samberger0357 Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 Just found an excellent piece on the 3's(pg. 27) from Tone Audio. Don't know if it's already here someplace else. If so sorry for the duplication. http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_006.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 Nice read and it looks like it was written by a forum member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 I found it from an old thread on the Hoffman Forums, where he was/is a member. Made me appreciate my 3's even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas111 Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 Very enjoyable read, thanks for posting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 Thanks for posting the link, I enjoyed the article as well. Nice write up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 Welcome! Glad it wasn't a double post. Joe did a real nice job articulating pretty much my feelings about this fantastic speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnar Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 It explains well the reasons I 've ever preferred AR 3 over 3a. I have two pairs, one with a low power vintage tube amp, , EICO ST 40 , and the other with a QSC ISA 280 , a pro amp rated to drive 2-ohm loads. I think every speaker I 've ever heard in my life sounds like a tool, a machine, some are good tools , some are bad tools . Bur AR 3 is very different, it sounds exactly like music , it' s more an instrument than a machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 Tell me more how they sound with the ST-40. That's 20 watts, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve F Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 This is a repeat, although it is nice to see again after all these years. The author, Joe Nino-Hernes, was a frequent contributor to these pages back then, and he was a very young enthusiast--only in his teens, IIRC. Thanks for the second look. There are a lot of interesting members whose contributions are infrequent occurrences these days. I hope they still peruse these pages. Steve F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnar Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 The Eico ST 40 was totally refurbished last week, and now it sounds very nice. It is a 20 watt per channel , and drives my AR 3 in a small room . I spent my sunday listening chamber music, Mozart Piano concertos n. 20 and 21 , baroque, Vivaldi, The Four Seasons , Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music, and Haendel, Concerti Grossi. I'm enthusiast of the sound I have from AR 3 with these 7591 Westinghouse tubes, obviously at moderate listening levels, 90 db average at 6 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 I'm glad to hear this. I really enjoy my 3's when hooked up to a Fisher 500B. I have a small room, and typically listen to this combination with similar music. Sometimes I feel guilty when I do because my brain ends up working too much and I hear all those voices saying that these speakers have to have huge watts thrown at them or your not getting the full effect. This may be, but for sure these speakers really do sound great with lower tube power. I usually go to 12-2 o'clock on the gain, and that's more than enough(frankly too loud for the wife) volume. Where I do feel that these speakers suffer from lower power is at very low volumes. That's where the Crown XLS1000 brings them alive. And with a wife and daughter in a relatively small house, compromises do need to be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnar Posted February 14, 2016 Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 I agree totally with You, sometimes I use my QSC with AR 3 at very low volume , in particular when my daughters are studying , and this very powerful amp shows an excellent microcontrast and audible bass even at very low listening levels. However, AR speakers offers their best performance in larger rooms at higher listening levels. Unfortunately, my AR 3 are located up on a pair of big Altec Valencias, and the big vented box causes some bass resonance at high levels . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 You prefer them horizontally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnar Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 No, I think the correct position is vertical, one foot over the floor, but I have too little space in my listening room, four AR 3, two AR 3a, two AR 2 , two Altec 846b Valencias, two Utah 22/B, two Kef LS 3/5a. The AR 3 shows in the picture are over the big Altecs , if they were positioned vertically it could be too high for a correct perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted February 21, 2016 Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 My 3's are also horizontal. I don't notice that much difference compared to when they were upright except maybe slightly less bass, but there's plenty of it in their horizontal orientation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnar Posted February 21, 2016 Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 I tried horizontal and vertical position. Maybe vertical in the right room offers a better perspective but very often early AR ads shows AR 3 in horizontal positioning. My speakers are two feet and 7 inches from the floor, and I have tight , excellent bass, but in larger rooms I prefer vertical positioning at one inch from the floor like original AR stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted February 24, 2016 Report Share Posted February 24, 2016 I had forgotten about Joe's article, which I must admit that until now I had not seen in its entirety. Joe did a nice job in that article, and it was flattering to the AR-3. Joe mentioned me at the end of his article—and I appreciate that—but I see that he actually borrowed the picture of my AR-3 in Oiled Teak for the headliner in the article, and he extracted text from some of my past descriptions on the AR-3. That is okay as long as he cited me as the source for that material. The picture and most of my written material is copyrighted. —Tom Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Teak?..... didn't know they had the 3's in teak. That is one pretty speaker......still have it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 39 minutes ago, lakecat said: Teak?..... didn't know they had the 3's in teak. That is one pretty speaker......still have it? Oiled teak was an available finish for several AR speakers over the years, but not many were built in this finish. I still have this pair, but they are boxed up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 On 2/15/2016 at 6:26 AM, Sonnar said: No, I think the correct position is vertical, one foot over the floor, but I have too little space in my listening room, four AR 3, two AR 3a, two AR 2 , two Altec 846b Valencias, two Utah 22/B, two Kef LS 3/5a. The AR 3 shows in the picture are over the big Altecs , if they were positioned vertically it could be too high for a correct perspective. I don't think there is a "correct" orientation for mounting the AR-3 (or 3a, 5, etc.), as they can technically be mounted vertically or horizontally. Up off the floor is definitely preferred, however. In my experience, these speakers sound great horizontally, flush-mounted in a bookshelf, but not everyone has a bookshelf available for speakers. Flush-mounting in a bookshelf gives a slightly smoother lower-midrange, upper-bass response, but these differences -- though slight -- are measurable. Also, mounted in the horizontal position, the tweeter and midrange are more "vertically" aligned. This, too, can be measured up close, but it is doubtful that anyone could hear these differences back in the reverberant field of a listening room. --Tom Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 One day I'll have to give mine a shot horizontally. I'll have to dig out my taller stands for that. Those teak's are really gorgeous, Tom. If I may ask, what are you using these days as your main speakers these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 10 hours ago, samberger0357 said: One day I'll have to give mine a shot horizontally. I'll have to dig out my taller stands for that. Those teak's are really gorgeous, Tom. If I may ask, what are you using these days as your main speakers these days? I do most of my listening in my office, and at one point I had AR-3a, AR-3s and AR-10π speakers with a speaker selector. I would switch back and forth to compare these speakers. I changed my office some time ago, and now I listen mostly to a pair of (bookshelf-mounted) AR-303 speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted February 26, 2016 Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 21 hours ago, tysontom said: I don't think there is a "correct" orientation for mounting the AR-3 (or 3a, 5, etc.), as they can technically be mounted vertically or horizontally. Up off the floor is definitely preferred, however. In my experience, these speakers sound great horizontally, flush-mounted in a bookshelf, but not everyone has a bookshelf available for speakers. Flush-mounting in a bookshelf gives a slightly smoother lower-midrange, upper-bass response, but these differences -- though slight -- are measurable. Also, mounted in the horizontal position, the tweeter and midrange are more "vertically" aligned. This, too, can be measured up close, but it is doubtful that anyone could hear these differences back in the reverberant field of a listening room. --Tom Tyson There is some interesting discussion about the driver orientation of a 3-way speaker in this review. http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/365/index.html#dF9U1oMEukmyXxb1.97 " produced a very wide soundstage, with precise imaging and considerable depth in the center of the stage, the soundstage depth was rather constricted at the extreme right and left." The speaker being reviewed has w-m-t arrangement like that of a shelve mounted AR3a(or more precisely AR11) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samberger0357 Posted February 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Just to update, I now have my 3's horizontally placed, about 36" off the ground. I really like them this way. Considerably wider and deeper sound stage, and overall smoother presentation. They are about 10 feet or so apart, and I sit about 12 feet away. I've only had them like this for a short time, but I do think it's the best they have sounded since I got them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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