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Lowboys vs. AR 3


samberger0357

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Hi have a shot at a nice pair of Lowboys locally that have been restored, recapped, etc. They look great, and I've read many great things about them. But my quandry is that I own a beautiful pair of restored AR3's which I adore. And my understanding is that the Lowboys need high current power like the 3's to sound their best. Don't really need another pair of speakers that will sound similar to the 3's, so I'm curious if anybody here has compared these two classics and can offer some thoughts. 

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Have never done a side-by-side of these two models, but I am a big fan of early Rectilinear models. I'm sure you already know that the Lowboy was a re-packaged (different cabinet proportions, fretwork grille) version of the highly regarded Rectilinear III, which subsequently came to be known as the "Highboy". These models were probably targeted toward some of the market share that was dominated by the AR-3a, but they are distinctly different speakers. They have six drivers (12" woof, 5" whizzer mid, plus two small tweets and super-tweets), are ported (bass reflex), and have nominal rated impedance of 8 ohms.

I'd suggest you go and give them a good listen, then decide. Julian Hirsch gave them a big thumbs-up in this 1972 review.

http://sportsbil.com/stereo/rectilinear-db/lowboy-review-hirsch-2-1972.pdf

 

Lowboy.jpg

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One additional thought to consider. Unlike the AR-3, which was still considered a bookshelf speaker (albeit a large one), both the High and Low versions of the Rectilinear III were intended to be floor speakers, as suggested by their integral wood bases. Compared to the AR-3 which offers a vertical or horizontal placement orientation, the Lowboy, with the wide and squarish proportions, has a very different presence as a piece of 'furniture' in a room. I have seen pics of the Lowboys raised up on additional stands to elevate the drivers, but the speakers look sort of ridiculous when lifted this way. For interest, a pic of two versions of Rect III "Highboys" is attached.

Rect Highboys.jpg

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Yup knew they were a floor speaker. I actually have been reducing speaker size in my smallish space after living with a pair of Cornwalls for a couple of years. Great speakers, but a little too much for my situation. That's one of the reasons I ultimately passed on the Lowboys. If I do go for another pair of speakers(and with the 3's, a pair of KLH Model Six's, and a pair of Wharfedale W60's, unlikely at the moment) it would probably be one of the AR models that were a little easier to drive then the 3's. I'm thinking a nice pair of 5's. 

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... And my understanding is that the Lowboys need high current power like the 3's to sound their best.

My experience with highboys is that they sound pretty good with any amp I've tried.  More power is good, but they get along pretty well with whatever I've used with them.

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