[bosjohn]

Well I am out cruising some second hand stores and I came across an old set of speakers. Now I have been enjoying hi fi for lots of years and these things cought my eye. First of all they were gawd awful heavy and they were in really pristine condition and they had a little badge on the bottom saying ar3a. so I pretended not to know what that is and coyly asked how much they wanted and if they worked. fourhundred fity they wanted and hooked  them up. Ok ok I know I am old but darn if they didnt sound great. Not better than my av/3 but just about as good and for under five hundred I mean serioulsy. So any suggestions on recapping? Though they sound impressive now I think they will need recapping anon. I have heard this will produce some audible improvement. I think these are the 1970 version.
There are a lot of modern and new stuff out there thats fantastic but for under five hundred I doubt I could get much better. Also any suggestions on amps. I am using my st 70 and pas 3 presently.
Thanks John

[S Clark]

That is way overpriced for those speakers.  Keep looking around for a bargain at Goodwill for 10x less. Seriously, anything over $100 is a premium.  I remember them well from the early-mid 70's. Nice for their day, but look at Dennis Murphy's site, www.murphyblaster.com to look at some measurements from a similar model.

[satfrat]

The Acoustic Research AR-3a was the 1st loudspeaker I ever owned back in 1970. I bought 2 pair of them while I was in Vietnam along with a Maranz receiver, Sansui rear channel receiver, Teac 6100 reel to reel and a Garrad turntable. I came home in 1971 to my 1st multichannel system.
 
In my mind, the AR-3a are priceless.
 
Cheers,
Robin

[decal]

Are those the speakers  everyone was buying 4 of and stacking a pair tweeter to tweeter per side?

[WerTicus]

I pulled apart a pair of AR-25th anniversary speakers, inside was just junk materials wise, chipboard, weak looking drivers, not much and very cheap padding...

I think they sound 'okay' because they only had one cap for a cross over.

[satfrat]

Are those the speakers  everyone was buying 4 of and stacking a pair tweeter to tweeter per side?

I don't think so, at least I didn't. The AR-3a was one of the top bookshelf loudspeakers of their day and I had 1 in each corner of my living room.
 
Cheers,
Robin

[bosjohn]

it was stacked advents thats the ones people stacked. There is nothing cheap about these speakers and I did some searching on line seems the cross overs are quite complicated and big. Anyway I bought a pair new back in 72 liked them then and these sound quite fine now too. I am not good with names but AR made the first speakers to use air as suspension and developed the first domed tweeter and mids for use in speakers. Ar folk are well known in hi fi. Edgar Villchur and his student Henry Kloss along with Roy Allison and I cant remember the name of the guy who went on to Boston Acoustics. These guys were well known in audio circles forty years ago up till present. In any event they got a ar3a in the smithsonian. but sigh back to reality. They are forty years old I wonder how many of todays speakers will be known forty years from now. Oh and btw for ar3a in minty condition are fetching about eight hundreed to a thousand on e-bay seems they love them in Hong Kong
John

[S Clark]

I think you ought to buy them.  Ultimately, the only thing that matters is whether it makes you happy.  I do remember that at the time, I liked the way that they reproduced piano, which is no small accomplishment.