I don't know the value of AR's in the least.
I've heard good things about them, so I was hoping to gain some knowledge about this model in regards to pricing. In all honesty they better sound darn good to compensate for their awful aesthetics.
I was blessed enough to hear a set of AR-11s (I think). Outside they looked mint, but driver wise they looked funky as he11 but sounded awesome!
They are on my list to own.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
2 channel: Anthem 225 Integrated amp; Parasound Ztuner; TechnicsTT SL1350; Vincent PHO-8 phono pre; Marantz CD6005 spinner; Polk SDA2BTL's; Cables ZU Mission IC's, SC and power cords, all into a PS Audio Dectet Power center.
All TV's sound enhanced by Polk Magnfi Mini's.
Other; S60'S, M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All speakers have had crossover rebuilds, resulting in a small fortune invested in Sonicaps, and tweeter upgrades.
Political memes posted as fact and accepted as fact, are sign language of the ignorant, for the ignorant
tonyb said " but even socialists can do a good thing here and there
Social media makes dumb people dumber and smart people dumb then dumber.
I don't see them come up for sale much but lately they're everywhere.
I've never heard a pair of this model but I did own a pr. of the 3x's and like a dummy, I got the grill off, saw the deteriated woofer surround and strange mid and tweeter. I tested them and I don't believe the mids or tweeters worked and I tossed them in the trash. The cabinets were ROUGH! But they could've been refinished for sure.
I paid 6.00 for the pair at a Goodwill store about 15 years ago.
Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
I got a pair of AR-2ax a couple of weeks ago, and have been working on them, so can give some fresh perspective. Those look different in a couple of ways.
Here is a pic from the CL listing that MotorHead provided, and these look like mine.
The woofer in that first pair looks like a replacement. It looks to have a fairly new foam surround, the cone looks new, voice coil leads are located in a different spot (notice in the third pic the leads - little dots - are located on opposite sides of the dust cap), it's also missing the little foam ring around the dust cap, and the frame is black instead of brushed, raw metal like shown in the third pic.
I think there were two types of tweeters used in the 2ax: phenolic dome and soft/textile dome. The tweeter in the first pic must be the phenolic black dome, and notice it has three little orange points around the edge, whereas the tweeter in the lower pic has four of those points and the brownish textile dome. The mountings are different as well with three flat-head screws in the first versus six counter-sunk screws in the latter.
The crossovers in these speakers are pretty basic, with two high-pass caps (one for mid and one for high/tweeter), and then two potentiometers (mid and high). In the pair I got, the caps had been replaced (w/Solen), but the pots were still original and terrible. I replaced the pots. I also replaced the grills, and interestingly enough, the first pair above look to have the exact same replacement grills I got, which are nice...although that pic isn't so great, or maybe they already have some age on them.
So, after fixing mine up, how do they sound? Well, there's no point in adjusting the mid and high pots to anything except all the way up. IMO, the highs roll-off too much otherwise. In fact, by-passing the pots altogether may be best, and I read how a lot of folks actually do that. Having said that, I think these sound pretty darn good for their age once the internals are updated. In a proper listening position (seated), they have a rich, warm sound, with enough detail in the highs to satisfy, and definitely not fatiguing or shrieking. While standing, you miss some of the detail in the highs. With two high-pass caps, you get a blending of the higher frequencies with the mid and tweeter, and the tweeter is not all that loud. The bass is warm and effective, but not all that defined. I have them hooked-up to a second system, and was doing an A/B comparison with a pair of Infinity Column II. Frankly, the Infinitys sounded much better to my ears at moderate-to-loud listening levels, but the ARs would be really nice at lower levels in a seated position.
There was no fill material of any type in mine, and I wonder if they originally had any. Also, I wonder if a simple internal brace between the front baffle and the back of the cabinet would provide any benefit. The cabinet box has quite a bit of resonance, and can sound a little loose. The wooden stands are cool and retro, but of course they can wobble a bit on a hard floor, so you have to think that solidifying everything somehow would help.
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
I got a pair of AR-2ax a couple of weeks ago, and have been working on them, so can give some fresh perspective. Those look different in a couple of ways.
Here is a pic from the CL listing that MotorHead provided, and these look like mine.
The woofer in that first pair looks like a replacement. It has a foam surround, the cone looks new, voice coil leads are located in a different spot (notice in the third pic the leads - little dots - are located on opposite sides of the dust cap), it's also missing the little foam ring around the dust cap, and the frame is black instead of brushed, raw metal like shown in the third pic.
I think there were two types of tweeters used in the 2ax: phenolic dome and soft/textile dome. The tweeter in the first pic must be the phenolic black dome, and notice it has three little orange points around the edge, whereas the tweeter in the lower pic has four of those points and the brownish textile dome. The mountings are different as well with three flat-head screws in the first versus six counter-sunk screws in the latter.
The crossovers in these speakers are pretty basic, with two high-pass caps (one for mid and one for high/tweeter), and then two potentiometers (mid and high). In the pair I got, the caps had been replaced (w/Solen), but the pots were still original and terrible. I replaced the pots. I also replaced the grills, and interestingly enough, the first pair above look to have the exact same replacement grills I got, which are nice...although that pic isn't so great, or maybe they already have some age on them.
So, after fixing mine up, how do they sound? Well, there's no point in adjusting the mid and high pots to anything except all the way up. IMO, the highs roll-off too much otherwise. In fact, by-passing the pots altogether may be best, and I read how a lot of folks actually do that. Having said that, I think these sound pretty darn good for their age once the internals are updated. In a proper listening position (seated), they have a rich, warm sound, with enough detail in the highs to satisfy, and definitely not fatiguing or shrieking. While standing, you miss some of the detail in the highs. With two high-pass caps, you get a blending of the higher frequencies with the mid and tweeter, and the tweeter is not all that loud. The bass is warm and effective, but not all that defined. I have them hooked-up to a second system, and was doing an A/B comparison with a pair of Infinity Column II. Frankly, the Infinitys sounded much better to my ears at moderate-to-loud listening levels, but the ARs would be really nice at lower levels in a seated position.
There was no fill material of any type in mine, and I wonder if they originally had any. Also, I wonder if a simple internal brace between the front baffle and the back of the cabinet would provide any benefit. The cabinet box has quite a bit of resonance, and can sound a little loose. The wooden stands are cool and retro, but of course they can wobble a bit on a hard floor, so you have to think that solidifying everything somehow would help.
Thank You kindly for sharing your hands on experience with this particular model. This was precisely the sort of info that I was trying to gather.
Happy to help. FWIW, in addition to my Infinity Column II, I also have a pair of RSIIIa, and RS5. If I were you, I would not trade your RS5B in any kind of deal for the AR-2ax. Got to love those Emit tweeters
From a collectible standpoint, the ARs are really cool, get serious retro styling points, and sound ok. But for pure performance, IMO the Infinitys sound better. Hmmm...perhaps I should try my RS5B for a more comparable A/B as far as size.
"Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
Thank god I’m not close. I still want one of these, or to build one similar...
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
My wants and my wallet are not properly aligned....
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
My wants and my wallet are not properly aligned....
I suggest you try a new tailor.
Seriously though, since I retired on a fixed income, I don't know why I come on here - it just lures me into penury.
I have a proper tailor (my conscience). He makes sure I’m not spending money for bills on audio gear by misaligning the two intentionally .
Then once in awhile the two align and I get something new...
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
My wants and my wallet are not properly aligned....
I suggest you try a new tailor.
Seriously though, since I retired on a fixed income, I don't know why I come on here - it just lures me into penury.
I have a proper tailor (my conscience). He makes sure I’m not spending money for bills on audio gear by misaligning the two intentionally .
Then once in awhile the two align and I get something new...
I don't have a tailor, but I have a wife.
She’s the second line defense
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
Comments
Also, from the pictures provided do they appear to be modified in term of components?
Tony, you know your vintage speakers. What might those AR's be worth in their current condition? Supposedly they have upgraded crossovers.
A lot less than they're asking
They're asking for these in return.
Lots of cash
La2vegas have you smoked yourself stupid.....?
I don't know the value of AR's in the least.
I've heard good things about them, so I was hoping to gain some knowledge about this model in regards to pricing. In all honesty they better sound darn good to compensate for their awful aesthetics.
They are on my list to own.
All TV's sound enhanced by Polk Magnfi Mini's.
Other; S60'S, M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All speakers have had crossover rebuilds, resulting in a small fortune invested in Sonicaps, and tweeter upgrades.
Political memes posted as fact and accepted as fact, are sign language of the ignorant, for the ignorant
tonyb said " but even socialists can do a good thing here and there
Social media makes dumb people dumber and smart people dumb then dumber.
Price too.
I don't see them come up for sale much but lately they're everywhere.
I've never heard a pair of this model but I did own a pr. of the 3x's and like a dummy, I got the grill off, saw the deteriated woofer surround and strange mid and tweeter. I tested them and I don't believe the mids or tweeters worked and I tossed them in the trash.
I paid 6.00 for the pair at a Goodwill store about 15 years ago.
**********************************************************************************
I got a pair of AR-2ax a couple of weeks ago, and have been working on them, so can give some fresh perspective. Those look different in a couple of ways.
Here is a pic from the CL listing that MotorHead provided, and these look like mine.
The woofer in that first pair looks like a replacement. It looks to have a fairly new foam surround, the cone looks new, voice coil leads are located in a different spot (notice in the third pic the leads - little dots - are located on opposite sides of the dust cap), it's also missing the little foam ring around the dust cap, and the frame is black instead of brushed, raw metal like shown in the third pic.
I think there were two types of tweeters used in the 2ax: phenolic dome and soft/textile dome. The tweeter in the first pic must be the phenolic black dome, and notice it has three little orange points around the edge, whereas the tweeter in the lower pic has four of those points and the brownish textile dome. The mountings are different as well with three flat-head screws in the first versus six counter-sunk screws in the latter.
The crossovers in these speakers are pretty basic, with two high-pass caps (one for mid and one for high/tweeter), and then two potentiometers (mid and high). In the pair I got, the caps had been replaced (w/Solen), but the pots were still original and terrible. I replaced the pots. I also replaced the grills, and interestingly enough, the first pair above look to have the exact same replacement grills I got, which are nice...although that pic isn't so great, or maybe they already have some age on them.
So, after fixing mine up, how do they sound? Well, there's no point in adjusting the mid and high pots to anything except all the way up. IMO, the highs roll-off too much otherwise. In fact, by-passing the pots altogether may be best, and I read how a lot of folks actually do that. Having said that, I think these sound pretty darn good for their age once the internals are updated. In a proper listening position (seated), they have a rich, warm sound, with enough detail in the highs to satisfy, and definitely not fatiguing or shrieking. While standing, you miss some of the detail in the highs. With two high-pass caps, you get a blending of the higher frequencies with the mid and tweeter, and the tweeter is not all that loud. The bass is warm and effective, but not all that defined. I have them hooked-up to a second system, and was doing an A/B comparison with a pair of Infinity Column II. Frankly, the Infinitys sounded much better to my ears at moderate-to-loud listening levels, but the ARs would be really nice at lower levels in a seated position.
There was no fill material of any type in mine, and I wonder if they originally had any. Also, I wonder if a simple internal brace between the front baffle and the back of the cabinet would provide any benefit. The cabinet box has quite a bit of resonance, and can sound a little loose. The wooden stands are cool and retro, but of course they can wobble a bit on a hard floor, so you have to think that solidifying everything somehow would help.
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
Thank You kindly for sharing your hands on experience with this particular model. This was precisely the sort of info that I was trying to gather.
From a collectible standpoint, the ARs are really cool, get serious retro styling points, and sound ok. But for pure performance, IMO the Infinitys sound better. Hmmm...perhaps I should try my RS5B for a more comparable A/B as far as size.
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
Been here for 19 days now.
https://wilmington.craigslist.org/ele/d/vintage-ar-2x-floor-speakers/6754746695.html
Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-VMPS-Large-Subwoofers-Earth-Shaking-Subs/323592572735
Ditto, first thing I checked was location.
My wants and my wallet are not properly aligned....
That is my life...
I suggest you try a new tailor.
Seriously though, since I retired on a fixed income, I don't know why I come on here - it just lures me into penury.
I have a proper tailor (my conscience). He makes sure I’m not spending money for bills on audio gear by misaligning the two intentionally
Then once in awhile the two align and I get something new...
I don't have a tailor, but I have a wife.
She’s the second line defense
That there is funny. ^^^^ And I learned a new word tonight too.
pen·u·ry
[ˈpenyərē]
NOUN
extreme poverty; destitution.
"he died in a state of virtual penury"
synonyms:
extreme/dire poverty · pennilessness · impecuniousness · impoverishment · indigence · need · neediness · want · destitution · privation · deprivation · hardship · beggary · [more]
Neediness / needing was I for 35 years.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VMPS-Super-Tower-III-Special-Ribbon-Edition/123537818283
Lovin' my salvaged 10As! Assist to @lawdogg.
Polk - SDA-2Bs, 11TLs, (4) M7s, RTi4s, RT35is, RTi28s, RT3s, S4s, M3s, various centers.
Boston - S8, S6s, S4s.
M&K V4, M&K VX-7B, JBL SUB150P, Jamo Sub 250, Realistic T1000s, and others.
Thompson Adventures, Inc.
These are close enough to me to warrant a road trip easily but I'm going to have to pass.