Acoustic Research, good budget stuff or teh suck?
Yashu
Posts: 772
I am curious at what you guys think of AR cables, speaker and ICs. I ask because I see them every now and again at the big box stores, and wonder how they stack up against other "high end" cables. I would never spend a dime on monster cable, and AR seems to be the only other brand worth a damn at these stores...
I can tell you what I personally think about their speaker cable (it's not bad), but I don't know much about their ICs. Yes this is a subjective question, so give me your subjective opinions
I can tell you what I personally think about their speaker cable (it's not bad), but I don't know much about their ICs. Yes this is a subjective question, so give me your subjective opinions
Post edited by Yashu on
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I think they are about the same as monster...just a different brandCary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
Parasound HCA-3500
Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
Jolida JD-100 CDP
Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
SVS PC-Ultra Sub
AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
PS Audio Plus Power Cords
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)
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They don't have the reputation of suing anything that moves, overhyping their products, and using other shady tactics to sell wires. So you are saying they sound like monster cable without the evil?
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In my experience, their cables suck."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Never heard them, but they tend to get pretty good reviews. Sam Tellig of Stereophileonce classified them as "the last cable you may ever need." FWIW...Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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I've got some AR stuff in my HT rig (sub cable, optic cable). Not bad, not great. I would rate them as good as monster or RS Gold and better than the generic stuff from the likes of Philips or RCA that you find in Wal-Mart, Target, etc."Just because youre offended doesnt mean youre right." - Ricky Gervais
"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson -
trolling..............there is plenty of information about AR cables, might try the search function.
RT1 -
At least you admit this time you are trolling... that means you are getting better.
Even their low end ICs are directional... I found that interesting. I bought a set to test all of this.
Their low end 12.99 cables are not as pleasent sounding as my wireworld cables, but they can compete with my VampireWire cables on resolution and transparency. They are a good value, it seems. I have never heard monster cable because I refuse to buy from them, but AR has at least impressed me for what one can get for $12.99. Their higher end model, I didn't hear a difference... both directional, both the same amount of copper, but the difference in shielding. I didn't see any reason not to just get the cheaper ones for normal runs.
Their speaker cable is great, actually... I bought it on sale, 12g wire for really cheap, and have used it all over the place. I would say that, if I had the choice between the DIY Home depot cable, and AR 12g, I would pick the AR... infact, I would pick the AR over a 4 conductor boutique cable that I used to use for my main system. The fact that they are there next to monster cable, warrents their purchase, the more sales that monster loses the better, IMO. So, in closing, I think they are a good cable for a bedroom or 2nd system that can be easily found without going through the net or a boutique shop. -
I had a whole bunch of AR cables, from their P series to the pro Series II. I have not owned the Master series. They are decent. Flexible with decent connections. I prefer AQ over them. They are about the same if not a little better than Monster for less $.
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RS as in Radio Shack?
I actually liked their older gold series, the ones with the black wire cover and the gold ends... the new gold series, is just so so (the grey ones)... the jacks are low quality, and not to fond of the sound.
Where are you getting these fusion cables, if by RS you mean radio shack?
As you can see, I am a budget cable experimenter. -
I've been buying the cheap blue IC's for a few years now. They seem to be a good value as they're well constructed and much cheaper than Monster.
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Those are the most recent ones I tested out. I bought one of the more expensive ones, and thought "hey, I could have two for the price of this and there would probably be little difference), and it was true. The blue cable is just as good, with only slightly less shielding. Cheaper than monster, and for their market, it makes me wonder how monster is still shafting people, but they do have a rather large marketing budget.
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Look on ebay. There is one particular seller there that I've bought many of the 'blues' from for even less than BB. They seem to have just about everything, although most of them are delivered sans packaging (which dosen't bother me one bit).
