Purchased a pair of AR 7 bookshelves. Interested in anyones impressions or information about these.
Haven't found alot about them yet. An assist would be welcome!
Best,
Dave
Haven't found alot about them yet. An assist would be welcome!
Best,
Dave
Your feelings on vintage audio.
Harkening back to the days of my youth.....my neighbor owned a console with a Scott fm tuner, Fisher amp and a TT. I loved playing with and listening to music through it.
And with the resurgence of interest in older equipment in the market, its' impression of quality sound reproduction and build, perhaps nostalgic feelings and wanting to dabble in tubes on my part, I've gone ahead and purchased a Scott 350B tuner.
I'm also looking at another 350 and Scott intergrated.
I know they'll need some work. But for the price it seems like a fun way to step into tubes, satisfy this urge and you gotta admit some of that gear is absolutely stunning looking!
So...What do you guys and gals think? Worth the admission price plus repairs? Waste of time and cash? Could do better DIY or newer used equipment?
Sound Quality? From reading sounds like I might be getting mids but poor highs and poor bass!
Build Quality?
How does CD sound through the gear? Are there difficulties using CD with this older gear?
Maybe some speaker recommendations. Sat/Sub (problems with subs?), monitor, full range or single driver? The integrateds I'm looking at run anywhere from 15 to 30 watts RMS.
Thought this might be a fun pastime; I look forward to your input.
Best
And with the resurgence of interest in older equipment in the market, its' impression of quality sound reproduction and build, perhaps nostalgic feelings and wanting to dabble in tubes on my part, I've gone ahead and purchased a Scott 350B tuner.
I'm also looking at another 350 and Scott intergrated.
I know they'll need some work. But for the price it seems like a fun way to step into tubes, satisfy this urge and you gotta admit some of that gear is absolutely stunning looking!
So...What do you guys and gals think? Worth the admission price plus repairs? Waste of time and cash? Could do better DIY or newer used equipment?
Sound Quality? From reading sounds like I might be getting mids but poor highs and poor bass!
Build Quality?
How does CD sound through the gear? Are there difficulties using CD with this older gear?
Maybe some speaker recommendations. Sat/Sub (problems with subs?), monitor, full range or single driver? The integrateds I'm looking at run anywhere from 15 to 30 watts RMS.
Thought this might be a fun pastime; I look forward to your input.
Best
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- 59 posts total
AR-7 bookshelves arrived 2 days ago. What fantastic shape they are in. A shout out to the seller Ladiluvsmusiq! It is stated they are vinyl clad, but when I unpacked them I had to do a double take. I thought surely this is a veneer! Upon further inspection alas no! The vinyl looks that good! Haven't heard them yet. Will hook 'em up on next day off. Can't wait to hear them with the 299 which should be back in 2-3 weeks. Will keep you posted. Best, Dave |
If a vintage piece of equipment is able to give you hours of entertainment, and the joy of referbishing the piece yourself, that is almost thanks enough. But when one is able to bring an old piece back to life and actually sound good, it is pure happiness. I have redone an old Thorens TD160, and although it doesn't perform quite as good as my Nottingham, I have a special place in my heart for it, and hope to never part with it. Vintage is well worth it, after all, a lot of us are considered vintage too! |
Ok, have hooked up the AR's and wow! I am very pleased with the overall sound. I am currently listening to them as I write, Beethovens 9th, Academy of Ancient music. They have great tone. They just sound good. I listened to a few tracks of Steely Dan, Two Against Nature, and again I was pleased. Just had a good overall sound. Had impact. Listened to Shawn Colvin, Four Walls, my current reference. Her voice was great. Instruments sounded right. Again impact, immediacy. Played a little Moody Blues. Every Good Boy Deserves Favor and as expected sounded like a typically not so good 70's recording. However it was more listenable through the AR's than the Audio Physics. I usually use the 4 recordings above when wanting to compare. All listening done without the sub. It is great how good instruments sound. I even like how I notice some things, how they sound and the balance of the speaker. So not quite as extended in the treble as the Audio Physics and maybe not as revealing. They are a little laid back, that New England sound? They have tuneful tight bass and good midrange qualities. They may not image as well as the Audio Physics, but do have depth, width and height. Instruments are a little more tied to the speaker but not at all distractingly so. Soundscape is pretty good. Non fatiguing. Not a better or worse presentation, just different. Also these guys have, dare I say it, PRAT! Toe tapping, smile on the face non-fatiguing sound! I must say I am really pleased. 10/10ths high end sound? No but 9/10ths and really enjoyable. I got to say, I'm not in this hobby to get all caught up in all the usual audio jargon, stress over whether or not my gear is doing all the things it is supposed to do according to whomever. Seems like a contradiction given my review but it was to illustrate that these things are really enjoyable regardless of how they measure up to the accepted norms by audio gods. If your favorite music sounds good, puts a smile on your face and you can forget all about what the gear is doing, then viola! You have arrived. If you are interested in a little more info and review, here is a link provided by our fellow audionut, LoomisJohnson. http://www.mollgaard.eu/images/AR_7_Equipment_Test_Hirsch_Houck_Labs.pdf Can't wait to get my 299 back and hear that combo. Thanks for reading my rant, will keep you posted. Best, Dave |
- 59 posts total