Back when I was a kid, my parents had Acoustic Research AR-2ax loudspeakers. I always liked the way they sounded on my parents' classical music, but I hadn't heard AR-2axs in many years until recently, when I started restoring old speakers.

AR started making the AR-2 in the late 1950s, I think, and the final version of the AR-2ax (the speaker reviewed here) must have come out in the early 1970s. It was a three-way acoustic suspension design with a 10" woofer, slightly smaller than the famous AR-3a. The cost in the early 1970s was about $260/pair. Today, the cost can be anywhere from $50 to $300/pair, depending on condition.

Recently I had a fully functioning pair in my house and that gave me a chance to listen to them with my usual assortment of music.

Each AR-2ax is about 13 1/2" wide, 24" tall and 11 1/2" deep. They are attractive speakers, with high quality real walnut veneer and nice light colored grille cloths.

The binding posts on the back of the speakers are high quality thumb screws, making attachment of speaker wires fairly easy. They don't accept banana plugs like my beloved Dynaco A-25s do, but they're still relatively easy to hook up.

There are continuous knobs on the back of AR2axs for independent adjustment of midrange and treble levels. These are also the Achilles' Heel of AR-2axs in today's market. Most of these pots have corroded, rendering the corresponding drivers (midrange or tweeter) silent. Often there are "sweet spots," allowing sound to get through, but it means you can't just buy a pair on Ebay and expect them to work perfectly when they arrive. This must be taken into consideration if you're hoping to buy a pair on Ebay or Craigslist.

So how do they sound, once you have them working?

To me, a fully functioning pair of AR2axs sounds really nice. Overall, they are rich and warm sounding, yet they have remarkable inner detail, and they also image quite well for relatively large box speakers. The deep bass is also very good.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Most of my early listening was done using the local classical radio station as my source material. Acoustic Research AR-2axs do a good job of conveying the warmth and dynamic range of classical music and they don't seem to be afraid to play loud. Male announcers' voices do have some added warmth, relative to my reference Cambridge Soundworks Towers and my vintage-reference Dynaco A-25s, but it's not as pronounced as with original Large Advents.

On Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue," one of my reference recordings, the sound was really nice. The bass runs at the beginning of the opening track, "So What," were conveyed with authority and good detail. The horns and saxes had nice clarity, and the cymbals sounded present without being too splashy. There was perhaps a tad more "boxiness" to the sound of the piano than with the Dynacos or Cambridge Soundworks Towers, but the overall effect was still musically involving. Compared the the Klipsch Heresys, another high quality vintage speaker that has passed through my place, the ARs sounded a bit mellower. The Klipsches placed the instruments "in the room" like no other speakers I've had here, including my Cambridge Soundworks Towers, but they had NO low bass to speak of. The AR-2axs provided a nice balance between the Klipsch's "presence" and the Dynacos' and Cambridge Soundworks' more relaxed presentation.

I decided to try the AR-2axs on bluegrass music to see if they pass the "make me want to jump up and grab my guitar" test. I chose Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver's "He Lives in Me," a bluegrass gospel CD album, because it has some of the tightest vocal harmonies I've ever heard on a bluegrass CD. On my Cambridge Soundworks Towers, individual instruments sound wonderfully articulate, and harmonies sound smooth, but the relaxed presentation lessens the "jump factor" a bit. On my Dynaco A-25s, the sound is good, with nice presence, but the leading edge of acoustic instruments is muted just a bit, and harmonies can sound just a bit rough on less-than-perfect CD recordings.

With the ARs, I have to admit I got the best of both worlds. Acoustic instruments (guitars and mandolins) had more definition than through the A-25s, approaching the Cambridge Soundworks Towers in this area. And vocal harmonies were really present without sounding etched or harsh. I DID jump up, grab my guitar, and play along with "The End of the Road," my favorite track on that CD. If you're an acoustic musician, you might enjoy AR-2axs.

Acoustic Research speakers are known for their great bass response, so I had to try an old DG recording of Bach's organ music, played by Karl Richter on a Danish church organ near Copenhagen. To my surprise, the most noticeable thing was NOT the deep pedal tones; it was the clarity of the midrange and the sense of space around the notes, as well as the acoustic of the church. Very satisfying, if for a different reason that I had expected.

Still searching for that DEEP BASS test, I went with Fleetwood Mac's "Mystery to Me," an album from somewhere in the lost decade of the '70s. Christine McVies' "Why" ends with a huge bass transient that should rattle walls if the speakers are capable. It did. And the rest of the song sounded nice as well. Acoustic guitars in particular had a nice balance between jingle and liquidity. Overall, I'd say AR-2axs rock quite well, probably better than Dynaco A-25s, which don't quite have the same sense of deep bass authority and unlimited dynamic range.

Speaking of rock 'n roll, I was inspired to dig out another old favorite, The Band's "Stage Fright" album. Nice clear vocals, natural sounding instruments, and a perfect amount of bass warmth and attack. Yep, AR-2axs rock just fine.

On Govi's "Seventh Heaven," a recording of Latin-influenced new-age acoustic guitar that I've been using as a reference lately, the AR-2axs again sounded really nice. The guitar sounded liquid and well-centered in the soundstage, and the accompanying instruments sounded natural. On this recording, the sound was reminiscent of Dynaco A-25s, with perhaps a bit of added warmth and liquidity.

I could go on, but I think the important points have been made. The Acoustic Research AR-2ax is one of my favorite vintage loudspeakers. It has an almost ideal combination of detail and warmth, and presents the emotion of various kinds of music without calling attention to itself. It goes deeper in the bass than Dynaco A-25s, but doesn't exaggerate mid-bass to the extent that original Large Advents do.

As I write, I'm listening again to the local classical music station, and I find myself listening to the music rather than the speakers. This is the ultimate compliment.

If you're considering building a high quality vintage stereo system, AR-2axs should be on your short list. But don't forget the midrange and tweeter potentiometer issues. If you want absolute dependability, stick with Dynaco A-25s (and maybe add a Cambridge BassCube 12 subwoofer). If you want really dynamic "in the room" sound, go for Klipsch Heresys (and, again, add that subwoofer). But if you want a nicely balanced speaker system that is warm and sweet, with surprising dynamics, and you are prepared to deal with potential restoration (midrange and tweeter pots and sometimes woofer surround) issues, consider the ARs. I also recommend checking out New Large Advents (see the end of my review of Large Advents), which share many of the AR-2ax's positive attributes.

Happy listening!



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 150/pr