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Fully Restored/mint AR-90 appropriate price?

TunerLanding

TunerLanding

Active Member
Greetings all, I’ve been fortunate in my luck in upgrading my vinyl system to a more high end sound affordably (just picked up a TD-125 with SME 3009 for 650$ CAD.) I have an opportunity to locally procure a very nice pair of AR-90 speakers but the seller is adamant that he will take no less than $1000. Is this a good price? Am I crazy for not having them in my sound room already? I was originally hunting AR-9 speakers but in my smallish soundspace I’ve read that the 90s are better
 
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Hi Tuner,

$1000 to me seems high. The 90s would have to be in pristine condition, and not need any driver refoaming, for that much cash. Plus, if not done, those speakers should be recapped too. My 90s used Callins black/red NPE caps, and mine had failed. They'd drifted way out of spec, and sounded awful. Muted, muddy, with no high end. So, plan on some extra work, if the speakers need caps? That might be a good negotiating point....

Oh, 90s would be good for a smaller room. The speakers are designed to be against a wall, for proper bass loading. That gets them out of the way, at least.

Good luck.
 
StimpyWan said:
Hi Tuner,

$1000 to me seems high. The 90s would have to be in pristine condition, and not need any driver refoaming, for that much cash. Plus, if not done, those speakers should be recapped too. My 90s used Callins black/red NPE caps, and mine had failed. They'd drifted way out of spec, and sounded awful. Muted, muddy, with no high end. So, plan on some extra work, if the speakers need caps? That might be a good negotiating point....

Oh, 90s would be good for a smaller room. The speakers are designed to be against a wall, for proper bass loading. That gets them out of the way, at least.

Good luck.
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Thanks! I’ll ask about the caps. He says they have been refurbished and the surrounds done but not sure about the electronics. They never come up around Vancouver so I’m very interested in them
 
TunerLanding said:
Thanks! I’ll ask about the caps. He says they have been refurbished and the surrounds done but not sure about the electronics. They never come up around Vancouver so I’m very interested in them
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The 90s have about an 89dB efficiency, so not too bad to drive. Though, they do like good current delivery. That upper dome driver is very revealing, and a good front end helps. A speaker that definitely sounds better, the better it's feed. Good, neutral speakers, with a slightly warm balance. Bass isn't over powering, more deep and tight. No boom. Pretty much you'd need the AR9s to better the 90s.
 
Sounds like they are original caps (functioning well) only cabinet refurbished and driver foams were replaced. Mint grills. Might still have a look but I wish he’d take an offer.
 
TunerLanding said:
I have an opportunity to locally procure a very nice pair of AR-90 speakers but the seller is adamant that he will take no less than $1000.... I was originally hunting AR-9 speakers but in my smallish soundspace I’ve read that the 90s are better
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What happened to the ones you had as of the end of June?
 
Dswankey said:
What happened to the ones you had as of the end of June?
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I was duped they turned out to be the Acoustic Research AR-9 from the hi-res line in 99’. I still have them they are actually pretty good but apparently nothing like the 1979 version of that name. I’d love to compare them.
 
It sounds awesome at high volume with that sweet r-1050 sound but should I be hunting higher wattage? There’s an L-11 available locally at a reasonable price but I’ve been attached to the r-1050
 
TunerLanding said:
Got them. Blown away.
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Awesome! They look in great shape. Though, sometime in the near future, I'd pull a woofer and check the crossovers. If you see black & red Callins NPE caps, you should replace those. They do not age well. But, you might have grey Unicon NPE's, and those hold up very well. You could leave them in place. Larger silver can caps can be left too, as they typically test in spec.

TunerLanding said:
The R-1050 is barely adequate at halfway on the dial but I can’t believe the sweet sound detail I’m getting. Never heard bass detail like this.
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I originally ran my 90s with a 40wpc NAD 3140. It was a high current amp, and did OK. I've also used an Amber Series 70 amp, with better results. Currently, I have an Adcom GFA-5400, which outputs 200wpc into the 90's 4 Ohm load. That works really well and sounds great.
 
StimpyWan said:
Awesome! They look in great shape. Though, sometime in the near future, I'd pull a woofer and check the crossovers. If you see black & red Callins NPE caps, you should replace those. They do not age well. But, you might have grey Unicon NPE's, and those hold up very well. You could leave them in place. Larger silver can caps can be left too, as they typically test in spec.



I originally ran my 90s with a 40wpc NAD 3140. It was a high current amp, and did OK. I've also used an Amber Series 70 amp, with better results. Currently, I have an Adcom GFA-5400, which outputs 200wpc into the 90's 4 Ohm load. That works really well and sounds great.
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They are incredible sounding, the 60 wpc Luxman is satisfying me at the moment. I’ll keep my eyes open for a higher powered lux or Sansui down the road. The imaging is fascinating, standing adjacent to the speakers I get a different profile than in front and all around the room. They are Ventriloquist speakers!
 
I had a pair of AR-9s initially powered by a Carver M1.5t and thought that was amazing; that is until I matched them with a Sansui BA-5000. That combo was nothing short of a wall of dynamic sound similar to a live performance. Then again, you really need the space to pull that off, and your system is excellent for your situation. :beatnik:
 
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