Speaker Quandry - Vintage AR-3's

[Scorpion8]

Yup, my SA has a pair of vintage AR-3. Heeeeeavy suckas by any definition of the word. But also in pretty bad shape. I know the grille badges alone are worth scoring, but frankly I would never make it inside the house if I bought those.

Are the drivers easily repairable, or replaceable?

Opinions?

[Rat44]

Some of the AR's are real bears to rebuild.
They used a tar like substance for a seal and the L-pad was a ceramic type.
And they used a rock wool for a filler.
But if the cabs are in decent shape they are worth the effort.

[Nakdoc]

Check, are they AR-3 or AR-3A? The 3A had a better tweeter. These and the AR 2AX both sound pretty good even today, but you will have to repair or replace the tweeter level control. Drivers are unobtanium, but the are also pretty rugged. As stated, getting the woofer out is a major chore, but the end result is probably worth it. These were sold in plywood, and in birch or walnut veneer. If the cabinet corners are rounded, the speaker was serviced by AR sometime in the past. Rather than remove the woofer, AR would split the cabinet apart!

[Socal Sam]

If the veneer is complete AND reparable, larger AR's are worth looking at. As mentioned earlier, they are a pain to work on. Usually the grill is stapled on. The drivers will look cheap and installation will look sloppy. However, when everything is right, the AR-3 has a supposedly classic sound. If they are cheap, say $20 or so, they are worth looking at. Complete and restored, $150 and up is possible.

Here are some photos of the AR-3a:

http://muare.vn/NgheNhin-dan-am-thanh/3115698

More info: IIRC, the 3 and 3a also had different cabs. The 3 was made out of cabinet grade plywood while the 3a was made of particle board. MDF supposedly gives a more even and predictable resonance but I prefer the extra weight and rigidity of plywood.

[Mark J]

completely restored great examples bring unrealistic prices on the bay. I don't recall if that is the 3 or 3a. The drivers are worth the cash if the cabinets are trash.

As stated they are one of a large handful of classics that will not drop in value, even though the consensus today is that the AR-5 sounds a bit better without the lowest notes but better integration of the woofer with the mid and tweeter.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/original_models_schematicss/restoring_the_ar-3a/

this site talks about the 3a