briodo Posted September 5, 2021 Report Share Posted September 5, 2021 I hit my vintage gear quota for 2021 but this appears to be a heck of a deal. Quantity 4 AR-8's, in Denver area. https://denver.craigslist.org/ele/d/littleton-acoustic-research-ar8/7374964296.html I have some AR-7's, these appear to be very similar with 10" driver VS the 8 on the AR-7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted September 6, 2021 Report Share Posted September 6, 2021 RUN don't walk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR surround Posted September 6, 2021 Report Share Posted September 6, 2021 Are the AR8's quite rare? I haven't seen much written about them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted September 6, 2021 Report Share Posted September 6, 2021 40 minutes ago, AR surround said: I haven't seen much written about them here. They were billed as a rock n roll speaker and had a very short life. The real value is in the drivers. Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted September 6, 2021 Report Share Posted September 6, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 On 9/6/2021 at 2:03 PM, ar_pro said: Interesting....as this seems to be the baby brother to the AR12...which was touted as a rock n roll speaker also....and short lived as the 8 was. I have never seen an 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR surround Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 I've never thought of the classic AR's as "rock" speakers and didn't realize that they had a model advertised as such. I always thought of products like the (brutal) Marantz Imperial 7 as "rock" speakers. The AR12...I thought it was just an updated version of the AR5 and not a rock n roll speaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 2 hours ago, AR surround said: I've never thought of the classic AR's as "rock" speakers and didn't realize that they had a model advertised as such. I always thought of products like the (brutal) Marantz Imperial 7 as "rock" speakers. The AR12...I thought it was just an updated version of the AR5 and not a rock n roll speaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 As I see it, AR was late to the 'College Craze' audio scene and probably quickly created something to offer in an affordable speaker. AR-8, 1973-1974, 10" Woofer, 1.25" Cone tweeter, 48-20k ± 2.5db, 1800hz, 15- w, 8 ohms, 13.5x24x11.5, 32.0 lbs, $129.00 AR-12, 1977-1979, 10" Woofer, 2.25" Cone Mid, .75" Dome Tweeter, 44-30K ± 3db, 86 db, 700/4000hz, 25-100 w, 8 ohms, 14x25x11, 37.5 lbs, $225.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briodo Posted September 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 During a search for more info on them I found this observation from Andrew over at Audikarma: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/acoustic-research-ar-8-what-are-these.388524/ The AR-8 was AR's entry into the rock speaker market and was voiced to emulate the west coast sound made famous by JBL. Longtime AR customers considered this model to be boomy and unrefined, and JBL owners liked JBL's version of the west coast sound better. In the end, no one was really happy and the AR-8 was not a big success, it lasted only a short period of time. If you are looking for a comparison, the AR-8 sounds most like a JBL L26. That said, the AR-8 is a fun speaker to listen to, and some folks really like them. Andrew I found it interesting that AR would voice a speaker to match a specific type of sound VS accurately reproducing the original signal, which was one of the reasons I bought mine back in 1980. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 Accurate reproduction was the AR mantra under Villchur. Once the five-year transition ended in 1972 and Villchur's people started to exit, product development was controlled by Teledyne management and chasing their perceived "consumer preference" resulted in the introduction of "low end" stuff like the AR-8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 If I remember correctly the AR8 was only available in a simulated (vinyl) wood grain finish. Thus holding the price down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Nicolai Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 2 hours ago, lARrybody said: If I remember correctly the AR8 was only available in a simulated (vinyl) wood grain finish. Thus holding the price down. I think IARrybody is correct. If you look closely at the photos of the speakers in the Craigslist ad, they look like they have the texture of vinyl. I just did some quick research online and there are ads for AR-8's indicating that the speakers are vinyl covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted September 9, 2021 Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 When first introduced, the vinyl covered 2-way AR-8 was a whopping $16 less than a real walnut 3-way AR-2ax. And I doubt that anyone bought the idea of an "accurate rock speaker." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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