Acoustic Research · Bookshelf · 1965–1973
The AR-4x was the smallest speaker in AR's line, a sealed box about 19 inches tall and 18.5 pounds with an 8-inch woofer and a 2.5-inch cone tweeter. It belongs to a short family. The AR-4 of 1964 used a 3.5-inch cone tweeter, the AR-4x ran from 1965 to 1973 with the 2.5-inch one, and the AR-4xa of 1973 changed to a 1.25-inch cone. AR even published instructions for hanging the AR-4x on a wall. Like every AR of the period it's an acoustic suspension design, so it needs more amplifier power than a ported speaker of the same size, and AR rated it at 85 dB for one watt at one meter. Small and light, it's the easy way into vintage AR for a desk or a small room.
With the grille off
Ask for a photo of every driver with the grilles off, on both speakers. They should match each other and this list.
At this age the woofer surround and the tweeter are the parts to check. A pair can also mix an AR-4x with an AR-4xa, which has a smaller tweeter.
New to old speakers? How to check a used pair walks through every driver, the crossover and the cabinet.
We haven’t been through this model’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for photos of both speakers with the grilles off and the serial labels on the back, and pass on any seller who won’t send them.
Search “AR-4x” on eBay ↗eBay searchAcoustic Research · 3-way
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