics.com for $399

>(in speaker section). But it may cost you a fortune to ship to

>singapore because of the weight of the 3a.

>

>good luck

>Vince

Thank you.!! i am prepare for that.

but i cant add to cart. by the way, it was stated in pound right?

any other alternative??

[mluong303]

Hi,

I like your story of how you get to like AR speakers. very down to Earth... Proton and NAD amps were comfortably driving the AR-3a among others like Adcom 555 and Crown PSA-2 at the time. These were newer generation Amps compare to the Phase Linear 700 or Dynaco amp. To the Experts, All Amps sounded the same regarding the prices, pure Copper wires have no sound improvement compare to the 50 years old tinted wires used in the AR-1 crossover, and expensive Polypropylene caps make no difference compare to the cheap Electrolytic caps, Air cored inductors serve the same duty as cheap Iron cored inductors. I wish I can convince myself to believe these Truths so to save myself a lot of Cash and stay with my AR-LST speakers and Adcom amp…

Unless you do know people in the private shipping business to securely deliver your AR speakers from the States to Singapore. It will be risky and very expensive. I would suggest you to look into Hong Kong market and close by Countries to purchase your AR-3a speakers. It will be much faster to receive your dream speakers. Email me directly and see if I can lead you somewhere.

Minh Luong

Mluong303@aol.com

[mocmoon]

Hi,

FYI, I recently bought the MC2205 from audioclassics and I must admit that they are very good at packing (I live in Vietnam, and the cost to ship to VN from states is even higher than to Singapore), so it would be fine for shipment. Only cost is an issue. But as many people on this website has stated: you will never over pay for the 3's.

I don't know the price of the 3a in Singapore, but where I live, a decent pair would cost around $1,000. So $400 for the pair + $400 for UPS is not too bad at all.

I got the problems with checking out the cart before, so I contacted their sales staff directly. You can find their contact emails in Contact area, and make an order directly with them.

However, Minh Luong may also be able to provide you a better alternative, so good hunting.

Please tell us your experience with the new 3a.

Vince

[mluong303]

Hi, Vince

What are you listening to, AR-3a speakers? I know there was quite a number of AR-3a sold from PX and Cho Kim Bien in the early ’70. I had listen to two brand new pairs often back and fort in 1972-1975. Maybe I should fly back Home and open a shop restoring and importing classic AR speakers and keep my home boys happy while stay in touch with my home girls.

In 1995 there was a direct importer (located at Hai Ba Trung street) importing Jensen International AR speakers to distribute them in Vietnam. Do you know of any AR-303 or AR-303A landed there?

Are you located in Saigon? Feel like getting a pair of AR_LST speakers to mate your MC2205?

Minh Luong

[mocmoon]

Chao anh Minh,

It's great to talk to a Vietnamese who have interest in classic AR.

>What are you listening to, AR-3a speakers?

I have a pair of 3a and a pair of LST which I like very much. I used to have a pair of 3 which I bought because it have a perpect cabinet (made of plywood and in perfect condition but the drivers are not very good, so I didn't keep the 3). I swapped this with my original 3a cabinet (MDF-and MDFs don't like the humidity weather in Hanoi) so that it can live with me for another 40 years. I'm still very young and want the 3a to stay with me for the rest of my life. I got several 4xs before but sold them all.

>Maybe I should fly back Home and open a

>shop restoring and importing classic AR speakers and keep my

>home boys happy while stay in touch with my home girls.

This is a great idea! I've been thinking about this for several years but do not have any leads in states and buying from retailers like audioclassics is only good for end-users only. You could make money out of this and have fun too.

>In 1995 there was a direct importer (located at Hai Ba Trung

>street) importing Jensen International AR speakers to

>distribute them in Vietnam. Do you know of any AR-303 or

>AR-303A landed there?

I guess that you are talking about Hai Ba Trung St in Saigon. I don't have experience with dealers in the south so I cannot tell. I saw a couple of 303 in the north but didn't like them very much.

>Are you located in Saigon? Feel like getting a pair of AR_LST

>speakers to mate your MC2205?

I live in Hanoi but travel to saigon few times a year. I'm thinking about buying another pair of LST so that I could listen to a stack LST. The guy from audioclassics told me that I could run two pairs of LSTs with the 2205 and I'm wild about this idea. Can you tell me any leads that I can look for the LST in the region? I'll travel to Saigon in two weeks so any info in Saigon would be great.

Again, it's so special when talking to another Vietnamese on the web about ARs. Thank you for talking with me and I do hope that we keep in touch. My email is mocmoon@gmail.com

Viet Anh Nguyen (Vince)

[Guest soultribe]

>Chao anh Minh,

>

>It's great to talk to a Vietnamese who have interest in

>classic AR.

>

>

>>What are you listening to, AR-3a speakers?

>

>I have a pair of 3a and a pair of LST which I like very much.

>I used to have a pair of 3 which I bought because it have a

>perpect cabinet (made of plywood and in perfect condition but

>the drivers are not very good, so I didn't keep the 3). I

>swapped this with my original 3a cabinet (MDF-and MDFs don't

>like the humidity weather in Hanoi) so that it can live with

>me for another 40 years. I'm still very young and want the 3a

>to stay with me for the rest of my life. I got several 4xs

>before but sold them all.

>

>>Maybe I should fly back Home and open a

>>shop restoring and importing classic AR speakers and keep my

>>home boys happy while stay in touch with my home girls.

>

>This is a great idea! I've been thinking about this for

>several years but do not have any leads in states and buying

>from retailers like audioclassics is only good for end-users

>only. You could make money out of this and have fun too.

>

>>In 1995 there was a direct importer (located at Hai Ba Trung

>>street) importing Jensen International AR speakers to

>>distribute them in Vietnam. Do you know of any AR-303 or

>>AR-303A landed there?

>

>I guess that you are talking about Hai Ba Trung St in Saigon.

>I don't have experience with dealers in the south so I cannot

>tell. I saw a couple of 303 in the north but didn't like them

>very much.

>

>>Are you located in Saigon? Feel like getting a pair of

>AR_LST

>>speakers to mate your MC2205?

>

>I live in Hanoi but travel to saigon few times a year. I'm

>thinking about buying another pair of LST so that I could

>listen to a stack LST. The guy from audioclassics told me that

>I could run two pairs of LSTs with the 2205 and I'm wild about

>this idea. Can you tell me any leads that I can look for the

>LST in the region? I'll travel to Saigon in two weeks so any

>info in Saigon would be great.

>

>Again, it's so special when talking to another Vietnamese on

>the web about ARs. Thank you for talking with me and I do hope

>that we keep in touch. My email is mocmoon@gmail.com

>

>Viet Anh Nguyen (Vince)

>

Hi there,

vieynam is very near to singapore, any idea, anyone can source apair for me??

plse vince and miun leong

[mluong303]

Chao Viet,

You Lucky Guy to own two of AR Legendary speakers in Ha Noi. The home girls must be stuck in your living room listen to Paris by Night DVD and don’t want to go home… I hope you will get the second pair of AR-LST from the seller I told you. Shipping alone will save you a bundle. Good Luck. However, I will not recommend hooking up an extra pair of AR-LST to your MC2205. You will very likely to kill the Amp in no time. If you want to try some fun with double stacked AR-LST speakers try to buy another MC2205 but you need to get an preamp with Dual pre out. Too expensive to deal with double AR-LST just to gain 3db of sound output.

The whole idea was initially coming from Mark Levinson who wants his clients to pay more money for a an extra pair of Cello Amati, a pair of Cello tri-wired cables and at least an extra set of Cello Performance amp, not to mention the granite Amati speaker stands to hold the double Amatis…

The AR-3a cabinets are particle board(not MDF) which will swollen in humid region like Ha Noi or Hong Kong! Think about custom built a pair of AR-3a cabinet out of Cay Go or Cam Lai. These are famous hard wood grown in Vietnam and Cambodia. They would be great for speaker cabinets.

Whether you from North Vietnam or the Guy in Singapore who spell my name not even my Mom will recognize me should look for your dream AR speakers from Hong Kong market. There are many opportunities to find decent shapes AR-3a, AR-3a Improved, AR-10Pi or AR-LST etc and the shipping cost are only a fraction compare to buying them from the U.S.

Stay in touch,

Minh Luong

mluong303@aol.com

[mocmoon]

Hi anh Minh,

Well, I'm not that lucky cause I got to know AR speakers from my girlfriend/wife and more importantly from her dad who is now my father-in-law, so I didn't have the opportunities to invite girls to my home for music. And actually, many people in Hanoi don't like the classic ARs. They prefer the modern speakers of different brands that have brighter sound (Polk, Bose, etc.). Others go for fancy things such as B&W 801. AR's lovers are still a small number.

Can you explain to me in more detail why the 2205 cannot drive two pairs of LST at the same time. I understand that the 2205 have output terminals for 1/2/4/8ohm speakers, so I guess I could connect two pairs of LST to 2ohm terminals. Am I wrong?

Copy to soultribe: as mentioned earlier, the 3a in Vietnam is already expensive ($1,000), so it doesn't make sense to buy from Vietnam. MinhLuong has better advise above, or if you want to get one pair right away, go for audioclassics.

So long brother,

Vince

[mluong303]

Hi, Viet

I suspect the AR-LST speakers you have on hands are the earlier version with the 5000uF on the crossover. Check it out for yourself. This AR_LST speakers were known as amp killer and did smoke quite a few amps when they first came out and AR was fully aware of that and revised the crossover with the 2500uF cap. It was a complicated change not just swap out the 5000uF with the 2500uF cap. Anyone has the original and newer crossover schematics will see the difference when cross check them. So for the people who want to double stack AR-LST speakers, make sure your AR-LSTs have the same crossovers internally to keep the tonal balance right. The 6 position switches will have to adjust differently from one version to the next if they are not the same crossovers.

I know the MC2205 along with many other McIntosh Amps have 2,4,8 Ohms taps and capable of going down to the 1 Ohm. This is strictly for 1 pair of speakers hook up application. When you hook up two pairs of AR-LST speakers to the 2 Ohms taps of your MC2205, you are starting to play with fire. You can listen to the Audio Classic tech person and take a chance. If your amp smoked, are you willing to ship it back to the U.S. to get it fixed! Money and time will play a big rolls on this kind of Trouble.

Play Safe and Enjoy the Music,

Minh Luong

[tysontom]

>Hi, Viet

>

>I suspect the AR-LST speakers you have on hands are the

>earlier version with the 5000uF on the crossover. Check it out

>for yourself. This AR_LST speakers were known as amp killer

>and did smoke quite a few amps when they first came out and AR

>was fully aware of that and revised the crossover with the

>2500uF cap. It was a complicated change not just swap out the

>5000uF with the 2500uF cap. Anyone has the original and newer

>crossover schematics will see the difference when cross check

>them. So for the people who want to double stack AR-LST

>speakers, make sure your AR-LSTs have the same crossovers

>internally to keep the tonal balance right. The 6 position

>switches will have to adjust differently from one version to

>the next if they are not the same crossovers.

>

>I know the MC2205 along with many other McIntosh Amps have

>2,4,8 Ohms taps and capable of going down to the 1 Ohm. This

>is strictly for 1 pair of speakers hook up application. When

>you hook up two pairs of AR-LST speakers to the 2 Ohms taps of

>your MC2205, you are starting to play with fire. You can

>listen to the Audio Classic tech person and take a chance. If

>your amp smoked, are you willing to ship it back to the U.S.

>to get it fixed! Money and time will play a big rolls on this

>kind of Trouble.

>

>Play Safe and Enjoy the Music,

>

>Minh Luong

>

I owned stacked AR-LSTs (with 2500 mfd caps) a few years ago that I powered with a single McIntosh MC2500, and on loud passages it would cause both fans to run frequently. On heavy peaks, the amplifier would occasionally trip the 15-amp breaker. Whether your amplifier is direct-coupled or transformer-coupled, as in the case of McIntosh amps, there is still a large amount of current to pass when you connect two inneficient "4-ohm" (actually closer to 2 or 3 ohms across part of the band) LSTs in parallel. The Macs, however, are about as well-suited to the difficult AR-LST load as any amplifier, and these amps are always properly impedance-matched internally due to the output transformers, and thus the design can *never* "pass DC," a lethal-form of output current that can fry the voice coil on any woofer should full-rail voltage unwittingly get across the output terminals in many direct-coupled designs with certain types of failures. And incidentally, the McIntosh output transformers really don't "muddy" the sound, add distortion or any of the old-wives' tales associated with that design, at least to any possibly audible degree. On the other hand, I don't think a single MC-2205 could effectively drive a stacked-LST arrangement without running out of steam pretty quickly. I don't believe the 2205 has fans, so the heat build-up would be something to worry about as well. Locate a second MC-2205 and you are in business.

--Tom Tyson

[ar_pro]

I ran a 2205 with a single pair of AR-9's, and then two pairs of AR-3a's. The amplifier drove the 9's quite well, but ran out of gas with the 3a's. Tom's suggestion of a second MC-2205 to drive the additional LST is a good one.

[Guest soultribe]

>Hi there,

>let me begin how AR had a deep impact on my life...

>

>i have a pair when i was 14, which my dad got it back from my

>uncle shop. Year ago, he gave it to him as a present( but i

>dont think my uncle know how to appreciate it, and the reason

>he gave .. cos he dote on him deeply). at that time i was just

>venturing into hi-fi, and he told mi he got a" lengendary

>speaker", i was all excitment, and he will tell me tale and

>tale of AR. but upon receiving it,i was pretty disappointed at

>it look. and doubt his word for it deeply, for a moment i hook

>it up with a old sony amp, once in a while an SAE amp. it

>didnt really set an impact much then...

>

>once during an hi fi session with him, he suggested hooking up

>with his PRE.POWER set up, a proton Pre/Power. and compare

>withhis SAE speaker and Bose 901.( my eye was on his 901 and

>SAE) than AR he given me. he wanted to convinced me AR was a

>better speaker than any of it.

>

>and when the comparsion were done!!!... AR really came out

>superb sounding. the mid and high were excellent. that was the

>only time

>i think i reached Nirvana.!!.. i relook at my speaker with

>apreciation. and year later, did i know(AR is power hungry, an

>intergated amp cant drive it well )

>

>whenever i went, i asked around vintage hifi shop, hi-fi

>expert. they were saying i am a lucky chap.

>

>but things happened........

>

>while i was away on my study for a year....

>

>My landlord( i move out from home) sold it away cos she

>thought i don want it anymore.

>

>that were really saddened. i was a poor chap at that time. and

>couldnt afford a new set..

>

>as i am working now,i hope fellow frenz can help me sought

>another good decent pair.

>

>and i stay in singapore/ asia.

>

>i can arrange for courier.

>

>thank you

>

>

>

>

hi there.

thanksfor your reply to all...

iguess you are right to get it from hongkong or Vietnam . but could

anyone give me a direction where i should go abt soutrcing one.

any email link would be useful.. thank you

i really liketo get hold of a pair.

by the wayany intergrated tube amp able to drive tihs baby so thati can calculate my budget to put aside.

thank you

regards

[galleria]

hi there!

my name is william and i m from hong kong. the classic ar would not be popular in hkg now, was! (the dealer has gone five or six years ago!)

the truth was i bought an ar 302 speakers from the us 2 or 3 years ago about five hundred dollars roughly (thank you franz!) and the shipment would be about the same amount, mostly due to the heavy weight! it's worth to do so as there is none of nowdays speakers that could beat them up at the same price even though plus the shipment cost! so, my advise is GO FOR IT if you see any CLASSIC AR out there at the RESEABLE PRICE.

ps: i have many pairs of ar speakers just like 18bxi, 91, 98ls, 50t, 910, mgc-2, av partner and 302. and also european version of ar rowen r1+1 as well.

[Guest soultribe]

>hi there!

>

> my name is william and i m from hong kong. the classic ar

>would not be popular in hkg now, was! (the dealer has gone

>five or six years ago!)

>

> the truth was i bought an ar 302 speakers from the us 2 or 3

>years ago about five hundred dollars roughly (thank you

>franz!) and the shipment would be about the same amount,

>mostly due to the heavy weight! it's worth to do so as there

>is none of nowdays speakers that could beat them up at the

>same price even though plus the shipment cost! so, my advise

>is GO FOR IT if you see any CLASSIC AR out there at the

>RESEABLE PRICE.

>

>ps: i have many pairs of ar speakers just like 18bxi, 91,

>98ls, 50t, 910, mgc-2, av partner and 302. and also european

>version of ar rowen r1+1 as well.

>

>

wow... hi hong kong frenz william. i am also a chinese .. in singapore.

i really like 3a and desperate for one. i intend to have it with tube amp and also a vinyl player which i have now. an 1970s ariston audio turntable. i don know and lost now. ireally missed the sound and non of any speaker came as close to 3a, i even drool on an 10pi and those teledyne AR. does china have it? i guess chin a is cheaper right.

i don trust with ebay. so that y i don dare to ....

buy from there

by the way how abt teledyne AR is it good???

the treble seem to be very sparkly

[galleria]

hi soultribe

it's good to know you! i had never heard the sound from an old 3a but 3a limited only at early 90's. the dealer recommended a solid state amp as they were power hunger. that would be quite difficult to find a pair of 3a in china coz there aren't many vintage collectors.(i tried to find before) perhaps try to ask Ken Drescher at http://members.aol.com/KDresch/audio.net.html and see if he could get a hook. he is a gentleman and very trustable as i used to buy stuffs through his assistance.

i don't think any sparkly over teledyne ar. if so, use tweak insulator for example "taoc" cheap and work out! actually i m amazed 98ls dual dome driver that it just uses a single magnet. it was a quite advanced design since. moreover the tsw series is very impressive for av purpose. i still remembered the first time i played "top gun" laser disc, the sound of f14's engine was "wo.....w" so astonished!

I m just curious about your current loudspeakers system?

happy listening

william

[mluong303]

Hi, William

You may want to stop by Sun-Hwa, TopClass Audio or the stores at Op-Liu Street in Hong Kong to find out the availability and prices quote on AR-3a, AR-LST speakers for Vince and Soultribe. Boxed up the speakers and send to Vietnam or Singapore should be about 1/3 the price compared to buy from the US. Good Luck and Hopefully you will give them a helping hand.

I knew Ming Fat and Golden Ears had gone for more than 6 years which make it harder to locate pre-owned AR speakers!

The only thing to remember is Don’t be Cheap when you are shopping for your dream speakers whether they are AR-3a or AR-LST speakers. You are paying for what you get. Rib Eye and Ground Beef taste and priced so far apart even if they come from the same Cow.

Minh Luong

[mluong303]

If you live in South East Asia, you may want to consider these great looking AR-LST for your collection.

http://www.audioweb.com/Ad/AdInfo.asp?adid=156450

Best of Luck,

Minh Luong

[galleria]

Hi, Minh Luong

>You may want to stop by Sun-Hwa, TopClass Audio or the stores

>at Op-Liu Street in Hong Kong to find out the availability and

>prices quote on AR-3a, AR-LST speakers for Vince and

>Soultribe. Boxed up the speakers and send to Vietnam or

>Singapore should be about 1/3 the price compared to buy from

>the US. Good Luck and Hopefully you will give them a helping

>hand.

If Vince and Soultribe are seriously interested, I could be for assistance. I saw one pair of AR-LST in the used shop last year in HK. (USD1,200? roughly)

>The only thing to remember is Don't be Cheap when you are

>shopping for your dream speakers whether they are AR-3a or

>AR-LST speakers. You are paying for what you get. Rib Eye and

>Ground Beef taste and priced so far apart even if they come

>from the same Cow.

In certain degree, your saying is very truth! Perhaps that is the driving force of work hard!

William

zigzag5747@hotmail.com

[mluong303]

Hi, William

Thanks for your response. You may want to check out YK Audio Ltd who has a mint pair of AR-LST for sale at the moment.

Hopefully we will meet when I go back to Hong Kong next time.

Have Fun with your AR speakers,

Minh Luong