Guest John Faulkner Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 I just made a great deal on ebay (to help make up for some of my stupid purchases in the past) - A pair of working AR-5s for $26! The seller wouldn't ship them so nobody bid and I just had to drive about 50 minutes to get them. Pots have been bypassed - supposedly with a resistor array set for some theoretical "sweet spot", but otherwise all stock with re-foamed woofers. Cabinets in good but not great shape. I had made a purchase some time ago - again on ebay -for what the seller advertised as all drivers and the crossovers from a pair of AR-3as, but had I looked carefully I would have seen that the speakers pictured were AR-5s.. They arrived with one tweeter not working and woofers needing re-foamed (I knew that before buying). I kept them anyway, thinking I might use the drivers and crossovers to make a pair of AR-2as I have into AR-5s, but I already had a set of AR-5s, and now I have two working pair of AR-5s (plus the 2as, 2 pair of AR-3as I am working on - one pair converted from AR-3 to AR-3a, one pair with cloth surround woofers and old AR-3a crossovers for cloth woofers, one pair with foam woofers and scratch-built crossovers - plus a pair of AR2s at my daughter's house in nearby Portland OR). I will probably use the 4 AR-5s in a surround system - any suggestions on a center channel speaker that will sound similar and not twist the picture on my CRT TV? One pair of AR-3as will go in the living room to replace the Thiel CS-2s that replaced the original AR-3s (now converted to AR-3as) many years ago when ebay was not around to allow relatively easy purchase of replacement drivers, maybe the other AR-3as will go to the daughter's house for the upstairs "playroom". I now have too many drivers, especially AR-2a/AR-5 drivers so if anyone needs anything post or email me at dogdrjohn@peoplec.com. I saw someone post not long ago about the possibility of changing AR-2as into AR-5s, and the crossover components and mids I have extra would make that a relatively easy project. One of these days I have to tone down this new obsession of mine, but I bought the original AR-3s in about 1970 (used) and always loved their sound. The Thiels are great with wonderful soundstage characteristics if moved well out into the room and sitting in their sweet spot, but that is not conducive to domestic harmony in a relatively small house, and they can be a little fatiguing with many CDs. And of course they cannot compare in the lowest octaves to the AR acoustic suspension power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazeppa Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 $26 for working set of refoamed AR5 is outstanding. I'm still waiting for the day I can post up with a score to be envied. In the meantime, I'm glad somebody's getting over that will actually appreciate what they're getting.Let the music play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR_nut_in_Oregon Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 For "Center" channel in my surround system, I have been using a pair of AR-7s...they are just the right size to fit on a shelf below my big screen.That was certainly a great buy on those AR-5s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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