WOW these speakers just blew me away when i hooked them up. Although im going to be using them for my rear sorrounds, i still hooked them up to the front channel for a little bit of breaking in. Man was i suprised to hear them sound better than my pioneer csg303, granted the pioneers are definitly not the best speakers around they still sound pretty good. But these little speakers just blew them away. Speaking of the size they are rather large by bookshelf standards but seeing as im a strong believer in at least close to the same size sorrounds as fronts these suit me just fine. The first thing that really grabbed my attention was when i pulled them out of the box was their weight. Good god they weigh 25 lbs each. Now for how they sound, the treble is nice and crisp and clear, and i havent really noticed the mids getting muddled although i only had them hooked up to the front for a day, so it could just be because theyre sorrounds, ill have to look into that. The bass coming out of these things is unreal for their size, 48hz. They use every bit of that response to its extreme. The thing that really got me though was when they were hooked up in front they sounded like they were 4 feet tall, they just filled the room with nice crisp sound, and the kind of cripness you expect out of a horn tweeter but what youd expect out of a dome. Let me just but it this way, the word bright never even crossed my mind. So i guess after all this taking into account size, sound and price ($252 w/ shipping at netmarket) i have to give these a 5 speaker rating. Oh yeah before i go, watch out for netmarket, if they mess up it takes FOREVER for them to fix the problem. I ordered the 328pscherry speakers on the 31st of august and here it is the 17th and im still lookin at at least another 2 weeks before i get my speaker(notice i said speaker, i received one but not the other)ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Excellent sensitivity

It takes up too much space on my desk

At the moment I am running a second music system which consists of the 226 and a Rotel RMB 1095 amplifier . This amplifier and speaker combination,plus my Sony XA-20ES CD PLAYER (variable outputs) have an unbelieveable synergy. The mid bass is clean and tight,not quite as impressive visceral as my 18 subwoofer, it's adequete for a bookshelf unit. However this unit's main strength is it's incredible sensitivity and detailed midrange and tweeter. Being a critical listener I don't often enjoy music as much as analyize it. But with this unit I can really enjoy music, those intricate little details which add color ,enjoyment to the musical experience are as clear as the light day. Although it's certainly not the end all and be all of high fidelity with the proper amplification and source material the 226 PS is certainly quite capable of producing stunning and dynamic music.

For under $400 these are some pretty damn good speakers. They are bookshelf speakers but the sound sure doesn't make it seem like one. At about 25 lbs. they sure don't feel like it either. I compared these to Energy C-2's and Polk RT7's. The RT7 had a little warmer midrange to it but the thing that won me over with the AR's was the bass. It's not often you get smooth, flat bass response from a "bookshelf" speaker down to 40 Hz. This was important since I didn't have a subwoofer when I purchased these. I'd say if you already have a sub, these would make excellent main speakers in any size room. Just put them on stands. Even at extreme volumes the sound is clean with no audible distortion, even with music that has demanding bass lines. I'd have to say that the midrange could be a little better but the highs are nice and smooth. Not too bright like some other bookshelf speakers I've tried. Because of the midrange I'll have to give these 4 stars but give them a listen. You'll be amazed!

Great sound

None

Traded up from AR216PS's, there's a tremendous improvement in sound. Not that the 216's are bad, but the sound from the 226's is much fuller, richer and louder. They (the 226PS's) sound much, much more expensive than they really are. I'm using them as rear surrounds in a totally Acoustic Reasearch 5.1 package, and I love them. They could easily serve as fronts if you have a subwoofer. I give them 5 stars for overall, and 10 stars for value.

good bass response, good build quality

midrange is good, but could be better

I got these for $150 off an auction and have been very pleased with them so far. I bought these to use in my bedroom for music. I'm very impressed with these speakers. They're put together very well and look very sharp. They're also very substantial, weighing 26 pounds apiece. They have a full, rich sound, with good bass response for a bookshelf speaker. They have 2 woofers apiece, though. I think I did allright for the dough spent....

Similar Products Used:

klh, jbl bookshelf speakers

Guess I got everyone here beat, I found these speakers at Sears on clearance for $159. My first impressions were not in the sound but the fact that they are rather large and heavy for a bookshelf speaker. I took a look in the bass port in the back before setting them up, the drivers have a magnetic structure almost the size of the entire woofer! These speakers were not for my main system but rather for a bedroom so I hooked them up to my Pioneer mini system (100W per channel rating). Generally I find that speaker manufacturers overstate the power handling of the speaker, I have a pair of Pioneer bookshelfs rated for 100watts and I blew them on my old Pioneer reciever which had 65 watts max, and I was not even close to full volume. The ARs held true to their specs, cranked at nearly full volume they didnt distort, they just got louder. The sound is good, bass is tight and quite good for the size. The midrange is very good. I found the horn loaded dome tweeter to work well for most music producing clean high frequency sound. It does have horn characteristics but I am not biased towards horn or dome tweeters so it did not make much difference to me. After having these speakers for three months I still feel they are an excellent speaker for a decent price.

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR226BK Performance Series Bookshelf Speakers, Black $219.95(pair)

The AR-226PS has a ported, high-excursion dual woofer system enabling a solid bass response down to 48Hz in a highly efficient bookshelf cabinet. AR's Voice Matched technology enables the AR-226PS to perform optimally in both Dolbyr Digital and analog Pro-Logic surround sound systems making it a perfect complement to home theater systems.

Feature/Benifit

Exclusive AR wave controlled face plate
Increases optimal listening area while providing clear, accurate high frequency reproduction
Ported, High-Excursion, dual woofer system
Solid bass response down to 48Hz in a highly efficient bookshelf cabinet
Contemporary narrow enclosure design reduces acoustic defraction
Reduces reflected sound for added clarity and less time distortion
"Voice Matched" to other AR models
Maintains tonal balance throughout the surround sound environment. Essential for optimal performance in Dolby Pro-Logicr and Dolby Digital
Magnetically shielded enclosure
Ideal for home theater applications, eliminates video distortion regardless of placement
Gold insert speaker connectors
Provides tight connections for sonic purity
Buy It!
$219.95(pair)

Well built. Nice bass. Horn tweeter proforms well. Price/Value.

Cabinet finish is a fair at best (Balck Ash).

Well I discovered these speakers when they were discontinued. My friend has a pair & I fell in love with them. I ordered Cherry finish but I received Black Ash from Lets Go Digital so they knocked off $55.00. Anyway, the speakers are are full of bass! The horn tweeter is really nice & gives a wide spread of highs. If you are buying these for a small room then there perfect. I have these 226PS speakers running thru a old Philips High Fidelity Labs Receiver model #AH-7961 (75 watts of old time power) & they really crank! They only get a bit distorted at 8+ volume level. I recommend to anyone that will fit the bill for there needs. BTW...Please DO NOT BUY from Let's Go Digital.com These guys will tell you *anything* just to get an order placed. I guess I'm lucky I even could find these speakers so I very pleased with them.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch RMB-5, Boston Acoustics CR-9, Cerwin Vega E-708.

Good solid construction. Excellent sound reproduction.

None yet.

I loved these speakers from the moment I laid eyes on them. Good solid (and heavy) construction. 25 lbs apiece. I am no audiophile to be sure but I do know what I like. Excellent for home theater and music playback. I play drums and when I can hear every tick on the hi-hat, I know I've got a winner. They don't give huge bass by any means but, that is what the sub is for when you have bookshelf speakers. By the way, these have to be about as big as you can get and still be called a bookshelf speaker. I paired these up with the Acoustic Research SC2. Also a very large and heavy center channel. I couldn't be more happy. These sound as good if not better than many speakers twice the price. Money doesn't always but quality.

For the money these speakers are tough to beat. I found them for $225 (per pair!) at Netmarket.com and you can find them for about $205 from shop4.com. Both sources provide 2 year warranty coverage (although no manufacturers warranty). At that price these speakers definitely pull their weight.
The bass is surprisingly tight, and rarely, if ever, mushy. The bass, and sound in general, is remarkably full for a bookshelf speaker (although these are sort of large bookshelf speakers).

In terms of nitpicking, though, there are some definite gripes. Generally speaking the midranges are a bit blurry, or mushy. Also, at times the midranges are simply too loud, overpowering the higher end. This might be attirubted to the fact that these speakers have two midrange drivers ea. which generates a lot of kick. Yet considering this, the midrange tends to be flat and shallower than one would expect or hope for.

Honestly though, these speakers are very good. I tested a variety of music: classical, opera, jazz, funk, modern, etc. Jazz and funk sounded best due to the solid, tight bass and sharp upper end. The opera sounded full as did the classical, but at times the midranges gave out which was unfortunate. Overall I was very pleased with my listening experiences.

One other note of interest. These speakers do have horn loaded tweeters, which may be of interest or concern to some listeners. While these speakers are not entirely characteristic of horn loaded speakers, they do exhibit a handful of horn-like qualities when playing woodwind, brass, or most any wind based instrument. Horn speakers tend to be a matter of preference for most folks so I encourage you to listen to them and decide for yourself. Personally I'm not a big fan of horns but I did not have any objections or issues with the sound these speakers generated as a result of the horn tweeters.

I will be comparing these to the AR 308HOs within the next few days. You can find them from Crutchfield for about $399, which is also a great deal, although certainly not as cheap as the 226PS from Netmarket or Shop4.

Bottom line? I don't think I've been as impressed by such an affordable speaker in a while. Most bookshelf speakers of comparable price are greatly inferior. I encourage you to give the 226PS a serious look!

--Evan Trent--
evan@sover.net