2. speakers
  3. 1220372594

Estate Sale Find

Found a brand new pair of Acoustic Research AR-1 High Res speakers packed in there original unopened box They were purchased in 2000 and have been stored in a basement since then. They have side firing 500 watt subs with a built in Carver amps. the drivers look fine and the subs did turn on. Should I break them in at low volume and for how long? I paid $200 for them so it is worth the gamble on them. Your thoughts.
faziod
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
These speakers were a Stereophile Class A or Class B speaker in the late 1990's. I believe that they were a $3000 speaker.

In 2000, Accessories4less became a popular internet reseller as they were a liquidator for Acoustic Research speaker stock. You could not go wrong with their prices, as the AR speakers were typically discounted 60-70% off of MSRP. I picked up several pairs of AR-302's for $250 ($1000 list). The 303 series dated back to 1995, were designed by Ken Kantor (NHT fame), and were marketed as re-issues of the 1960's AR designs.

If you look around, there is a Stereophile review of the AR-1. They are a quality speaker and definitely worth the gamble.

Regards,

Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
Here is the review from Stereophile from June 1999. The AR1's listed for $2500 in 1999.

Regards,

Rich
faziod OP
151 posts
 
Thanks for the responce gents. Undertow The basement looked in fairly good condition. But it does get humid in the summer months. With the holiday I have not had a chance to fire them up and wanted to get some opinions before I do. Rich thanks for the link to the review.
rwwear
2,847 posts
 
If they were still sealed they should be fine.
More to discover