tfung's Full Review: Acoustic Research AR5 Subwoofer Speaker
The AR5 is part of Acoustic Research's new Hi-RES series of tower, bookshelf, subwoofer and center-channel speakers. Each model shares the same basic set of drivers, in order to ensure seamless tonal matching, but the driver complement naturally varies somewhat from model to model depending on its role in a system.
The AR5 is the least expensive of three floorstanding speakers in the Hi-RES series that include powered woofers (other tower models in the line sport passive woofers). Each of these speakers shares the same basic driver complement, which begins with AR's MagAlloy mid-range driver (a light, yet very rigid blend of magnesium and aluminum). Two of these drivers flank a single titanium dome tweeter, with a diaphragm strengthened by a microscopic diamond structure. Otherwise, the powered-woofer models vary in cabinet size and amplifier power.
The amps, by the way, happen to be made Sunfire. The quality of drivers and amplification is impressive, as is AR's thoughtful employment of each into a complete package.
The five-way posts are pretty standard fare, but I really like the sturdiness of the all-metal units found here. One exceptionally clever connectivity feature is the LFE (low-frequency effects) in/out. If you're using the AR5s as a stereo pair, simply ignore these connections and the powered woofer will function as an integral part of the speaker. But if you're using your 5s in a home-theater arrangement, the LFE in/out will allow you the option of feeding the LFE output from an A/V receiver or processor directly into the powered woofer section of the speaker. Because the LFE is a mono signal, all you do is loop through the LFE output of one speaker to the LFE input on the other. You then use the gain controls on your surround unit to set the subwoofer bass level. This is a wonderful thing for people with space and/or budget constraints -- and it works.
The AR5s are very well-built and nicely finished. They are slim and attractive in a no-nonsense kind of way, and look great with the grilles either on or off. Each speaker has a thin protrusion on either side of the cabinet, which provides a place to insert the adjustable metal carpet spikes. In order to keep the cabinet's front profile slender, AR added the necessary cabinet volume for the woofer by making each cabinet a relatively deep 17 inches, so keep that in mind when placing your speakers.
I began by listening to the AR5s as a standard pair of stereo speakers and was immediately struck by their sharp imaging, natural sense of instrumental size, and deep bass extension. Tonally, however, the 5s were a little thick for my taste. The 30 Hz (±6 dB) level controls are factory set in the center position, so I tried lowering them to the -3 dB point. This made a huge improvement. And after some experimentation with speaker placement and different settings, I ultimately settled on the -6 dB point. (This setting is of supreme importance given how widely the amount of bass energy will vary depending on where you place your speakers, as well as from room to room.) Now things really started to open up, and I began to notice that the AR5 is a very coherent speaker, indeed. There were no obvious peaks or dips in the frequency response, and the mid-bass, so hard to get right, blended gorgeously into the upper and lower bass frequencies.
The AR5s also have a very low "noise floor" (yes, some speakers are "quieter," or more free of driver coloration and motor noise, than others), which allows lots of low-level detail in a recording -- a singer's breath, room acoustics, or even the creak of a chair -- to be clearly heard. The ability to hear these subtle details is extremely important to our ultimate enjoyment of music and movies; making them not only more engaging, but also a lot more fun.
The Sunfire-powered woofers make the AR5 a true full-range performer. Hard-core bass lovers may still want the added wallop of a separate sub, but believe me, most of us will find plenty of bass impact and extension with the AR5s just as they are.
The AR5 is a seriously made, very high-performance speaker. It will please both the die-hard audiophile as well as the home-theater aficionado. Its impressive array of strengths makes it a remarkable value.
This is a complete installation kit for replacement controls for AR's AR-5 speaker. One kit is sufficient for one cabinet. You may purchase one or two...More at eBay
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