Thoughts on the AR5?

[JohnnyTheG]

I have an opportunity to buy a pair of AR 5s in pretty good condition recapped with Dayton Audio capacitors.  I know the AR5 was basically the same as the 3a but with a 10" woofer.  I believe these are relatively rare in the AR world, but wanted to get people's opinions of how they compare with the 3a.

Thanks

 

John

[Aadams]

2 hours ago, JohnnyTheG said:

how they compare with the 3a.

The AR5 was designed to sound identical to the AR3a above 500hz.  Below 500hz, both speakers could sound identical down to the limit of the AR5 if they were recessed at midway height in a wall or wall sized bookshelf filled with books.  If they are placed sufficiently away from the boundaries of a large enough room, where boundary influence will not favor the 3a, they will sound practically identical.  

For all other placements the 3a usually sounds bassier and bit thick in the low mid range  because of what Roy Allison called "mid range suck out" due to compromises in speaker placement and listening position.  The same rules apply to the AR5 but the suck-out doesn't lead to thickness in the low midrange.

If the tweeters have not been rebuilt both speakers will sound a bit dull and rolled off.  Some call it "warm" but it is actually dead or moribund tweeters.

 

Adams

 

 

 

[JohnnyTheG]

This is very helpful, thank you for your input.  I currently have a pair of 2ax speakers with 10" woofers and love the bass response I get in my listening room.  At times I think I almost have too much bass which is why I was a bit hesitant with the 3a speakers which have 12" woofers.

[RoyC]

The AR-5 is an easier amplifier load (8 vs the 3a's 4 ohm impedance), is not as sensitive as the 3a, and will not handle as much power.

Even though it is similar, the 5 is also less sensitive than the 2ax. Bass response of the 5 will not be greater than the 2ax, and is somewhat more controlled due to a more sophisticated crossover.

[JohnnyTheG]

Wow, that is very interesting.  Now I am very curious to try the 5 and compare it to my 2ax for bass response.  Thanks Roy for your valued opinion.

[redpackman]

I restored a pair of AR-5's a few years ago, after cutting my teeth restoring some 3a's according to the guide this forum has. The AR-5's sounded great, truly. You are in for a great reward when you hear them. Go for it!!

 

[Illf8ed]

John,

I sold my pair of AR-5 this afternoon.   First the original Sprague capacitors in the crossovers are superior to Dayton.  If they scope out I them alone.  The AR-5 is a good sounding system with 8 ohm versions of AR-3a mid and tweeter domes.  I have a pair of LST-2 with the same drivers, only three times the mids, tweeters, so the 5s weren’t really needed.

[AR surround]

7 hours ago, Illf8ed said:

First the original Sprague capacitors in the crossovers are superior to Dayton.

When you find original Sprague caps that no longer meet spec, what do you select as replacements?

[RoyC]

14 hours ago, Illf8ed said:

First the original Sprague capacitors in the crossovers are superior to Dayton.  If they scope out I them alone. 

In what way? What exactly did you "scope"? Any identifiable differences are likely due to the behavior of electrolytic capacitors vs film capacitors (in this case, Dayton). The original Sprague capacitors were very well made electrolytic capacitors.

Some years ago Ken Kantor (design engineer with AR) suggested that modern electrolytic capacitors sold by reputable speaker parts retailers are good replacements when necessary, and are technically closer to original spec than (any) film capacitor for these old speakers.