AR Classic 18 added to the collection

[Fasterdamnit]

Some of the rare Classic series from AR.
Trapezoidal cabinets, MTM mid/tweeter layout and rubber surrounds. I have a nice summer cold so I cannot give a truly critical review til my ears clear up. I will say I am impressed so far and don't hear anything that makes me say "Recap that crossover, pronto!". Other than a little clean up and wipe down with Howard's, I have yet to dig into them. Very nice veneer. Bass does not go quite as low as the big RSIIIa's, but what is there is very crisp and detailed.

 

[Joshewah]

Wow those are sexy. Approximately what year were these released?

 

[Fasterdamnit]

Wow those are sexy. Approximately what year were these released?

Thanks, J! I believe they were mfr'd in '93 and only for one year.

 

[theophile]

I've never seen that series either. I was expecting to see an AR 18 variant. :scratch2:

 

[Fasterdamnit]

Check this out-

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/...classic_brochure/ar_classic_brochure_pg1.html

 

[tubed]

Very nice!
That line is well crafted, has refined qualities and utterly pleasing sound.
The Classic 30 is the least vintage speaker I have for "contemporary" listening and is by far my favorito Acoustic Research model:thmbsp:.

 

[Fasterdamnit]

Very nice!
That line is well crafted, has refined qualities and utterly pleasing sound.
The Classic 30 is the least vintage speaker I have for "contemporary" listening and is by far my favorito Acoustic Research model:thmbsp:.

I would love to hear the 18's big brother! The HPM200's are no slouch, either... :yes:


I will pull a driver and get some nekkid pictures.

 

[Fasterdamnit]

Crossover, Woofer and inside the cabinet

Looks like quality components. Check the wire and that thick brace. There is another one right above the woofer and the bottom brace is about two inches off the bottom of the cabinet. A pair of 100uf, one 50uf and one 24uf electrolytic caps with one 8uf film cap in the crossover.

 

[audiojones]

Huh, not what I expected to see - guess I'm thinking of the original AR18? They really ought to use a different number series for new models (there's another AR3 out there too) as it gets kinda confoozing. Nicely built speakers though, looks like they put some time and effort into them!

 

[mr.jones]

Very classy looking speaker!

 

[Joshewah]

Check this out-

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/...classic_brochure/ar_classic_brochure_pg1.html

After reading that brochure I find it kind of funny that those gigantic Model 30s can apparently only dig 4Hz deeper than your Model 18s.

 

[Fasterdamnit]

Crossover schematic

From Classic Speaker Pages

 

[Fasterdamnit]

Recap done!

Big electrolytics bypassed with .01uf Dayton film. Had some 6uf Panasonics in the cap bin so added them to Solen 18uf for the 24uf. Bypassed the 8uf Solen for the tweeter with Russian teflon .1uf. Note the nice standoffs on the pc board and coil placement. AR did some nice work in these.

These are VERY good speakers fellas! Dynamics and details are impressive. I fired up a tuner to classical just to let them burn in this evening and wound up sitting and listening to Mozart for almost 30 minutes. :yes:

 

[tubed]

After reading that brochure I find it kind of funny that those gigantic Model 30s can apparently only dig 4Hz deeper than your Model 18s.

The Classic 30 is rated/measured at 38Hz.
The low frequencies do sound quite a bit deeper/lower to my ears. Perhaps the 38Hz is a measure of flatness to that point, I wouldn't be that surprised.

 

[Big Bill]

I heard this pair when they belonged to the previous owner. They were fantastic then, I can only imagine how nice they sound post re-cap!

 

[HypnoToad]

There's a twister going through North Carolina.

It's sucking up all the quality gear in the area, nothing is safe, JBL's, Martin Logans, AR's and it's dropping it all in someones lounge.

Seriously though they look fantastic and I bet they sound fantastic also, congratulations, again.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

Very nice!
That line is well crafted, has refined qualities and utterly pleasing sound.
The Classic 30 is the least vintage speaker I have for "contemporary" listening and is by far my favorito Acoustic Research model:thmbsp:.

"Oh my! ... That's a big one!"

 

[macd23]

Jim, Im interested on your thoughts on how that recap affected the sound. Is that a Russian Teflon in there?

 

[Fasterdamnit]

I heard this pair when they belonged to the previous owner. They were fantastic then, I can only imagine how nice they sound post re-cap!

They rival the ML's in clarity and detail but have just a bit more dynamics. Excellent imaging, but still not quite the holographic stage set by the ML's.
I am impressed.

There's a twister going through North Carolina.

It's sucking up all the quality gear in the area, nothing is safe, JBL's, Martin Logans, AR's and it's dropping it all in someones lounge.

Seriously though they look fantastic and I bet they sound fantastic also, congratulations, again.

Thanks, Phillip! The JBL's are now with a fine young fellow in Atlanta. I do need to move some smaller bookshelf speakers to gain some room. :yes:

"Oh my! ... That's a big one!"

I get that a lot...

Jim, Im interested on your thoughts on how that recap affected the sound. Is that a Russian Teflon in there?

Yup, it is. I think I can say now that I have done so many different types of speakers that the results are pretty consistent. Just you like you heard with the Bozaks, the clarity improves. Both due to tightening the crossover points and going from electrolytic to film. These were very good but now are just fabulous in clarity and detail. The transients are just crystal clear. Snare drums and cymbals just shimmer. A crossover is where caps really make a difference. :guitar:

 

[Big Bill]

I get that a lot...

You wish!