baco99 Posted November 17, 2021 Report Share Posted November 17, 2021 Hi all! Figured this would be the first place to discuss this speaker. The only other HT-620 topic that comes up from a Google search is from 2004 from this site. And a few bits from Asian web sites. From what I gather, the AR HT-620 is essentially a remake of the TSW-610 but built specifically for the Hong Kong market (Special order from Ming Fat & Co. approx 1995). The speaker was made after AR's move from Norwood to California according to the name plate, listing Benicia, CA as the company's address. The sealed speaker enclosures are very heavy, easily 50 lbs each. There is ample cross-bracing inside the cabinet. They measure 14" across, 11" deep with grilles on (10.5" cabinet depth), and 31" tall. These cabinets are wrapped in a light walnut, real wood veneer finish, on all 6 sides. The driver compliment consists of the 3/4" "Nitrogen Fired Titanium" dome with the Tetra-Helix faceplate, a 6.5" poly cone midrange, and the ubiquitous 12" AR paper cone truncated-frame woofer. The crossover is insanely simple. 4 components. There is a large iron-core choke on the woofer, a single 52uf cap as a mid filter, and a 5uf cap and small iron-core choke on the tweeter. I have not measured the inductors to determine the crossover points, but I am guessing they are consistent with the 700/5000 Hz crossover points used in the TSW-610. I did replace the cheap and problematic electrolytic can capacitors. One of the mid caps was visibly leaking and only measured 36uf, which was causing limited output on one side. I refoamed all of the drivers. First impressions of these speakers is...WOW! I have heard dozens and dozens of AR speakers, from the LST, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and even 1 with a Janszen electrostatic tweeter array on top, and every combination in between. I haven't been this impressed with an AR speaker since the first time I heard the 10pi. Sound is balanced, smooth, and with excellent imaging (something usually lacking in AR speakers from my estimation). Bass response is authoritative and the overall higher-than-normal-for-AR sensitivity is welcome, especially with tube amps. I plugged these speakers into an Octave Audio V40SE push-pull tube amp running 40 WPC (and $4500 amp), and these speakers did not disappoint. Switched them over to my Unison Research Unico Due hybrid integrated in a very difficult living room, and they still provide an excellent presentation. If anyone has any archival information on these speakers, please post it here! (Cross posting with AudioKarma.org) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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