AR-1W info

[Andy]

The serial number is 3900, birch cabinet. About what year would this date to? I'm guesing 1957-59 since from what I've read, production was limited in 1955-56 and things didn't really get going until the late 50s. I am surprised to see the 1W was still being produced in 1969. Also, any idea of total number of units made on this model?

[tysontom]

The serial number is 3900, birch cabinet. About what year

>would this date to? I'm guesing 1957-59 since from what I've

>read, production was limited in 1955-56 and things didn't

>really get going until the late 50s. I am surprised to see the

>1W was still being produced in 1969. Also, any idea of total

>number of units made on this model?

I don't know exactly where SN 3900 AR-1W would fall, but you can extrapolate it to some degree: in 1954, AR built no speakers for sale; in March of 1955 AR began to ship the AR-1 and AR-1W, and with sales of $57K that year, the production of the concurrently serial-numbered AR-1s, AR-1Ws and AR-1Us ran about 340 to 350 units (about a 4:1 ratio of AR-1s to AR-1Ws and AR-1Us). In 1956, AR sales were $383K, and the production numbers were in the range of 2200 to 2300 units. Sales were up to approximately $1M by 1957, but about 70% of those sales were for the new AR-2. I believe that AR-1W with SN 3900 probably fell into 1957 somewhere.

Acoustic Research continued producing the AR-1W until 1973, but production numbers were quite limited. AR-1Ws after about 1970 had the 200003-type woofer rather than the earlier Alnico #3700 woofer. As for the total number of AR-1Ws, there were probably 4-5,000 units produced I’m guessing. I believe the totals for the AR-1 family were approximately 20,000 units, although I am not sure.

--Tom Tyson

[Andy]

Thanks for those figures Tom, they are helpful in under standing the early years. I did locate your reply to a posting, Jan 16th this year in which you mention that only 336 AR-1W's were produced in 1958...sounds as though the 1W was more of a speciality item for those who wanted Woofers and high frequency drivers in seperate enclosures.

I was curious about how long production lasted, in the AR Model History-Chronological Order of the library section of this website, it lists that production stopped on the 1W in 1961 ? But my 1969 AR brochure supports your mention of about 1973 since it lists the 1W as a model offered. It makes sense that they would continue a limited production to meet the needs of audiophiles, though it would not have been a money maker for the company.

By the way, the birch 1W I first mentioned was won yesterday in an ebay auction for about $100. and figured that that's not too bad for an early AR item. The regular AR-1 prices are too rich for my blood, $2,600 bid last week for a nice pair...YIKES!

[tysontom]

>Thanks for those figures Tom, they are helpful in under

>standing the early years. I did locate your reply to a

>posting, Jan 16th this year in which you mention that only 336

>AR-1W's were produced in 1958...sounds as though the 1W was

>more of a speciality item for those who wanted Woofers and

>high frequency drivers in seperate enclosures.

>I was curious about how long production lasted, in the AR

>Model History-Chronological Order of the library section of

>this website, it lists that production stopped on the 1W in

>1961 ? But my 1969 AR brochure supports your mention of about

>1973 since it lists the 1W as a model offered. It makes sense

>that they would continue a limited production to meet the

>needs of audiophiles, though it would not have been a money

>maker for the company.

>By the way, the birch 1W I first mentioned was won yesterday

>in an ebay auction for about $100. and figured that that's not

>too bad for an early AR item. The regular AR-1 prices are too

>rich for my blood, $2,600 bid last week for a nice

>pair...YIKES!

Andy,

The AR-1W was a specialty item designed originally for those with the Janszen 130 electrostatic tweeter (and occasionally for those with the Bozak 8-inch midrange and the 130 tweeter combination). As AR was quick to point out, the woofer in the AR-1 was the significant thing, not necessarily the 8-inch 755A Altec Lansing tweeter. The 755A was good but much-more ordinary than the acoustic-suspension woofer. Ironically, the 755A has had an enormous following. Don't ask me why.

The AR-1W continued to be offered far-longer than the AR-1 itself which, after the introduction of the AR-3, was discontinued in the 1960s due to declining sales. For fifteen or twenty years the AR-1W had no peer in terms of low-distortion, low-bass reproduction; 50-years later the woofer is still excellent, which is a pretty good indication of a timeless design.

--Tom Tyson