AR7 vs AR-18... which are better?

[Kuja]

Hi,

For a very long time I've been trying to find a pair of original AR-18 speakers with no success.

There is a guy here that has a pair of AR7 speakers.

I know that AR7 are predecessors to AR-18.

The largest difference seems to be the ferrofluid in AR-18's tweeters.

Otherwise, technically they seem almost identical...

But what about their sound?!

Many years ago I've heard AR-18 and I liked them a lot.

What should I expect from AR7?

I already have a pair of fully restored AR-90, but they only really start to sing when played loud.

I wanted AR-18 for late night listening, since I remember them producing some nice music at lower sound levels.

So, should I go for AR7 instead?

What should I look for in a used pair? I guess that their tweeters were more easily burned due to lack of ferrofluid.

.

[Kuja]

I forgot to mention, tweeters are later models with wires on the back.

The oval plate next to the tweeter is still present, but it is not in use.

[Steve F]

Yes, in addition to cosmetic changes to the cabinet, the main difference is the tweeter having ferrofluid, as you have stated. The 18 has the somewhat brighter HF balance of that generation of AR speakers, although the 7 had a distinctly brighter sound than the 6, 4xa, or 8 all of which used the same 1 1/4" tweeter. If you look at High Fidelity magazine's FR curves of the 6, 7, and 8 (they never tested the 4xa), you'll see greater energy from the 7 at around 8-10kHz than the other two.

A local dealer of mine in Connecticut, USA back around 1973-74 actually liked the 7 very much and pushed it at retail, saying it was much better than previous ARs, which were "dull" according to them.

The original 18 (be careful--the later ones were larger, had a cheap off-the-shelf tweeter and a much higher crossover--I think those were the BX and BXi's--avoid them!) was a truly great speaker, but I'd have no hesitation buying the 7 at all.

For low-to mid volume listening, I don't think you're going to have any tweeter burnout problems at all with the 7. Stereo Review found the 7 to be +/- 2.5 dB out past 15kHz. It's a great little speaker.

Steve F.

[Kuja]

Yes, in addition to cosmetic changes to the cabinet, the main difference is the tweeter having ferrofluid, as you have stated. The 18 has the somewhat brighter HF balance of that generation of AR speakers, although the 7 had a distinctly brighter sound than the 6, 4xa, or 8 all of which used the same 1 1/4" tweeter. If you look at High Fidelity magazine's FR curves of the 6, 7, and 8 (they never tested the 4xa), you'll see greater energy from the 7 at around 8-10kHz than the other two.

A local dealer of mine in Connecticut, USA back around 1973-74 actually liked the 7 very much and pushed it at retail, saying it was much better than previous ARs, which were "dull" according to them.

The original 18 (be careful--the later ones were larger, had a cheap off-the-shelf tweeter and a much higher crossover--I think those were the BX and BXi's--avoid them!) was a truly great speaker, but I'd have no hesitation buying the 7 at all.

For low-to mid volume listening, I don't think you're going to have any tweeter burnout problems at all with the 7. Stereo Review found the 7 to be +/- 2.5 dB out past 15kHz. It's a great little speaker.

Steve F.

Thanks Steve!

Great answer!

I've just been told that AR7 and AR-18 should sound almost identical with same capacitors in their crossovers.

If this is true, I'll be very happy.

I just got one picture from the seller.

What do you think?

[Guest JonM]

That picture looks okay to me. The woofer looks like it's had its surround replaced (to be expected at this age), and it looks like a good job (only listening will tell you if there's any voice coil rubbing). And the tweeter looks correct. You can see both drivers have their foam gaskets in place. Small nick in the wood grained vinyl on the bottom right - hard to avoid in speakers this old. Hopefully the grills are in good shape and the brass AR logos are intact (but those are purely cosmetic). Nothing in that picture would make me hesitate.

[Kuja]

I passed!

The other box was in worse cosmetical shape than the first one.

Also the tweeter was dented on the same speaker. Actually only tip of the dome is dented, but I expect them to be perfect for the price of 80euros (close to 100$ US)

This might be the reason why the seller had sent me just one picture with both drivers looking good.

So the search continues...

Thank you all!