Acoustic Research 302 Speakers - Sounds GREAT.

Bostown

Low End Audio Enthusiast!
Subscriber
A pair of AR 302 hitched a ride home with me earlier. I didn't have a lot of time but wanted to see if they worked. While playing some music through them I realized that no sound was coming from the mids. - The mids themselves look like a sock puppet eyeball. :) Its covered in a soft puffy felt and protected by wire mesh. They're shaped like the mids on a pair of Allison One's and covered in the metal mesh similar to that of the Large Advent.

It seems weird that both drivers are DOA but i definitely didn't hear anything coming from them. Both the tweeters and woofers played fine. I was short on time but will be ale to further investigate the issue later this week.

In the meantime, I figured I'd ask if anyone else here is familiar with them. And if anyone is still using a set in their system.

The pair i pcked up look pretty solid overall, and aren't in too bad of shape after 16 years ( they could use some cosmetic TLC , and i need to sort out the mid driver issue and see whats going on there)

In a search for info, Google linked the 302 with audio phenom Ken Kantor , which would certainly be a good thing. ( I'm still enjoying the NHT PRO A-10 system, I picked up a while back). I'll sort through and read some more of the info google retreived as soon as I wrap up here.


The following images are linked from the web, until I get around to snapping a few pics of my own.

DSC00403.JPG
AR%20302%201_1280206722.jpg
ar302_pairleftangle.jpg
 
Last edited:
Man, I'd love to have a pair of the 303's to go along with my AR11's. If I remember correctly, those are the "newer" iteration of the AR-3, 3a, AR11, etc. The 302's I'm guessing are the "newer" AR-5's?
 
FWIW, Ken is a member here. Maybe a PM to him would return some results.

I figured id leave it as an open " does anyone remeber these" topic. If after poking and proding at them next week , i'm still stuck, i may have a question that might warrant a PM. Good idea.
 
The AR302 and 303 were Ken's redo of the classic AR-5 and AR-3a while he was managing R&D at AR.
 
Looks like the mids are deceased. Now begins the long journey of finding replacements. If its as difficult as locating woofers for a/d/s l470/2, tweeters for allison ones, or a musical fidelity x-a50 mono amp. Ive got my work cut out for me. Thus far it seems like i'll have an easier time finding the lost city of Atlantis, before i locate any of these items. But who knows, maybe i'll get lucky.
 
contact Larry at vintage-AR....recently he's been selling drivers for this series on ebay (mainly tweets and the 303 woofs, though)
 
Hey, thanks!

Sometimes that kind of failure can happen when speakers are used at party levels, and some particular piece of music has an large burst of energy right in the mid's operating range. Poof, both sides go, and the woofer and tweeter barely notice it. Could be a synth line or a very loud, but clean, guitar solo... lots of things. Or, maybe the speakers were used for vocal PA, where the mids were doing all the work.

It's weird, but often the second model down in a line will have certain pleasant characteristics that the TOTL doesn't, even if the TOTL has its own advantages. There are many examples from many companies. I have a few theories why this might happen so often, but nothing clearly definitive. Anyway, the 302 is no exception. It's leaner bottom end worked out well in many situations where the 303 was difficult to get happening. Back when I was into having speakers.... I used a pair of 303's in my recording studio, but 302's in one of my home systems.

-k
 
Hey, thanks!

Sometimes that kind of failure can happen when speakers are used at party levels, and some particular piece of music has an large burst of energy right in the mid's operating range. Poof, both sides go, and the woofer and tweeter barely notice it. Could be a synth line or a very loud, but clean, guitar solo... lots of things. Or, maybe the speakers were used for vocal PA, where the mids were doing all the work.

It's weird, but often the second model down in a line will have certain pleasant characteristics that the TOTL doesn't, even if the TOTL has its own advantages.

-k

while There is no pressing urgency to get them back in service , it would be nice to be able to get them back up and playing soon. It seems that I'm hunting down quite a few pieces of unobtainium as of late, but I'll be patient. I'm hoping that something will surface at a price that makes sense. I'd like to keep them original, but if patience wears, I'll consider a alternative mid-range driver solution (any suggestions ?)

I'll be sure that if I do find factory replacements to be mindful of tracks that live in the frequency range of "danger" for the mids.
Shame they can't just be repaired, they seem pretty bulletproof in build. I tried Jack Hidley and ABtech to see if they were sitting on a pair but that was a bust so I guess the hunt is on... Worst case, is they get parted out.

As far as the second model down characteristic theory? i definitely experienced that with headphones, Grado SR325i vs SR225i - There are just some things that the 225i does differently for my broader listening taste, but Jazz ( Aruan Ortiz, Francisco Mela, Esperanza Spalding??) and my favorite classic salsa artist ( Willie Colon, Eddie Palmeri, Tito Puente, etc) I'm all about the 325i
 
Last edited:
Finally... and they sound great!

I've had mixed results on finding elusive replacement drivers.. That wise old blind dude from that old show KUNG FU would probably have said... "Patience Grasshopper"
Well it's that and a bunch of searching and finger crossing.
The end result is a functional Pair of AR302's back from a premature Mid-range Driver death.

Norah Jones, Amos Lee , and Coltrane ( Deluxe Edition) sounds right at home coming through the 302's. It was certainly well worth all of the hunting to find the proper drivers.

Not much luck finding other AR302 users though. They must be busy listening. :) I don't blame them. The speakers sound great.

Post op photos prior to setting up for a listen.
_DSC8159.JPG


Just enough Battle Scars and Beauty marks to add character without looking beat to death.
_DSC8158.JPG


_DSC8161.JPG
 
Gorgeous! I love AR's. :D

From your photos it looks like you have quite the collection of components. What are you powering them with?
 
Very nice. I'd love to hear a pair.
My favorite Acoustic Research speakers are "later" models such as the Connoisseur 40t and the Classic 30. Both superb sounding.
 
are they real wood veneer or woodgrain vinyl?

I'd love to try out a pair from this series sometime...there were some 303a's about 80 miles from me on ebay a while back, but were too expensive for something I don't really need....
 
Gorgeous! I love AR's. :D

From your photos it looks like you have quite the collection of components. What are you powering them with?

There are various pieces of random audio junk around here. ( I'm still in downsizing mode too).
So far I've listened to them with the McIntosh MC7300 Amp/C28 Pre-Amp

Later I'll give them a go with an Accuphase P-300 . I'm also really interested in hearing them with the old Fisher system ( KX200 Integrated ) but that will have to wait in addition to hearing they A/B'ed with my old clunkers the AR3a.

are they real wood veneer or woodgrain vinyl?

Real wood veneer, which on this pair is in need of a bit of TLC. I'd be curious to see what they'd look like in a different natural wood veneer finish. doubt I'd go that far but who knows.
 
Last edited:
reviving the old thread.
what started out as one random set of speakers has become a family of 302's at my place. - I'm still impressed with what the AR302 can do and how well it compares to the Classic AR3a and AR5.

recently Paired with a Denon Poa 8200 and my favorite minimalist pre-amp The ARAGON 18K
they do little wrong. There's at least one AKer who found a set. Is anyone else using ( past or present) the 302 or 303 in their system . I'm excluding Ken Kantor who mentioned a while back that he had a set of 302's and gave his take on them. :)

_DSC9575.JPG



_DSC9576.JPG
 
They look nice! We're did you end up finding the mids?

I'm just starting a restoration on a set of AR LST-2's. All the tweeters are shot and I ordered the 6 replacements form parts express, recommended by Roy C., along with the caps needed for them. Your mids look just like mine. 3 of my screens were pushed in pretty good, but they still sounded fine. I've pulled the screens out.

I haven't seen yours before but they look like they should sound excellent.

Cheers!
 
They look nice! We're did you end up finding the mids?


...I haven't seen yours before but they look like they should sound excellent.

Cheers!

Took a while to find a set. I actually bought a pair of ar 11 mids and was just about to install them when an original pair of AR302/303 mids showed up for auction. Haven't seen a set since. Vintage ar parts wants a buck a piece for the tweeters.

The 302 is in my personal top 20 for best overall performance of lesser known speakers, in that same list are the

Acoustic energy aegis one
RDL Acoustics s-1 and Fs-1,
NHT pro A-10 monitor system ( killer amp too)
Elipson Orphee ( france)
Tangent Acoustics SPL 5 ( uk and canada)
Miller & kreisel bookshelf 75
Cambridge Soundworks Ambiance Oak.
Celestion SL600si
Mordaunt short ms10i pearl edition

and a bunch of other lesser known brand and model speakers.

The LST looks like something that Roy Allison and Winslow Burhoe would have made. Jointly. Cool looking speaker, never had an opportunity to hear a set. But they bear a slight resemblance to the Allison four , very slight.
 
My brother has a set of those mids that are NIB, he will probably die before letting them go... heh
 
Can't say I blame him. I just got lucky, otherwise I would have just used the AR11 mids in their place. I'd be interested in hearing the AR318 from that same line. but like the 302 and 303 , folks who have them aren't letting them go apparently.

I'd go as far to call the 302 a modern classic in terms of it's sonic capability. The fact that they're not easily found or that few folks have chatted them up on forums or reviews puts them in the realm of an unknown speaker rather than a cult classic. that's always subject to change though. Certainly did with the LS3/5a where on the other hand a pair of KEF REference 101 can be scooped up for less than one 3rd the price.
 
Back
Top Bottom