comparisons

[Guest ARman]

Has anyone compaired the AR9s with other AR speaker? my first pair was a second hand AR4s B4 they were heard of in the UK once i heard them i knew this IS the speakers i always wanted then a new pair of AR5 (had new wiring n original pots for the tweeters to give up soon after) then a pair of AR48s till i saw a pair of AR9s on Ebay in Exeter n drove from London there to get them n i feel is still the best speaker i have ever heard

Mine are the once without the switches to degrees the DBs in 3DB steps on the tweeters n i believe are the newer types with 10" down firing unit all other units are front facing a 12" an 8" a tweeter n super tweeter then i bought a pair of AR14s in perfect condition on Ebay again BUT i just can't bring myself to part with any AR speakers even the AR9s are just so good i do not listen to the other pairs i have compaired them all to the AR9s but not one comes that close ever i like them all

in cmparison the 5s do have distortion also less range top n bottom a little muddled the 14s lack in both ends very sweet sound some distortion the 48s a little more range than the 14s but is some distortion n less range in direct comparison to the AR9s when i turn it UP listening to WHO'S next or the shadows specially the bass drums n Guitar then nothing comes close to the AR9s perfect sound over the whole frequency range

am not sure how the LSTs will fair in direct comparison to the AR9s but i think they will have their share of distortion i found the 5s have am sure the AR3s do (same just 12" instead of 10")

love to hear what you guys thought of any comparison with the AR9s?

Regards ARman

[dingus]

AR9 and AR91. the 9's are easily a step up or two in class of speaker. 91's are great but they dont compare.

[Guest 1080i]

I have a pair of AR-9's and they are very very good. They "fill" the room with sound easily. While some other speakers I have sound good, they are more like a smaller sound source sitting at one end of my listening room when compared to the spacious sounds reproduced by the AR-9's. And this is at ANY volume level. "Masterful reproducer" is what comes to mind with the AR-9's. They take whatever you feed them and spread a beautiful, open soundstage in front of you.

I own, and have compared them to:

AR-91 (purchased new in 1981)

AR-3a (two pair)

AR-5 (purchased new in 1975)

TSW-510

JBL 4311B

All speakers except the JBL's have been restored with new surrounds and caps and cabinet finish within the past 4 years.

I also have AR-7's and AR-4x and had a pair of AR-4xa's, plus I have Large Advent, and Smaller Advent, and another pair of JBL's. These are in a different class, not comparable to the AR-9.

The AR-91's compare very favorably with the AR-9's in overall sonic character, but they do sound like a slightly smaller "box." The 91 is still an excellent speaker, and a notch above the 3a in treble response. The cabinet size is nice in a living room if you can't tolerate the "refrigerator bulk" of the AR-9, and the cabinet styling is a little nicer than the 3a "box." I do like the AR-91 second-best. The 91's bass is somewhat less than "room-filling," but it is still a nicely balanced sound.

Interestingly, the AR-3a bass sounds most like the 9 in my opinion. Very deep and full, but with the 3a being a little "woolly" and the 9 being tighter and more defined. Both are very acceptable, like a slightly different flavor of chocolate.

For me, overall I rate the speakers I use regularly in this order, "best" to "good:"

AR-9

AR-91

AR-3a

TSW-510 (very good, but a little bright)

JBL 4311B (very analytical. tiring to my ears)

AR-5 (REALLY nice on some music, but needs a treble tone control boost.)

Having said all that, I must commit a sin and say that the stacked Double-Advent idea that was cooked up back in the 1970's (probably just to sell more speakers) is really impressive. I had two pair of Large Advents in the house last year and tried this setup. They don't have the clarity of the AR-9, but can hold their own compared to almost anything else.

I'll admit that I don't own or listen to any trendy, modern, boutique speakers. I know there are many modern designs out there that sound great. I'm only comparing what I own/have borrowed, and I prefer vintage 1970's and 1980's speakers.

Thanks for reading.