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Why is the AR 3A so desirable?

The AR 3 and 3a are small ? I get good dynamics from my AR 6's with a 50 watt Marantz PM 5005. I have owned Belle Klipsch which were more dynamic but had so many other flaws, I hated them.
 
johnjhazel said:
The AR 3 and 3a are small ? I get good dynamics from my AR 6's with a 50 watt Marantz PM 5005. I have owned Belle Klipsch which were more dynamic but had so many other flaws, I hated them.
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Yes, I think the AR3 is small if we go small or large but concede that if we go small-medium-large it would be medium. I too get surprisingly good dynamics from a considerably smaller speaker using 50 watts but dynamically my Altec VOTs and other large speakers I had were in a different league. I know what you mean about the Belles; I was once very keen on LaScalas. Once.
 
@frankmarsi[/USER] is spot on in his view as is @Bodyblue and @E-Stat.

This is less about cranking it up to impress the “whoever’s”. It is really about giving a set of inefficient speakers some “breathing” room where they can demonstrate their true potential with the power to address the dynamic range of recorded music.

Think 1776 Overture. One does not have to have the volume cranked in order to enjoy this masterpiece. However, when the cannon shots appear, it’s really good to have the additional headroom to allow this to be enjoyed, even at low volumes.
Same would hold true for Pink Floyd’s “ Dark Side Of The Moon”

That said, there are those that will state that the volumes that they listen at simply do not warrant additional power over and above what they have. I get it and there’s no argument here as that will not be a fruitful discussion.

Rather, I am of the the mind that go more than you think you need. It won’t cost that much more but the headroom value that will be realized will be worth it.

Just say’n…[/QUOTE]


@THF2, I appreciate your recognition of my previous post however, if I may ask, did you mean the 1812 Overture? An excellent piece of music that I have several renditions of it on different vinyl labels.
My favorite is one from 1956-7 or so in mono on the Columbia label. It's a very worn record that my eldest sister used to musically educate her pupils as she was a NYC public school teacher.

 
Tom Brennan said:
Yes, I think the AR3 is small if we go small or large but concede that if we go small-medium-large it would be medium. I too get surprisingly good dynamics from a considerably smaller speaker using 50 watts but dynamically my Altec VOTs and other large speakers I had were in a different league. I know what you mean about the Belles; I was once very keen on LaScalas. Once.
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I never had a chance to hear Altec's in a home environment. I'm old enough that I probably heard them in theaters.
 
Good PR and peoples willing ness to give up dynamics for extended frequency bass. Lower bass distortion, too. But all the dynamics are gone. 86 db 4 ft 1 watt rated at 35 watts rms. Add 6 db peak capability thats about 94 db at 1 foot 4 watts and 107 db 4 ft at 140 watts peak or 97 db at 10 ft. Concert level with a pop recording compressed. But how are you going to reach TX levels for HT of 100 db and and concert levels at 30 ft of 104 db. Your not. And long sustain loud passages are going to kill the midrange and tweeter. So its a great casual music listening speaker, sort of lofi mid fi. But if you're after Hifi then look else where. Most small compact speakers built today are casual listening speakers.
 
One can still have lifelike dynamic contrast at lower levels without the peak level of a front row live performance. High listening levels drive the hearing process into protective compression as it is, I try to avoid that without losing the substance of the total blend of sound.
Getting good dynamics shouldn't mean sacrificing other aspects of SQ.
 
frankmarsi said:
@frankmarsi[/USER] is spot on in his view as is @Bodyblue and @E-Stat.

This is less about cranking it up to impress the “whoever’s”. It is really about giving a set of inefficient speakers some “breathing” room where they can demonstrate their true potential with the power to address the dynamic range of recorded music.

Think 1776 Overture. One does not have to have the volume cranked in order to enjoy this masterpiece. However, when the cannon shots appear, it’s really good to have the additional headroom to allow this to be enjoyed, even at low volumes.
Same would hold true for Pink Floyd’s “ Dark Side Of The Moon”

That said, there are those that will state that the volumes that they listen at simply do not warrant additional power over and above what they have. I get it and there’s no argument here as that will not be a fruitful discussion.

Rather, I am of the the mind that go more than you think you need. It won’t cost that much more but the headroom value that will be realized will be worth it.

Just say’n…
Click to expand...


@THF2, I appreciate your recognition of my previous post however, if I may ask, did you mean the 1812 Overture? An excellent piece of music that I have several renditions of it on different vinyl labels.
My favorite is one from 1956-7 or so in mono on the Columbia label. It's a very worn record that my eldest sister used to musically educate her pupils as she was a NYC public school teacher.

[/QUOTE]
@frankmarsi, I stand corrected! Thank you. Sometimes these late night posts tend to drift out of accuracy.
 
If one prefers direct radiators to horns realistic dynamics be achieved with large arrays of direct radiators, along the lines of a Bozak Concert Grand say. I heard impressive dynamics from the large Sound Lab, a direct radiator using a very large electrostatic driver.

The DIY system shown below was built by a friend and is a direct radiator with impressive dynamics. It consists of a monopole B&G planar magnetic driver and 4 18" Eminence drivers used as dipoles--open baffle as they say. It needed lots of power as it was EQed to compensate for the roll off of the dipolar woofers.

B267C88C-88EE-4E1B-A337-ED8DF6745CC2.jpeg
 
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quiet said:
More power Scotty! We need more Power!
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a neighbor up the road was over listening for a half hour. He was noting how clear and undistorted my stuff was even though I turned it past good listening levels. Sometimes, some music i may blast it a little and he hears it at his house a bit, but it's rare.
So as he was leaving he says he wants to buy amps and have 1000 watts in his basement. :yikes: He has lots of records and I ask what music. He tells me he used to run raves back when they were popular and that is what he has..:idea: He has the money. Waiting to see how it go's.... :eek:
 
quiet said:
1000 watts. That sounds like a radio station advertising it's broadcasting power.
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746 watts = 1 horsepower. That’s the right way to measure amplifier power.

My largest amp is rated at 350 w/ch, but I’m sure it can do a total of a horsepower. Not that I’ve ever pushed it that far, even when I’m the only one home.
 
gkimeng said:
I suspect that a lot of the people lusting after AR-3a's today weren't old enough to drive anything when they were new.
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Are you sure that’s not 1971 ? When I got this turntable I thought it was a newer hot item at a very reasonable price.
The reviews at the time were great and all were shocked at the low price of $58 !
 
The AR 3a (and Heathkit RS 103, same speaker with the 5 year AR warranty in kit form ) were and still are excellent speakers. Their acoustic suspension design was a break through as was their dome midrange and tweeter designs. Materials have improved but people love their sound and pay a premium for them just like tube McIntosh, Marantz and older cars. I image they will stay collectable. Generally most people seemed to place them on very low floor stands which had a slight tilt.
 
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