OHM,-,YGOD

[Guest Mellowe4]

Help!

After much bidding and other foolishness on ebay, I now own, a pair of 2ax's, a pair of 3a's and 4 -4x's. Now what the heck do I do??????

I have a panasonic sa he200 which has a 4 ohm setting on the a speaker setting. However, It looks as if you run the A-B setting it runs at 6 ohms. Here is what I would like to accomplish: I want to listen to rock and rool on the 3a's for sure. I remember them from the 70's and have been out to the audiophile stores and have found nothing I like more. It would be nice to run the ar2ax's with them. I would also like to have surround sound with my TV for Movies. Of course it would be nice to incorporate all this into one neat little package but due to ohms and wattage requirements, this may not be possible. I am willing to run 2 separate systems if need be. If I were to run a separate system then the panasonic would work with the TV and the 4x's I would be happy to buy an amp/rec/tuner/cdplayer? to run the 3a's and 2ax's.

I have also heard 3a's are made for tubes?

Tax return is back and I wanna build a kickass rock and roll system!

(I guess it's ok to do this at 50)

HELP!

Buck Lowe

[Guest Bret]

Having two different systems is probably a good idea, but "The times, they are a-changin'." (thought you'd know that line at 50) So much stuff is being re-released in “surround”. . . gimmicky.

I’m a little confused by your post (probably my fault), but I don’t quite understand what you are trying to accomplish. Are you looking for a rock-and-roll surround setup?

I ask because you mention the 3a’s and 2ax’s on a separate system and of the speakers you have the 3a’s are the most likely to give you a satisfactory rock-and-roll experience; although the 2ax’s are no slouches (if they are the 1970 and later versions). They (the 3a’s) are also most likely to give you the best “movie track” experience (being capable of lots of low bass).

I think I can pretty-well say this: The 3a’s aren’t going to live-up-to their potential connected to a Panasonic (or most any other modern) receiver. Driving them with tubes? I wouldn’t. You will want a big, unmercifully large, heavy, massive, solid-state amplifier. It’s one thing to listen to “The Homogenized Strings” playing their “Elevator Hits and Other Sonic Tranquilizers” at relatively high levels on a pair of 3a’s and quite another to get “Born To Be Wild” to rattle the windows.

It’s kinda scarey trying to reply to you because no matter what amps you use, if you try to get Marshall stack volumes out of the speakers you are very likely to destroy an irreplaceable tweeter or two, or more. It might or might not prevent damage, but you might want to consider fusing them. (Even fused it’s best not to lose your mind because you can lose a tweeter at the same time.)

If you want ear-damaging volumes out of AR speakers without destroying them, my choice would be a pair of AR-9s with enough amplifier to embarrass Pink Floyd. I’m finding 250w-500w is enough to satisfy my lust for seismic activity, but your experience may differ. 3a’s can be driven to quite satisfying levels on “Foggy Mental Breakdown” with no more than 100wpc, but they won’t quite go over that line from “very loud” to “sonic terror” until you get a silly-big amplifier on them.

Bret

[ToastedAlmond]

Bret is dead right. Those 4 ohm 3a's are going to eat that receiver for lunch, and spit it out before coffee/dessert.

I think I read in CR that your receiver, or model HE-100, was a CR "Best Buy". That may be the case with the use of an external powered sub for the low end, and a not too taxing clutch of 8 ohm satellites. They did not use a 3a during their testing, that's for sure.

You need a mans amp for those. Unless you get lucky, and happen to stumble on a mid powered amp that when it sees a tough load, behaves like a mother whose child is trapped under a vehicle (HK Citation 12), plan on using an amp that can deliver at least 100 watts into 8 ohms, and remains stable into 4 ohms. And I mean AMP not receiver.

[Guest Brian_D]

Now that's not quite fair. There are lots of receivers out there with well over 100 watt output capability.

If he needs a single amp/signal receiver for his system, he might be overcomplicating things by going the pre/amp route.

I think we need more information (room size/arrangement, listening goals, etc) before ruling out the possibility of a receiver in place of the alternative.

-Brian

[ToastedAlmond]

I got all the info I needed with the terms "AR-3a" and "kick ass rock and roll system".

[Guest Nigel]

>I got all the info I needed with the terms "AR-3a" and "kick

>ass rock and roll system".

I concur !! Adcom 555, 555 II or 5500 are good amps at a reasonable price for this application. 545, 545 II or 5400 for the AR2ax, and 535, 535 II or 5300 for the AR4, and HT receiver (or pre-amp only) with pre-out such as an Onkyo TX-SR701 with the 4's used for the front and rear center channels. Actually the 701 will drive the 2's and 4's fine. The Adcom 555 is needed for the "kick ass" part.

[ninohernes]

I use the Adcom GFA-5400 on my AR-3's and AR-2's. At 4 ohms it is 200 watts per channel, and at 8 ohms, its 125 watts per channel. All Adcom amps produce clean, powerfull sound, and when playing rock, it is kick ass! I use an Onkyo TX-8211 for my AR-4x's, it is 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 100 into 4 ohms. It drove my AR-3's for about a year, before I got my Adcom. It played the 3's very well, but it is much better with the 4x's.

[Guest Bret]

>All Adcom amps produce clean, powerfull sound, and when playing rock, it is kick ass!<

I completely agree about my Adcom amp and rock and roll kicking you in various parts of the anatomy.

I had a 555 Mk II that got connected to my 9s and the friend's 10pi's.

We had the Adcom, a MOSFET SAE, and his "Class A" Threshold we were swapping around one night. The Adcom was, without question, the rock and roll amplifier of choice.

Unfortunately I sold the Adcom before I got the Sunfire I'm using now, so I never got to compare those two.

Bret

[Guest Brian_D]

You're probably right... I've been impressed by some of the "integrated" amps (receivers) lately... Onkyo and Yammaha in particular.

You can't beat a dyed-in-the-wool power amp, though. I guess you can't really "over do" an amp for most of the AR designs short of the 8" modles!

[ToastedAlmond]

Nigel,

The Onk TX-SR701 is a sweetheart. Not very long ago I was able to get one, brand new (in double box), direct from Onkyo,....for $50. That's right you heard right. $50. Don't ask. It's in my 14 yr old daughters room driving a pair of The New Advent Loudspeakers in straight stereo. In fact, it's never been used in surround mode.