Jump to content

What is the deal: Acoustic Research AR-1 w/Altec 755A


Guest rek 2-3-4

Recommended Posts

Guest rek 2-3-4

I've seen this combo pop up on eBay now for the third time.

It's something I've never heard of (for what that's worth). Any ideas when, why, how, and who did this?

The ones I've watched have gone for really big bucks, but the mix of drivers looks weird.

post-103290-1216760815.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest rek 2-3-4

Thank you for the link. I learn new stuff everyday. :D

I have an excuse for not knowing about this driver combination. I was six years old at the time of it's intro. I didn't visit my first audio store until four years later, when the AR-3 was out.

The article is very interesting though. I did not realize what an enormous market share AR had at 32%! Too bad there's no one out there now with an innovative speaker concept, in a multi-priced range.

Every front cover of Stereophile and TAS are beginning to look identical with 7 inch speakers in tall skinny boxes with some kind of tweeter for thousands of dollars. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Too bad there's no one out there now with an innovative speaker concept, in a multi-priced range.

Every front cover of Stereophile and TAS are beginning to look identical with 7 inch speakers in tall skinny boxes with some kind of tweeter for thousands of dollars. :D

Why? There's still quite a few pair of "AR"s available to those "in the know". ;)

Audio porn. AVOID those rags, and rags like them, LIKE THE PLAGUE! I can't emphasize that enough. Get a subscription to "AudioXpress" and look for used electronic text books at thrift stores or the Library.

Craig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 6 years later...

They have gone up a bit in the last six years -- $3200 and climbing this pair

Nice re-veneer job.

Very pretty. And that auction started at 99 cents! How about the guy selling ONE beat up AR-1 now for $2,400!?!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the surface, it looks like a pretty low tech run of the mill driver.

Yup. You can google it and find discussion.

CSP member Minh Luong brought this Chinese clone to our attention: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=6312

More on that here: http://dagogo.com/line-magnetic-audio-lm-755i-field-coil-speaker-review

I've never heard them. There is a mystique surrounding them in Asia but guess is your impression is completely accurate.

Kent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup. You can google it and find discussion.

CSP member Minh Luong brought this Chinese clone to our attention: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=6312

More on that here: http://dagogo.com/line-magnetic-audio-lm-755i-field-coil-speaker-review

I've never heard them. There is a mystique surrounding them in Asia but guess is your impression is completely accurate.

Kent

as one who does own a pair and has a/b'd them against AR-3a, AR-92, Dynaco A-25, KLH 23, and KLH 17 they more than hold their own - at least equal, in some cases sound better - all ears are different - with a pair of janszen 130's on top they sound even better and really good with all types of music

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The value of the Altec driver is one of the great audio mysteries to me. During the 50s and 60s, thousands of them were installed in the PA systems of schools and office buildings throughout the US, and the vast majority of them eventually ended up in dumps. I definitely do not recall any of the PA systems in the schools I attended in my youth sounding all that great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The AR-1 is a perfect example of collector value exceeding sonic value.

I was recently contacted by a local AR-1 owner who was given a pair by a school he works for. He wanted to know what they were "worth", and what it would cost to refurbish them. He also told me he was looking for a "nice" pair of speakers for his music studio. Along with a quote to repair them I advised him to sell them "as is", and that the likely outcome would be the purchase of a very nice pair of speakers for his studio with plenty of money left over for other items.

This was the result! http://www.ebay.com/itm/231396388356?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Needless to say he was very grateful! :)

Roy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's just crazy. Looking at the increasing bids for the sale that Roy posted, I see two separate bidders, each of whom had never before made a purchase on the auction site, jumping in at just under the $3K mark.

Sheesh, talk about buyer frenzy......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...