thiptoman Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 The AR-303 is the newer version of the AR-3a yet the older speaker has a cult like following . The newer speaker seems to be popular also . You rarely see them for sale . I have a pair of AR-303's but I've never heard the older 3a's . Julian Hirsch once did a comparison of these two speakers and the 303 measured better in every way . From the tenoir of the original review it seem like he even preferred the sound of the 303's over the 3a's . Am I missing something here ? What's so special about the 3a's ? If this speaker is better than the 303's maybe I should be searching out a pair . Your comments will be greatly appreciated on this AR-303 and 3a issue . Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexicomike Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 It may simply be that the AR3 series is one of the "original" classic ARs. It looks like a classic AR and it was originally designed/produced before AR became a Teledyne company. Therefore there's more perceived "tradition" there. I have to admit that until your post, I had never heard of an AR 303 but, as I have stated here before, my AR speaker days ended (wrongly though it may have been) in the early 70's. As far as sound - as you say, someone would have to directly compare them. But I believe part of the "cachet" of the 3 series (and the other ARs of its time) is its "classic" status, not necessarily that it sounds better than later AR speakers. Though it sounds better than a LOT of later speakers from any manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 The AR-303 is the newer version of the AR-3a yet the older speaker has a cult like following . The newer speaker seems to be popular also . You rarely see them for sale . I have a pair of AR-303's but I've never heard the older 3a's . Julian Hirsch once did a comparison of these two speakers and the 303 measured better in every way . From the tenoir of the original review it seem like he even preferred the sound of the 303's over the 3a's . Am I missing something here ? What's so special about the 3a's ? If this speaker is better than the 303's maybe I should be searching out a pair . Your comments will be greatly appreciated on this AR-303 and 3a issue . Thanks !The 3/3a produce the classic AR bass with the so-called "laid back" New England sound. The 303/303a produce a different bass (not inferior, just different), and seem to have a slightly more forward mid and high balance. If you recall the discussion in which Edgar Villchur's writeup on the 3 said that "flat" was full up on mid and high with a slight boost from your amp's treble control, my impression of the 303/303a is that they produce that sound with their mid and high centered. Villchur said that one day amps would be flatter; I think that Kantor decided that that day had come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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