This is definitely a pair of speakers that far exceed the price. Midrange is excellent, while treble is high and crisp. Even before run-in, the speakers already show their potential, just that after a full break-in, it really shines. The low-end is taut enough, especially with the right partnering equipment, sounds extremely decent!!. By the way, transients is also excellent. When I saw these at www.cyberteria.com for $1509.90/pair I could'nt resist.

Good value, Excellant bass and overall frequency response, Nice finish (cherry)

Very directional, Early woofer problems, could used an adjustable crossover

Great value speakers, blows away many over $2K, Excellant bass and great for playing music very loud. Recommend using line outs directly to woofer amps and carefully adjusting the gain. Nice shape and easily fits into most rooms. Built in amps mean that you dont need a huge amount of power to drive these speakers well. This means that you can use tube amps for the upper end (I am using monoblocked Golden Tubes). I did notice that the speakers are highly directional on the high end. This is great if you are using them for home theater or have a set listening position. But if you are looking to fill the room with sound it will be more difficult (I'd suggest using surround sound setup or buying an optional after-market tweeter to offer a a broader high end dispersion pattern). This is not an ucommon problem with other speakers but this is what I noticed with these. I did manage to push them so hard that the woofer delaminated. It took about 3 weeks to get a new one from AR and they were somewhat cooperative (they dont like to support their products if you buy them online, some persuading is necassary). I shopped around quite a bit and looked at Infinity, Bose, NHT, Klipsch, B&W, totum, among many others and these are the best by far for the money. The cherry finish is nice.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 3.3

Bass; efficiency; good overall sound.

Quality control? Service.

Follow-up to my 6/24/99 review. That 'sizzly' high end I found at the outset turned into no output from the R speaker's tweeter. Calls to AR required more effort than expected to have them designate a Factory-authorized repair shop in the New York City area. The designated shop reported that they didn't do work for AR & it took a call from AR to convince them that they did. To my disapointment, the shop's techs had obviously never seen this model, nor its predecessor the 315 HO, and they had neither any manufacturer's literature on it, nor any inclination to do a meaningful diagnostic on it. Instead, they insisted on ordering 2 replacement tweeters, despite the fact that the L tweeter works just fine. Hmmmmmm. As it happens though, the L speaker needs work of another kind. In this regard, I echo Steven Rosburg's 7/1/99 criticism of the cheesy LF 30HZ potentiometer knobs on the speakers' rear panel. The left one literally detached/snapped off in my hand as I adjusted it. As such, this incredibly flimsy and overly-long circuit board-mounted stem has to be replaced and perhaps the board with it. I await, with trepidation, delivery & installation of the replacement parts by my local shop, who's techs will apparently be learning on the job.
In summary, a well-conceived, good-sounding speaker with questionable quality control and a repair network that has yet to prove itself to me. The hardware failures force me to drop my previous rating by a star.

Price and SUB

can only buy online

I have not bought these speakers yet but i am looking into it. YOu can buy the center channel for like $300 that goes with these. And you can also get these at netmarket.com for $1500. The problem is that i can not listen to them first so i doubt i will buy them.

Plus i listen to music with a lot of highs and is really loud like korn.

Someone try them with hard rock and tell my what is up.

Alright well then.

GOOD BASS, THIS SPEAKERS ARE SUITABLE HOME THEATER. NOT FOR 2 CHANELS STEREO LISTENING

LACK OF HIGH FREQUENCY. I AM VERY DISAPPOINT. I HAVE AN OLD PAIR OF AR 9. IT IS MUCH BETTER THAN THIS IN TERM OF HIGH FREQUENCY AND EVERYTHING. RECOTON IS THE PARENT OF AR. THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ASSEMBLE SPEAKERS. ALL THEY DO IS MAKING AUDIO ACCESSORIES SUCH AS CABLE, TAPE HEAD CLEANER...

I HAVE COMPLETE SET OF AR 9 FOR FRONT, AR 2C FOR CENTER AND AR 15 FOR REAR. TOTAL SPEAKERS COST $2300. OTHER EQUIPMENTS ARE DENON 5800 RECEIVER. DENON DCD3000 CD PLAYER, SONY 7700 DVD...ALL SPEAKER CABLES AND AUDIO INTERCONNECT ARE TOP OF THE LINE FROM MONSTER. SOUND SHOULD BE GOOD, BUT IT IS NOT WITH THESE AR'S. I AM VERY DISAPPOINT ON THE SOUND. TO FIX THIS PROBLEM,I AM THINKING IS ADD A GOOD PAIR OF TWETERS FROM JM-LAB/FOCAL. IT COST ABOUT 250 INCLUDING CROSSOVER. HELP IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS. I CAN NOT REPLACE THESE SPEAKERS BECAUSE ALL FURNITURE CUSTOM MADE BASED ON THESE SPEAKERS DIMENSIONS.

Similar Products Used:

AR9, POLK-SRD-2A, BW 605

I have reviewed these speaker before. There are individuals posting negative comments multiple times that skews the total points this speaker deserves downward. I have been using these for over a year with a high powered separate amp, and top associated equipment, and the sound is flawless. See Stereophile, June 99. There are NO cheap parts in this speakers, and if you can blow a driver you are misusing your amplifier( driving it into overload or clipping). If it sounds bad it is somewhere else in your system. I am an audio elecronic engineer for many years and have used multiple speakers to evaluate equipment. These are among the very best.

Good imagining and detail.
Good price performance ratio

Built in 15" woofer limits placement.
Flaws in audio sources are more obvious. (As with any good speaker)

System Configuration:

Reciever: Yamaha RX-V2095
CD Player: Sony CDM-90ES
DVD Player: Toshiba DVD-3036
Power Source: Monster HTS-5000
Center Channel: Acoustic Research AR2C
Front Effects: Acoustic Research AR15
Rear Effects: Acoustic Research AR15
Subwoofer: Velodyne VX1512

Setup:

To test the AR1s I first setup a standard 2 channel configuration and tested for level and optimal placement. I then added the front, rear, and center channels, set the level and tested placement for them as well.

As I suspected the AR1s are extremely sensitive to wall placement due to their side firing subwoofers. The Acoustic Research manual recommends a minimum distance of 18" to the side wall for optimal sound. I would personally recommend 2 feet as the minimum. Any placement closer than 2 feet makes the bass less tight, and muddied.

Two channel CD Audio Test:
For all CD Audio Test, I listened to both TOSLINK digital, and analog outputs from the Sony CD player. All analog output was passed through the RX-V2095's external decoder inputs, thereby bypassing the recievers internal DACs.

London Symphony Orchastra "Beethoven's 9th":
imaging and detail was very precise. Flaws in recording obvious. The violas and violins took on a whole new dimension as individual bow strings could be heard being dragged across the instruments. The vocals were good with no simblance. Unfortunatly the voices also sounded soft, and lacked the full body I was expecting from a male bass/alto voice.

Alanah Myles, "Alanah Myles":
The base guitar was very tight and authorative. Drums were also very tight and had the same excellent imaging as before. Alanah's voice was sweet, sassy (as it should be for blues/rock), and smooth.

Niki Barr, "No Frills"
For those of you who don't know her, she's a folk musician who plays guitar. This probably the best of the test. Her voice was absolutly incredible, sounding almost transparent enough to be considered live. My only complaint was with the guitar which sounded too wide, and lacked placement. I acredit this to the mastering of the CD, as I had experienced the same effect on a number of speakers.

5.1/7.1 Channel DTS Audio CD and DSP test:
For this test I used coax digital signals from the Toshiba DVD player to the decoder in the Yamaha RX-V2095. Test were conducted using standard DTS decoding, as well as Yamaha's custom sound field DSP programs. Although some would argue that multiple channels and DSP's aren't a valid test of a main speaker, they are part of the whole package in many of todays home theatres. Therefor if you are buying these speakers for home theather, you want to make sure that the entire package works well together.

My only test CD I used was "SUMMER PASSION: THE FOUR SEASONS OF LOVE" I immediatly went to track 10 to listen to "Moonlight Sonata." In standard DTS mode, the piano is the best I ever heard in a sub $5000 speaker pair. In the "European Hall B" DSP mode, the sound was incredibly realistic. The piano was smooth without ever being forced or harsh.

5.1/7.1 DVD movie test:

All test were run using digital coax from the Toshiba DVD player to the Yamaha RX-V2095.

"Air Force One":
The drums in the opening credits were tight and authorative, but at times seemed heavy handed compared to the rest of the score. In the hijacking scene, the F-15 jets also panned and sweeped smoothly across the room, integrating seemlessly with the rest of the speakers.

Frequency Response Test:

Test was done using a tone generator, and a radio shack SPL meter at 10 feet from the speaker. Target SPL was 90dB at 1kHz.

Slight dip around 120Hz. (-3 dB)
Increase in base when placed 18" from wall (+1dB)
Large increase in base when woofer place < 12" from wall (+4dB)

Similar Products Used:

Tested:
Polk RT line
Infinity Overture series

Excellent sound reproduction, solid construction

No AR dealer near me

Current Setup:

Sony DA-555ES receiver
Sony CDP-C745 CD player
Sony DVP-S550D DVD player
Front channels AR1
Center channel AR4C
Rear channels AR15

While I am new to high end audio ownership, I have considerable experience listening to and playing music as a musician. I can tell you that these speakers are some of the best I have ever heard. I looked for a high end speaker to complement my new HT system and these fit my price point. I did have trouble finding a pair and had to drive two hours to Crutchfield to hear some AR3's. One of them was missing the power cable so it was not a good test. I decided to go with them anyway.

When the speakers arrived initially, I set them up and heard a buzz from the right sub. After investigating, I discovered that the box had been dropped. This was very annoying but not AR's fault nor Netmarkets. To their credit, Netmarket picked the pair up and shipped me a new pair with no problems. Same thing happened with the AR2C I initially ordered for the center channel. The box had been penetrated and the speaker was mildly damaged. Twas a blessing in disguise because wife nixed the 2C on account of the size. The 4C is just as good from what I heard.

After getting the new set setup with original monstercable and hooking up my CD with optical and DVD with digital coax, amazing things started to happen. First with music, I began to hear stuff on cd's that I had never heard before in years of listening. When listening to Beulah Witch off the Burnin for Buddy, Buddy Rich Tribute album, I heard a strange buzz coming from the right speaker. A musician friend of mine pointed out that it was a baritone sax, not a busted driver! Second, it became painful to listen to lots of older cd's because this system will reveal ANY imperfection in the recording. I don't listen to Zeppelin cd's anymore on this system because they are not good quality recordings. Garbage in, garbage out!

For HT, the speakers are incredible. I have tested the structural integrity of my house watching Ronin, The Matrix, or any movie of that ilk. The sound stage is seamless.

And I have responses to several other reviewers. First the sweet spot issue. I have not experienced this small sweet spot as a number of reviewers have discussed. My guess is that people are not getting the proper seperation of their speakers. Besides, when I really want to sit and listen to music, I sit in one place!

As for people blowing out drivers, my experience with these speakers has been that one would have blood dripping off his/her earlobes before drivers were blown in regular home use. Unless of course you got a defective speaker to begin with.

I have used these speakers for 8 months and I couldn't be happier other than to have real wood on the outside but that is a minor gripe. They look good anyway. But the sound is fantastic and this is true for all types of music (OK, I don't know about rap or country).

One last point to all, PLEASE DON'T WRITE A REVIEW OF STUFF YOU ARE "THINKING" ABOUT BUYING. Doesn't do anybody any good!

Similar Products Used:

none

Incredible bass response. Smooth and crisp highs.

Long warm up period.

I've read a lot about the speaker, but I could not find the article in stereophile but knowing the personal history of Bob Carver and the craftsmanship of AR I decided to look into them.
If you are looking for these speakers they are hard to find if you are not in a metropolitan area. AR's website is of no help. I had to call the dealer number, was referred to the distributor and then he directed me to a dealer. I made an hour drive and after a few test CD's realized there is something here. PLEASE, DO NOT JUDGE THESE SPEAKERS AT FIRST NOTE, YOU WILL WALK AWAY; THEY MUST PLAY AT VOLUME FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THEY COME TO LIFE!!!
It is not the bass, the speakers stay in a standby mode with power to the amps and the bass came on very strong from the beginning. Very controlled, very deep but not overpowering.
As the speakers warmed up the true sound came through. To say the least they "ROCK." The highs are so detailed, even through the harshest music. The spatial imaging, once warm, was exceptional, due to the midrange-tweeter configuration.
I cannot find a better speaker for the price range. They are comparable to B&W for thousands less. If this is the price range you are looking for listen to these speakers last, you will take them home.

They are Acoustic Research, need I say more?
Great design, craftsmanship, made in America, accurate sound reproduction, great quality and high value, rich milk chocolate for your ears

If you put bad music in, it will faithfully reveal it.

Mr. Werner must not understand the principles behind getting good sound from one's speakers. It is crucial to match the right amp for a pair of speakers. In defense of Acoustic Research, who's been in the business of making quality loudspeakers before I was born, they've revolutionized the way music is reproduced with their acoustic suspension design for loudspeakers. In other words, they created closed port speaker systems which many other companies soon followed. And I highly doubt your understanding of audio engineering since you stated that you chose to use Krell of all amplifiers to drive your high efficiency 312 HO speakers. The 312 HO is a bass reflex design which uses an open port, which makes the speaker more efficient. You need a low powered tube amp to get the best sound from your 312 speakers. Save the Krell for power hungry closed port speakers which utilize acoustic suspension, like the top of the line AR1 which retails for $2500/pair. It's simple, open port means louder sound with less power. Closed port means cleaner, tighter bass, but requires more power. Many audiophiles choose the latter.