Hey all - I think I can offer my 2 cents since a) I know where the speakers originally came from and b) it's my listing! LOL!
I purchased these speakers from a gentleman named Jorge who was the production line manager for AR for 25 years from the 1970s until they moved from Norwood, MA to Benicia, CA. Jorge's last task before AR relocated was to empty the warehouse and office of any product that was not being shipped to California. This pair were part of a set of 4 pair that were made prior to export. They do not have serial numbers. Jorge said that the West Coast distributor was given a pair to test, their HK counterpart was given a pair to test, and 2 pair were kept at the factory in Norwood: this one, and one other whose location is unknown.
According to Jorge, these speakers were in the testing lab and were slated to be thrown in a dumpster, but he decided to take them home instead as a sort of souvenir. He held onto them, in perfect condition, until I acquired them from him about 2 years ago. Jorge and his wife sold their house in Medford, MA and relocated to Florida. I purchased a number of other speakers from him, including M4.5, M6, AR11, several drivers, paperwork, posters, and a pair of Prototype AR934 (think a bookshelf-sized version of the 93 and 94 smooshed into one).
The AR3a in question are vinyl wrapped, use AR/Teledyne drivers that were made at the Norwood factory using all of AR/Teledyne's original tooling. The cabinets are indeed vinyl wrapped. The crossovers are well-constructed and mounted on PCBs, not point-to-point wired. If memory serves, they use a combination of electrolytic and film caps. The rear controls are L-pads, not potentiometers. These speakers have more in common with the AR303 than the original AR3a in many respects, BUT they play and look like AR3a. The grille cloth is original AR linen and not a remake. Jorge told me that the president of the company was approached by their west coast distributor to remake the AR3a to meet Asian demand. It was more of a challenge than a request, and the 1990/91 remake was born. It is correct that they were made specifically for the HK market for only 2 years.
In terms of pricing, yes, they are on the high side. But we regularly sell run-of-the-mill restored AR3a speakers for between $1,500 and $1,750 at our shop. I don't think that our asking price is a far stretch for an export-only model in exceptional condition, and with this history, and with this performance.
Happy to answer any other questions via direct message. They are very special and looking for a new home!
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...3a-japan-reissue-very-rare-price-drop.981136/
I purchased these speakers from a gentleman named Jorge who was the production line manager for AR for 25 years from the 1970s until they moved from Norwood, MA to Benicia, CA. Jorge's last task before AR relocated was to empty the warehouse and office of any product that was not being shipped to California. This pair were part of a set of 4 pair that were made prior to export. They do not have serial numbers. Jorge said that the West Coast distributor was given a pair to test, their HK counterpart was given a pair to test, and 2 pair were kept at the factory in Norwood: this one, and one other whose location is unknown.
According to Jorge, these speakers were in the testing lab and were slated to be thrown in a dumpster, but he decided to take them home instead as a sort of souvenir. He held onto them, in perfect condition, until I acquired them from him about 2 years ago. Jorge and his wife sold their house in Medford, MA and relocated to Florida. I purchased a number of other speakers from him, including M4.5, M6, AR11, several drivers, paperwork, posters, and a pair of Prototype AR934 (think a bookshelf-sized version of the 93 and 94 smooshed into one).
The AR3a in question are vinyl wrapped, use AR/Teledyne drivers that were made at the Norwood factory using all of AR/Teledyne's original tooling. The cabinets are indeed vinyl wrapped. The crossovers are well-constructed and mounted on PCBs, not point-to-point wired. If memory serves, they use a combination of electrolytic and film caps. The rear controls are L-pads, not potentiometers. These speakers have more in common with the AR303 than the original AR3a in many respects, BUT they play and look like AR3a. The grille cloth is original AR linen and not a remake. Jorge told me that the president of the company was approached by their west coast distributor to remake the AR3a to meet Asian demand. It was more of a challenge than a request, and the 1990/91 remake was born. It is correct that they were made specifically for the HK market for only 2 years.
In terms of pricing, yes, they are on the high side. But we regularly sell run-of-the-mill restored AR3a speakers for between $1,500 and $1,750 at our shop. I don't think that our asking price is a far stretch for an export-only model in exceptional condition, and with this history, and with this performance.
Happy to answer any other questions via direct message. They are very special and looking for a new home!
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...3a-japan-reissue-very-rare-price-drop.981136/
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