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Why is the AR 3A so desirable?

Onebean

Onebean

AK Subscriber
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I'm loving my KLH and ADS vintage speakers, and I really like the size of them. They look good on stands, and they can reproduce real bass with the need for a sub woofer. So of course, in true hoarding fashion, I look for other speakers in that basic arrangement. I see AR 3A's popping up for sale quite often, and the prices seem to be climbing. What is it about the AR 3A that makes them so special? Imaging, liquid mid range, deep tight bass, smooth extended highs, maybe even all the above??? I've read they like power, so tube amps are probably out. Are they difficult to drive? Is it all nostalgia and hype??? Is there anything newer and cheaper that can match their best qualities and compete with them? If you've spent some time with the AR 3A, please drop some knowledge on me.

Onebean
 
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All of the above. Plus, the AR-3/3a had a specifically designed frequency response, that appealed to classical music lovers. So, many pairs sold for that reason too.

Also, the AR-3/3a has a significant place in audio history. The AR-3 was the first speaker with a 12" woofer, along with a dome mid-range and a dome tweeter. One of the greats.
 
The Fall 2019 issue of The Absolute Sound listed the AR 3a as one of the "15 most significant loudspeakers of all time". Partly because it was a pioneer of acoustic suspension design as well as the points SW made above.
That kind of write up may make prices rise in the future.

Added--- As OJ mentioned below, they are extremely ugly with the grilles off. Crude looking.
Added again--- OOOOOPS, I was thinking of the AR 3's, not 3A.
 
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They may sound great (and they indeed do) but lord, what an ugly speaker. I passed on a pair at 300 bucks not too long ago, simply because those pots ALWAYS need work, and basket sag, and I didn't need another project.

But be certain, they do sound pretty damn good.
 
NH-MAN said:
I have seen them listed around here $1,000 and beyond.
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Yep, I think that's the sellers' expectation for them. We have an FB group (well several actually) over here for audio enthusiasts etc and I've seen this pair of ARs mentioned on there along with the figure of $1k. Obviously not getting into the 'whether they are worth it' duscussion because that's for a different forum :) Of course, taking into account exchange rates etc that means these would need to realise around $1.7K NZ !!!
 
I’ve never had 3a’s, but I painstaking restored a pair of 3’s a while back. Yes the pots were 100% bad and needed replacement. They required a lot of TLC to get them back to top shape. They are a super high quality speaker, no doubt about it. The cabinets are heavy as hell and beautiful to look at. My only beef with them (and other inefficient acoustic suspension speakers) is that they need big SS power to make them come alive - and Ive found I just prefer the sound of lower powered tube amps paired with more efficient speakers. I used mine with an MC2300, and my tube preamp so they had plenty of quality power. They sounded very nice, but I also have a pair of AR9’s and they have a similar sonic presentation but on a much larger scale. So, I kept the 9’s and moved the 3’s along.
 
The history of the AR-3 and then the AR-3a is the reason these sell for way more than the sonic bliss they provide. Sure they are great speakers for their time. Used to need a speaker half the size of a car to provide the bass these provide because of their design...Acoustic Suspension. That and the fact that AR was a Major producer of speakers, what, more than a third of the all speakers sold per year at one time?

With that history and the discussion of it on the audio rags and there is a building demand. Add to this the demand from overseas to have the early great gear from the US which was hard to get back then.

Sure they sound good, I had AR-5s new back then and they are a very nice sounding speaker that some prefer others do not, 10" vs. 12" woofer, 8Ω vs 4Ω speaker also. The 4Ω AR-3/3a was to allow the amps of the time to have a bit more oomph to drive the hungry AR-3/3a.

And many more reasons.

There are lots of speakers that can equal and exceed the performance of the ARs today. So much technology, materials of construction and experience allows better to be available for less. If not the AR-3/3a would have had a 50 year life span still being made.

I think the pricing is over the top but this is based on the demand for these from many different regions. Just like some of the receivers that are way overpriced because more than one person wants it when it shows up in a bidding situation.
 
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Blue Shadow said:
The history of the AR-3 and then the AR-3a is the reason these sell for way more than the sonic bliss they provide. Sure they are great speakers for their time. Used to need a speaker half the size of a car to provide the bass these provide because of their design...Acoustic Suspension. That and the fact that AR was a Major producer of speakers, what more than a third of the all speakers at one time?

With that history and the discussion of it on the audio rags and there is a building demand. Add to this the demand from overseas to have the early great gear from the US which was hard to get back then.

Sure they sound good, I had AR-5s new back then and they are a very nice sounding speaker that some prefer others do not, 10" vs. 12" woofer, 8Ω vs 4Ω speaker also. This to allow the amps of the time to have a bit more oomph to drive the hungry AR-3/3a.

And many more reasons.

There are lots of speakers that can equal and exceed the performance of the ARs today. So much technology, materials of construction and experience allows better to be available for less. If not the AR-3/3a would have had a 40 year life span still being made.

I think the pricing is over the top but this is based on the demand for these from many different regions. Just like some of the receivers that are way overpriced because more than one person wants it when it shows up in a bidding situation.
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To build the 3/3a today would require a higher retail price than $1000, just sayin.
 
Grenadeslio said:
To build the 3/3a today would require a higher retail price than $1000, just sayin.
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yes, but the baffle board would look like a finished piece and not a 3-year olds glue together toy, hand painted by his younger brother.

Just cause they would cost a g to build today doesn't mean there isn't a pile of speakers out there that are better sounding for the money.
 
Great info, thank you and keep it coming. I enjoying hearing you opinions. My take on them visually is like others have mentioned here. The cabinet work looks very nice. Take off the grills and they look terrible. The first set I saw with the grills removed and the guy asking $1000 for them, I laughed. Shows you what I know.
 
I have a nice pair of 3a's I restored that sound great, but every month or so the pots start acting up again. I need new grill cloth and to replace the pots for them to be their best, but I also have their Heathkit twins that need nothing but a nice powerful amp to really impress. AR-11's have always been my favorites though, basically a very improved version of the 3a with better sounding highs. The Heatkits are cool with their hippy retro grill cloth, I have them hooked to my Soundcraftsman MA5002 amp at the moment.

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I adore my early, cloth surround 3a's. 105 watts does them well.

Grew up not faor from AR's home, and wanted them when I was young, but no way could I afford them.

KLH Model Five's will bring one very close to the 3a for a lot less cost, if that's something you desire.
 
Pio1980 said:
The white paper scientific research that went into the early generation AR/Villchur efforts is exceptionally impressive.
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Harry Olson at RCA had the acoustic suspension notion first though I don't think he did anything about it. Anyway, that's supposedly why AR was unable to patent the method. Not much got by Olson.
 
nolasally said:
AR-11's all the way. Sell for pennies compared to AR3's. AR3 are in the smithsonian and the AR1 with Altec/WE 755 full ranger is even higher than AR3... and sound worse IMHO!!!
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The 2-way 8" woofer variants are all excellent small speakers that don't sound small, from the AR-4 to the Rock Partner mini-monitors.
 
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