bassment142 Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I a pair of AR 91s popped up locally and I am curious about them. I like most new englandy speakers, Bostons.. Advents.. ARs.. etc. I'm a casual listener at best but I really do enjoy speakers with tight deep bass and a slightly bright upper end. They are cheap enough at $200 to buy and sell off if I don't care for them. Anyways, I "googled" the speaker and found this terribly miss-translated description. 3 way floor type speaker system of the vartical series which inherited the design philosophy of AR-9 and adopted the almost same composition as AR-91. The 25cm corn type Woofer is carried in low-pass. The unit of a 1.9cm dome shape is carried in the 3.8cm dome shape and the high region in the inside region. The same thing as AR-91 is adopted and these units put in the magnetic fruid of the shape of colloid which is tinged with the magnetism of NASA development between the voice coil and the yoke, and they have improved the input-proof while they aim at distorted reduction from a central axis as a structure as for which Bure is not. Furthermore, the acoustic blanket which is a special sound-absorbing material was attached to the surroundings of a unit, and sound quality degradation by reflective sound is prevented. A "17AWG sky core coil", a "computer class electrolytic condenser", "input-proof [ unguided quantity ] ceramic resistance", etc. are used for the element of a network part. The acoustic suspension system of AR tradition is adopted as the enclosure. By this system, air can achieve the duty of a spring by carrying out full sealing of the core, compliance can be enlarged, and it is possible to make low-pass resonance frequency lower. Moreover, walnut tone vinyl chloride finishing is given to the exterior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I have seen similar text occur when using Google translate on documents or webpages originating from East and Southeast Asia (Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan etc.). Sometimes the translation can be pure gibberish and serve as amusement only, but other times you can wade thru the awkward syntax to find useful information. Your example seems to fall somewhere in the middle - - it does sort of describe several components of the AR-91, but it also provides erroneous information about the woofer (maybe cabinet too....vinyl?). A 25cm woofer would be a ten-incher, and one trademark of this speaker model is the well-regarded 12" woofer which places the AR-91 in line as a successor to the AR-3, AR-3a, and AR-11. Also, the AR-58s is the same speaker in a different enclosure which may have even post-dated the 91. You'll definitely want to check out those speakers, and meanwhile read up with these two excellent threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassment142 Posted June 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 If in great condition what do these commonly sell for? $200 is a pretty safe price right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 AR-91 drivers are worth $200+ I'd venture to say you will like them based on the description of your tastes in speakers. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimpy Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 5 hours ago, bassment142 said: I a pair of AR 91s popped up locally and I am curious about them. I like most new englandy speakers, Bostons.. Advents.. ARs.. etc. I'm a casual listener at best but I really do enjoy speakers with tight deep bass and a slightly bright upper end. They are cheap enough at $200 to buy and sell off if I don't care for them. That sounds like a nice deal! If they were near me, I'd grab 'em for that amount. As to sound, I have AR90s, which should sound similar. And since you want "tight deep bass and a slightly bright upper end", I think that the 91s would be exactly what you're looking for. With a synergistic system, they throw a holographic soundstage, and they image pretty well too. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 Re-foamed AR-91 woofers generally bring $100/each on eBay; they are identical to those used in the AR-9, which helps to maintain their price. The midrange & tweeter are also from the AR-9, and can usually sell for $75-$100 each, depending on cosmetic condition. I've seen crossovers sell for $25-$50/pair, and the foam diffraction inserts (if they are present) bring from $20/pair up to $100/pair. You could easily recoup your $200 if you wanted to part them out; but if the cabinets are in good condition, and after re-foaming the woofers and updating the crossover caps, you'd have one of the last (and maybe the best ) iterations of the AR-3a. Two notes: the bass is exactly what one should expect from an AR 12" woofer in the standard cabinet - extended & smooth. The tweeter - while not "bright" - seems to have a bit more output in near-field conditions, but only with the acoustic blanket & foam inserts in place. Without these - or when listening from a distance - the experience more closely follows that of older AR designs, with a wide dispersion of the mids & highs. I happen to have a preference for the AR-91 on stands that bring the tweeter height to that of the AR-9; in a large room, and with enough power, they provide a very musical presentation - especially with recordings of acoustic instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted June 13, 2016 Report Share Posted June 13, 2016 I've seen the AR91 sell for $300+ on eBay. I restored a pair with polypro caps and they are a nicely balanced speaker top to bottom. The bass is like all AR speakers - tight and accurate. At $200 you can't go wrong if the cabinets and grills are in good condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassment142 Posted June 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Thanks everyone, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassment142 Posted June 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 Well sadly the tops of the cabinets are poor.. water damage to the veneer and some puffing up of the internal mfd. Also got a nice pair of NLA's the same day. I currently have Smaller Advents running, it will be fun to compare all 3! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassment142 Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I had good luck sucking out a dent on one of the mid's with a shop-vac. Woofers are on their way to RoyC for refoaming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 41 minutes ago, bassment142 said: I had good luck sucking out a dent on one of the mid's with a shop-vac. Woofers are on their way to RoyC for refoaming! Would have liked to see the before and after pics of that mid -- did you use the full force of the vacuum? Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimpy Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I've always wondered if the mid was gently heated with a blow dryer, and then sucked out with vacuum, if it would reform better? Letting the material warm first, would help it pop out to a more correct shape? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassment142 Posted June 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 I don't know if heat is good when working with glue and magnets...I wouldnt want it to all fall apart. I was trying to gently nudge the dome from every angle to try and get it to pop out but it wouldnt budge. I tried sucking through a straw, no good. Tried a straw with a mortite wrapped tip to get a better seal, still no good. Cant use a pin because its a sealed driver. Just a quick and gentle suck with the hose of a small shop vac did the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassment142 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 Well just to get some closure on this topic.. Roy did a perfect job re-foaming the woofers and I got them up and running. These are speakers that make you say "wow". They have rendered all my other speakers obsolete. Such a natural, clear tone. Bass is there when its called for, but not in your face. When the program material calls for a deep bass boom, these deliver! These excel at home theater use, the spoken word is so clear you can hear everything even at a low volume, where when I switch to the advent I am straining to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted June 29, 2016 Report Share Posted June 29, 2016 Yeah, it took me a while to cotton to that 80's sound -- put on an 80's muscle amp and it can get addictive. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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