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Best match for AR-3a


danykang

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Which receiver / amplifier could be best match for AR-3a?

I have owned and used to match AR-3a with Fisher 500TX ( 65w x 2 ), Kenwood KR-6200 ( 45w x 2 ), Kenwood KR-6160 ( 55w x 2 ), Marantz 2325 ( 125w x 2 ).

Marantz 2325 was not my taste for AR-3a, it was really good for JBL L-100 century and L-166 though.

I had a chance to listen to AR-3a with McIntosh MAC-1700 receiver and McIntosh MA-5100 integrated amp', both of them made in late 60's and early 70's.

It was the best match for me to match with AR-3a, deep and tight bass, thick mid' and mellow hi's, and really liked its sound and tone.

There was another chance to match it with McIntosh MA-6800 ( 150w x 2 ) made during late 90's / early 2000's, however I was very disappointed with its sound,

even though it costs much higher than old McIntosh receiver/integrated amp'.

I believe early McIntosh gears made before mid 70's can satisfy for my personal taste for AR-3a.

I am seriously thinking about owning McIntosh early gears as mentioned above.

Everyone has his/her own favorite and taste. Which one do you think is best for AR-3a?

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  • 4 weeks later...

If an amp is a good one shouldn't It have a neutral sound and not a sound of its own. Yes various tone controls can make a difference in sound. Marantz for example has a bass control centered at 50 hz but the loudness control is centered at 100 hz. Both together give very heavy bass, the 50 hz bass control gives great sound to the 3a, but the loudness gives a boomy bass that is not the normal sound for ar. The midrange control can change the speakers sound the most. When testing an amp play violins or piano that you can not need to use any tone controls and they should sound the same and if not stay away from it.

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I've got two pairs of 3a in the office, though each has its own amp or receiver. I use a Pioneer VSX-D812 as a preamp and feed a Yamaha RX-V795a receiver and an Onkyo M-504 amp. Each pair of speakers also has their own EQ.

I'd been using a Carver HR-772, at ~145 w/ch into 4 ohms, and it did a decent job. The 504 is a new addition, and a real eye-opener, at ~150 to 200 w/ch. That doesn't sound like a lot more power on paper, but it really shows off these speakers. Even at low volume, it just seems like the Onkyo hits harder on the lowest notes. And I don't have the stamina to run it past an indicated 50 watts.

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I use a MAC4100 (100 wpc) receiver with the 3a's. No complaints, but recently got an Adcom 555II power amp with more wpc (325 into 4 ohms) and may give that a try. The question is whether to use the MAC as a pre/tuner or use a DB-1B preamp.

Kent

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I use a MAC4100 (100 wpc) receiver with the 3a's. No complaints, but recently got an Adcom 555II power amp with more wpc (325 into 4 ohms) and may give that a try. The question is whether to use the MAC as a pre/tuner or use a DB-1B preamp.

Kent

Hallo,

what is, in your experience, the amplifier minimum wattage to drive efficiently a pair of AR3a ?

Just out of curiosity; I dont' own AR's yet I've read they are power hungry.

Greetings from Italy.

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I believe it was Tom Tyson who years ago broached the idea of using so-called pro amps for the AR3. Although they are solid state, they are built like tanks, sonically neutral, have power to spare and are relatively inexpensive. Based on that recommendation I picked up a QSC RMX 850, (280 watts) which carried a six year (that is no misprint) warranty at the time (apparently still does) and retailed for aroung $300 ($399 now). The only problem is a noisy fan which can be replaced quite easily and no RCA inputs.

Being a tube person I Irun a heavily modded Dynaco PAS as my preamp. Those who are AR historians will remember that PAS and Dynaco equipment were the drivers in some of the famous "can you tell if it's real" tests. I have heard AR3s with everything from Levinsons that woulg give you a hernia trying to lift them, Marantz, Macs, Pioneer, NAD and so on. The QSC would hold its own against any of them, but then my old ears aren't the best test.

In the many amp threads on this forum my sense is that things like speaker placement count for a great deal as long as the amp has the power to drive the ARs (I have heard the 200 watt figure bounced around) and is neutral sounding.

The final choice is up to your ears. It used to be stores would let you try out amps with your own equipment, but except for a few high end places those days are long gone. Hauling a pair of AR3s along to some store is also out.

Good luck.

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Tom recommend the QSC and Crown XLS amps: Powerful, can drive 4 ohms, lightweight, inexpensive. He owns both. Here is the original thread:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=5192&hl=%2Bcrown+%2Bxls Here is a follow-up: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=7364&hl=%2Bcrown+%2Bxls

and here is the Crown site: http://www.crownaudio.com/usa/xls-drivecore.html

Kent

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as far as pro amps, someday I'd like to try the Carvin HD line

http://www.carvinguitars.com/hdseries/

very good price, was very happy with my old carvin bass cab when I picked the 4-string for a little bit, and best of all MADE IN THE USA (crown XLS's are made in china)

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Pat: Nice! Thanks for the lead. Price is competitive with the Crown and Made in the USA is getting to be nearly impossible to find. I recently bought an old Adcom 555 amp for my vintage set-up, which I "try" to keep all-American (I gave in on the CD player). Wish I'd known about Carvin then.

Really hoping some member will let us know about any experience with these.

Nino: Your question has not been addressed. In their literature, AR recommended 25wpc as the minimum for the 3a. Most would agree that's a bit anemic. The old AR amp was rated 60wpc rms at 4 ohms and that was considered adequate to drive the 3a's. IMHO, the more power the better so I would not want to go with less than 100wpc. Remember you MUST use an amp that is rated to drive 4 ohm or lower impedances. Hope this helps.

Kent

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Nino: Your question has not been addressed. In their literature, AR recommended 25wpc as the minimum for the 3a. Most would agree that's a bit anemic. The old AR amp was rated 60wpc rms at 4 ohms and that was considered adequate to drive the 3a's. IMHO, the more power the better so I would not want to go with less than 100wpc. Remember you MUST use an amp that is rated to drive 4 ohm or lower impedances. Hope this helps.

Kent

Thanks for addressing my question, Kent.

If and when I will own a pair of AR3a the information you provided will surely help.

At the moment I'm the happy owner of a pair of KLH model 6, very recently bought in U.S.A. on Ebay.com from a guy in California.

What a professional packages he made (one per speaker)! And the pair arrived (delivered by UPS) safely to my house in Italy.

They sound amazingly open and musical (at 1/4 of volume knob, my listening room is small) driven by a little and unexpensive, 15 wpc, Tripath 2024 powered, digital amplifier.

Dare not imagine with a quality tube amplifier...

Greetings from Italy.

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