Are my Acoustics Research AR2A Speakers Worth Using in My Home Theater System?

P

Pags2016

Audiophyte
I'm new to the Forum. I have a set of my parent's Acoustics Research AR2A speakers and am trying to determine if they're worth integrating into my home theater system. They still sound good, but they never had have great high frequency response. I have a good size room (15x25) and the home theater is also used for music.

Does anyone have an opinion as to whether it's possible to upgrade the tweeter in these speakers, and if so, whether it is worth using these as front speakers in a home theater system? I currently have a Boston Acoustics VR10 center channel, so if I were to use the AR2A's I'd want to pair them with the right center channel, and also considering a power sub for the room, so if there are suggestions as to the center channel and power sub to pair with the AR2A's that would be great. Thanks.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
I'm new to the Forum. I have a set of my parent's Acoustics Research AR2A speakers and am trying to determine if they're worth integrating into my home theater system. They still sound good, but they never had have great high frequency response. I have a good size room (15x25) and the home theater is also used for music.

Does anyone have an opinion as to whether it's possible to upgrade the tweeter in these speakers, and if so, whether it is worth using these as front speakers in a home theater system? I currently have a Boston Acoustics VR10 center channel, so if I were to use the AR2A's I'd want to pair them with the right center channel, and also considering a power sub for the room, so if there are suggestions as to the center channel and power sub to pair with the AR2A's that would be great. Thanks.
I don't think so. Those AR2A speakers were never ARs best effort.



The tweeter is likely fine, but the potentiometers are what need replacing. That will be contributing to the lack of highs.

The mid range drivers are the big problem which are cheap old TV speakers with poor clarity.

The bass of the AR speakers are all on the "woolly" side because they use high Qts (very floppy suspension) in a sealed cabinet.

These speakers were soon replaced by the 2ax which was a much better bet.



Sorry, but those old ARs are just not going to cut it in today's AV environment where speech definition is so important.
 
D

Dennis Murphy

Audioholic General
I'm new to the Forum. I have a set of my parent's Acoustics Research AR2A speakers and am trying to determine if they're worth integrating into my home theater system. They still sound good, but they never had have great high frequency response. I have a good size room (15x25) and the home theater is also used for music.

Does anyone have an opinion as to whether it's possible to upgrade the tweeter in these speakers, and if so, whether it is worth using these as front speakers in a home theater system? I currently have a Boston Acoustics VR10 center channel, so if I were to use the AR2A's I'd want to pair them with the right center channel, and also considering a power sub for the room, so if there are suggestions as to the center channel and power sub to pair with the AR2A's that would be great. Thanks.
I would second what TLS guy says, and urge you not to waste money upgrading the tweeter. I always thought the kind of fuzzy sound of all the vintage AR speakers was due to deliberately ramped-down treble. The urban legend was that AR decided there was too much grunge up there on most recordings of the day, and tried to obscure it. But when I actually got AR's to tinker with, I discovered the tweeter setting and quality in general was fine. The problem was cancellation effects between the drivers due to poor driver location and crossover implementation, and to an uncontrolled hump in the midrange that obscured the treble that was there. There's no way to make these things as clean and open as a good modern speaker without completely redoing the crossover. (All this assumes the variable resistors are actually working and not corroded. You might try spraying some contact spray on those puppies if they sound scratchy and don't work consistently over their adjustment range.)
 
J

JRT3

Junior Audioholic
Short answer... use them as a music system speaker - for background. I agree - try spritzing the ww pots. They are acoustic suspension speakers - highly insensitive - power hungry. Their forte was their thudding bass, as opposed to booming bass of the bass reflexes of the day. Their ability to pump out bass is likely degraded due to the cone surrounds rotting over time. My later Advent Large Loudspeakers were re-coned twice over their twenty odd years due to degraded surrounds. I recently (12/14) discovered NHT's SuperOne 2.1's - which sounded/behaved just like the old Advents and AR's - yet are available new today, with better drivers and crossovers. I no longer miss the controlled bass of the Advents & AR's.
 
N

nfafan

Audioholic Intern
If you are not going to use them as rears, then consider putting them on evilbay or CL, there are many of us out here that would be happy to have them.
 
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