Trivia four

[Guest mach10bill]

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[dynaco_dan]

Hi there again

Dynaco sold over a million model A25 speakers and most reviews were very favourable.

The price was most affordable.

There was a 8 ohm tweeter used in each model A10, A25, A35, and A50.

The tweeter was either a Scan or a Seas tweeter. One used an expanded metal and the other used a wire mesh. The woofers were 8 ohms except the A50 which were 16 ohms in parallel which gave 8 ohms. These woofers were also Scan or Seas. You may see different photos of the vent on the A25 being above the tweeter or below the woofer. I have some literature from Dynaco that showed different mounting of their internal A50 baffle board as well. I believe it was the Scan woofers that were a perfectly round frame where the bolt holes are and the Seas has what we used to call " horns " where the bolts are. When a Scan supplied A25 came in to be repaired we were only ever supplied Seas ( horned ) woofers as replacements. We had to notch the cabinets at the horns so that the speakers could fit into the groove. Dynaco kept telling us they were trying to find a container to ship us some of the pretty blue goop that they used to seal the Dynaco speakers in at the factories. They only had it in 45 gallon drums.

We are still waiting.

A powerful amplifier was needed to really get them to open up.

J. Gordon Holt at Stereophile Magazine went nuts with his praise and rightly so. It was a good speaker and like all good speakers had it's faults. But so does every speaker I have ever read about. Even In the $100,000.00 range reviewers have their criticisms. I have had the opportunity to live with A25's in my home and after about 3 months of listening I am of the opinion that it is a very good speaker. All these years later they still are very pleasing to the ear. Regardless of the music whether it be classical or modern they still make me smile. I also have LST's and 3a's which also please me but at a slightly different level. The 3a's seem to have a little more overall clarity and sound dispersion, and the slightly lower reach in the bass adds a fuller sound. The LST's, well, they are in my opinion, and have always been my opinion worth twice the value of an AR3a. The room seems to widen and the added drivers add a nice dispersion of all types of music. If you have not had an opportunity to hear ARLST's, do yourself a favour and find a friend who will let you listen to his or hers. I don't have Krell or other high end equipment but the LST's need or should have a minimum amplifier output of maybe 200 - 300 watts per speaker clean, 1000 watts would not be out of line. Absolutely do not get me wrong and imagine the high volume I must play them at. This is so that there is reserve power for the soft and subtle bass transients etc.. This should give adequate reserve power. I do not play at high volume now, neighbours might complain, but to sit back and listen to, don't laugh now, the soundtrack from the movie Casper. This soundtrack has some awesome music and should give your woofer a workout. Use fuses too. I don't care which one you listen to whether it's Dynaco A25's, AR3a' or LST's you will smile. Each speaker has it's own character or warmth, limitations and quirks but each is most enjoyable in it's own right.

Enough said for today.

Have a great day.

[Guest OldRelayer]

I have only heard an AR - LST once. I was at a show, not sure what it was called, but it was just Stereo equipment held at the National Gaurd ARmory in Boston. You can imagine the noise at one of these things. AS I was browsing the booths looking for the next great stereo enhancement that I could afford I could hear clear clean music above all the noise. I remember thinking, what the hell could that be. I followed my ears to a pair of LST's, don't remember what they were driving it with, must have been some kind of AR AMp one would assume but I suspect it wasn't a production amp, at the time 57 watts was the production amp. Although I have never ever been as impressed with a speaker as much as that one on that day, I have never considered them a home speaker. Sounds like you actually have these set up in your home. I had really made up my mind to get some 3a's but maybe a look around for some LST's might not be a bad idea. hmmmmm Lst's and a Phase Linear 400, what do you think? I have the room for them, talked my wife into selling a chair that has been in my way, but not sure they are in my budget. What would one expect to pay, if one could find a pair for sale. If I recall correctly they have an optional speaker stand? When I hear from someone that owns both that something is twice as good as the 3a, it gets my attention.

Wow Vern, I just looked at the dimensions of these things, you almost 6 feet just for the speakers, then the additional space need from the wall, gawd you need a concert hall for these things.

[draftingmonkey]

Vern,

Interesting post. Have always wanted to try a pair of AR-LST's but the last ones sold on ebay went for just a hair over $2,000. A little rich for my blood.

My A25's and 3A's are really great speakers and it would be fun to hear how they compare to the LST's. Maybe win the lotto....hmmmm.

Anyway, as ususal a very informative post.

Thanks

James

[dynaco_dan]

>I have only heard an AR - LST once. I was at a show, not

>sure what it was called, but it was just Stereo equipment held

>at the National Gaurd ARmory in Boston. You can imagine the

>noise at one of these things. AS I was browsing the booths

>looking for the next great stereo enhancement that I could

>afford I could hear clear clean music above all the noise. I

>remember thinking, what the hell could that be. I followed my

>ears to a pair of LST's, don't remember what they were driving

>it with, must have been some kind of AR AMp one would assume

>but I suspect it wasn't a production amp, at the time 57 watts

>was the production amp. Although I have never ever been as

>impressed with a speaker as much as that one on that day, I

>have never considered them a home speaker. Sounds like you

>actually have these set up in your home. I had really made up

>my mind to get some 3a's but maybe a look around for some

>LST's might not be a bad idea. hmmmmm Lst's and a Phase

>Linear 400, what do you think? I have the room for them,

>talked my wife into selling a chair that has been in my way,

>but not sure they are in my budget. What would one expect to

>pay, if one could find a pair for sale. If I recall correctly

>they have an optional speaker stand? When I hear from someone

>that owns both that something is twice as good as the 3a, it

>gets my attention.

>

>Wow Vern, I just looked at the dimensions of these things, you

>almost 6 feet just for the speakers, then the additional space

>need from the wall, gawd you need a concert hall for these

>things.

>

>

Hi Barry;

I am still impressed with the AR-LST's after all these years.

I did not buy mine new, but about 10 - 15 years ago a pair came up to my living room and bit me, I think I paid maybe $300.00 CDN for the pair.

The tweeters were all gone and the cabinet and grille cloths were trashed and stained.

I have written up what I had to do maybe a year ago, but to sum it up, replace the tweeters with the then avalable OEM tweeters with the foam face rings and re-finish the cabinet to 95% and leave the stained grill cloths alone.

Finishing the cabinets was a labour of love.

Previously my Big Bros owned these and had sold them to a fellow who did not appreciate them.

I couldn't let him see them, as when I first saw them, as I just about cried because of the condition.

My Big Bros had bought his new, and he had kept the cartons and they were in pristine condition.

The woofers just needed re-foaming and the mid-ranges were all ok though.

They sound just fine to me.

About 5 years ago another pair came up and bit me for about $600.00 CDN and one tweeter and one midrange were DOA.

The cabinets were almost fully done in a glossy Minwax finish and one large grill cloth and frame and both logos were missing.

They also sound just fine to me.

They are different pairs, one set with the crossovers mounted from the rear and the other from the woofer opening.

I haven't tinkered with them as far as cap replacements or magic wire replacement is concerned.

I don't know enough about the Phase Linear 400 to comment.

A friend has the Phase Linear 700 and LST's and it sounds just fine.

The LST's perform best with, a large, solid state amplifier, with a high damping factor, but the AR amplifier puts on a good show with them as well.

I can't comment for certain, I don't think either of these speakers can perform at their best with tube equipment, if I am wrong other members will adise you differently and I will also learn from it.

The LST's are about 30" wide and 24" high and wigh about 90 pounds and a solid 16" +/- high stand would probably be best.

There was a pair of wood speaker stands that was available for the 3A's, they can fetch upwards of $125.00 a pair on ebay and would not be particularly suitable for the LST's.

Solid, homemade ones, at a more appropriate height might be better.

The LST's never had a factory stand option that I know of.

You can have the speakers against the back wall.

We always will find the room for another AR speaker sytem in our homes, Barry.

You would have them along the same wall, away from adjoining walls and doorways by a few feet, separated about 4 - 5 +/- feet apart.

Read and download the AR-LST manual in the AR library to see the exact measurements.

My first impression after living with AR-3A's for about 5 years was, within minutes, I stated that the LST's were worth twice as much or twice as good as 3A's in sound and that was just with my AR amp.

LST's on ebay run maybe $1000 - >$2000.00 a pair +/- average price depending on number of bidders, etc.

I find that even sellers that will not export are contacted by foreign buyers about a local contact or agent to get around this issue.

A lot of the better AR classic speakers are going to Korea and other locations.

Sadly a lot of classics are being stripped down to basics to cut down on shipping and maximize profits.

AR-3A's go for $300.00 - $600.00 a pair +/- with the same variables.

Watch ebay for a while to see the trends.

There is usually a few pairs of 3A's on ebay at any one time, but the LST's are usually only maybe one pair a month on average.

You can also request in the, "want ads", here on this website.

There was a member? who had a pair up for sale? and it's still up in the air, it has been resolved yet as I understand it.

I would have loved to have obtained only the enclosures and crossovers and restored them to near new.

There is several variants of both speakers, but if the drivers are DOA there is more drivers on ebay than not.

A tweeter runs about $45.00, a mid-range about $35.00 and a woofer maybe $60 - 100.00, the same variables as buying the speakers themselves.

The cabinet condition is very important, but if you are really handy a LTLC can do wonders to ugly beasts and you can't hear the damage done by others as well.

My advice is if your heart is set on 3A's, there is more of these at a more affordable price, than the LST's.

You won't be disppointed with the AR-3A's, regardless.

Remember that there is several variations of both models.

Good luck and good taste.

[dynaco_dan]

>Vern,

>

>Interesting post. Have always wanted to try a pair of

>AR-LST's but the last ones sold on ebay went for just a hair

>over $2,000. A little rich for my blood.

>

>My A25's and 3A's are really great speakers and it would be

>fun to hear how they compare to the LST's. Maybe win the

>lotto....hmmmm.

>

>Anyway, as ususal a very informative post.

>

>Thanks

>

>James

Hi James;

Yes the LST's can fetch a pretty penny on some auctions.

If you watch ebay ongoing, there is the odd lower priced ones but cabinet condition and driver condition varies.

With the AR dome tweeter, I see a lot of nippled domes drivers and the sellers say it doesn't affect the sound. YEH right.

Your A-25's don't really compare too closely to the LST's.

In of themselves, the A-25's are a major butt kicker speaker, I mean that in the best sense of what hifi is all about.

They are a very enjoyable speaker sytem, with their flaws as well, and in my opinion an outstanding speaker on it's own.

I also own these as well and they are dry sounding but verrrryyyy liveable, at an affordable price, when they were new.

Ebay had a pair of A-25's go a few weeks ago for $400.00/pair. YIKES.

Someone maybe was on drugs or something to pay so much and later on in that same day a pair went for under $100.00.

A pair of AR-7's, NOS, so the seller said, went for $416.00/pair. Same drugs?

I am not making fun of the buyer, just the amount that was bid for obviously over zealous buyers.

The AR-3A's are a greeeeaaaatt speaker and I have these as well.

We all want to win a lottery.

If you have an opportunity to hear, at a listening session, starting with the bottom level of speakers, working your way up to the LST's, you will then know why they were and are still a highly prized speaker system by their owners.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi Barry;

Were you ever successful in obtaining either AR-3A's or AR-LST's?