Fried A-3 speakers

I have a pair of A/6, which were a larger version.

They're fantastic sounding loudspeakers in my opinion, and feel they compete with anything up to about $5K in today's world. In general, Bud Fried's loudspeakers eclipse so much of what gets built today, and those smart enough to purchase them do so at prices a fraction of what today's products sell for.

However, if you prefer an upfront and forward kind of sound, they won't be your cup of tea. Rather, they have a relaxed and liquid nature that is not the high-end audio flavor in the 2000s.

Sorry about that character in NC, Bojack. It sounds like you no longer have the A/6? If that's not the case, and you need the crossover schematic, I could provide you with it.

We would consider the parts quality of Bud Fried's crossovers low for today, though not for their time. Supposedly, the higher crossover point was an accident; the person who bought the operation after Bud retired used the crossovers from the Beta minimonitor with its 6.5" midwoofer. Still, despite its mystery to most, you can't go far wrong with the series crossover. I've seen far more egregious errors, such as a company who claimed their crossover sat at 3000Hz for their two way with 6.5" midwoofer, when it actually was 300Hz. Yes, the person they paid to design the crossover messed up the position of the decimal point. The parts looked quite strange to me, and when I let the owner of the company know, his blank stare at the calculation I did for him showed me why his speakers sounded as odd as they did. Crossover knowledge separates the wheat from the chaff. One considers today's loudspeaker designers at the pinnacle of the craft, when most are really just putting expensive drivers in overpriced (due to the exotic/bookmatched veneers, finish, etc.) cabinets. As Bud liked to say, he was born 25 years too early.

As you intimated, the A/6 were notable speakers. You're right, with the full sized cabinets, the A/6 did pretty well in the low frequencies. You wonder why others don't emulate the Fried Line Tunnel, which gives you a taste of true transmission line on a shoestring budget. Von Schweikert has implemented it, though falsely claims it a TL. I try to listen to a lot of audio components, and cannot think of a speaker in today's market under $5000 I would rather own. Still, if you really want to hear truthfully fantastic bass, please give a listen to a Fried with true TL.