Is this receiver OK to use with AR-3a's? It has a switch for 4 ohm speakers.

Hanleyster

Hanleyster

ambitious but rubbish
I have a similar receiver, although a bit more powerful hooked up to my AR-3a's. I havent had any issues, although it sure is heating up the room.

Would I notice any differences if I switched to a more serious power amplifier? I only ever listen to low and normal volumes after the kids have gone to sleep.

Does the 4 ohm switch on the back keep me out of any sort of troubles?
 
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Does it have at least 120 Watts/Channel of very high current into that 4 Ohms nominal? Can it handle dipping below the 4 ohms with frequency. Said receiver must also be stable and well behaved into this load. A/V need not apply.
 
Agree with Kent, please remember that the AR3A dips to below two ohms with the tweeter control at maximum, this caused the demise of many a SS receiver back in the day.

The more power the better, I remember the first time I heard 3a's with a Phase Linear 700 back in the mid 70's, it was like omg, this is what this speaker needed all along. This was after hearing them countless
times with 50 to 100 watts.
 
orthophonic said:
If you mean what brands I have seen AR3's blow up, Sony, Fisher, Pioneer and Scott to name a few in the early 70's.
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Opps, sorry, it was for the OP.
"This receiver" and "similar receiver" were kinda vague.
The 4 ohm switch does make the pairing better than not having a 4 ohm switch.
Perhaps knowing manuf. and models would help get a definitive answer.
 
Sorry the link didn't come through, its just a semi-high end YAMAHA home theater receiver that is rated at 110wpc. Probably something like $400 in todays market. Nothing crazy but nothing amazing.
 
If you're going to mess with low impedance speakers perhaps a power amp would be a better choice. Most pro amps are rated for 2 ohms operation and usually can be had for relatively short money...less than the $400 mentioned.
 
This, gentlemen, is a separates job. Not a receiver job. Barest minimum I know of which won't melt driving an AR3A is a McIntosh MC 250/2505 or MC 2100/MC2105, both of which have very high current and handle this load without drama on the 4 ohm tap.
 
I am using the AR-3a's as my mains in my surround sound.. I guess I can use the pre-outs and power them with my audiosource AMP TWO. I am just trying to avoid a huge stack of stuff.
 
I use a Marantz PM11S2 integrated with my 3a. 110W/ch into 8 ohms, double that into 4 ohms. Works great, even with the speaker tweeter controls turned fairly far up. The amp shows no signs of distress, although I only listen at low to moderate levels in a fairly large room. The drivers are all original, although I have recapped the crossovers.
 
I know this is an old thread, and I've been asking this question in a few other forums so sorry if this is a repeat for some. I'm presently stacking a pair of AR3's with a pair of 3a's. Have a McIntosh MC2300 driving them, and the speakers are connected to the amp's 2 ohm taps. Given that the speakers can dip below 2 ohms with the tweeter control at max(where I have it) and would it make more sense to connect at the 1 ohm(or even the .5 ohm taps that are available) on the 2300? Thanks.
 
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