AR-3A Tweeter

[Guest AR_3A_owner]

Both AB teach and simplyspeakers are selling replacement for AR-3A tweeter replacement. How do these replacements sound like?

I reason why I want a new tweeter is because one of my tweeter's little wire is broken and the wire remained is too short to solder.

http://www.abtechservices.com/pages/2/page...h=1134188465692

http://www.simplyspeakers.com/graphics_pro...ome_Tweeter.jpg

[dynaco_dan]

They do not appear to be identical tweeters looking at the domes alone.

The foam cover hides the under surface.

This one photo you have posted appears to be identical to the ones I bought about 1995.

I say that only because the foam front baffle covers the tweeters front plate.

Mine are rear terminal connections.

I have never attempted to compare with AR OEM 3/4" tweeters of old, regarding output, dispersion or other important characteristics.

Knowing what I know now, I would probably attempt to buy off ebay the older versions, it would take longer to find the number that I needed though.

There is front and rear wiring methods for connections also.

[Carlspeak]

As I noted in my post in topic #9410 yesterday, AB Tech's "technical" support for its AR replacement line of speakers is severly lacking. As evidenced in the numerous Speaker Pages posts I've read in the past regarding AB Tech, all we seem to be able to do is look at the pictures and speculate how similar 'looking' it is or isn't. That's a pretty poor way to have to judge a driver's performance capabilities.

The technology for characterizing a speaker's performance has been in place for some time now. The least AB Tech could do is provide technical specs for their offerings. A fine example is Tom Tyson's comments in post #9410 regarding the specs for the Morel MDT33 tweeter. Having Morel's specs in hand, he was able to provide some tachnical basis for the MDT33's ability (or inability) to replace the original AR tweeter.

Yes, I understand specs don't tell the whole story. However, they certainly give a starting point for the wary buyer to decide on a purchase.

Remember, it's all about the music

Carl

Carl's Custom Loudspeakers

[dynaco_dan]

Great commentary Carl.

>As I noted in my post in topic #9410 yesterday, AB Tech's

>"technical" support for its AR replacement line of

>speakers is severly lacking.

My supplier bought, I assume from AB Tech, about 10 years ago.

There was no spec sheet or anything else to identify them as AR tweeters, short of me pulling out a tweeter now to see what may be printed on the magnet.

I was taken aback by the rear connections, foam front and different dome mounting means.

My warantee depot experience was pre rear wiring connections.

My original concern was to buy 8 replacement AR 3/4" tweeters.

I just acccepted that they were the most recent OEM AR replacements.

I didn't have an accurate method to compare between the older original tweeters and those replacements.

Vifa, was one third party manufacturer that was recommended to me at that time, at around $35.00 each, Dynaudio was another.

I preferred the AR route at $70.00 each CDN.

I understand in reading from this site, mine may be Ferrofluid cooled as well, I do not know that for a fact, yet.

The photo that is posted above is as best as I can tell, visually identical to mine.

That photo of this tweeter is not the same photo I just saw at AB Tech's site.

My comment was because to these old eyes the dome at least is different from each photo and less the foam front as well.

This is not speculation, it is what I saw.

Today if I needed and only wanted the same tweeters, I don't know how similar the ones AB Tech is offering and the ones I bought.

With a single pair of AR-3A's, it isn't as big a deal with only two tweeters @ $62.50 US each, to replace and to match whatever the differences are.

With the LST's it is a little more expensive.

We have all read, I am sure, of the replacement woofers sounding different in the AR-9's.

I have not been unhappy with my purchases, as I was, so I thought, buying exact current replacement AR tweeters.

Yes, there is other different brand tweeters available, some even drop in, but not the exact same as the original in what made them special, to me at least.

I have seen numerous write-ups about subbing tweeters and some midrange drivers with third party drivers.

Some users prefer a brighter sound than the original sound.

Who am I to say that they are wrong or I am right, we have different tastes and choices.

My point is, how many different retail variations are there of the tweeters having been sold as, AR-3A replacements, since the original 3/4" tweeter was discontinued decades ago.

Does every AR 3/4" tweeter owner have to replace each tweeter as a set when replacing them?

Heaven forbid if you own stacked LST's.

In mono days we wouldn't have had such a issue. lol

You make a very good point though, Carl, thank you very much.

As evidenced in the numerous

>Speaker Pages posts I've read in the past regarding AB Tech,

>all we seem to be able to do is look at the pictures and

>speculate how similar 'looking' it is or isn't. That's a

>pretty poor way to have to judge a driver's performance

>capabilities.

>The technology for characterizing a speaker's performance has

>been in place for some time now. The least AB Tech could do is

>provide technical specs for their offerings. A fine example is

>Tom Tyson's comments in post #9410 regarding the specs for the

>Morel MDT33 tweeter. Having Morel's specs in hand, he was able

>to provide some tachnical basis for the MDT33's ability (or

>inability) to replace the original AR tweeter.

>Yes, I understand specs don't tell the whole story. However,

>they certainly give a starting point for the wary buyer to

>decide on a purchase.

>

>Remember, it's all about the music

>

>Carl

>Carl's Custom Loudspeakers

[Guest Americain]

I guess we all have a certain line that we wouldn't cross as far as replacing AR drivers with third party units. I'll go as far using another tweeter but feel that going any further into the sound spectrum by replacing the midrange is a no-no. This is only my intuition at play and as always... just my humble opinion.

[Guest cld]

Customer service for old product is over. It has been for years now. They're basically there to sell the parts they have made. Real questions about the speakers cannot be answered because the people there are literally ignorant of the subject. It's not their fault though. What kind of a paycheck would you expect to get if your job is to wait for maybe a dozen calls a month for 40 year old speakers?

Another thing I keep seeing on the board is the dfferences between AB Tech parts and simply speakers parts. They're one in the same.

Anyone selling "AR" parts gets them from AB Tech. There is no AR manufacturer. AB Tech does use the same company that began making AR replacement parts in 1983, but costs are cut and inevitably, the product suffers. Simply speakers, speakers only, speaker exchange...all of these companies get their "AR" parts from AB Tech. You might notice in conversation that the foam on the "3A" tweeters is now gone. Why? Because AB Tech didn't have it put on, so now, no one has them.

Again, these speakers are dinosaurs. You're better off communicating on this board than you are calling AB Tech for help, sadly.

[frankmarsi]

O.K. Dyna-Dan, it won’t take much to get my goat up and going! You’re lucky I’m in NYC, so far away from Canada, cause I’d be at your house every week-end. Bugging you and yours. I caught that ‘stacked AR-LST’ mention, but thanks for thinking of me, I presume though there may be others out as insane as I am with even more and better AR ‘speaker-banks’ than I have.

Yes I was the guy who in ’05 dropped mucho bucks to buy 18 AB-Tech high freq. drivers for my LST’s (2 extra to do my AR-3a’s with, now I have 4 -3a’s, and 4 2ax’s, as work in progress). I have to admit though that these drivers are a bit brighter than the original tweeters, but I feel that’s OK too as AR always needed more ‘top-end’ relatively speaking. Please all you ‘purists’ out there, admit it, it’s true. I like music to sound ‘real’, but hey, AR’s always needed a little boost. Go on, admit it, it’s true. I dropped the money for 18 of AB’Tech’s top end drivers, I don’t regret it at this point, but then again I haven’t yet installed all of my 16 drivers needed to get my “stacked” LST’s to get going again to full capacity as I operate ‘half-assed’ regardless.

This reminds me of late’71, when I would walk into a high-end NYC stereo shop and ask to listen to AR’s. The sales guy typically would, if he were honest say, “ a yeah- the tweeters are out” I’d think, hey screw you I was working on amps that would supply ‘tube’ audio for air-craft carriers in the US Navy in ‘69. Be that as it may I could live with tweeters that aren’t exactly the same as original AR’s (excuse me T.T., K.K.). Hey, it’s not a stretch about tweeters anyway, as long as it’s close, high frequencies are relative, excuse me, aren’t they, as long as you have ‘tone-controls’? As long as it’s there and realistic sounding of course, forget about ‘near-field' and 'far-field', for all intents and purposes.

My big stink here is the 12 inch woofer surrounds. I just noticed tonight, another of my surrounds making a hole in a woofer I re-surrounded less than 7 years ago. I’ve come to realize the obvious; AR woofers are work to enjoy! Much like my 3- ’73 Rivs in ‘84 were, a constant work load, oil, paint, body-work, sheet metal, wires, etc. If anyone out there like myself loves AR’s superior bass, then you’ve got to ‘pay the piper’ every few years regarding surround replacement, no two ways around it bubba, and I can’t take it anymore! If anything, as a group we should rally to outside manufacturers about devising a better surround material. Please! Personally I’m getting brain damage here by coating my older ones with rubber cement every so often, this can’t be good long-term. You should all know that back when AR was ‘hot’ circa early ‘70’s, late 60’s and then when I saw JBL’s rubber surround I felt, OK they (James B. Lansing) had a better idea with his rubber ‘half-roll’. Early on I felt AR’s sound was second to none, but their bass speaker’s surrounds ‘sucked’ royally, period. Given that perception, perhaps there was no other way for AR to do this great bass thing, but come-on this is America! More than tweeters, perhaps we here should discuss ‘surround’ alternatives as most of them out there suck when we speak of AR’s regardless of how terrific their bass sounds.

I’d like to think that by the time my ears and body face their final listening session before I enter that final dirt box that I’ll be buried in, I’d like at least one last time to hear AR bass before my eyes and ears close down for ever, if nothing else so I can tell my relatives in heaven that it was great, we’d then have something to talk about besides the past and making the globe spin for God and country. I’ve got original ‘78’s here that my father left me that he had in the 1920’s of “Enrico Caruso” and I intend to listen to those when I re-activate an old Garrard Lab-72 so I can do so. The latest hard rock group’s CD I bought last week from “Wolf-Mother” (Canada’s latest retro rock group) won’t wait.

To defend my usual ‘esthetic’ dribble here, I’d like to feel that my rap is not as ‘technical’ as some other’s, although quite necessary posters are, I offer a balance, I think. Perhaps my posts may offer some amusing and whimsical moments, that is of course hopefully if nothing else. I am just as an intense lover of AR as anyone else, maybe more so!

Respectfully, Frank Marsi

[Guest danamc]

I brought my AR3a with a blown tweeter down to AB Tech in Hopedale Massachusetts for a replacement. I found all the employees very professional and knowledgable about the vintage AR products. More than a couple of the guys in the shop are ex-AR employees from the old days and were on the production lines when my AR3A and AR9s were being made. AB Tech is the national service center for all AR and Advent products.

They replaced my blown driver with a comparable driver with the same specifications. I can assure you it sounds exactly the same as the original tweeter in my other AR3A speaker, though it may appear different with the grill covers off.

For information sake, there are no more OEM AR drivers. Acoustic Research hasn't made their own drivers for decades. They were originally made in Cambridge Mass before Teledyne bought them, and then in Norwood Mass afterwards. For many years AR has been procuring drivers from manufacturers in the far east, who build the drivers to AR's specs. AB Tech gets all its drivers from AR/California, who apparently approve each one before shipping to AB Tech.

I recently picked up a pair of AR9 hi-mid drivers from a buddy and brought them and the speakers over to AB Tech to install them. They swept the 9s with a tone generator to check the switches, pots, and drivers, and installed the OEM hi-mid drivers for just a few bucks. Carlos, the manager of the shop, worked at AR for a long time and personally built hundreds of the AR9s. Very professional and highly recommended.

Dana