AR-LST Review from 1973

[frankmarsi]

8-4-09
Hi, to all of my AR, “Raccoon-Lodge” “CSP”, fellow members, pardon my absence but, I’ve been deeply involved in ‘domestic’ matters and it mostly does not permit my CSP, nor AR ‘resto’ endeavors to flourish as time once allowed.
Just the same, I still surf the web like a hungry lion and stumbled upon this site, check it out as it was in 1973. It’s not much in length or content from what I can ‘down-load’.
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/Febru...973/156/786290/

In other ‘news’ a number of weeks ago I finally installed four freshly ‘re-foamed’ woofers in my four stacked AR-LST’s. Well, if any one may recall my last post regarding my latest absurd purchase (I simply couldn’t help myself) of two Phase Linear Series Two 700 amps, completely restored for use with my four LST’s, they were hungry and I couldn’t deny them. They’re bigger than me, total, about 400 pounds of speakers alone, scary!

Yes, I felt that maybe time was running out in terms of the availability of these monster amps and I really felt it necessary to have the classic amp that some owners have experienced in using LST’s and these amps with for years. My AR-3a’s are relegated to PL400’s. In terms of ‘dollar-for-watt’ prices there probably isn’t anything cheaper nor as powerful or as good sounding. I’d swear these amps sound more like my “Dynaco ST-35” than S.S. amps. These amps had all of their output transistors upgraded, output ‘cap’ capacities more than doubled and any other necessary upgrades performed (fully complementary). I’m too scared and still hurting to mention the price for two of these ‘mothers’. They’re in mint condition and all work was performed by one of the two last remaining ‘Phase Linear gurus’ left on this planet who reside in the glorious state of Washington and know these amps better than any one else in the world.

Well to start out, I felt I did a great job (neat, clean, factory looking) in re-foaming the four woofers to use in these speakers (got woofers from the ‘bay’, early ‘70s version, my favorites, (it’s such a shame what’s going on in AR-Ville, the ‘parting-out' and shit stuff like that). I did the usual battery test (repeatedly) to center the voice coils, kept the original dust-covers in place like I like to see and they sounded great and had a better ‘springy-ness than a mattress/sex-machine at “Plato’s Retreat” in days gone by!

Being born and raised in NYC, I sometimes have a tendency to ‘push-the-envelope’ with things that exhibit power and strength. In this town it’s hard not to want to compete with all that’s around you, the buildings, bridges, tunnels, concrete, and steel and the actual history, the people, and the sheer power of it all-man’s shining glory or down-fall, don’t get me started. You decide.
I’ve done it with powerful cars, women, my sexual organs, my bass guitar amp, my mind(?) and anything else that I have the chance to do so with-, a hammer, a nail, wow, what a personality-trait admission. I’m not the destructive type, but when you have a big old V8 motor, it’s hard not to want to, as the ‘gear-heads’ say, “stick your foot in it”.

Oh sure, I took it easy with it all for the first couple of weeks, but then I had some friends over, Bud, Jack, a host of others, and then it happened! In terms of ‘program-material’ I was using some heavily recorded and powerful ‘bass-heavy’ stuff. Well one newly installed woofer started to ‘drop-out’, I mean it was working intermittently and offering up a slight buzzing sound and reduced output. Did I receive what I deserved, did I get crazy, were the vintage AR gods looking down at me with a raised eyebrow? Of course, yes, yes, and yes! Shut-up, you can’t make-up stuff like this.
Now, this one stink’in woofer operates only slightly and it’s annoying the hell out of me. Oh sure, I can still operate by substituting ‘Micro-Static’s’ instead of getting off my ass and replacing all of my blown tweeters that need to be, but I can’t live with-out one woofer out of four. Of course I can’t, what rock did crawl out from under, are you nuts?

What’s the point? Well I haven’t learned my lesson obviously, I’ve been this way all of my life, even with my “Lionel” trains from 1962 and curved-track. I feel, damn, I had friends back in the mid to late sixties whose daddy’s bought them muscle cars, like, Goats, Trans-Ams and the like, a few dudes I knew in high school actually died in these cars ‘pushing hard’ just as I was doing with my new amps and restored woofers-stupid, I know, but I have already explained myself earlier, have some consideration for us lower elements, will ya?
*Just a word of thanks to “Vern” who actually complemented me for being the humorous ‘creative’ dude on this site in a that post that went on for 95 posts (in 2007) regarding the LST guy who wanted to either ‘part-out’ his LST’s or was it the guy who didn’t know where to begin with restoring them? The ‘Administrator’ finally had to shut it all down; I wasn’t around then, myself tending to domestic affairs at that time once again.

So, here I go again looking through my collection of 13 spare woofers, but this time I’ll use the original woofers I took out of the original speakers, they seemed to ‘hold-up’ better, not sure why? I believe my LST’s came out of a 42nd. Street theater in 1987-88 (when I got them) and they, the LST’s, probably learned at an early age how to be tuff. Then I’m not sure with all of this perhaps even excess wattage, I might blow out the main grid in the neighborhood? House lights slightly dim went I turn them on together and I use a dedicated ‘AC’ line solely for my system. I swear these amps don’t even flinch when pushed, and remain only slightly warm-ish, never hot.

P.S. This intermittent woofer action, is it because the voice-coil is double-wound? I push on them and it works, I let off the finger pressure and it doesn’t.
FM, nobody ever hangs out too long with a really crazy person, nobody. Maybe just to say hello?
Copyright: Frank Marsi 8-4-09

[roundhome]

8-4-09

Hi, to all of my AR, “Raccoon-Lodge” “CSP”, fellow members, pardon my absence but, I’ve been deeply involved in ‘domestic’ matters and it mostly does not permit my CSP, nor AR ‘resto’ endeavors to flourish as time once allowed.

Just the same, I still surf the web like a hungry lion and stumbled upon this site, check it out as it was in 1973. It’s not much in length or content from what I can ‘down-load’.

http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/Febru...973/156/786290/

In other ‘news’ a number of weeks ago I finally installed four freshly ‘re-foamed’ woofers in my four stacked AR-LST’s. Well, if any one may recall my last post regarding my latest absurd purchase (I simply couldn’t help myself) of two Phase Linear Series Two 700 amps, completely restored for use with my four LST’s, they were hungry and I couldn’t deny them. They’re bigger than me, total, about 400 pounds of speakers alone, scary!

Yes, I felt that maybe time was running out in terms of the availability of these monster amps and I really felt it necessary to have the classic amp that some owners have experienced in using LST’s and these amps with for years. My AR-3a’s are relegated to PL400’s. In terms of ‘dollar-for-watt’ prices there probably isn’t anything cheaper nor as powerful or as good sounding. I’d swear these amps sound more like my “Dynaco ST-35” than S.S. amps. These amps had all of their output transistors upgraded, output ‘cap’ capacities more than doubled and any other necessary upgrades performed (fully complementary). I’m too scared and still hurting to mention the price for two of these ‘mothers’. They’re in mint condition and all work was performed by one of the two last remaining ‘Phase Linear gurus’ left on this planet who reside in the glorious state of Washington and know these amps better than any one else in the world.

Well to start out, I felt I did a great job (neat, clean, factory looking) in re-foaming the four woofers to use in these speakers (got woofers from the ‘bay’, early ‘70s version, my favorites, (it’s such a shame what’s going on in AR-Ville, the ‘parting-out' and shit stuff like that). I did the usual battery test (repeatedly) to center the voice coils, kept the original dust-covers in place like I like to see and they sounded great and had a better ‘springy-ness than a mattress/sex-machine at “Plato’s Retreat” in days gone by!

Being born and raised in NYC, I sometimes have a tendency to ‘push-the-envelope’ with things that exhibit power and strength. In this town it’s hard not to want to compete with all that’s around you, the buildings, bridges, tunnels, concrete, and steel and the actual history, the people, and the sheer power of it all-man’s shining glory or down-fall, don’t get me started. You decide.

I’ve done it with powerful cars, women, my sexual organs, my bass guitar amp, my mind(?) and anything else that I have the chance to do so with-, a hammer, a nail, wow, what a personality-trait admission. I’m not the destructive type, but when you have a big old V8 motor, it’s hard not to want to, as the ‘gear-heads’ say, “stick your foot in it”.

Oh sure, I took it easy with it all for the first couple of weeks, but then I had some friends over, Bud, Jack, a host of others, and then it happened! In terms of ‘program-material’ I was using some heavily recorded and powerful ‘bass-heavy’ stuff. Well one newly installed woofer started to ‘drop-out’, I mean it was working intermittently and offering up a slight buzzing sound and reduced output. Did I receive what I deserved, did I get crazy, were the vintage AR gods looking down at me with a raised eyebrow? Of course, yes, yes, and yes! Shut-up, you can’t make-up stuff like this.

Now, this one stink’in woofer operates only slightly and it’s annoying the hell out of me. Oh sure, I can still operate by substituting ‘Micro-Static’s’ instead of getting off my ass and replacing all of my blown tweeters that need to be, but I can’t live with-out one woofer out of four. Of course I can’t, what rock did crawl out from under, are you nuts?

What’s the point? Well I haven’t learned my lesson obviously, I’ve been this way all of my life, even with my “Lionel” trains from 1962 and curved-track. I feel, damn, I had friends back in the mid to late sixties whose daddy’s bought them muscle cars, like, Goats, Trans-Ams and the like, a few dudes I knew in high school actually died in these cars ‘pushing hard’ just as I was doing with my new amps and restored woofers-stupid, I know, but I have already explained myself earlier, have some consideration for us lower elements, will ya?

*Just a word of thanks to “Vern” who actually complemented me for being the humorous ‘creative’ dude on this site in a that post that went on for 95 posts (in 2007) regarding the LST guy who wanted to either ‘part-out’ his LST’s or was it the guy who didn’t know where to begin with restoring them? The ‘Administrator’ finally had to shut it all down; I wasn’t around then, myself tending to domestic affairs at that time once again.

So, here I go again looking through my collection of 13 spare woofers, but this time I’ll use the original woofers I took out of the original speakers, they seemed to ‘hold-up’ better, not sure why? I believe my LST’s came out of a 42nd. Street theater in 1987-88 (when I got them) and they, the LST’s, probably learned at an early age how to be tuff. Then I’m not sure with all of this perhaps even excess wattage, I might blow out the main grid in the neighborhood? House lights slightly dim went I turn them on together and I use a dedicated ‘AC’ line solely for my system. I swear these amps don’t even flinch when pushed, and remain only slightly warm-ish, never hot.

P.S. This intermittent woofer action, is it because the voice-coil is double-wound? I push on them and it works, I let off the finger pressure and it doesn’t.

FM, nobody ever hangs out too long with a really crazy person, nobody. Maybe just to say hello?

Copyright: Frank Marsi 8-4-09

Frank read the last sentance in the review about the quad system being modern then think about 10 LST's stacked in a five channel system playing DVD audio disc

JiM

Competition in Washington state is better then NY no towns for 20 miles. The sound just fills the space as far as you can see. and I don't care about those that think they only have two ears. most can tell were the sound comes from no matter were it is

[kkantor]

Frank,

Just keep the hammer and the nail away from the other items on your list, and you'll be fine....

It was fun to read that Gramophone review. The "Marty Borish" mentioned went on to become the President of AR, and was instrumental in the coming "Anglicization" of the company. He was also founded NAD, and was my boss during my stint there.

-k

[frankmarsi]

Frank,

Just keep the hammer and the nail away from the other items on your list, and you'll be fine....

It was fun to read that Gramophone review. The "Marty Borish" mentioned went on to become the President of AR, and was instrumental in the coming "Anglicization" of the company. He was also founded NAD, and was my boss during my stint there.

-k

8-5-09

Thanks for the response and sense of caring about me Ken, I appreciate it, truly. I decided to lose the hammer. I still struggle to keep my sanity though.

Funnier still, a little story here; in late 1990 or so, AR had just introduced their new amp, pre-amp and floor standing speaker offerings.

Of course I went to see these 'new' offerings here in NYC at 'Singer-Sound' on 16th. Street. There I met a "British" fellow and I believe his name was Dennis or Martin (can’t recall) as mentioned in the article I posted. I introduced myself and I told him I was using two vintage AR-LST's in my system, the remaining two other LST's I was storing at my parents house. He smiled and told me of the time when he and his fellow 'AR-people' in England had been using four 'stacked' LST's driven by two Phase Linear 700's back in the early seventies. He also mentioned that the sound of such a system was meant to be experienced to be believed!

That same weekend I brought the other two LST's to my apartment and proceeded to 'stack' them on top of the two I had been using.

Well, I only had my original PL400 at the time and configured the wiring to see what it all would sound like-dumb move. Knowing that four LST's would be a massive- load for a singular PL400 to drive, but I kept the volume low, low for about a few weeks only. My wife at that time was a trained dancer and Russian Olympic star, who never could keep still, she also was a ‘never saw a mirror she didn’t like’ type of girl. One night while we were enjoying our wonderful selves (I was 40 and she was 21) in all of our ‘fabulous-ness’ and how great it was to be together by enjoying our mutual physical abilities, if you catch my drift. Well, she turned up the volume to loud, really loud.

I didn’t object as long as she was happy, stupid man that I was, always trying to please her. Suddenly, in less than fifteen minutes or so, bamm/boom! A loud and dangerous sounding buzzing sound filled the room-I freaked. Yes the amp gave out and our listening session was over-no sex that night for her, not after what she did to my system.

Obviously we had taken our good time too far. Or, maybe it was the choice of music we’d been playing over and over, ZZ Top’s Lagrange (it was new to her, not me) with it’s heavy bass line and it was not the way to go when one over-drives an amp at a ohm rating that existed using four LST’s and solely one amp powering them, two lessons learned the hard way I guess.

Again a stupid move on my part, old habits are hard to break while you’re breaking your speakers and amp.

FM –Hard headed and still crazy after all these years.

P.S. I still have the speakers though.

[frankmarsi]

Frank read the last sentance in the review about the quad system being modern then think about 10 LST's stacked in a five channel system playing DVD audio disc

JiM

Competition in Washington state is better then NY no towns for 20 miles. The sound just fills the space as far as you can see. and I don't care about those that think they only have two ears. most can tell were the sound comes from no matter were it is

Thanks for the reply "roundhome" wish I was there right now!

I've been through out the south-west, but never the north-west. Heck I even hiked from one end, down and through the "Grand-Canyon" down the North-Rim and up the South-Rim in 1973. I then solely 'hitched-hiked' 250 miles across the "Painted-Desert" getting many free rides from one trucker to another back to the North-Rim where our 1967 Dodge Van with interior kitchen cabinets was waiting.

Still I know from books and photos that it's a beautiful place, however if I were there with my system, I wouldn't doubt when I turn it up, a bear would probably kill me!

FM, maybe a bear's friend?

P.S. I very much like chip-monks though.

[Guest Martin G.]

Thanks for the AR review via Grammaphone. Were the prices correct? Even by 1973 standards, 200 bps could not have been more than $400. Or am I missing something here?

Marty

[frankmarsi]

Thanks for the reply "roundhome" wish I was there right now!

I've been through out the south-west, but never the north-west. Heck I even hiked from one end, down and through the "Grand-Canyon" down the North-Rim and up the South-Rim in 1973. I then solely 'hitched-hiked' 250 miles across the "Painted-Desert" getting many free rides from one trucker to another back to the North-Rim where our 1967 Dodge Van with interior kitchen cabinets was waiting.

Still I know from books and photos that it's a beautiful place, however if I were there with my system, I wouldn't doubt when I turn it up, a bear would probably kill me!

FM, maybe a bear's friend?

P.S. I very much like chip-monks though.

Dear roundhome, hey, oh yeah. What-da, listen to you, and I quote; ""then think about 10 LST's stacked in a five channel system playing DVD audio disc ""

Gee, I thought that I was 'tripp'in'? Good to have some company for a change.

I can't even go there, but, and I do mean but.

Six months ago I bought out of sheer greed and self-indulgence and the need for more "AR-Power", two more AR-LST's which I did talk about on this site, no one responded, who cares. What if I stacked another two on mine, giving me six 'stacked' LST's? At this point I can only drive four speakers with two PL700's as I don't have 'the fabulous moula' to buy another big rebuilt 700 amp.

Ah-ha, but I do have a smaller PL400 to use with the third set of speakers.

"Oh Watch-Out Now Alice" I might be doing that in the next 12 months or so, maybe less if you guys, oh, you guys are driving me crazy!

fm

[kkantor]

A vivid picture all around! I like it, but am glad I didn't live below it... Where did you hang out in NY during the 70's and 80's?

Yeah, the LST's are not easy to drive very loud, for all kinds of reasons. And the Blaze Linear 400's were not the ticket. Neither was my Dynaco 400, though it never died, just made horrible overload sounds. I was re-attached to AR during the 90's launch of the amps and speakers, and I am trying to think of who the British guy would have been. Not one of the guys from the article, since that was almost 20 years earlier.

-k

PS- In the small world department... just did a project with ZZ Top a few months ago. Still rocking!

8-5-09

Thanks for the response and sense of caring about me Ken, I appreciate it, truly. I decided to lose the hammer. I still struggle to keep my sanity though.

Funnier still, a little story here; in late 1990 or so, AR had just introduced their new amp, pre-amp and floor standing speaker offerings.

Of course I went to see these 'new' offerings here in NYC at 'Singer-Sound' on 16th. Street. There I met a "British" fellow and I believe his name was Dennis or Martin (can’t recall) as mentioned in the article I posted. I introduced myself and I told him I was using two vintage AR-LST's in my system, the remaining two other LST's I was storing at my parents house. He smiled and told me of the time when he and his fellow 'AR-people' in England had been using four 'stacked' LST's driven by two Phase Linear 700's back in the early seventies. He also mentioned that the sound of such a system was meant to be experienced to be believed!

That same weekend I brought the other two LST's to my apartment and proceeded to 'stack' them on top of the two I had been using.

Well, I only had my original PL400 at the time and configured the wiring to see what it all would sound like-dumb move. Knowing that four LST's would be a massive- load for a singular PL400 to drive, but I kept the volume low, low for about a few weeks only. My wife at that time was a trained dancer and Russian Olympic star, who never could keep still, she also was a ‘never saw a mirror she didn’t like’ type of girl. One night while we were enjoying our wonderful selves (I was 40 and she was 21) in all of our ‘fabulous-ness’ and how great it was to be together by enjoying our mutual physical abilities, if you catch my drift. Well, she turned up the volume to loud, really loud. I didn’t object as long as she was happy, stupid man that I was, always trying to please her. Suddenly, in less than fifteen minutes or so, bamm/boom! A loud and dangerous sounding buzzing sound filled the room-I freaked. Yes the amp gave out and our listening session was over-no sex that night for her, not after what she did to my system. Obviously we had taken our good time too far. Oh maybe it was the choice of music we’d been playing over and over, ZZ Top’s Lagrange (it was new to her, not me) with it’s heavy bass line and it was not the way to go when one over-drives an amp at a ohm rating that existed using four LST’s and solely one amp powering them, two lessons learned the hard way I guess.

Again a stupid move on my part, old habits are hard to break while you’re breaking your speakers and amp.

FM –Hard headed and still crazy after all these years.

P.S. I still have the speakers though.

[Carlspeak]

A vivid picture all around! I like it, but am glad I didn't live below it... Where did you hang out in NY during the 70's and 80's?

Yeah, the LST's are not easy to drive very loud, for all kinds of reasons. And the Blaze Linear 400's were not the ticket. Neither was my Dynaco 400, though it never died, just made horrible overload sounds. I was re-attached to AR during the 90's launch of the amps and speakers, and I am trying to think of who the British guy would have been. Not one of the guys from the article, since that was almost 20 years earlier.

-k

PS- In the small world department... just did a project with ZZ Top a few months ago. Still rocking!

YEAH! ZZ Top's "Pincushion" from their Antenna CD is one of my all time favorite rock tunes!

[tysontom]

A vivid picture all around! I like it, but am glad I didn't live below it... Where did you hang out in NY during the 70's and 80's?

Yeah, the LST's are not easy to drive very loud, for all kinds of reasons. And the Blaze Linear 400's were not the ticket. Neither was my Dynaco 400, though it never died, just made horrible overload sounds. I was re-attached to AR during the 90's launch of the amps and speakers, and I am trying to think of who the British guy would have been. Not one of the guys from the article, since that was almost 20 years earlier.

-k

PS- In the small world department... just did a project with ZZ Top a few months ago. Still rocking!

Ken,

Congratulations on your ZZ Top project! Your product is out there all over the place!

I agree 100% on the difficulty of driving the AR-LST at high levels with the then-current Dynaco and Phase Linear amps. I immobolized a Dynaco 400 on a pair of LSTs, causing one channel of the amp to go silent. I tried a big Phase Linear 700 briefly, and it seemed up to the task since Bob Carver more or less designed it specifically for the likes of AR-LSTs. I borrowed a friend's Marantz 500 but it ran very hot, so I think the very low impedance, low sensitivity and capacitive-reactive load worked against many an amplifier. Finally, I ended up with a McIntosh MC2500 and I could then power stacked-LSTs with ease. The two fans would run hard and the ac line would occasionally trip, but otherwise it easily drove the LSTs.

Did you think of the British guy at AR? Was this in the 1993 time-frame?

--Tom

[kkantor]

Ken,

Congratulations on your ZZ Top project! Your product is out there all over the place!

I agree 100% on the difficulty of driving the AR-LST at high levels with the then-current Dynaco and Phase Linear amps. I immobolized a Dynaco 400 on a pair of LSTs, causing one channel of the amp to go silent. I tried a big Phase Linear 700 briefly, and it seemed up to the task since Bob Carver more or less designed it specifically for the likes of AR-LSTs. I borrowed a friend's Marantz 500 but it ran very hot, so I think the very low impedance, low sensitivity and capacitive-reactive load worked against many an amplifier. Finally, I ended up with a McIntosh MC2500 and I could then power stacked-LSTs with ease. The two fans would run hard and the ac line would occasionally trip, but otherwise it easily drove the LSTs.

Did you think of the British guy at AR? Was this in the 1993 time-frame?

--Tom

Could have been Simon Spears or Mike Bartlett; both left sometime around 1990. Mark Waker, I think, left a few years later. There was one other person I am remembering, whose name escapes me... might have been, "Martin."

I've heard that the LST's autotransformer could be driven into saturation, which would wreak havoc on the output stage of most amps, along with the factors you mention. The MC2500 was a rare beast, like a Crown Macrotech, some of the better Krells and very few others. I've never actually seen this saturation problem documented, but I suppose it could happen.

-k

PS- thanks for the ZT comments. It was precarious here for a while, but things are finally starting to take off for us. Last month was good, and put us into backorder! (I'm en route to visit some of our suppliers to try and ramp up production rates. ZZ Top, The Bunneymen, Sonic Youth, Loggins and Messina, MGMT, Wilco, several top level studio guys.... all have come on board of their own initiative recently. Should be making money pretty soon now....

[tysontom]

Could have been Simon Spears or Mike Bartlett; both left sometime around 1990. Mark Waker, I think, left a few years later. There was one other person I am remembering, whose name escapes me... might have been, "Martin."

I've heard that the LST's autotransformer could be driven into saturation, which would wreak havoc on the output stage of most amps, along with the factors you mention. The MC2500 was a rare beast, like a Crown Macrotech, some of the better Krells and very few others. I've never actually seen this saturation problem documented, but I suppose it could happen.

-k

PS- thanks for the ZT comments. It was precarious here for a while, but things are finally starting to take off for us. Last month was good, and put us into backorder! (I'm en route to visit some of our suppliers to try and ramp up production rates. ZZ Top, The Bunneymen, Sonic Youth, Loggins and Messina, MGMT, Wilco, several top level studio guys.... all have come on board of their own initiative recently. Should be making money pretty soon now....

Ken,

The autotransformer issue was apparent with the AR-10Pi for the Neil Grover live-vs.-recorded demo, and AR modified the crossover by increasing the capacity of the autotransformer for the very reason you mention. As for your ZT Amplifier success, it's hard to beat good-old capitalism! All that traveling back and forth to China is beginning to show dividends -- congratulations!

I know that Mike Bartlett was the Acoustic Research US Marketing Director in the late-1980s, and he had a distinct British accent. Wasn't Mark Waker the UK Product Specialist? I was thinking, too, that Burke Mathes came on board as president somewhere around 1988, but I don't know much about him except that he was a trained lawyer. One question for you: was it Carl Logiudice who worked with Mark Levinson on the Amati speaker?

--Tom

[kkantor]

Ken,

The autotransformer issue was apparent with the AR-10Pi for the Neil Grover live-vs.-recorded demo, and AR modified the crossover by increasing the capacity of the autotransformer for the very reason you mention. As for your ZT Amplifier success, it's hard to beat good-old capitalism! All that traveling back and forth to China is beginning to show dividends -- congratulations!

I know that Mike Bartlett was the Acoustic Research US Marketing Director in the late-1980s, and he had a distinct British accent. Wasn't Mark Waker the UK Product Specialist? I was thinking, too, that Burke Mathes came on board as president somewhere around 1988, but I don't know much about him except that he was a trained lawyer. One question for you: was it Carl Logiudice who worked with Mark Levinson on the Amati speaker?

--Tom

Tom,

I don't remember, but it could be the jet lag. Carl might well have been involved, but there were others, for sure. I'll keep thinking about it.

Burke Mathes was around during the years I was first starting NHT, and I had almost no contact with AR then. I only met the guy once, and know little of that era.

-k

(So far, it isn't capitalism, it's more like charity....)

[frankmarsi]

A vivid picture all around! I like it, but am glad I didn't live below it... Where did you hang out in NY during the 70's and 80's?

Yeah, the LST's are not easy to drive very loud, for all kinds of reasons. And the Blaze Linear 400's were not the ticket. Neither was my Dynaco 400, though it never died, just made horrible overload sounds. I was re-attached to AR during the 90's launch of the amps and speakers, and I am trying to think of who the British guy would have been. Not one of the guys from the article, since that was almost 20 years earlier.

-k

PS- In the small world department... just did a project with ZZ Top a few months ago. Still rocking!

K.K. my photo-studio was at 2? East 19th. Street between Broadway and Park Ave. South, in a circa 1896 and wonderful building in the heart of the then photo district, that is until it became the heart of the 'throw the photographers out and let the rich imposters become photographers instead of the real and skilled ones'. Fashion photography became a rich man's play-ground. Some of us 'real' pros were forced out because of those 'rich boy-poor boy' type of actions, and also sometimes the meek don't inherit the earth.

Rents tripled and quadrupled, believe it, it's true and those of similar backgrounds and wallets as myself where forced out and will agree that it happened mostly that way.

I took my PL400, my 3a's and 2ax's, Dyna ST-120 and my 'Micro-Statics' and moved to the high twenties on Park for another 10 yrs., then to B'way (Bleeker and Houston)for another 10 yrs. and then to 25th. and 7th. for 4 yrs. and then 'packed it all in' after 30 plus yrs, and all of the equip. and files were then stored in numerous basements and garages. The speakers and amps stayed with me. Yes "I could've been an actor, but I wound up here"- Don H.- "dirty laundry", a great tune. I've always identified my life to some of the greatest music of all kinds, I won't stop doing that. Some of the all chics became much like my hemroids re-incarnate, the girls are gone, the 'roids' are here now, kinda like Prep-ba-AR is the only saving grace and the faded memories are on my old LP's and tapes and old film negatives/slides and love letters and notes that may not mean a thing to anyone but me. I certainly have much of the original AR brochures from those eras, none of the chics. Trust me, Manhattan has completely changed regardless, obviously I did too. I can say this since I enjoyed immensely its last shining moments that from back then still hang on to the last of my fondest memories.

Pe_e's Tavern was one of my favorite places in the early '70's to 1983 (I spent mucho-bucks there on 'chics' who never did finish their expensive entrees and many 'harvey-wall-bangers' and 'white-russians'-shaken, not stirred, but ordered dessert anyway) and so were the last remaining Greek coffee shops on Third Ave. whose breakfast dishes have never been matched and are all but forgotten by the 'present NYC'. If any of those regulars/natives who also lived there might remember me as the guy who always had the 'great-arm-pieces', while coming across as a most decorated admiral in the sea of lust and love, I was flaunting all of my abilities and then some, I wish we had known each other then K.K.

FM, displaced, disowned, but still a very nice man, who will never give up his AR's. "Do I make myself clear soldier?" In a nice way of course.

P.S. I still can't recall that Englishman's name, but he appeared to be a quiet and well mannered man but projected to be a 'heavy-weight' in terms of the corporate AR image thing and his boasting of LST's and PL700's as 'faded-glory', but still a marveled and good place to be. So, I now occupy the same if not better terrain with my system at least. Was I impressed, yes, so what, but almost twenty years after him and almost 36 years later after his experience, I feel that I am extremely content with my system, a goal I've had since late 1972.

It doesn't matter I still have my LST's and my newly acquired, totally rebuilt and improved PL700's. Pardon my bravado and recounting of personal histories once more, but you've gotta love me for my love of vintage AR speakers, you're reading this 'right here ,right now ' -Fan Halen, another great tune!

P.S. O.K. Who gives a rat's butt? It doesn't matter what does, I do still enjoy my choices regarding stereos!

In closing, please pardon my self-indulgence, but understand that you just can't make-up stuff/grap up like this.

Let us all get back to our self admitted love of old and 'lost-in-the-past' AR speakers and simply do just that, we all do it because we have experienced much else and know there are few equals to our own perceptions and our AR speakers.

FM- only he knows his own past, what's in your pocket?

Copy-Right Frank Marsi, 8-11-09

P.S. K.K. , I trust your question has been answered. Please don't ask me about about the rest of this world, the administrators HD's doesn't have the space.

FM

[ToastedAlmond]

K.K. my photo-studio was at 2? East 19th. Street between Broadway and Park Ave. South, in a circa 1896 and wonderful building in the heart of the then photo district, that is until it became the heart of the 'throw the photographers out and let the rich imposters become photographers instead of the real and skilled ones'. Fashion photography became a rich man's play-ground. Some of us 'real' pros were forced out because of those 'rich boy-poor boy' type of actions, and also sometimes the meek don't inherit the earth.

Rents tripled and quadrupled, believe it, it's true and those of similar backgrounds and wallets as myself where forced out and will agree that it happened mostly that way.

I took my PL400, my 3a's and 2ax's, Dyna ST-120 and my 'Micro-Statics' and moved to the high twenties on Park for another 10 yrs., then to B'way (Bleeker and Houston)for another 10 yrs. and then to 25th. and 7th. for 4 yrs. and then 'packed it all in' after 30 plus yrs, and all of the equip. and files were then stored in numerous basements and garages. The speakers and amps stayed with me. Yes "I could've been an actor, but I wound up here"- Don H.- "dirty laundry", a great tune. I've always identified my life to some of the greatest music of all kinds, I won't stop doing that. Some of the all chics became much like my hemroids re-incarnate, the girls are gone, the 'roids' are here now, kinda like Prep-ba-AR is the only saving grace and the faded memories are on my old LP's and tapes and old film negatives/slides and love letters and notes that may not mean a thing to anyone but me. I certainly have much of the original AR brochures from those eras, none of the chics. Trust me, Manhattan has completely changed regardless, obviously I did too. I can say this since I enjoyed immensely its last shining moments that from back then still hang on to the last of my fondest memories.

Pe_e's Tavern was one of my favorite places in the early '70's to 1983 (I spent mucho-bucks there on 'chics' who never did finish their expensive entrees and many 'harvey-wall-bangers' and 'white-russians'-shaken, not stirred, but ordered dessert anyway) and so were the last remaining Greek coffee shops on Third Ave. whose breakfast dishes have never been matched and are all but forgotten by the 'present NYC'. If any of those regulars/natives who also lived there might remember me as the guy who always had the 'great-arm-pieces', while coming across as a most decorated admiral in the sea of lust and love, I was flaunting all of my abilities and then some, I wish we had known each other then K.K.

FM, displaced, disowned, but still a very nice man, who will never give up his AR's. "Do I make myself clear soldier?" In a nice way of course.

P.S. I still can't recall that Englishman's name, but he appeared to be a quiet and well mannered man but projected to be a 'heavy-weight' in terms of the corporate AR image thing and his boasting of LST's and PL700's as 'faded-glory', but still a marveled and good place to be. So, I now occupy the same if not better terrain with my system at least. Was I impressed, yes, so what, but almost twenty years after him and almost 36 years later after his experience, I feel that I am extremely content with my system, a goal I've had since late 1972.

It doesn't matter I still have my LST's and my newly acquired, totally rebuilt and improved PL700's. Pardon my bravado and recounting of personal histories once more, but you've gotta love me for my love of vintage AR speakers, you're reading this 'right here ,right now ' -Fan Halen, another great tune!

P.S. O.K. Who gives a rat's butt? It doesn't matter what does, I do still enjoy my choices regarding stereos!

In closing, please pardon my self-indulgence, but understand that you just can't make-up stuff/grap up like this.

Let us all get back to our self admitted love of old and 'lost-in-the-past' AR speakers and simply do just that, we all do it because we have experienced much else and know there are few equals to our own perceptions and our AR speakers.

FM- only he knows his own past, what's in your pocket?

Copy-Right Frank Marsi, 8-11-09

P.S. K.K. , I trust your question has been answered. Please don't ask me about about the rest of this world, the administrators HD's doesn't have the space.

FM

Around 1972-73, I drove a truck for a company called Harris Supply, 6 West 18th St. All you photographers from that district have my deepest thanks. The constant model traffic while loading or unloading the truck was magnificent. I love New York.

[kkantor]

Around 1972-73, I drove a truck for a company called Harris Supply, 6 West 18th St. All you photographers from that district have my deepest thanks. The constant model traffic while loading or unloading the truck was magnificent. I love New York.

Ah, NY memories...

One of the mags I used to contribute to, (High Fidelity, I think?), shared a floor and waiting room with Elle in Midtown. Definitely one place where I has glad when my appointment was running late....

-k

This is OT. I know, sorry.