Acoustic Research Ar3a Review
For the last couple of months I've been listening to and reviewing Acoustic Research loudspeakers. Joe Nino-Hernes has been heavily involved in this project with me, spending many hours on the phone offering advice, impressions, tips, and general knowledge.
Add More Volume with AR3 Speakers
AR3 speakers can add more clarity to your music. If you are looking to build your audio collection, you can find new and used products from Acoustic Research on eBay for affordable prices. Before you add a speaker to your home audio system, here are a few things that you should know.
What are the differences between floor standing and bookshelf speakers?Floor standing speakers are often called tower speakers. These speakers are large enough that they do not need a stand. They can support themselves on the floor. They can house multiple drivers within the unit. Some speakers even have a tweeter and woofer to reach the high and low frequencies. These speakers have a passive port for an extended low-frequency output. This design style is known as a bass reflex. Some floor units have a built-in amplifier for their subwoofers. That means one less component to connect to your audio system.
The bookshelf speaker is smaller and more compact than a floor-standing unit. These speakers can be placed on a stand, mounted on the wall, or positioned on a bookshelf. Bookshelf speakers have a box shape to them. They can look like small cubes or have a spherical shape. Despite their size, they have a good low-frequency response. Many bookshelf speakers are paired with a subwoofer for a more optimal bass sound. Bookshelf speakers are included in many home theater systems as well.
What is a high-resolution speaker?High-resolution audio has a higher sampling frequency and bit of depth. Many people consider high-resolution audio to be above 16 bit/44.1kHz. The sampling rate is the number of times the signal is taken from an analog to digital conversion. The more bits in an audio file means it has a higher quality of sound. High-resolution audio files sizes tend to be bigger than standard files. Speakers that are designed for high-resolution use can play these files without any issues.
High-resolution audio files are sometimes called FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) or ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). The sound format has not been compressed, so there is no loss of quality in the audio. Some speakers cannot handle these types of formats. A high-resolution speaker will allow you to listen to high-resolution audio without compressing files or losing clarity.
Ar Speaker Specs
What models are available from Acoustic Research?You can find many products from Acoustic Research on eBay. Many of their speakers are under the AR3 line. Some of these models include:
- AR3-A
- AR-2
- AR-2AX
Seller:dj82501(688)100%, Location:Patchogue, New York, Ships to: Free Local Pickup, Item:322911708911This set of AR3a's show very nicely and sound very good, all drivers work as they should, I had the woofers professionally refoamed, I cleaned the mid and tweeter pots with detoxit, a couple of years back they still work pretty good but could use another cleaning, you may have to work them back and forth to ' wake them up', or if you care to up grade them to L- pads for trouble free use. I'll leave that up to the new owner. The cabinets look very nice, but being nearly 50 years old they do have light scratches and minor blemishes, a good coat of lemon oil hides most of them. Check out the pictures and you be the judge. I have put some before and after oiling up for you to see. The AR-3a was Acoustic Research´s High-end speaker and customers had to pay around 500$ to buy a pair, a fortune at the time. In the manual (see below), the company describes the AR-3a as “the best home speaker system we know how to make” and it is even today an impressing vintage speaker. The AR-3a had to comply with highest expectations, as the original AR-3 (developed in the late 50ies) was the highest quality speaker available for nearly a decade and had been used in a variety of professional settings. You can find information about the original AR-3 speaker from 1958 in our review. When the AR-3a was introduced in the mid 60ies it took over the role of the AR-3. Acoustic Research placed a new set of smaller dome midrange and tweeter into the cabinets. By 1966 Acoustic Research held more than a third of the US market shares in the speaker market, the highest share ever measured in the industry. AR-3a Speaker Review and Specs Acoustic+Research+AR3a+AR+3a Acoustic Research AR-3a The AR-3a is a three-way speaker and measures approximately 25” x 14” x 11½ ” inches and weigh about 46lbs each. It´s cabinet is made of real walnut veneer, grills are mostly cream colored. Each speaker has a 12 inch woofer, a dome midrange and a ¾ inch dome tweeter. High and mid-frequencies can be additionally adjusted at the back of each speaker. I can recommend to place the AR-3a´s on small stands, in this case solely to keep them a little cleaner and safer. AR-3a Quote from 1970 A quote from the original Acoustic Research owner´s manual: The Ar-3a is the best home speaker system we know how to make. It has been designed to reproduce music as accurately as present day knowledge of acoustics and electronics permits. In addition to incorporating the 305mm (12in) bass driver with which AR introduced its acoustic suspension systems to home listeners, the AR-3a was the first speaker system to use two miniature hemispherical speakers developed by AR to give better midrange and high-frequency response. The new miniature speakers offer an unprecedented degree of accuracy in their respective ranges. Specifications: Drive Units: 305 mm (12 in) acoustic suspension woofer, 38 mm (1 1/2 in) midrange hemispherical dome, 199 mm (3/4 in) high-frequency hemispherical dome. Crossover: 575 Hz, 5000 Hz Impedance: 4 ohms nominal Controls: Midrange and high-frequency driver level controls Amplifier: Up to 100 watts per channel Size: 356 x 636 x 289 mm deep ( 14 x 25 x 11 3/8 in) Weight: 24 kg (53 lb) Woofer resonance: Free air 18 Hz, in enclosure 42 Hz Volume of enclosure: 48.2 litres (1.7 cu ft) I prefer local pick up so you can see and hear how nice these really are and to be sure you are content with your purchase, I do not like to ship, as I have had bad experiences having speakers shipped to me. Even when packed extremely well I received speakers with no physical outside appearance damage , but have had the heavy magnets or crossover coils dislocated and damaged by carrier's rough handling. If you must have these and want them shipped, you can bid on them, I will be willing to take them to the U.P.S. store or any other shipper within 20 miles of Zip code 11772 for YOU, so You can make the arrangements to have Your speakers packed and shipped . You pay them for all packing and shipping . Check my feedback, I am a honest person and want to be upfront in all my dealings, please ask all questions before bidding. Good luck and God Bless.Country/Region of Manufacture:United States, Brand:AR
PicClick Insights for 'Acoustic Research AR 3a speakers
'PicClick Exclusive- Popularity - 7 views, 0.0 views per day, 581 days on eBay. Good amount of views. 0 sold, 1 available.
- Price -
- Seller - 688+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Great seller with very good positive feedback and over 50 ratings.
7 views, 0.0 views per day, 581 days on eBay. Good amount of views. 0 sold, 1 available.
688+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Great seller with very good positive feedback and over 50 ratings.
Recent Feedback
Acoustic Research Ar 2ax Speakers Reviews
to 'Acoustic Research Ar3a Rebuild
Acoustic Research AR 3a speakers
'PicClick ExclusivePicClick Exclusive'>
Set of 2 Two Vintage Acoustic Research AR-3A Speakers 64086, 64008
$629.99Buy It Now21d 10h2 Vtg Acoustic Research AR-3A 12' Subwoofer Woofers Needs Surrounds Restoration
$279.95Buy It Nowor Best Offer9d 18hAcoustic Research AR3a improved pair speskers fullrange
$1,040.720 Bids15h 6mAcoustic Research AR-3a Speakers : ( Low Serial Number : 3A 07112/07114 )
$999.99Buy It Now27d 18hAR 3a Acoustic Research Working Tweeter Front Wired AR-3a Stamped June 6, 1973
$14.991 Bid9d 11hAcoustic Research AR-3a Speakers Oiled Walnut -Local Pick Up Only
$1,000.00Buy It Now30d 17hAcoustic research 58s speakers
$870.00Buy It Now15d 17hAcoustic Research AR-3a 3-way Acoustic Suspension Speakers - NEED REPAIR - As Is
$719.00Buy It Nowor Best Offer32d 20hAcoustic Research AR3a Speakers in Original Boxes - Excellent
$1,450.00Buy It Nowor Best Offer1d 15hAcoustic Research AR 98 LSI speakers
$1,200.00Buy It Now2d 10hAR 3a Acoustic Research Working Tweeter Front Wired AR-3a No date stamp
$14.991 Bid9d 11hACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-2, AR-2a NEW GRILLES, CLOTH & LOGOS
$119.00Buy It Now16d 11hAcoustic Research Ar-Lst Speakers, Totally Restored & Guaranteed
$3,900.00Buy It Now12d 17hAcoustic Research AR3 Vintage Speakers - 100% ORIGINAL W/ BOXES - SUPER RARE!
$4,000.00Buy It Nowor Best Offer3d 14hBeutiful Acoustic Research AR-3a Loudspeakers.Fully restored,recapped refinished
$1,450.00Buy It Now24d 10hSPEAKER STANDS- ACOUSTIC RESEARCH SPEAKERS. AR-3a,AR-3,AR-2ax,BLACK WALNUT STAIN
$159.00Buy It Now19d 20hACOUSTIC RESEARCH EUROPEAN AR-3a NEW GRILLES & LOGOS
$109.00Buy It Now2d 9hACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-3a TWEETER
$89.99Buy It Nowor Best Offer13d 4hPair AR 3a Acoustic Research Working Mid-range Drivers Front Wired AR-3a 1973
$49.990 Bids9d 12hACOUSTIC RESEARCH SPEAKERS control potentiometer AR-3 AR-3A AR-4 AR-2AX AR-5
$30.00Buy It Now21d 18hAr3A Speaker.
$499.00Buy It Nowor Best Offer16d 18hAR3a speakers, pair & wood stands (original owner), plus a backup rebuilt woofer
$1,299.00Buy It Now21d 20hSTANDS FOR ACOUSTIC RESEARCH SPEAKERS AR-3a, AR-3, AR-2ax, - UNFINISHED
$129.00Buy It Now19d 20hACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-2ax REPLACEMENT GRILLES, CLOTH & LOGOS
$119.00Buy It Now25d 12hVINTAGE ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-3A PAIR - FULLY FUNCTIONAL ( Early SERIAL#)
$1,400.00Buy It Nowor Best Offer24d 16h