Acoustic Research AR18, - any good???

The AR18 is a fine bookshelf speaker in my opinion. It's an update of the classic AR7 which is much coveted. I can't view the auction right now but will take a look when I get home after work. My first pair of ARs were the 7s and I still own them and continue to be played right along with everything else I have. The 18 is a nice neutral speaker that you should be happy with playing most types music.
 
If they're like the AR7's ( and ARguy would know!), they are definitely worth getting. I have 3 pairs of AR7's and are always looking for more ( at the right price). They have a balanced sound with good bass and are small enough to take anywhere ( I take them across the pond to my summer house in Maine frequently). I wouldn't pay any more than 35 quid/pr. for them and much less if they need to be refoamed.

Ray
 
VERY nice small bookshelf speakers.

The attached scan from the "Truth in Listening" brochure probably isn't legible, but it's also available at the aforementioned "Classic Speaker Pages"... Also, I can e-mail a high(er)-quality scan of the page if you wish (send me a PM).
 

Attachments

  • small AR-18 page13.jpg
    small AR-18 page13.jpg
    121 KB · Views: 368
Last edited:
The drivers look the same but the placment and cab are different in the pic and the Epay auction.
 
The page I posted are the original, unsuffixed AR-18's. There were a number of later versions (generations). I am really only familiar with the originals, FWIW.
 
juncers said:
If they're like the AR7's ( and ARguy would know!), they are definitely worth getting. I have 3 pairs of AR7's and are always looking for more ( at the right price). They have a balanced sound with good bass and are small enough to take anywhere ( I take them across the pond to my summer house in Maine frequently). I wouldn't pay any more than 35 quid/pr. for them and much less if they need to be refoamed.

Ray

Hey Ray, pardon my lack of knowledge (I'm from Texas) but
whats a quid? :scratch2:
Terry
 
Thanks for the scan mrh. If i'm not mistaken, they look to be about 35hz to 20khz +/- 10db, right? My current monitor speakers are 'Gale Gold Monitors' and I really like them, particularly for the high-freq. 'airy presence' they seem to give :). Gale quote them as being 60hz to 20kHz, with no +/- indication. But I've ran a test tone CD and they go down to 40Hz with not much drop in volume. The following website gives a pretty glowing review of my Gales (though it may be a biased one!):
http://www.eastwoodhifi.com.au/gale.htm

So, I was wondering whether the AR18s would in fact be better than what I've currently got? Its times like these when I really wish I had a freq. response graph for the Gales so that I could easily compare them on paper to the AR18s!...
 
FWIW The Gales retail in the UK for around £80GBP new. I got mine off ebay last year for £30GBP and it's the best £30GBP I've spent so far. I was looking at those AR18s in hope that they might capture some of the magic which the AR9s supposedly have, but I suppose I'm being a bit optimistic there! :)
 
i have a pair of AR18LS speakers, i was given for nothing, which i'm in the process of refoaming...

are these later models than the 18's discussed here?

do they have a similar sound?


thanks
 
kenwood_lover said:
I was looking at those AR18s in hope that they might capture some of the magic which the AR9s supposedly have, but I suppose I'm being a bit optimistic there! :)

I don't know. If the model numbers are any indication, the AR18s should be twice as good as AR9s, right?........No? Okay, maybe not. - Mark
 
I had a pair of 18Bs which apparently were the last of the Teledyne's. They were very impressive for their size particularly given their vintage, i.e.: they came out long before the current generation of compact speakers. However, when faced with the choice of keeping either the 18Bs or a pair Energy ESM-3s, I kept the ESM-3s. The ESM-3s were just more dynamic at lower volumes (more efficient??).

Would you get some of the AR magic if you got a pair of 18s? I could hear the family resemblence, faintly. Not having heard the Gales I nevertheless suspect that the 18s will sound quite different. Consequently, it isn't a question of better or worse, it's one of personal taste.
 
I took a look at the auction and noticed that they had been refoamed and it looks like one of the tweeters' dome is pushed in (right speaker in picture). I would be asking who did the work and if anything is physically wrong with them. I would prefer to buy them as is in original condition and do the work myself. It's a big stretch from 18s to 9s...if you can get them cheap them give them a try and if you don't like them sell 'em. Good luck!
 
Well, I decided to leave them given the circumstances. They sold for £50GBP, which, as you say, is a bit high. Looks like I'll be waiting with baited breath to see if a set of AR9s pop up :)
 
Back
Top Bottom