Miles Davis & AR-3a

[cspyon]

I've always been wondering about this picture of Miles Davis posing with AR-3a speakers. Was it part of AR's PR ads, or was Miles really a fan of AR-3a? I hear these vintage speakers are good for jazz, so I'm curious. Any idea?

 

[Dswankey]

I've always been wondering about this picture of Miles Davis posing with AR-3a speakers. Was it part of AR's PR ads, or was Miles really a fan of AR-3a?

I would think so as I doubt Miles let AR use his likeness in an add without his consent as to if he was really a fan who knows.

Fwiw,

Other jazz artists did ad's for AR

Louis Armstrong



Don Ellis



Woody Herman

 

[cspyon]

I would think so as I doubt Miles let AR use his likeness in an add without his consent as to if he was really a fan who knows.

Fwiw,

Other jazz artists did ad's for AR

Louis Armstrong

View attachment 3428574

Don Ellis

View attachment 3428577

Woody Herman

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Interesting. I wonder if they got paid for their ads back then.

 

[Dswankey]

^ I would think they did

See link below (Paragraph 8)

The History Of Acoustic Research / AR

Acoustic Research, Inc. (AR) was founded in 1952 and incorporated on August 10, 1954, by audio pioneer, writer, inventor, researcher and audio-electronics teacher Edgar Villchur and his student, Henry Kloss. AR was established to produce the $185 model AR-1, a loudspeaker design incorporating...

auralhifi.com

 

[homebrew]

Davis and Woody Herman liked AR speakers? With the way they have them positioned on the floor they must have liked bloated bass and muted highs.

 

[J.Sz.]

These are only advertising photos - these speakers cannot be listened to when they are placed on the floor - they must be a meter from the floor.

 

[rothwellaudio]

Davis and Woody Herman liked AR speakers? With the way they have them positioned on the floor they must have liked bloated bass and muted highs.

Well, Davis was a well-known fan of the Harmon mute.

 

[Apreggiator]

Nothing to add about the connection between Miles Davis and AR, but he was probably spending more time listening to stage- and studio monitors than to whatever he had at home.

 

[visman]

I don’t know this as fact but I would guess these types of ads were done mostly for the $$. I don’t think jazz musicians of that era were rolling in dough.

 

[kirk57]

There was also an ad with Judy Collins for the AR-4x

 

[Sammcamos]

I would think that all of them were compensated for their ads, though I think the easiest system to prove would be the Louis Armstrong ad, since they have one of his stereo systems on display in Queens. He pretty famously used Tandberg and Philips tape decks, which are in that photo.

 

[borchee]

When the man finally realised what he was missing.