Musical, Punch, Efficiency, Biwire Capability

Needs power to drive Sub

My system consists of a Denon AVR-2800 Receiver ($650), Acoustic Research AR9 Towers ($700), Toshiba SD-2200 DVD ($220), Sony 5 disc CD player and Tara Labs Prism Biwire wire – most of which I’ve owned and used for about one year. I also have a JBL center and AR surrounds. This system replaced a Sony pro-logic based system that I used for 5 years. My main objective for my new system was primarily for music listening and secondarily for HT. Good amplification (not super-expensive) was my primary technical consideration. My music taste varies between alternative rock to well-recorded jazz and occasional strays into other semi-popular genres (I do not listen to classical although I suspect that I will begin to appreciate it more as I reach seniority). I feel that musical taste has a major impact on audio system ratings.

I read reviews on this site for about three months and auditioned several receivers and speakers during that time at local audio stores. I used audioreview to narrow my choice of receivers down to the Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo – all priced about the same. I also considered separates, but after considering price/performance ratios and the kilowatts consumed by big amps, I decided to search for a good integrated amp that wont blow a hole in the wallet.

Honestly, I think any one of the above mentioned receivers would have done a good job of fulfilling my expectations. I chose the Denon because I did not read any major weaknesses outside of the manual and remote (who cares about that anyway) and since my motivation was music listening, neither of those were going to have a negative impact. Also, the price was right (about $650 at BrandsMart USA).

Front, main speaker auditioning proved to be the most interesting aspect of my purchasing research experience. I wanted towers (they tend to use bigger drivers which move more air and have more punch) so I began by listening to B&W’s and Klipsh (if you want to hear a real difference in speakers, this comparison is a great place to start). The B&W’s were nice, warm and neutral sounding while the Klipsh were louder and had a very strong mid-range (great for rock fans). Neither speaker thrilled me - again, it really has to do with taste. The B&W’s sounded a little muddy when played loud and I guessed I would suffer extended listening fatigued from using the Klipsh (my listening room is approx 15 feet wide by 25 long, with high ceilings and carpeted floor - not bad, but I would prefer a wider orientation with the front speakers). Then I listenened to NHT’s - they were by far, superior to my ears (my favorite test CD is anything from Dave Matthews Band). Unfortunately, the NHT’s were beyond my budget ($1,100+) and I didn’t care for the glossy black finish and angular styling (Yuck! The wife would not be pleased!).

Then I serendipitously stumbled upon the Acoustic Research AR Towers. Wow! Very impressive bottom, musical and efficient. What I enjoy the most is the clarity of these speakers coupled with good punch and efficiency. Although these speakers are very efficient they are not fatiguing. I think AR does this by tweaking the frequency response in certain mid-frequencies (400-500 Hz) – you can pseudo-verify this using a good, frequency test CD and a sound level meter, tested outside to eliminate room effects. If there is one draw back to these speakers is that the side-firing woofers need plenty of power (mid-volume+) to get them going (I suppose I may need a sub, a separate amp to drive the woofers or a better room to exploit the bottom end better). However, this apparent weakness only occurs at low volumes (heck, it could be my hearing!?). I welcome suggestions other than the obvious “get a sub dude”. I wired these using the Prism Biwires. My next upgrade is a CD player to replace my current 6 year-old Sony 5 disc. I’m looking forward to more research and auditioning.

Overall, I’m very stoked on my system. I recently played an IMAX documentary named “The Magic of Flight” which is a DTS based film based around the Blue Angels. I was nearly startled out of my seat during one take-off scene…I thought the windows in my room were going to explode!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for price/performance ratio oriented audio enthusiasts!

Similar Products Used:

NHT, Klipsch, B&W

Price, Quality, Looks

Slightly lacking in bass(Bass is good for normal people, I am a bass junky)

Takes awhile to break these puppies in, but man are they great now. Excellent sound, great price. What else is there to say?

Second review after time. Very clean, biwired, super highs, great finish, great price

Yes, bass is not kick butt, but way fine for those that prefer classical and movies. Plus add sub, as you should and the bass is totally a non-issue

The AR'9s continue to be a fine performing pair (as well as my AR matching theater surround Hi-Res peakers). Have continued to look for others, but at about $600/pair, these continue to be a fabulous buy - even compared to much higher priced systems.

And, a major benefit is the sensitivity of these speakers; at 92db, they are so strong that they make the best of even simple systems. Have a Denon 3300 theater surround that suffers from major reported overheating and fan noice. Not when using these speakers!! With such low draw/sensitivity, the surround reciever is all but sleeping - cool to touch.

What more to say? The AR line is truly fine. Most higher end publications acknowlege AR, maybe not as the finest - read expensive, but as a base line of fine speakers. That was my motive - "fine end and affordable". Let me know your thoughts!! Mike

Similar Products Used:

lesser stuff

Bass, Definition and looks
The Build Quality is outstanding
Weight
Bi-amp capability

One of it's strenghts is also it's biggest weakness. The tweeter is very defined especially for movies. But if you are using a poor recording or a lower end reciever all weeknesses will flourish as well. If your CD player or reciever have a slightly tinny or harsh sound, these speakers will show that off very harshly, Especially at higher volumes.

These speakers have there strengths and there weaknesses. These speakers are technical speakers, that can flourish in the proper soroundings. (bi-wire, large room, and a warm room) but can fall short if placed in a small room with a lot of standing waves. Because of it's high sensitivety I found these speakers to reach potetial at low volumes.

Over all the speakers have been a pleasing addition to my system.

Similar Products Used:

Mission 703, Bose 301, AR308, AR310, AR15, RBH, Tannoy

4 Plus Decades of AR's Legendary Reputation, Phenominal Cabinent Build Quality,Sleek Apearance, Minimal Footprint,Absolutely stunning sound.

Speaker Grills are difficult to remove

Greetings all,

I have to say that when I read through these reviews I was
disheartened by some of the lunacy I read. Buying a pair of
speakers (any speakers) is a personal journey that one must
embark on utilizing thier ears. I am not going to say that
every pair of speakers will appeal to every person. The fact
is that every speaker has it's own nuances and features that
make it apeal to you on a personal level.

That being said some of the bad reviews here are simply not
based in fact and could lead astray someone reading this
web site looking for facts as well as opinions. So here I
will go into some fact and some opinion and let you take it
for what it is worth.

The AR9 is part of the Acoustic Research Hi-Res lineup, The
Hi-Res (High Resolution) series is one of AR's audiophile
quality series of component speakers (Center Channels, Book
Shelfs, Subs and Towers)which deliver top quality sound with
modern style and typical AR over-build quality.

The AR9 Tower is available in Blach Ash or Cherry Finish so
you can match any home decor you desire. The Foot Print of
the AR9 Tower is minimal thus intrusion into your living
area is minimal, but the sound is not.

All of AR's Hi-Res lineup uses identicle driver compliments
for perfect "Timbre Matching" the tonal qualities of the AR9
will perfectly match the AR2C or AR4C Center Channel and the
AR15 Book Shelfs.

The AR9 Tower utilizes the well known D'Apolito design which
puts the Tweeter in the center flanked by 2 Midranges in a
verticle Midrange-Tweeter-Midrange layout which aids in the
imaging of sounds emitted from the Tweeter. In addition to
this wonderful layout AR uses an Acoustic Foam Wave Guide on
the face of the Tower which helps to direct high frequency
sounds.

Lets get into the internals of the AR9 Tower. AR uses the
same sized Midrange and Tweeter compliment in all of the
Hi-Res line (with exception to the AR15). The Midrange is
five and one quarter (5.25) inches in diameter. From my
personal research the midrange apears to be manufactured by
a well known company called Hi-Vi Research. The Midrange is
made from some fairly exotic materials (for a speaker).

If You were to remove the midrange from the cabinent (like I
did) you would find that not only is the cone area made from
a mixture of Magnesium-Aluminium Alloy (totaly hemishperical)
but also the basket of the driver is comprised of casted
Aluminium. Why use Aluminium for the basket? Well for one
thing they can make the basket much thicker and still have
the same weight as it would be if it were made of steel. The
Aluminium would then be stronger.

Let's move on to the gem that AR refers to as the Tweeter.
The AR9 like all of it's Hi-Res brethren use a one inch in
diameter (1.0") Dome Tweeter. The Dome material is Titanium
Alloy which has been diamond hardened and then Anodized for
apearence (the greenish blue tint). The magnet structure of
this Tweeter is nearly as heavy as the Midrange. No slouch
in the high frequencies department.

AR was also kind enough to install a 10" High Excursion Sub
Woofer in the side of each cabinent. This sub's cone is made
of Polyprophelene Plastic with a Foam Rubber Surround. The
Sub is capeable of 32Hz with proper power and positioning.
Since the sub is a Bass Reflex design it does not take the
same amount of power to drive as it would had it been in a
sealed enclosure but keep in mind that Bass Reflex designs
do take proper positioning to get optimal performance.

Another great feature of the AR9 is the "Bi-Wire/Bi-Amp"
ready terminals. The internal crossover of the AR9 uses
dedicated sections for Mid/High and Low Frequencies. One
user here commented that when Bi-Wired he could hear bass
comming from the tweeter when they were Bi-Wired. He either
had a defective speaker (which is possible from any company)
or it was a bogus review. I run my AR9's Bi-Wired and I have
no such effects on my setup.

What is Bi-Wire and Bi-Amping? When you "Bi-Wire" this means
that you run 2 positive and 2 negative speaker cables from
your receiver to each tower. Bi-Wiring is said to produce
better seperation of sound due to 2 indipendant signal paths
which can more effectively carry the signals.

In contrast when you "Bi-Amp" you actualy run 2 positive
and 2 negative cables to each tower but use seperate amp
channels to supply power to each stage of the crossover.

The AR9's have a high Sensitivity rating which means that
they can and will play loud even with minimal power but be
aware that if you want to make the 10" subs move massive air
you will still need massive power. The AR9 is identicle in
every way to the AR5 which is basicly a powered version of
the AR9. In each AR5 tower resides a 175 Watt RMS Bob Carver
Sunfire amp who's sole duty is to power the sub. So this can
give you an idea at what kind of power it takes to get those
10" subs to play cleanly down to 32Hz.

Okay I think I have said enough about the speakers for now.
I will close by saying that if you want a top quality set of
towers for a fantastic value (even at full retail) then AR
should be on your list of Towers to audition. You may hear
the AR9's and you may prefer the "type" of sound that comes
from another brand, and that is quite alright! But at least
demo them and let your ears decide. AR invented the Acoustic
Suspension Loud Speaker decades ago and they never stop the
innovation process to built better speakers.


My Equipment List:

TV: RCA Home Theater Series 61" Rear Projection 4:3
Receiver: Onkyo TX-DS 787 (100wpc x 6 channel)
Front Main L/R: Acoustic Research AR9 Towers
Center Channel: Acoustic Research AR4C
Surround L/R: Acoustic Research 216PSB
Surround Back: Acoustic Research C225PS
DVD: Sony DVP S-360 (Soon to be Panasonic CV51)
EQ: Pioneer
VCR: Phillips 4-Head HiFi
Interconnects: Monster/Acoustic Research/RCA Home Theater
Speaker Wires: Custom made Bi-Wires 12ga, 16Ga CL2 In Wall
Remote: Sima SUR-20 LCD Touch Screen Learning Remote
Other: X-10 Light Control via SUR-20 Remote

Visit my Home Theater Web Site at http://www.westol.com/~brettd/av/

See the AR9's speakers out of the cabinents at http://www.westol.com/~brettd/av/speaker/

E-Mail me at brettd@westol.com


Sincerely
Brett DiMichele

Similar Products Used:

Demo'd Products: nOrh, Paradigm, Definitive Technologies,
Axiom, PSB, Yamaha, Infinity, Pioneer, B&W and the list goes on.

High Pitch is Clear, Bass is Deep and Clean, Mids are Loud, Great mixed sound with all drivers.

I had some wires rattling in the box when I turned up the bass, but I Stuck my had in the Port Hole (Its Huge! 3" or 4") and pulled the whires away from the inter wall and smashed it around the pading. Works Great now! Other than that no problems.

AR 9 is a great sounding speaker, I don't know about their other products but I really like the Hi-Res Series. The one thing that I dont like is the grill, its ugly when it hits the sun. I use Onkyo receiver and cd player.
I recommend this speaker for people who like Clean High pitch sounds, I dont really care how overpowering the bass/sub is(like some Teen's would). Its great for Classical, Straight Edge hard core, and Hiphop. I also use it for home theater, im not really a Movie/Home Theater type, but It sounds great I have no problems, and when I watch moves I Dont want to notice how nice speakers sound becuase then I take my mind off the movie and pay attention to the speakers. But AR9 seem to make it a nice breez. I give them 5/5 stars.

A grand old "Classic" from AR, classical or full tilt boogie rock and roll at ear damaging levels. They played it all. Is it live or is it AR. You had to live with these babies for 18 years to know how they could warm your heart and set your toes a tappin'. I enjoyed mine from 1978 until I passed them on to my Son in 1997 and now live with Von Schweikert's. They play on to this day, modified at present. They embodied all of AR'S Computer technology of the time, which introduced the Acoustic Blanket,TM the vertical,upper-range driver array and the two side firing 12" woofers per speaker cabinet. The former two insuring unprecedented imaging and precision of localization and the latter unequaled flat frequency response in any listening environment, particularly at lowest music frequencies. Biamped they produced a lot of sound for the time period. With 5 drivers per cabinet, their specifications were as follows, Freq. Rng. - 18Hz to 30kHz(-3 db at 28Hz),87 db SPL, Imp.- 4ohms, capable of handling 400WPC(at clipping 10%), 130 lb ea. Two 12" woofers, one 8" low mid, 1 1/2" dome upper-mid, and 3/4 "dome tweeter.
For their era, one of the speakers to lust over. Set up properly they can produce an expansive soundstage side to side. Depth depends on how close you put them to the rear wall(designed to go within 2" to corner load the woofers).While not the most detailed by today's standards of high end, they still blow away most mid-fi stuff. Your equipment will tell the tale, do not use less than 100WPC in my opinion. They will suck out all the life of anything from 65WPC down at high volumes. I used them with the associated equipment over the years, Onkyo(Ultimate Series), Harmon Kardon, Spectro Acoustics, Coda, Aragon,Clayton Audio, Audible Illusions, Kora and Various prototypes by Alan Kimmel(of Tube fame). Beware that they will suffer foam rot from high humidity areas on the larger drivers. If you find a pair with this problem and cannot find suitable repair of surrounds and do not want to pay high prices to replace original drivers, check out the AC 12's and AC 8's by Audio Concepts(Poly though, and will change the sound. Not in a bad way though. Just different) also NHT's 12". All will require modding the original cabinets, which could stand some stiffening also. Used market seems to be about $600- $900 depending on condition and what you are willing to pay.

My wife wanted me to sell my car because we had three cars and we could not afford the insurance. I refused until it occurred to me that I had an excellent bargaining device. If I sell my car then I can take the proceeds and buy the speakers I have been lusting after for the last 15 years. My only problem was that I didn’t know which speaker it was. So I proceeded to listen to several speakers from 4 different stores until I had narrowed it down to 4 speakers: Polk RT800 ($800), AR9 ($1,000), Vanderstein 1C ($800), and Paradigm Monitor 9 ($640). Here’s the Skinny.
My system consists of the following: Rotel RC-980BC preamp, Rotel RB-970BX amp, Velodyne 1215X sub, and a Sony CD player (nothing special). I borrowed a 4 way A/B switch box from one of the stores for comparison. A second set of refined ears was assisting in the analysis.

Before settling on the final four speakers I compared the Boston Acoustics Linfield 950 to the Paradigm Monitor 9 at the store and thought the Boston’s were excessively bright and lacking of bass, however they were very clear. I also compared the Klipsch 8.5 to the Vandersteen 1C. The Vanderstein seemed to sound a little muddy in the showroom and the Klipsch was way to strong on the midrange. I selected the Vandy because with all the good reviews it has received, I figured I should at least give them a chance in my home environment.

We compared 2 speakers at a time and took the winner to the next round. The 1st round pitted the Polk RT800 against the AR9. The Polk was clear but boxy. The AR9 was full w/ excellent bass and filled the room w/ sound. Both were bright but not overly bright. The AR9 was easily superior in sound quality over the Polks, especially in the bass.

Second, we compared the AR9 to the Vandy. The Vandys were on the inside and the AR9 on the outside. The AR9 filled the room with sound a little better but the Vandy was much more realistic. The amount of coloring that the AR9 places on the music became apparent w/ this comparison. We then switched the Vandy to the outside and the AR9 to the inside. The AR9 definitely are speakers that should not be confined as they need space to let the side firing woofers roam. The Vandy was more tonally accurate, especially through the midrange and treble.

The final dance pitted the Vandy against the Monitor 9. These 2 were very close and both were tonally accurate w/ very little coloring (at least to my somewhat refined ear). This was the hardest decision to make. The Monitor 9 was a little smoother and richer because it reproduced the bass better, (not to say that it was more tonally accurate on the low end, but suited my listening taste better). Both were stellar in the midrange, warm and full. Neither was bright but both were clear. We both chose the Monitor 9 because it seemed to be a little richer and fuller. I could be happy w/ either. I highly recommend either.

The dealer knocked off $40 and let me keep the floor model. My original budget was about $1,200 for a speaker and some extra accessories. I now have enough cash left over to get good quality speaker cable (will biwire), a Panamax 1000+ line conditioner (dealer to sell me floor model for $230), and some high quality interconnects to go from my preamp to sub and sub to amp), probably Audioquest Ruby or Apeture BL-4. These upgrades should do almost as much as the speakers to improve sound quality.

As a side note, I was worried that the Vandy would win because my wife found it very unappealing and her 1st response was “There is no way that thing is going to sit in the living room”. I can’t say that I felt much different, but I know some people like the look. I can’t say for sure that the looks of the Vandy did not subconsciously sway my opinion. Whatever you do, make sure you test your speakers at home. Any reputable dealer will let you take the speakers home for a test drive. I may have picked the Polks if I had not compared each of them side by side, which is the best way to bring out the brightness and coloring of each speaker.

Hope this helps. Ken

PS. I don't know what Lee is talking about. It sounds like he has had these speakers for years but they just came out in 1999 (new Hi Res series). The listed price on this page is incorrect. AR sells the AR9 for about $1,000.

This post is to clarify that the two reviews below are about two completely different loudspeakers: (1) the original AR9s, which were Acoustic Research's top-of-the-line units in the late 1970s, and (2) the recently introduced loudspeaker of the same "name," but of a totally unrelated design. Acoustic Research's new line utilizes many of the same designations (for example, AR3, AR5) as used in the 1960s and 1970s, hence the inevitable confusion.
Since I am very familiar with the original AR9s (I still own a pair, although they are rarely utilized these days; they still look and work perfectly), I'll give five stars. The originals (priced at $2,000/pair in their final year of production) offered very flat frequency response; were exceedingly smooth top to bottom; had a clean, detailed high end and open, detailed midrange; and deep, clean bass from a pair of side-mounted 12" woofers (the same woofers utilized in the legendary AR3a); plus wide, deep, and precise imaging, especially when used with a tube preamp and tube power amp. One of my all-time favorites.

strong bright "in your face" sound.
10" bass/sub driver.
beautiful cherrywood look.
unifrom sound from dual mid drivers.

not enough deep deep bass. (sub fixes that)
faceplate cover is !IMPOSSIBLE! to get off, and so is the Sub cover.
when deep deep bass hits at high volumes seems to seep out the other drivers when biwired but you need to smack your ear to the tweeter to find out.

i am glad that got these speakers for $500, its truly a catch if you pay under $600! but i think they cost about $800(for there preformace), if you pay over, then its not worth it, go with B&W, Paradigm, Canton, etc. If you can get this speaker under $600! ITS WORTH IT (sounds better than Klipsch RF-7!)

Similar Products Used:

canton "Kurat" (they sound the same! and kind of look the same)