Ar-303 loudspeakers

This speaker is the classic remake of the old Ar-3a . Contrary to what I've read and heard others say , I think the  Ar-303's are simply a much better speaker all around than the older Ar-3a's . Modern drivers bears this out in the 303's . In fact this speaker is better than 95 % of what's available on the market today , cost no object products included ! I was one who was always reading & listening to the opinions of so called golden eared audio reviewers . This habit kept me always on the lookout for something better . This is what listening to these people will do . It will have you not even trusting your own ears when it comes to listening to audio equipment . If Mr. golden ears didn't favorably review it , it's not good ; avoid the product . When the Ar-303's made their debut in 1994 I couldn't wait to get a pair . I fell in love with the way the speaker looked .  The shiny black ,metal like finish drew me in . I finally got a chance to hear them in Houston at a hi-end retailer . They looked even better in person . They might not be the biggest speakers but they are hefty in their build quality . One inch thick mdf cabinets all around with a pressure laminate finish . Even the inside of the cabinet is laminated to control the stresses of flexing . If this speaker was made today it would retail for probably $3,000 or more for the pair .

Oh that smooth as silk sound and full range bass !

I've gone through a many small monitor type speakers . Again , listening to the golden ears reviewers . Most of these guys must have a high frequency hearing loss . Every one of these speakers had an irritating sound in the treble at higher listening levels . I guess this is the pain that goes with having to tolerate so called high definition sound . All of these speakers did the midrange thing really well but bass was mia . I won't mention any of the manufacturers products,not here to bash . Just inform the reader of great older speakers . It wasn't until I heard the AR-303 speakers that finally full range sound and smoothness could be reproduced in a bookshelf sized enclosure . I heard these speakers by accident . One day while looking for a new cd player I heard this gloriously reproduced sound . It was coming from one of the listening rooms at the music shop . The auditioner forgot to close the door behind him . Everyone standing in the lobby stopped what they were doing and proceeded to see what was creating this marvelous music . The closing movements of " Hary Janos" Suite - Entrance of the Emperor and his court was playing ( Ivan Fischer ) . The music starts to swell and the final stages of play gets really busy and then you feel the wack of the bass drum that closes the performance . It shook the room ! I'am standing there thinking that the guy in that audition room is getting ready to shell out big bucks for big floor standing speakers . Well to make a long story short it was the AR-303's that shook that room . I simply couldn't believe that these small bookshelf speakers had that kind of force . The speakers were connected to a 300 watt amp . Months later I purchase a pair and it has been music ever since .

In room for best stereo imaging !

A lot of people who purchase and use the AR-303's come away un-impressed . This is because they don't know how to accurately space them in their listening rooms . These are majestic sounding speakers and they do require a larger room than the typical monitor speaker . Give them the space they need to breath and you'll be rewarded with truly natural imaging .  The AR-303 will project a wide and spacious soundstage,with  well defined vocal center images between the speakers . These speakers require 7 to 10 feet of space between the cabinets . They must be place vertically , no other way ! Distance from the back wall is not an issue . The speakers were designed for close proximity to the back wall ; 1-4 inches . For the ultimate in warmth,imaging ,bass smoothness & detail place a 2inch thick slab of solid maple wood under each AR-303 . The maple should be cut exactly 16x12 inches . This is a marvelous speaker system , give them space and you'll agree also !

 Excellent ,low distortion bass & true tone !

The AR-303 is one of the few speakers that confirms strictly to the golden ratio proportions(2.618x1.618x1) . In simple terms ; wide baffle & shallow depth cabinets ( 25x15x11) . A cabinet of these dimentions will produce a more natural sounding midrange and bass that is pure of tone . These cabinets are far less prone to internal standing waves of the narrow width/deep cabinet speakers . The AR-303's can have powerful bass but it is never boomy or indistinct sounding . The bass has excellent definition and detail . It sounds like music is supposed to sound .

How to buy a pair of AR-303's :

There's not much to go wrong with a pair of loudspeakers in the hands of a caring owner . The woofers will have rubber surrounds and will not show signs of deterioration even after 12 years of use . The worst thing that can happen to these speakers is being driven by a puny amp . Most serious owners will have big beefy amps to drive the speakers . Tiny amps ( less than 50 watts ) is what burns tweeters out in a speaker system . The AR-303's tolerate huge amps far better than a speaker its size should . Also look for cracked corners as the speakers are very heavy for their size . Cracked corners signify that the speaker has been dropped . It's hard to maintain the airtight seal if a cabinet has a crack in it . Perfect airtight seals is the reason for the great bass these speakers will have .

It's rare to see the 303's for sale , especially when the owner latches onto that special amp/cd player combination . From that point on it's a long term affair with these speakers . Don't take my word ,search out a pair to audition if you can . These are full range reproducers that will put any mini monitor to shame . These speakers have a tonal balance similar to the big Spendors(S-100's ) . I once heard these speakers powered by a 500 watt amp and the music it produced throbbed like the real thing ! Bass enveloped the whole studio listening area . You tend to see a lot of these used in studios as midfield monitors  . If you ever see a pair for sale you better swoop them up in a hurry . They are not the most efficient speakers but smoothness and bass is second to non its size ! These are definitely the new must have classic AR's !

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