frankmarsi

Fifty years ago choices were limited not like today's over abundance of everything in every area, nor did I want a raw driver hanging off of my still relatively new beautiful AR-3a's. These were pretty much purpose designed and built to match AR-3's and 3a's both in frequency and cosmetics. One would have to had been there to appreciate it. I almost felt abandoned by AR corp., the answer was that these were ready made and proven. No experimentation needed just early plug & play. FM

Like always, it's the path of least resistance. Micro-Statics are 16 Ohms and when connected to a 4 ohm speaker.............guess who gets it.

As I’ve stated, the only way I can respond again is; if you owned AR-3a’s as I did in 1971 and by 1974 you were fed up with constantly blowing out tweeters regardless of how good hearted AR was in sending new replacement ones, one of your only recourses was to purchase Micro-Statics. Certainly, there were a few other choices out there but, they were more costly and being in my early twenties while working in the city trying to make a living, I had no recourse. I needed to have music playing on my system* available to pure out music at my beckoning call. Once I placed them on top of my horizontally shelve mounted 3a’s, I was rewarded with crystal-clear high frequencies. And later that same year my purchase of a Phase Linear PL-400 out-putting 200WPC @ 8 ohms and 400WPC @ 4ohms this array of four tweeters handled all that power with out objection or complaint. It was as if I opened a room-sized window and let the daylight and cool breeze in. Later that year a Tannoy-Micro-Seiki TM55 DD turntable, a new Shure Type III cartridge and the ever popular PL-4000 pre-amp, and a PL-400 amp were added though, it did take a while to pay off that expense.. 1974 was a big leap in hi-fi for as was 1967 in terms of purchases, I felt the need to upgrade. It was the early '70s and a new decade to enjoy. With that kind of power and clarity I took off my smoking jacket, my port and cigar extinguished and put aside, took the tie out my pony-tail, shook my head in defiance to blown tweeters, laughed at weak barely there bass response I refused to succumb to ever again and blasted away with smooth, clear, powerful, realistic sounding music playback while enjoying the treble/bass frequencies like never before! * System early ’74: Dynaco PAS-x pre-amp, Dynaco ST-120 amp, AR-xa turntable, Shure M91ED & Empire SE/x cartridges, ElectroVoice FM tuner. Prior to that circa 1967, a Dyna ST-35 amp, same pre, 40B Garrard table, Shure M3D cart.. later a Shure 55M cart. My system today is reflective of all that I learned 50 + years ago. FM

Twenty years ago, I bought a set of these tweeters without the rest of the speaker or cabinet, just the tweeters mounted in a metal frame as shown. Living in fear that my AR speakers would be erased due not having any tweeters, I purchased those in my quest to have something in case I blew anymore of the tweeters I had in reserve. They're stored in a cardboard box somewhere around here. Back then when M.S. was current, I felt they were doing some good things but, as we noted, sadly they failed. If I found a good condition pair like you're showing, I'd get them. For me, the 3a and LST are clear favorites and I don't have any inkling to make drastic changes as I'm quite content with the system as is. FM

@meta_noia_fot, do your self a favor, pursue them, they're worth the effort. My thinking is at some point the latest manufacturers of replacement tweeters will probably wind-down as they are catering mostly to the vintage market, namely AR owners. They are other outboard tweeters from the past so, some digging around is in order. I find the M.S. strong, excellent sounding and more than a vintage listener could ask for all parameters considered. FM

Hi-ya DavidR, correct, a couple of their cartridges did receive lofty reviews and are still sort after by some even these days. I'm entrenched enough with modern LOMC cartridges to go backwards in time in that area. In fact my antiquated AR's, PL amps and turntables are complementary to the cartridges I use and the reverse is true also. And believe when I say the ones I use mesh very nicely with the vintage sound of AR's I'm concrete in my opinions. I cherry-picked the phono-cartridges to do just that. I always knew back then the Micro-Acoustics company was a small company and probably unable to compete with the larger concerns out there. Evidently, that was the case. As I recall when their line of speakers came out, the Japanese manufactures were just going into high-gear and the sheer size of Japanese imports at the time overwhelmed the US market, I knew many fell by the wayside because of it. In fact I can recall a number of US manufacturers sort taking a back seat in the industry. And the days when USA manufacturers started have their components made over-seas. Without getting terribly political here, free-enterprise has a way tripping on it's own feet. By the early mid sixties much industry was relocating over-seas, it's led to the US losing much of the market it dominated in many areas. We suffer for it today also. I was around as a child in the '50s but aware enough to hear and learn if a product didn't say Made in the USA it wasn't a quality item in most cases. I could go on but, why bother as the world is too fragmented to make any sense by just being a citizen. Many aspects of current life are out of control as it is. Being powerless except for being in my own world and home with my well earned and well put together stereo system keeps me pacified enough. The world has become too big, contrary to what we were saying in the early '60s. FM

Has anyone seen this sale of Micro-Statics on the auction site that were sold for $310.00, oh my. For me, through all these years since 1974 they've been my only recourse when it comes to very good to excellent highs and especially with their high power handling ability. One of my initial reasons I bought my AR-3a's in 1971 was their dome tweeters which was making its way in the world of Hi-Fi but, I didn't know how limited AR domes were when it c came to power-handling ability. By '74 I was saved by these little but hardy cone tweeters. In their history, they've served many AR speaker owners way back when there were no other options. Throughout the years they have lasted and performed splendidly with never a problem or burn-out. If you're a recent AR owner or came into the world of vintage after the fact like many have, you may not be familiar with these tweeters. In the early '70s, they were the most economical and fastest way to regain your high frequencies that so many AR owners were forced to do with-out. I purchase my original pair for about $78. which was about the same price I paid for my new Shure V15 Type 3 I bought the same year. Searching for the best price back then was a matter of going from different store to store, week after week as we didn't have the ease of the web. Noting that aspect, I actually preferred learning hands-on, rather I should say ears-on compared to reading the countless personal opinions one is forced to sift through by using the internet. I didn't have to worry about delivery problems as every piece of my equipment I picked up myself from the dealer, put in the car and took them home in very caring fashion. FM https://www.ebay.com/itm/156167601838?mkevt=1&plmtId=1110100101&mesgId=4001&mkpid=0&emsid=enull.m161499.l174139&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid&bu=43113236379&trkId=c03f97ea-2c8b-4f25-95e8-3f66eaaef2a5&cnvId=a7fb74a1-c76a-4a5d-81a4-a4efd73d9c0c&osub=-1~1&crd=20240419110203&segname&recoId=156167601838&recoPos=1 P.S. I forgot to mention that once I installed my Micro-Statics on top of my AR-3a's I was finally able to listen at realistic sound levels with my new Phase Linear PL-400 with out worrying about blowing out the little arrays. Finally, not only was there an option of listening at higher levels I didn't have to listen to verify if my tweeters were working or not like I did with the AR high range tweeters, it was such a huge and gratifying difference on all levels. However, the AR-3a's glorious midrange and woofer had no problem absorbing the huge amount of wattage the PL-400 had to offer. FM

@ ReliaBill Engineer , Wow that's quite a noble effort and evidently an excellent physical feat that was accomplished with that tweeter. I obviously don't have it in my hands to see or hear but from what I can see, a wonderful effort in forming the surround, what's it made of? I admire your patience and skill. At this moment it looks so good, I would bet you'll get members inquiries of performing that same operation at a price. Keep us posted, I'm very curious how they sound. I venture a guess RoyC. would be pleased also. I don't use my 4ax's as I purchased them several years ago(2005), when I was more collector driven and just had to have a pair. I was actually inspired by their sound quality back in 1965-66 as my dentist had a pair in his office area. I was so thrilled they sounded so good* to my 16 year old ears I made a promise to myself that a good sounding personal playback system was in my future. That notion was correct because that year in 1966/7, I started building home-made speakers from street found drivers, cabinets and I made a few cabinets myself, all of which my father felt had no room in the house or basement to occupy., Though I camouflaged one cabinet behind stuff, and dismantled the rest when I entered the service 2 yrs. later and came home on leave, it had mysteriously disappeared. To be fair, I was taking up room with my new at the time silver-face, Fender Bassman amp and bass guitar. Though, I guess he redeemed himself by building for me a four-wheel dolly out of angle-iron with heavy-duty 3 inch swivel wheels and that saved my back tremendously later on. You lose some, you gain some. FM P.S. * at that time, 1966, I was already seeking any and all information I could find about the hobby that was on my to-do-list of future hobbies.I was tinkering with found raw speakers, discarded radios, it didn't satisfy enough. Even though I worked at part-time jobs, that small amount of money was only enough to take my girl to the movies, certainly not enough to buy a quality music play-back system. Forgot to mention in later 1967 I built my first electronic kit the Dynaco PAS-3x and ST-35. Evidently, I wasn't kidding myself as decades later I find myself ensconced with vintage turntables, pre-amps, amps, expensive phono-cartridges, and many, many AR speakers. Good-Luck to you ReliaBill Engineer as I've been impressed by your motivation and willingness since you arrived here. A positive virtual shot in the arm for this site. FM 271

@Andre_Db66, That's electronic music isn't it? Maybe, that's too much for these guys to handle as they weren't made with that sort of sound in mind. For me it's like older men wearing skinny-jeans and, that's odd to me pushing the envelope of personal age perceptions. Though perhaps acceptable in music, public display is something else. I still have my 1964 Beatle boots and 1968 bell-bottom hip-hugger jeans but, I wouldn't wear them even to wally's. I at one time noticed my woofers traveling a bit more than they should've but, I hadn't noticed the foam was disintegrating in a dimly lite room. I believe the AR 12" woofer has more travel than a AR-2ax's woofer. To me generally, any speaker should handle any sort of music but, there are exceptions. Ported speakers might do better with electronic music than acoustic-suspension speakers. That's not being judgmental, merely following design parameters. The larger AR-LST's controls only affect the highs and lows. PS, a leak could exist under the basket frame which may have been over looked when re-foaming. It's why I use closed-cell foam speaker mounting tape instead of that confounded putty stuff which is simply not pliable as necessary and presents a world of difficulty when it's needed to be replaced. FM 500

I appreciate the willingness to take on such a task of aligning and putting back together again a whole assembly of a voice-coil and woofer cone but, there are other ways. These speakers are very old, mine more than a half-century so, a number of years ago decided to buy spares, just in case. So, why not consider buying used and in some cases some are ready for a simple drop-in? I would strongly suggest communicating closely with the seller regarding condition, packing and shipping and in the event of shipping damage , the process of refund. These are heavy and can pose problems packing properly. As I mentioned, these are getting older and more rare by the day and having spares is not a bad idea. You could install the newly purchased ones providing they’re ready to go and then take your time repairing what you have and either reinstall or retain as spares. Ultimately, it's your decision so, in any event, good luck. FM 25

“newandold’ has made the point that the newer surrounds hold up better and apparently they do. I too re-foamed my four LST surrounds in around 2010 and thank goodness, they’re still holding up. I read a few years ago that new additives were being incorporated in the foam chemical formulas enabling more longevity. And I might add that’s a relief as I’ve done more than my share of re-foaming AR 12 inch woofers. Attempting to use actual ‘rubber’ surrounds in a speaker designed for use with more compliant foam will not only affect the woofer’s movement but, bring it away from its original sound. A classic case of re-writing, re-explaining over and over regarding the same information, if only viewers would do a ‘search’ on the keywords, topics, it’s all been answered here already. 25

Hi Roy, nice to hear from you. I agree but failed to mention those lugs on the speaker wire, I never saw AR use lugs, simple solder was and is sufficient. Your theory that the previous owner could've built these very easily on his own with as you say; easily acquired drivers from AR direct, I agree with also. I still have the occasional day-dream of mounting two AR 12” woofers in a cabinet as reinforcement however, I also think AR’s woofers as great as they are would be stressing in such use. For several hundred dollars one could find a singular ‘sub-woofer’ that’s powered and it would be enough for most medium size installations. Although I may find like others a more exciting and dimensional sound through the use of a sub as it were, I also feel my speakers are properly set-up in my listening room and afford me more than adequate bass levels and stay within realistic levels. I enjoy a big sounding system but, I could never tolerate a fake, over-done or booming effect. My thinking their use for modern movie sound tracks if that's your thing and to bolster a small system such as one using two-way speakers. Additionally, I have always found the rendition of bass frequencies that AR’s 12 “ woofer willfully projects is enough for realistic-listening levels of bass frequencies. I also feel that any more bass will defeat my speaker’s purpose of emanating un-colored bass-tones. In general, I find the sound of sub-woofers entertaining for short term listening that could possibly become audibly boring with time, not to mention false sounding. I first purchased (in 1971), my AR-3a’s for a number of reasons, realistic and quality bass reproduction was a major buying consideration that hasn’t diminished in the 52+ years of my ownership. So, have we debunked “JeffS’s great find? Perhaps but, if he were dissatisfied with them, he still has costly drivers to either use or sell for a profit and still come out ahead. Or, redesign and incorporate them into something else. Now, let me get back to the ’National Geographic’ channel, showing specials on ancient Roman structures in England. FM

It’s almost exciting too think of this as a one-off . And, not to minimize the excitement factor I’m feeling I need more information. Is it that it could’ve been made by ‘AR’ as a prototype? From appearances, it could’ve been made by an employee after hours. Perhaps it was a special-order though I think AR would’ve done a better job on the cabinet’s finish in terms of grain-direction, wood-corner joining construction and driver placement, etc. Were there mounting brackets on the back that may have been removed at some point? Isn’t the internal cabinet volume supposed to be 1.7 cubic feet for the woofer? In terms of the 755 driver cabinet location, it would normally be mounted higher and inline than the woofer as seen in the AR-1 typically and also used in general speaker design. The mostly missing corners of the back paper label make me wonder if the corners once were stapled, though I've seen labels glued and stapled at different times of construction. Out of AR owner curiosity, a number of years ago I thought of building a cabinet for using AR woofers as additional low-frequency support in a planned system but never got around to it. So, I’m still very curious. In a way, this cabinet you acquired is puzzling at best and I can’t rest until some one more qualified such as RoyC expresses his opinion as he may be the site’s only fully knowledgeable remaining member left here. There may be others but, he is doing the ‘AR-Thing’ I’d guess everyday. “johnieo” or “Ming” and others haven’t been posting for a while (years) so, RoyC. is our leader and all-knowing, all-seeing Magical-Mystic-Guru-Ruler. FM P.S. If my questioning is unnecessary or incorrect, so be it but, I can’t rest until I hear different. If I don’t hear differently, I’ll reluctantly accept this cabinet as being what you have implied or said it is. I generally enjoy ancient history of man and nature so I'll be checking back to read other opinions until we're sure 100%, this is most interesting. FM 58

That's funny Kent as I would make the monthly stop at E.J. Korvettes because living in Staten Island at the time, it was the only big department store we had out there. S.I. at the time only had about 130 thousand in population, today it's over 400 thousand and over crowded. Korvettes was certainly well stocked as they carried many of the popular names of the era. I'd go and always asked to hear the AR-3a's which were newly released. Sadly most of the speakers on display were grouped close together on shelves and the bigger speakers on the floor, even bookshelf models. I also made my first 'hi-fi' purchases there. In late 1967 purchased a Dynaco PAS-3x pre-amp and a Dynaco ST-35 power amp., both tube models in kit form. I couldn't afford them until I started to accumulate cash from my new job working on Wall St. After a few weeks and into 1968 my pre and amp were finished and powering two AR-3a size sealed enclosures I purchased on "Radio-Row" on Cortland St. close to where the first World Trade Towers were being newly built. In 1968 I was juggling hi-fi, playing in a hot local rock band and enjoying women because now, I had a car to afford me to actually get around, just like the old Beach Boys song with the same name "I Get Around", flip-side 'Don't Worry Baby'. It was a 45RPM I bought in late 1964.* By 1968, I was in a band that was into and the newer rock music that was becoming popular like Hendrix, and many others that were the music we went after and played as covers. 'Hard-Rock' was fast becoming the most current rock music at the time. Those 'XAM' speakers Korvettes offered in different sizes I couldn't warm up to as they sounded muted and dull. Did they have E.V. drivers inside, I can't say, just didn't sound good to me. Certainly not after having my mind and heart set on AR's. I went back to Korvettes to buy my exciting at the time, the AR-xa for $69.00 to replace the Garrard 40B I first bought along with the Dyna components. The AR-xa sounded so much better than the entry level Garrard but, that's another story. Mounted my Shure M3D and later a Shure M55, then a Shure 91E. That was 56 years ago and yes I'm dating myself. There were common societal problems in the culture but, everything for an 18 year older was so much better in this country than today. In fact I felt it was GREAT to be alive! Eleven months later I was in boot-camp and serving my country and everything in my life was put on hold. P.S. * I still have that very same Beach Boys 45 RPM single disk. It's worn and the SQ sucks but, I'm happy to say I was there in those years, it was great and I would do it all over again. In factor the younger folks who only discovered vintage hi-fi components of yesteryear with the last twenty or thirty years or so, all I can say it was better in the Classic Era of hi-fi while it was first hand and all brand new, you late-comers missed a lot. However, hope springs eternal and many of those vintage components were built and designed well and have survived so, you can still have some of that original pleasure boomers like me did. I'm glad there are folks that allow it to live on even though it's old. P.S. The appreciator that I am, I can tell you that I still have all of the above mentioned equipment, the original guitar and bass that I played, the pre and amp, and dead Shure cartridges. The hip-hugger, bell-bottom jeans and Nehru shirt and love-beads and elephant hair bracelets are somewhere in a box., but most of the clothes were donated. But wait, from 1964 I still have my "Beatle"-boots in good condition. And yes, if I found a minty pair of AR-5's at a good price I'd snatch them up. They were as far as I could go in cost back then as the AR-2ax just wasn't for me at the time but, this AR-5's are still attractive. When I bought the AR-3a's in 1971 it was a huge financial stretch for me and it took months to make back that money. Yet, they set the pace for me back then and all I did was to make my AR hi-fi system grow bigger and better. FM 491

GH, good to know, now all here have an idea of your history. It'll be much easier to address situations on a common-ground. I for one really didn't know on what level to speak to you with. On the web, all sorts of people exist and all hidden behind the keyboard shield, it's difficult speaking to a ghost. Many use the 'shield' to fool others with a false or fake background and knowledge. There's a few out there who fake it all the way by parroting what they've read from others and present a false impression. Some of that same type of person are posers and aren't recommended as friends or acquaintances but merely insecure individuals who lie. From what little you've just now mentioned, I feel you'll have no problems on this repair of a vintage AR speaker. I still maintain my opinion of using used woofers first and then the complete rebuild of your current woofer in time. FM