1965 High Fidelity AR-4 review

[ra.ra]

Posting here for general interest - - I just happened to find these pages from January 1965 issue of High Fidelity, featuring my beloved AR-4's. The review is brief, and fair, and praiseworthy. Also attached is an ad from the same issue - - this must have been the original debut of the 3-1/2" tweeter, since it also contains text about the brand new AR-2x and AR-2ax models which employ the same driver.

These old magazines are a gas to look through - - it seems like every issue from this period begins with several pages of full-page ads by Fisher and then Pickering, even before the table of contents. This particular issue featured something I had never seen before: a tape recorder made by Dynaco. 

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-High-Fidelity/60s/High-Fidelity-1965-Jan.pdf

Happy birthday, America!

[JKent]

Darn you ra.ra! Now I'm hooked!

Just in the first few pages of that 1965 issue I learned that Koss and Rek-O-Kut were the same company and that Shure made a suitcase stereo (I have the KLH suitcase that I "thought" was unique). Now I'll probably spend hours reading about hi-fi from my hi-skool days.

btw, that Dynaco tape deck is a rebranded B&O. Lots of KLH ads there and it's interesting to see all the ads touting the superiority of transistors over tubes. And how 'bout that cartridge run-down? A Grado moving coil cart was 50 bucks! I didn't even know anyone made MC carts in the '60s.

[Gogiants]

I love looking at these old magazines....thanks for posting ra.ra. I can't wait to get my AR3's and 4X's fully functional.

[ra.ra]

Yeah, these old mags can be a lot of fun to flip through. Not only are they packed with info for gear junkies - - product reviews and advertisements, mostly - - but they are loaded with such an awareness of recording processes and musical performances and are full of great graphics.

On the heels of the AR-4 review, the February 1966 issue featured this piece on the AR-4x, along with the 2ax in the same review. And occasionally, they will feature something like this cover article (HF Feb 64) on integrated decor, featuring sliding panels, turntables on trays, and built-in speakers.

This is the archive page that is available.

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/High-Fidelity-Magazine.htm 

[Rich W]

Ra.Ra, thanks so much for  posting this. It's  wonderful to read the superlatives used to describe the AR-4 "back in the day", while at the same time having the direct experience we collectively have of these classics right now in the current age.  I just  restored a pair of first-generation AR-2ax's and I've been totally beside myself for the last few weeks with how these things sound.  I don't  think I've ever experienced such superb sound in my listening room (with  my 23 years of tweaking) ever.  And that includes my prized AR-3a's!  But I digress . . . That's for a future post! Anyway, thanks for sharing that review.

Rich W

 

 

 

 

 

[lARrybody]

Thanks for the link RaRa. Just spent the last hour enjoying the issue. Wow do I miss the record clubs. I still have a lot of those records that were my dads. And how about the McIntosh amp for $30.00 down and $10.00 a month. Sign me up. 

[ar_pro]

Those vintage articles & advertisements are really enjoyable.

It certainly took awhile, but prose has devolved to a point where commonplace, everyday magazine articles from the '60s almost seem as if they were written for a much more intelligent readership.

Audio Magazine also had a succinct review of the mighty AR-4 in their December, 1964 issue:

 

[ra.ra]

Thanks much for that second AR-4 review - - - I've always been under the impression that the AR-4 debuted in '64, so it's interesting to see that the review in Audio was published one month before HF's review, thereby issuing their commentary before the annual wall calendar was replaced with the 1965 pin-up girls. This review is also a fair assessment, even with the multiple reality-check comparisons with AR's "senior systems". When I read these comments, I have to remind myself that the hi-fi world considered AR's acoustic suspension products as compact (yes, even the 1, 2 and 3 series), and the press was still gushing about the audio performance emanating from these small sealed boxes. 

Whenever I see the descriptor of a speaker as "listenable", I am unable to decipher whether this is lazy faint praise or the ultimate compliment.  Nonetheless, it is enjoyable to see this reviewer's claim that the AR-4 sounds better as the volume control gets cranked clockwise, and I chuckled, and agreed, when I saw mention of 15 watts RMS as being a suitable power requirement.      

1 hour ago, ar_pro said:

It certainly took awhile, but prose has devolved to a point where commonplace, everyday magazine articles from the '60s almost seem as if they were written for a much more intelligent readership.

This is a great comment. Many magazines from this era were very sophisticated - - not only in the quality of the text, but also the layout, graphic styling, ad copy, and photography.   

[ra.ra]

Am just posting this again for posterity. While the existence of reviews and advertisements for the AR-4 has already been documented, this might just be the first time I have ever seen any company-produced product literature for this particular speaker model. I have seen earlier AR lit from prior to the AR-4's introduction, and also subsequent similar-looking pages for the brand new AR-4x, circa ±1965. Many of you, I'm sure, have probably seen this brochure, but I suspect it is rare simply because the AR-4 was only in the product line-up for about one year or so. 

I particularly like the part that says "...the highest quality per dollar."  Also noteworthy is the advice for unfinished pine cabinets: "not suitable for staining".