Would you do it?

stuckinthe70s

stuckinthe70s

Active Member
I currently own a decent pair of AR-3 speakers that I will not be giving up until I'm 6 ft under. The cabs are pretty good, a few scratches on top but nothing broke or missing. The grills are off because the frames are broken and the cloth is yellowed and very stiff. There seems to be an issue with the woofers, that is when I hit around 100 watt peaks, I get a popping sound from the woofers. They both do it, it's not the amp cause I've had 3 different amps and 2 preamps hooked up with no difference. Other than that, they sound lovely.

So the question is- I found a source today for a nice set of 3a's. It's a retailer that has them. The cabs are very nice, the grill cloth has been replaced with something that looks close to original and he says they are 100% functional. They are not cheap though- $450 for the pair(he actually has them priced at $225 ea. Why, I don't know)So I can can see them, touch, listen to them in his shop as long as I like and there's no shipping costs involved. If I decide to go back for them, I will insist on pulling the grills to have a look at the drivers.

So, would you do it if you love AR speakers?


BTW- I need these like I need an amputation.
 
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Not that my opinion matters, but I'd sink a little coin into your existing pair of AR-3's before spending it on another pair - unless you want more speakers.
 
Would a woofer recone be an option? I'm sure that it would cost much less than $450, though it wouldn't solve the problem with the grilles.

Not to take anything away from the AR-3, but my hunch is that you could do better for $450. There were a lot of good speakers produced in the 80's and 90's that can be had for little these days.
 
You could also try removing the woofers and re-installing them upside down from their original position. It may be too late but the voice coils and cone may have settled off center somewhat over the years and reversing their position may help. It's a long shot but it's also a no cost long shot.
 
Nothing wrong with the woofers that are in your cabinets. The voice coils are bottoming out on the magnets.

Chances are the other AR's won't be much different. A lot of older speakers like these will do this before you here "normal" audible distortion.

If you don't have a problem with modifying the speakers you could upgrade the woofers. If you get close to the same efficiency it shouldn't change the sound all that much (other than curing your popping noise). Chances are you could find something that would work without having to modify the cabinet which could effect their resale value.
 
For $450? Not a chance, not when you already have a pair. Whats to say you don't get the exact same problem with the "new" ones - and then you are out $450!

Grill cloth is cheap, the exterior can be redone for $20 and some time.

How often are you pushing 100 watts at these things? Throttle back to 90 watts as you search for a replacement pair of woofers (good) or perhaps research having those totally rebuilt/re-coned (best).

That's my humble opinion.

//Smorgy
 
$450 for a nice pair isn't out of line compared to what original untouched sets with nice pictures and write-ups have been bringing on Ebay. I myself wouldn't pay that for an unrestored pair, knowing full well how much work vintage ARs usually need to sound their best.

For that kind of money, I'd want to know what kind of refurb has been done besides grill cloth. How were the pots handled? Cleaned? Modified via bypassing or L-pads? Have the capacitors been replaced? Have they been refoamed (if a later driver)?

If they've had a lot work done and executed in a "good guy" way, I don't think $450 is too high. On the other hand, you could probably make your current pair of AR-3 sing for a lot less than that.
 
stuckinthe70s said:
I currently own a decent pair of AR-3 speakers that I will not be giving up until I'm 6 ft under.

So the question is- I found a source today for a nice set of 3a's.

So, would you do it if you love AR speakers?
Click to expand...

The 3a is an updated version of the venerable AR-3. Some folks actually prefer the 3 to the 3a. They do have a different sound and I've attached a test report that compares the two.

Hope this helps ...

Regards,
Jerry

PS: If you desire a new audio expereince with AR's, try bi-amping your AR-3's. All it will cost you is the time to dust off a mid power amp/receiver that you have sitting in your basement. With bi-amping, you can easily make your AR-3's sound like AR-3a's.
 

Attachments

stuckinthe70s said:
There seems to be an issue with the woofers, that is when I hit around 100 watt peaks, I get a popping sound from the woofers.
Click to expand...

This makes me wonder if there isn't an unwanted air leak somewhere.:scratch2:

How does the woofer act if you push it in by hand? It should return very slowly.
 
$450 is a lot less than 3as usually sell for around here, so I would seriously consider getting them.

That said, if you can repair your 3s and bi-amp them as onplane suggests, then maybe you'll be happy with those and can put the $450 into something else that will make a bigger difference in your system. That might be a more sensible approach to maximizing your overall audio satisfaction per buck spent.

:scratch2: The fact that you say you need these like you need an amputation is probably an important thing to consider, too!
 
lguise said:
i'd have the woofers reconed...
Click to expand...
I do not know of a source that can replicate the AR woofer cone material. Re-coning is not really an option here AFAIK.

DENNYDOG said:
Nothing wrong with the woofers that are in your cabinets. The voice coils are bottoming out on the magnets.
Click to expand...
Over-driving. Turn it down, or you'll be buying a new pair whether you want to or not. :yes:

$450? I've seen 3a's in nice condition go for more in the past, I don't know what the current "market" value is.
 
Turn OFF the loudness control, turn ON your subsonic filter, and set the bass flat.

AR3s do not have West Coast head-banging rock-the-house and boom-yer-brains-out bass capability.... :no:
 
stuckinthe70s said:
I need these like I need an amputation.
Click to expand...

So the question is how much do you want another pair of speakers that you already know you don't need?

I don't think that there's any technical answer possible for that one.

I doubt that the question of whether or not the price is fair is going to make much of a difference, either.
 
Zilch said:
Turn OFF the loudness control, turn ON your subsonic filter, and set the bass flat.

AR3s do not have West Coast head-banging rock-the-house and boom-yer-brains-out bass capability.... :no:
Click to expand...

Zilch, I agree with your 2nd point. Volume was not really addressed in the AR product line until the TSW's. The TSW's had carbon filled poly cone woofers and both mid and tweeter had fluid cooling.

Nevertheless, where the AR-3's shine is depth of clean bass. If you like jazz where it's common for the double bass player to walk up and down the scales, AR's will reproduce all of the notes. That is, you can easily distinguish between the individual notes.

As for your 1st point, sending less bass (via loudness and tone controls) will help on woofer bottoming, but the other drivers weren’t really designed for high power consumption. I guess my point is if you are pushing the woofers so hard they are bottoming, you are probably pushing the mid and tweeter beyond their limits as well.

Regards,
Jerry
 
Zilch said:
Turn OFF the loudness control, turn ON your subsonic filter, and set the bass flat.

AR3s do not have West Coast head-banging rock-the-house and boom-yer-brains-out bass capability.... :no:
Click to expand...


pretty much what I was gonna say :D

also, some receivers, even when set 'flat' are not truly flat . . . One of my Marantz receivers (2226 I think?) I SWEAR has a little bass boost built in . . . I routinely cut the bass by two clicks when I use this one in my system. . .
 
MarkAnderson said:
This makes me wonder if there isn't an unwanted air leak somewhere.:scratch2:

How does the woofer act if you push it in by hand? It should return very slowly.
Click to expand...
When I push in on the woofer, it feels heavily damped, like a shock absorber- it returns slowly. I don't think I have an air leak, I used foam weatherstrip on the sealing surface of the woofer after I pulled them to replace the controls.
 
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