deek Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 AR rebooted it's 8" bookshelf speakers a dozen times starting with the AR4 in '65.My personal favorite is the AR17; the last veneered model with a paper cone. I have two pair and I feel they are the best compact system that would truly fit on a bookshelf. (I find it humorous to think a 12" system would comfortably fit on any bookshelf.)So what's your favorite?-deek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Bookshelves used to be bigger and deeper. When I was a kid in the 50's I remember often seeing bookshelf walls that were deep enough for LPs and audio equipment. I think today's bookshelves are mostly designed for paperbacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deek Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 A drawback to being a young'n!-deek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjr513 Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 AR MST/1 has my vote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve F Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 This is a good question, because there are so many choices, and probably so many different personal stories.My Dad got AR-4x’s in July 1969 when I was a teenager, and hearing those amazing little (for their time) speakers is what started my interest in hi fidelity in general and AR in particular. I’ll never forget how much better they were than the 15” 3-way floorstanding Goodmans that they replaced. My mom, of course, was delighted to have those big coffins out of her house.A good friend of mine in high school had Large Advents and every time he came over to our house and heard the 4’s—less than half the size of the Advents and half the price—he’d say, “It’s not fair! It’s not fair that they sound so good!” So my Dad and I called the 4’s the “Not fair” speakers from then on.A strong case could also be made for the AR-6, with its bass response almost the same as the 2ax and 5, and its remarkable midrange response that High Fidelity magazine characterized as being “….almost like an amplifier,” that’s how smooth and accurate it was.The MST/1 was certainly a fine product (once they worked out its considerable tweeter-interference teething problems and went from four tweeters to three), and its resemblance to the original LST family was an undeniable attraction.But, all the above being said, I’d have to opine that my favorite 8” was the AR-7. The 7 had perhaps the highest performance-to-small-size ‘surprise’ ratio of any AR speaker up to that time. It had—for some reason, but it was definitely there, nonetheless—a very slightly enhanced upper-mid output relative to the 6 that lent it a subtle, most agreeable, ‘sparkle’ and allowed the 7 to totally escape the reticent, slightly “midrange-y” sound of the 4x and 6. I remember Fred Locke Stereo in Avon CT –the typical anti-AR dealer—enthusiastically embracing and pushing the 7’s because of their great sound. No other AR, but they loved the 7.Remember that AR print ad in 1973-4 showing that four AR-7s stacked on top of each other was still smaller than a single 3a? Great ad, very dramatically showing how good the 7 was for its size and price. My sister ordered 7’s for her apartment, but I had them shipped to our home first. My cousin had lent me his 3a’s for a few weeks to A-B with my 2ax’s and when the 7’s came in, I A-B-C’ed them for hours on end. That was so much fun! I came away with a profound respect for the 7, which held its own even against the 3a.Steve F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 But, all the above being said, I’d have to opine that my favorite 8” was the AR-7. The 7 had perhaps the highest performance-to-small-size ‘surprise’ ratio of any AR speaker up to that time. It had—for some reason, but it was definitely there, nonetheless—a very slightly enhanced upper-mid output relative to the 6 that lent it a subtle, most agreeable, ‘sparkle’ and allowed the 7 to totally escape the reticent, slightly “midrange-y” sound of the 4x and 6. I remember Fred Locke Stereo in Avon CT –the typical anti-AR dealer—enthusiastically embracing and pushing the 7’s because of their great sound. No other AR, but they loved the 7.Remember that AR print ad in 1973-4 showing that four AR-7s stacked on top of each other was still smaller than a single 3a? Great ad, very dramatically showing how good the 7 was for its size and price. My sister ordered 7’s for her apartment, but I had them shipped to our home first. My cousin had lent me his 3a’s for a few weeks to A-B with my 2ax’s and when the 7’s came in, I A-B-C’ed them for hours on end. That was so much fun! I came away with a profound respect for the 7, which held its own even against the 3a.Steve F.I agree, Steve. I restored a pair of AR-7's last year, and found them to be just as you describe above. The interesting thing about the 7 is its simple crossover compared to the AR-6, which used a variety of crossovers with the same drivers in a larger cabinet. I believe the last crossover used with the AR-6 was the same single tweeter cap as the 7....woofer operating full range with no other crossover components. The 7's tweeter polarity is reversed to that of the woofer. The AR-7 level control switch is a two-way switch that simply places 3 ohms of resistance in series with the tweeter at the "Norm" setting. Later AR models using these drivers stayed with the simple crossover of the late AR-6, and original AR-7. For 3a fans, the blue capacitor in the photo is the very same 6uf Sprague cap used with the tweeter in the later AR-3a.Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich W Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 A good friend of mine in high school had Large Advents and every time he came over to our house and heard the 4’s—less than half the size of the Advents and half the price—he’d say, “It’s not fair! It’s not fair that they sound so good!” So my Dad and I called the 4’s the “Not fair” speakers from then on.A familiar story. I had sold my AR-3a's back in 1977 because I got tired of shipping them off to AR to have the tweeters replaced (I was seriously underpowering them). A pair of large Advents replaced the 3a's as they were more "robust" when fed a diet of clipping distortion. Of course, the 3a's sounded better, but it was a compromise I felt resigned to. The gist of it is that I could never understand why my good friend's AR-18's sounded so much better than the Advents - especially in the upper midrange where the Advents were decidedly harsh.Fast-forward to 2004 and my renewed interest in vintage gear. The first thing I did was get a pair of AR-18's and refoamed them (the Advents were in need of a refoam and had wound up by the curb several years earlier - Advent lovers, don't flame me - I didn't know refoams were a possibility back then!). Since then, I've happened upon a pair of AR-3a's (hey, they came back!), AR-7's and AR-17's, all of which I've restored.I really have a soft spot for the AR-7's. They just look so good, like a pair of mini- 3a's. But based on my own pink noise tests, the AR-17's and 18's are more neutral sounding than the AR-7's, which have a mild peak centered around 1.8k. The 17's and 18's sound almost identical (they should - they use the same drivers), but the slightly larger cabinet give the AR-17's the edge with an extended bass response rivaling an AR-5 or AR-2ax.So my choice, based on my limited experience, would be the AR-17 for best 8".Rich W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev_Rat Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 I have both 3a and 17 as recent introductions to my home, the rest of the kit being Infinity stuff - all much bigger. As a recent hobbyist with limited speakers to comapre I am hardly an expert.I also wonder, (a little cheekily) if the base driver in the centre speaker of my Bose lifestyle speakers (being 8") qualifies them :-) as an 8" systemIn any case and cuting to the chase; the AR-17 are very very sweet sounding things, and have far better highs with lovely detail than the Bose (they do very well on guitar and piano music. The AR-17 bass is also surprising, and while it doesn't initally come off as such until you get some power into the things - I think they may reach further down than the Bose. They were also a heck of a lot cheaper - even on current Evil bay prices for either.So in short, the Bose are on holiday (a long and quiet one) and the AR-17 are by far my favourite 8" speaker. But the 3a's rule.Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michiganpat Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 I love the AR18's my uncle gave me (4 of them), along with his marantz 2265...a match made in heaven...I tried to buy a pair of AR93's, but it didn't work out, we'll see...the sell has had them advertised since september. I offered what I felt reasonable since he is unable/umwilling to give any info on the woofer condition, other than they're all original (which means 99% sure all 6 woofers will need refoaming). got a terse/snide response at the offer, and then the next day, he raised the price on his craigslist ad by $50!without hearing them, if you're looking at 8" AR's, the pinnacle would probably be the 93's, as the midwoof/tweet is essentially the same as the 17/18, with additional reinforcement of 2 more 8" woofers on the low end.I've heard some very good things about the 8" version of the holographic series (was it the M2?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deek Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 The 93's command an (unjustly, in my opinion) inflated price. Probably due to their relative rarity, I'm guessing. I've not had any listening experience with them, but I certainly appreciate their potential. Being an owner of the AR9, I am a believer in the bass driver arrangement. Being an owner of the AR17's, I see the 93's potential for the sweet high-end that I enjoy.They're just so UGLY! -deek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michiganpat Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 The 93's command an (unjustly, in my opinion) inflated price. Probably due to their relative rarity, I'm guessing. I've not had any listening experience with them, but I certainly appreciate their potential. Being an owner of the AR9, I am a believer in the bass driver arrangement. Being an owner of the AR17's, I see the 93's potential for the sweet high-end that I enjoy.They're just so UGLY! -deekI guess I haven't seen that....watching ebay to get a relative worth on these, there's been 2 pair on recently, both refoamed, one pair didn't sell at $299, was reduced to $99 and sold....the other didn't sell at $180, was relisted at $108 with a $120 BIN, and failed to sell.the ones in question with unknown condition drivers were originally listed at $100, and are now listed at $150....still probably not a bad price, but it's going to be a few bucks to get them back into working condition....but I need another pair of speakers like I need a hole in my head, and I don't really have a good place to use them....my friend was thinking of picking them up to use in his home theater setup to replace some Best Buy purchased JBL's....but is unwilling to buy them for me to repair at the current cost.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deek Posted February 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 $150 is about in line... When I have noticed them on CL or eBay, they almost always go for around $200, then there's shipping to consider which can be considerable. $200 will buy a pretty nice pair of newer speakers. (Or a few pair of 18's lol)I dig the idea behind the MST but that design (including the LST) just seems gimicky. Call me a purist or just plain ignorant, but a speaker with drivers that aren't pointed at the listener is just asking for trouble. But then again I've never had the pleasure of listening to a pair of LST's in a decent listening environment. Just smoky basements with too many... um... distractions? -deek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michiganpat Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 $150 is about in line... When I have noticed them on CL or eBay, they almost always go for around $200, then there's shipping to consider which can be considerable. $200 will buy a pretty nice pair of newer speakers. (Or a few pair of 18's lol)I dig the idea behind the MST but that design (including the LST) just seems gimicky. Call me a purist or just plain ignorant, but a speaker with drivers that aren't pointed at the listener is just asking for trouble. But then again I've never had the pleasure of listening to a pair of LST's in a decent listening environment. Just smoky basements with too many... um... distractions? -deekhopefully he can find someone to buy them, but like I said, they have been on CL since September for $100 with no takers, after I offered a bit less than that, he raised the price...and of the 2 pair of refoamed ones on ebay, one pair sold for $99, the other didn't for $108....yeah, there's a set of refoamed 18s' on craigslist here for $40, too...I was tempted to pick them up, but I really don't need them, I already have 2 pair of non S 18's...I tried to convince my friend to pick up the 18s's and the 93's, use the 93's for the L&R, and one of the 18s' (or both wired in parallel, on their sides) for the center in his home theater setup.....I'd think that would really be the cat's meow for a moderately priced vintage speaker HT setup... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR55 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 My vote is for the AR-17's slightly bigger brother, the AR-15. In addition to its 8" woofer, it shares the same 1" dome tweeter found in the AR-14. It is a very smooth sounding speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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