AR 2Ax

[LarryC]

"I have begun to suspect that the inefficient acoustic suspension speakers that took over in the 60s did so because the new, more powerful transistor and global feedback tube amps sounded so harsh at low power. The inefficient speakers made the amps put out more power where they sounded better."

One word: Size. Stereo upset the applecart for large speakers like Klipsch because two were needed. AR's and KLH's were small enough that even pairs could be tucked away in small spaces and around the furniture in average-sized rooms. On top of that, they tended to have a soft, unobtrusive, and relatively pure sound that was more comfortable for music played in the background.

[dkalsi]

I acutally have a pair of AR-2Ax that need restoring - I was thinking about doing it but later opted not to. If anyone here is interested, they are more than welcom to have them for $60 bucks - they need restoring - but I am including a refoam kit spare woofers and spare tweeter spare crossovers and spare mids.

[Erik Mandaville]

I'm sure size was part of it -- for any decent bass response, a horn had to be. However, that soft, unobtrusive, and purer sound you mention may (and indeed is), for some, be closer to the real thing. I've been asked by people who are every bit as interested in music playback as I am how I can stand to listen to speakers that were designed for PA use (we know that's only part of the story, of course). Even someone on this forum once thought Klipschorns are capable of tearing one's ears off. Harsh, bitinging brittle on the top, ear-shredding midrange horn, etc. etc.

It may or may not have been just for background listening. That would depend on the person/people in question, I suppose. In some respects, because of the degree of clarity that can be found at even low volume, it may be that high efficiency horns would be as equally suited to background listening. There was a band teacher I new at another school some years ago, who loved La Scalas for what they can do at *realistic* volume levels -- not because of how hurtfully loud they can play with comparatively low distortion.

I have a pair of small monitors built with Vifa drivers, a two way, that surprise me every time I listen to them. Vented to the rear instead of the front (how I made them), they sound like they might have a 10" driver in them rather than the 6.5" They were originally built around a high order series network, which worked well with maybe 65-100 watts in front it, but were nothing short of horrible with a SET amp. Well, at very, very low....too low....volume levels they were okay if one happened to be sitting only four feet away. Turn up the volume and they got nasty fast. I remember when I took out the network, and rebuilt it with one cap and one coil -- no impedance equalization of any kind -- and they came to life in a way that was remarkable. Much better with SET amps, too, in fact pretty enjoyable. Easily good enough for focused rather than background listening, and killer with a Dynaco ST 70, PP 6V6, or Teac digital amp.

Erik