Audiosphere research 15inch speakers

[Northsideroost]

I am thinking of buying these speakers off this guy on the internet for 150$ here is his add >>
large house speakers each one has a 15 inch woofer, a 5 inch midrange and 2 tweeters, the system has safety shut off at high distoration so the speakers won't blow. these are not cheap speakers. $200.

i called and asked about them and he said audiosphere reasearch, i kno this is a canadian based company or was, what do you think are these worth 150$

btw they do not come with front covers

 

[TLS Guy]

I am thinking of buying these speakers off this guy on the internet for 150$ here is his add >>
large house speakers each one has a 15 inch woofer, a 5 inch midrange and 2 tweeters, the system has safety shut off at high distoration so the speakers won't blow. these are not cheap speakers. $200.

i called and asked about them and he said audiosphere reasearch, i kno this is a canadian based company or was, what do you think are these worth 150$

btw they do not come with front covers

They sound from the description like old fashioned junk.

 

[Northsideroost]

well what is so bad about them they seem like they would produce alot of bass

 

[TLS Guy]

well what is so bad about them they seem like they would produce alot of bass

From your description of the speakers, they sound like a very old set of speakers prevalent in the 1970s. That type of speaker arrangement has not been around for a long time.

It is a minor brand I have never heard but, that likely makes matters worse.

The problem is that the science of matching woofer to cabinet was very new, and those types of firms took a long time to catch up to the curve. So you had big cones with relatively big drivers, with stiff suspensions not aligned to the box. The result was not deep bass but boom. In fact in those days those sort of speakers were often called boomers.

The next problem was that crossover design was in its infancy, and the crossover were usually way wide of the mark. This was made worse by very crude harsh mid range drivers. They were usually that size and those drivers were frequently referred to as squawkers.

The tweeters were more often than not crude cone types, with very rough responses.

Those speakers were prevalent back then, and the survivors really have practically no value.

 

[Foxof]

I own a pair of these, and they are really well built.
Theyre are extremely clean & loud, on every frequency and they can handle a lot of power. I woudln't sell mine for anything else. By the way, you'll need at least 250w rms to power them, but since they have a really good response... it's worth the power its getting.
They might need a crossover rebuild since they are quite old, but mine is fully original.

 

[71Challenger]

To those of us around in the seventies the Audiospheres were known as "the poor man's JBL",

The speakers were targeted at MOTL JBLs, Technics, Pioneers, EVs.

Most of the line was marginal with a few exceptional designs. The AR-18L being about the best available from a Canadian manufacturer before the National research Council in Canada made its Test Facilities open to the likes of Energy, Paradigm, PSB and Sound Dynamics, Mirage, etc.

The AR-18L sported an 18" woofer twin 5 inch midrange and 2 piezo tweeters. Nominal power handling of 500 w/ch across 25 - 22 khz at 8 ohms. Sensitivity was 95db.

Best heard from 8 feet and several tequilas.

 

[Lordoftherings]

This thread is quite short, perhaps a good thing.

Some people here (well at least one person) own these exact same speakers.
Another person knows about the bigger brother with an 18" woofer.
And another guy just extrapolate from what he believe it is.

Well, see what I mean, it's going nowhere for the OP.

Audiosphere Research speakers were still made in the mid 80's. Even in the late 80's (1989). I know, I saw a bunch of these at my audio dealer in that year. By the way, they are Canadian made, like someone already mentioned.
The ones that the OP is looking at, I'm not sure the model #, perhaps they are the AR-15L (but I don't think so). Also, not to be confounded with Acoustic Research, Acoustic Research Spirit series, Acoustic Energy, Audio Research Accusonic, Audio Plus, Audio Source, Accusound, Accutech, Acoustat, or Audiosphere Acoustic Profiles (same family though). Hey, I just happen to know my brands of Canadian speakers.
These are not high end speakers, they are value speakers (budget), meaning they are quite large and they cost much less money than other comparable speaker's sizes.
They play loud and are OK for Rock & Roll music.
And of course, with a 15" woofer per speaker, they'll need some juice to move some air. But their impedance is quite reasonable, around 8 ohms average with a dip of about 6 ohms in the bass.

* Anyway, the Audiosphere Research Monitor 3120 was a Tuned Port design, with a 15" woofer driver, a 5" midrange driver and a Horn tweeter.
The rating is from 26hz to 22khz +/- 4db. Rated impedance is 8 ohms. Sensitivity is 93db. Maximum power handling is 280 watts. Size is 28.5" x 17.5" x 12.5" (H x W x D). And weight is 45 pounds each. Their list price was $600 canadian per pair (in 1988-89, about $400 USA for the pair). This was the 1988 model.

* Then, in 1990, they came with the Audiosphere Research Monitor 600. Again with a 15" woof, a 5" mid, and a 2.5" Horn tweet. Same specs as the previous model.

I listen to some of their models, and from what I can remember, I was quite impressed with the amount of bass from such low price speakers. I thought they'll be fine for kids that like to rock hard.

Now, the big question: should you buy them?
Are you a kid that like to rock hard?

Bob

 

[DJ Dave]

if you don't know about it you should keep your information to yourself

it's funny how some people out here just have to flap their gums even if they don't have a clue what they are talking about........ and with the ease of information on the internet nowadays a person does not have to rely on someone else's opinion. if you want the truth about the audio sphere research company from canada........... try a search engine with the question you want answered....... as a current owner of a pair of ar-15s, a set of 18L's and the ax monitors with dual 18" woofers........ i can tell you that the back of the ar-15's state 95db 1watt@1meter, the back of the 18L's state 98db 1watt@1meter and the ax monitors read 101db 1watt@1meter,s they were produced in the early 80's and were breaker protected for those wanting to try to burn them out with monster amps. i used them for dances with the ax monitors and 18L's on one end of the rooms and two sets of JBL's in the other corners, i ran them loaded at 4ohms to a technics SE-A1 power amp. (350rms/channel) I will admit the 4-15" woofers in the JBL's on one corner seemed to pound the floor just as much as the 6-18" woofers in the audiosphere's on the other corners. In the 6 years I used them all together I replaced(overdrove) I think about 8 of the 15" woofers in the JBL's which were rated in the 103db range and max power in the 250 watt range per enclosure. I have never even to this day replaced any of the woofers in any of the audiosphere's I still have. Any time they were overdriven either the woofers or the high end would just cut out, all i had to do was cut the power to them and restart the music. The tar as i call it surrounding the woofers is still soft and plyable. and there are circles beat into the cloths to prove the woofers will move out of the enclosure about 1". the two sets of ar-15's we use every day in our shop driven by a nikko 220 power amp. they still are nice and clean sound with a nice heavy base wallop when the power is turned up......... as far as being called the poor man's JBL , the 18L's were about $800 a pair and the ax monitors were almost a $1000 a pair. the four big JBL's came in around $1200 for the lot of 4, and although I will agree at low volume the JBL's are a better sounding speaker, you will not find a pair out there that not either are in need of re-foaming or have already had it done............ in comparison to the ar-15's for the price you will not find anything better, and they will be origional. the larger audiosphere's really need an amp with alot of dynamic headroom to bring out the beast in them.........

 

[DJ Dave]

audiosphere 18L's

for your own information the 18L's have a single 18" soft corrugated surround in the lower box and a pair of 5 1/2" midrange and 4 horn tweeters in each of the upper boxes, rated at 250rms per enclosure as stated on the cabinets, NOT 2 horns as MR. 71challenger thinks, and they have two circuit breakers in each, one controlling the woofers and the other controlling the upper box of the enclosure, they are a base reflex speaker and the JBL's were mostly ported in the rear which is why the JBL's always sounded better at lower volumes .................. as my mother always said if you don't know the actual right answers you should learn to keep to yourself lest you make yourself look like an *** .............. and there is also enough literature out there backing the fact that the canadian companies, energy and Paradigm were better at reproducing sound than almost all their competitors anywhere, with the exception of bose of course.
The other tidbit is audiosphere research of canada became audio research when the bottom fell out of the market for large massive enclosures they were producing and they went bankrupt with a whole lot of stock they couldn't sell. Audio research was purchased by an the usa in the 90's and is still in business today............. any one can do the research on this so why believe one persons opinion........... for $150.00 a pair of the ar-15's is a good buy.......

 

[71Challenger]

The 70s were good to me.

Thank you for the kind words.

We all bask in the glory that is you.

 

[slupry]

you can have a look at this Eagle Tech ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers with Subwoofer & Remote..

It looks cool.

 

[AJinFLA]

you can have a look at this Eagle Tech ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers with Subwoofer & Remote..

It looks cool.

What is the price in shillings and pence?

 

[zhimbo]

What the hell is up with this thread?

 

[bandphan]

What the hell is up with this thread?

come on man it started out in the 70's

 

[redgoat]

Where is that magic store that has the ultimate stuff?
I have some of this old stuff from the 80s that some call junk.
A Nikko 450 pushes a pair of 18L speakers and a Nikko 220 pushes a pair of 10speaker KLA towers.
I walk into any store that claims they have the best and they claim to have machines with 4 times the power etc
They just dont seem to be as clear or natural sounding to me somehow especially in the midrange.
Maybe they are like an old violin!!
If I was to come accross a pair of Audiospere anythings I would buy them in a heartbeat!
Just my $.02

 

[Kennydee]

I had a pair of Audiosphere reasearch 15 inchers when I was a kid and loved them. I was planning on getting the 18L model and was saving up to purchase them when I was 18 or so but life had other plans for me so I never got them. Well, last year, mid August, a nearby neighbor on my street, 3 houses down from mine, put a pair of monitors 18 on the curb to throw away. I recognized them as I drove by. Picked them up right away and rushed back home. Cabinets were not too bad, the 18 inch driver surround was still tacky and they looked in very decent shape. I hooked them up and they played wonderfully.
https://ibb.co/etrVzS
https://ibb.co/nqUuR7
https://ibb.co/dmjiKS
https://ibb.co/g773KS
https://ibb.co/iZVetn
https://ibb.co/fNRVzS
https://ibb.co/eq5vYn


This prompted me to build some cabinets and change the crossovers. Just finished them a couple weeks ago in fact.
Changed the mids to more powerful and better quality ones and used PRV Audio crossovers. In fact I have 2 crossovers that I can switch from one to the other. The first crossover I bought is a 3 way with a cutoff at 1000hz which I thought was too high for the 18 inch drivers so I got a PRV low pass at 180hz. I can switch the low pass from 1000hz to the 180hz. I'm still working on crossover options and that is the reason I'm posting this. I'm having a hard time finding the tweeter specs. I'm tempted to change the tweeters and getting a new 3 way crossover based on the new tweeter frequency range I'll be selecting. Does anyone know the specs on the original tweeters?

I have these hooked up to a Yamaha Pro P2250 with Rotel RSP-980 pre/pro. Sounds good so far but want to improve.