UP FOR SALE IS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER. BUT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND (IN ANY CONDITION)… SPEAKER PAIR IN AUDIO HISTORY. I REFER TO THE ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-3 SPEAKER SYSTEM FINISHED IN OILED WALNUT CABINETRY! NOT THE AR-3A, BUT THE ORIGINAL AR-3! HERE IS THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS PARTICULAR PAIR. THEY SAT ON A SHELF DURING HIS LIFETIME. FOR SOME REASON, THE FIRST OWNER BEGAN A RESTORATION OF THEM YEARS LATER SINCE THE DRIVERS HAD BEGUN TO APPARENTLY DETERIORATE, BUT THAT IS JUST A GUESS. ALL THE DRIVERS WERE LONG GONE. OF COURSE, HE NEVER FINISHED THEM UNTIL THEY WERE GIVEN TO A FRIEND AND COLLECTOR ALONG WITH OTHER ITEMS IN HIS COLLECTION. I STARTED WITH A BLANK SLATE. AS AN OWNER MYSELF OF A RESTORED AND MINT PAIR OF AR-3A SPEAKERS, I HAD ALREADY COLLECTED ALL SIX OF THE APPROVED UPGRADED DRIVERS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE RESTORATION INCLUDING THE PROPER 12 WOOFERS, DOME MID-RANGES AND TWEETERS. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE AR PURISTS OUT THERE, THIS PAIR MAY NOT BE FOR YOU.. THIS IS HOW AN AR-3 WOULD BE MADE TODAY. YES, YOU CAN FIND SOME REBUILT DRIVERS BUT WHO KNOWS HOW THEY WERE DONE. IN COMPARING THEM TO MY ALL ORIGINAL AR-3A SPEAKERS, FOLKS, THEY ACTUALLY SOUND EQUAL TO. AND PERHAPS. BETTER! TRULY AMAZING SOUND PRODUCTION OF PERHAPS THE FINEST SPEAKER SYSTEM EVER MADE! THEIR REPRODUCTION OF VOICE AND PIANO ARE SPOT ON! NOW, HERE IS WHAT WAS DONE DURING THE RESTORATION. ALL THE OLD FIBERGLASS STUFFING WAS REMOVED FROM EACH CABINET AND THE INTERIORS WERE CLEANED AND VACUUMED. THE INTERIORS WERE FOUND TO BE IN NEW CONDITION WITH ZERO EVIDENCE OF ANY KIND OF DAMAGE.. ALL INTERNAL WIRING YOU SEE IN THE PICTURES WAS REPLACED/UPGRADED TO RETURN THEM TO ORIGINAL SPECS ALONG WITH THE NEWLY INSTALLED HIGH QUALITY POTENTIOMETERS AND CAPACITORS. FOR THOSE WHO KNOW, THIS WAS ALWAYS A WEAK POINT IN ANY VINTAGE AR SPEAKER LINE. EACH CABINET WAS CAREFULLY EXAMINED FOR ANY COSMETIC BLEMISHES. ALL 16 CORNERS AND CABINET FACE EDGES WERE FOUND TO BE IN NEAR PERFECT, SHARP CONDITION. NOT A SINGLE BUMP, DENT OR DREADED “CORNER CRUSH” AS IS OFTEN THE CASE. SEVERAL LIGHT SCUFFS FOUND ON THE CABINET BOTTOMS WERE PROFESIONALLY CORRECTED AND THEN RESTAINED. THEY NOW PRESENT AS NEW! USING A FURNITURE GRADE OIL-BASED WALNUT STAIN, THE END RESULT WAS AMAZING. THE INTERIOR BLACK SPEAKER SUPPORT BAFFLE TO WHICH THE DRIVERS ARE SECURED WAS HAND-SANDED AND THEN RESTAINED WITH AN OIL-BASED EBONY STAIN. IT PRESENTS AS NEW! ALL 30 T-NUTS THAT SECURE EACH SPEAKER BOLT/SCREW WAS CHECKED AND FOUND TO BE IN PERFECT CONDITION. ALL 30 PERIMETER SCREWS/BOLTS WERE REPLACED NEW TO FULLY SEAT EACH SPEAKER AND PROVIDE THE CORRECT AIR/ACOUSTIC SEAL. THE OLD CABINET INTERIOR DAMPING MATERIAL WAS REPLACED WITH BRAND NEW BOTH 2-INCH-THICK AUDIO MATTING AND ACOUSTICALLY CORRECT FIBER-FILL. IT WAS PROPERLY ISOLATED FROM THE BOTTOMS OF THE DRIVERS WITH NEW MESH TO PREVENT ANY CONTACT WITH ANY DRIVER CAGE. THE CAPACITORS AND POTS WERE ISOLATED FROM THE STUFFING WITH NEW, CORRECT HEAVY BROWN PAPER AS WAS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED. THIS RESULTED IN A FAR BETTER ACOUSTIC TREATMENT OF THE INTERIOR THAN WAS ORIGINALLY (AND RANDOMLY) STUFFED INSIDE. THIS WILL INSURE THE CORRECT ACOUSTIC PRODUCTION OF SOUND WITHIN EACH CABINET AND ELIMINATES ANY STANDING WAVES INSIDE. EACH DRIVER WAS CAREFULLY INSTALLED WITH NEW 2 MM THICK, 12 MM WIDE FOAM ADHESIVE GASKET TAPE (NOT THE CHEAP AND THIN RUBBER ONES) TO PROVIDE FOR A CORRECT SOUND-TIGHT ENCLOSURE. FINALLY, I BUILT OF SOLID WOOD, ALL NEW GRILLE FRAMES THAT USE A HALF-LAP GLUED AND STAPLED JOINERY AT EACH CORNER AND CENTER BRACE USING THE ORIGINAL PLASTIC FRAMES AS A TEMPLATE. BOTH ARE PERFECTLY, FIRMLY FITTED AND SQUARED WITHIN EACH FACE FRAME AND DO NOT REQUIRE ANY VELCRO OR OTHER METHOD TO KEEP THEM IN PLACE! I ALSO ADDED TWO SMALL FELT TABS ON THE BOTTOM OF EACH GRILLE TO FACILITATE THEIR REMOVAL WITHOUT THE USE OF ANY KIND OF PRY-OFF DEVICE. NO MORE CHEAP PLASTIC ONES LIKE THE ORIGINALS THAT ALWAYS CRACKED. THESE WERE THEN COVERED WITH THE PROPER ACOUSTIC LINEN FABRIC, STAPLE-SECURED ON THE BACK SIDE. NEW AR-3 BADGES WERE ATTACHED AT THE BOTTOM CORNERS. NOW COMES THE BEST PART… GONE IS THE HARSHNESS OF THE EARLY VERSIONS OF THE AR-3, THERE ARE NO ACOUSTIC GAPS IN THE SOUND SPECTRUM AND THE SMOOTHNESS OVERALL IS EXACTLY WHAT MADE THIS SPEAKER THE ICON THAT IT IS. EACH SPEAKER MEASURES 25″ HIGH, 14″ WIDE AND 11.5 DEEP. EACH WEIGHS JUST UNDER 50 LBS. THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO AUDITION IN PERSON (FEEL FREE TO BRING YOUR OWN MUSIC… Cd, VINYL ARE OK)… AND ARE CURRENTLY CONNECTED TO MY “B” SPEAKER OUTPUT OF MY NAD C388 150 WPC HYBRID AMP. YOU WILL BE QUITE AMAZED AT THE POWER AND REALISM THESE SPEAKERS CAN PRODUCE AND WITH ZERO SOUND FATIGUE THAT MANY MODERN SPEAKERS SUFFER FROM. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THEM ALL DAY AND NEVER TIRE OF THE SOUND. I HAVE PRICED THIS PAIR OF ICONIC AR-3 SPEAKERS A BIT BELOW THEIR CURRENT MARKET LEVELS SO THAT SOMEONE OUT THERE CAN ENJOY AND APPRECIATE WHAT THESE CAN DO TO IMPROVE ANY STEREO SYSTEM. I DOUBT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND A PAIR IN SUCH PRISTINE CONDITION. THERE ARE VERY FEW OF THESE AR-3 SPEAKERS CURRENTLY FOR SALE AND NOT IN THIS KIND OF LIKE-NEW CONDITION. SINCE THESE WEIGH JUST UNDER 50 POUNDS A PIECE, LOCAL PICK-UP IS REQUIRED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!