# Audible Physics AR3K Initial review



## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

So my buddy Howard aka Chefhow loaned me his AR3k to listen to since it will be a few weeks till we have anytime to touch his car to do anything.

so after letting the speakers play for about an hour at a low level for some break in, I did some listening.

My "Test" room is just a side workshop room in my Garage. aka throw everything possible in that I dont want in the garage room.

I'm using an old Aiwa receiver, a Panasonic DVD player as a source. Ixos RCAs to connect the 2 and Ixos Gama speaker wire.
enclosures are 1qt paint cans lined w 2" acoustic foam.
I used a 300hz 6db cap to help highpass the speakers.

Is this an idea set up or listening environment..no...but for test purposes it works.

so anyways.....

I went through one of my Evaluation CDs that I make for various big shows. this happened to be the one I made for ESN this past year.

Track 1.
Brad Paisley-I wish you'd Stay
This is a staple track of mine. It has about everything possible for evaluation purposes. plus, I grew up with Brad in Glendale,WV and have heard him sing since he was a teen. So I know what his voice sounds like and should sound like.
Opening strings sounds very lifelike. very nice warmth to the strings and they had very good body and presence.
attack and decay of the guitar was spot on without any overhang or added coloration. 
Brad voice sounded superb. good detail and clarity and speakers actually did disappear leaving realistic imaging with very nice depth behind the speakers.
the mandolins had just the right amount of decay and presence in the track.
Ive heard some speakers that dont pick up the details in the Mandolins and some that seem to really over emphasize them, this was just right.

Track 2
Brad Paisley &Allison Krauss -Whiskey Lullaby
Opening guitar, great attack and decay. can hear each pluck with the pick across the strings. very nice detail.
Brads voice is very full and robust
Allisons voice was superb as well. good breath behind her voice, again something many speakers, especially warmer sounding speakers de-emphasize
but some more sterile sounding speakers lose the warmth in her voice.

Track 3
Jodi Messina-Thats God
I actually heard her debut this song Live at the Grand Ole Opry a couple years ago and she has a very powerful voice and this song was very moving to hear live. (especially at the Opry which has awesome acoustics)
obviously, nothing can replicate hearing a live recording but these speakers, especially for their size were able to capture and reproduce the power in Jodis voice. they have a nice bit of warmth but not enough to color the sound or mask details. So Vocals especially in Country Music which tend to be on the warmer side bc of the southern twang, have the warmth to them, but also have the detail and subtle clarity that can sometimes get lost.

Track 6
Jenny Lewis--Barking at the Moon
Anyone who has seen the movie BOLT, will know this song. Its a very fun,upbeat song to listen to on a good system, but Ive listened to it on some systems that had no life to them that this was like listening to AM Radio.
the AR's didnt disappoint. they had alot of life to them that had me bobbing and tapping along with the music.

Track 7
King Singers- 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
This was the track that really stood out at 1st to me with the AR3k.
I happened to give them a little extra volume and wow did they shine. the details in the kinda beat box percussion could make you almost see bits of spit coming off his mouth after each note.
Then the harmony was divine. great separation of the images/singers while maintaining individual details.

Track 8
Paul Simon " Boy in the Bubble"
Another really fun track to listen to. There is alot going on in this track from an accordion to a gord shaker, lots of guitars, drums etc...
but on a good system I cant imagine anyone not tapping their feet and being happy listening to this track.
and so there I was, dancing in my garage room enjoying every second of this track.

Track 9
Lyle Lovette-Church
This is Howard's favorite track since I started making him Cds. I first started listening to Lyle Lovette after a few CD's Steve Head and others made me had various tracks from him on them as well.
Great detail to his voice. the choir claps have great attack and decay. Piano had good body to it. Individual voices all had their own distinct character.

Track 10
Rush-Tom Sawyer
Opening snare had very good attack and snap to it. Normally this is an area I would spend a decent amount of time trying to find the right balance with eq boosts and cuts to get the snare snap to sound correct, but I was very impressed with how the AR3K presented them.
everything else just fell into place

Track 11
Nils Lofgren-- Keith Dont Go
I think ever since Randy (the other hated guy) posted this as a reference track that just about everyone is using it for evaluation ,as Am I. and its an awesome track.
opening guitar riff, again each individual pluck could be heard and presented a nice image of being able to see the fingers move across the strings. also the background yells werent lost and had distinct voices to them.
Nils voice had a nice gruff sound to it but with some nice warmth to it, some speakers make his voice sound very dark and cold like hes very apathetic, but this has some warmth like he actually cares or gives a ****.
again, details with fingerwork on the guitar sounded phenomenal especially getting into the higher frequencies during the solo part.
the taps on the body werent lost and had a nice snap and thud to them, altho the overall effect couldnt be heard bc of the Xo point, the initial strike was presented nicely.


Overall I am VERY impressed with these speakers.

During my listening I tried them mounted in all sorts of variations. Initially I tried them firing straight up like they would be in Howards car and they sounded good.
Then I tried them on axis.....
top end detail above 10k improved alot but it also made the sound very forward sounding, kind of in your face. and female vocals sounded slightly harsh or bright
Next I tried them 90 degrees off axis...as expected it lost some top end detail, but the depth of the images increase and the brightness decreased.
then I tried them about 45 degrees off axis....
this is where I finally left them. best combination of depth in the imaging, top end detail without being very forward sounding.

So the above review I actually listened to majority of the tracks at various angles and found what sounded the best and restarted the track to compare each time.
Each time, about 45 degrees sounded the best to me.

I've run alot of speakers since I started competing. The only thing I can say these sound similar to are my old Brax Graphic and my very old Eton Midranges.
The Etons were still one of the best midranges I have ever used and sounded awesome on vocals. the Brax did everything well but were a lil shy on midbass, but I was only using them as a Midrange at the time.
I loved the All Dyn system in my Wife's civic and could listen to it all day

These Ar3K are right up there with those, and many and any higher end speakers. It doesnt have the full body and warmth of a Dyn but it also doesnt have as much coloration that many of the Dyns do which results in a loss of detail. I definitely prefer these over the Genesis Absolutes (scan Revs)

I'll be finding a way for these and a pair of the midbass to end up in my new install


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## azngotskills (Feb 24, 2006)

Wow...thanks for taking the time for such an in-depth review Mic. Much appreciated


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## bassfromspace (Jun 28, 2016)

Great review!


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## cheesehead (Mar 20, 2007)

Yes great review!

I am letting Walt (WLDock) compare my set of AR3K's against some Tang Band underhung 3"ers at the moment. Hopefully I will get my set back by next weekend and I can get them installed. After hearing all the great reviews I can't wait to hear them for myself.

If they are as good as the AR6.5's then they will be awesome. I'm very happy with the midbass output of the 6.5's.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

I was very underwhelmed with the Trinities. nice sounding speaker but didnt excite me. Much preferred the TBw3 Bamboos. I can get them in 4ohm now as well and this was the direction I was headed until I heard the AR3k.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

cheesehead said:


> ...I am letting Walt (WLDock) compare my set of AR3K's against some Tang Band underhung 3"ers at the moment. Hopefully I will get my set back by next weekend and I can get them installed. After hearing all the great reviews I can't wait to hear them for myself.


 It's still early , I spend a couple of days burning the drivers in. But, I plan to do the critical listening this weekend ......but the AR3k's are sounding very nice. So far they sound fuller with more top end sparkle compared to the Tang Bands. Thanks cheesehead(Tom), I am so happy I could listen to the AR's side by side...really is the only way to compare drivers....since I missed out on the pre-sale.

Tang Band W3-1878 & AR3K 








More to come stay tuned....I am also throwing my KEF KHT1005.2 Uni-Q satellites into the mix to see how the widebanders compare to the 2-way pointsource drivers.









I will post something in the review section when it is all over said and done. I just talked to Anthony Davis yesterday, will try to get him to come over and listen as well. He is all wrapped up in redoing his comp car car so, we will see.

Anyway, great review Mic!


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

First i would like to say great review Mic, Glad you like them and yep we will get you some for the new build.




WLDock said:


> It's still early , I spend a couple of days burning the drivers in. But, I plan to do the critical listening this weekend ......but the AR3k's are sounding very nice. So far they sound fuller with more top end sparkle compared to the Tang Bands. Thanks cheesehead(Tom), I am so happy I could listen to the AR's side by side...really is the only way to compare drivers....since I missed out on the pre-sale.
> 
> AR3K & Tang Band W3-1878
> 
> ...


WoW the Tang Band is a beast, makes the AR3K look a little small and that is not easy. This Tang Band version 3" and 6.5" are 2 drivers i was looking to test. As anyone who knows me know i love nice drivers no matter what brand they are. I like the design, the motor is a very nice one also. Very well design driver.

The Kef is a 4" correct. I'm interested to hear what you think of the TB and AR3K compared to the Kef also.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

Audible Physics said:


> The Kef is a 4" correct. I'm interested to hear what you think of the TB and AR3K compared to the Kef also.


They list the KEF as a 3" driver:

*KEF Model HTS1001.2*
Drive Units: 75mm (3in.) Uni-Q array with 15mm (0.6in.) aluminium HF
Crossover Frequencies - 3kHz
Sensitivity - (2.83V/1m)	86dB
Frequency Response - (+/-3dB)	120Hz - 22kHz
Maximum Output - 104dB
Input Impedance - 8 Ohms
Magnetic Shielding - Yes
Internal Volume -	0.5 litres
Power Handling -	100W
Weight - 0.7kg (1.5lbs)
Dimensions - (H x W x D)165 x 110 x 78 mm (6.5 x 4.4 x 3.1 in.)

I am very interesting in comparing these against the KEF because these worked out great as my computer speakers. They are part of the Picoforte iPod dock mated with an old SONY SA-W305 subwoofer. More recently I have been using them as an audio system with my 50" Samsung Plasma and this set up is awesome in terms of vocal clarity from amywhere in the room....working out very well until I build a more powerful full surround system.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

WLDock said:


> They list the KEF as a 3" driver:
> 
> *KEF Model HTS1001.2*
> Drive Units: 75mm (3in.) Uni-Q array with 15mm (0.6in.) aluminium HF
> ...


looks like it has a bit more cone area, could be just the photo. looking forward to it.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

It probably has a 3" cone...I've seen some drivers listed like that. A 3" cone would make for a 4" frame...or there abouts. Whereas the other speakers have a 3" frame.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Hey wldock is it possible for me to swing by to get a listen to those ar3k and those tangs? Let me know what day and time i possible. I'm looking at trying to afford a pair of ar3m...but the beryllium phase plug. Also awesome review.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

thehatedguy said:


> It probably has a 3" cone...I've seen some drivers listed like that. A 3" cone would make for a 4" frame...or there abouts. Whereas the other speakers have a 3" frame.


Looking at the photo below I think you are correct. The cone on the Kef is just a bit smaller then the flange on the AR3K which is 3.5". Man that Kef is a nice looking driver.


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## cheesehead (Mar 20, 2007)

WLDock said:


> It's still early , I spend a couple of days burning the drivers in. But, I plan to do the critical listening this weekend ......but the AR3k's are sounding very nice. So far they sound fuller with more top end sparkle compared to the Tang Bands. Thanks cheesehead(Tom), I am so happy I could listen to the AR's side by side...really is the only way to compare drivers....since I missed out on the pre-sale.
> 
> 
> I will post something in the review section when it is all over said and done. I just talked to Anthony Davis yesterday, will try to get him to come over and listen as well. He is all wrapped up in redoing his comp car car so, we will see.


You are very welcome Walt! I'm glad we were able to work something out so you are able to do some comparisons.

I can't wait to hear what you think.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

manish said:


> Hey wldock is it possible for me to swing by to get a listen to those ar3k and those tangs? Let me know what day and time possible. I'm looking at trying to afford a pair of ar3m...but the beryllium phase plug. Also awesome review.


 Hell yeah man! The more ears the better. I got the number. Short of the Focal Be 3 mid, these are some of the sweetest and beastly three inchers I have ever held in my hands.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Awesome. Well I'm free today  just hit me up whenever.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

Audible Physics said:


> Looking at the photo below I think you are correct. The cone on the Kef is just a bit smaller then the flange on the AR3K which is 3.5". Man that Kef is a nice looking driver.


yeah, the cone looks bigger....but the motor looks funny next to these two beast!


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Wldock which driver impressed you more? The ar3k or the tangbang...


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

Too early, listening wrapped in towels does not count. still making the enclosures and trying to get a Heavy duty 12V power supply from my co worker so that I can run a car audio amp with the proper crossover.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

What amp do you plan to use?


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks Mic for the detailed review. You will hopefully have the opportunity to hear the XR's in my car on Sunday. I was very interested to read your comments about the various orientations you tried - exactly what I did (except firing straight up, like in a dash at the windshield). Like you, I found the 45 degree orientation to be the most pleasing.


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## TheHulk9er (Oct 28, 2010)

Has anyone seen this link? These look amazing and with the right configuration could be made to vent into the dash for more enclosure space and allow you to change the angle until you find sonic heaven! 

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diyma-vendors/100541-feelers-aluminium-tweeter-pods.html

If audio physics could get together with this guy and have him build some pods for the duo's you would have an amazing product that could be killer. Easy installation and great sound! (Also keeping in mind that a teardrop is acoustically the best shape for a speaker because it eliminates near field refractions that dirty the original signal).


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## vactor (Oct 27, 2005)

is AP ever going to get things going on their website? i am now in the market for a 3" but cannot find a lot of info on the AR3K or how to get them ... in this day and age, a website is easy to make and a real requirement ...


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

vactor said:


> is AP ever going to get things going on their website? i am now in the market for a 3" but cannot find a lot of info on the AR3K or how to get them ... in this day and age, a website is easy to make and a real requirement ...


Mark is in the midst of building a new website, but you can always contact him on the forum via PM (Audible Physics) or contact me or Zach(Boostedrex) for more info.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

vactor said:


> is AP ever going to get things going on their website? i am now in the market for a 3" but cannot find a lot of info on the AR3K or how to get them ... in this day and age, a website is easy to make and a real requirement ...


It will be up soon, having all the info proofed by a great writer now. I'm a one man show with a limited budget. I do it all my self and still have to work. Any info you need please feel free to contact me, I would be more then happy to help you out.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

chefhow said:


> Mark is in the midst of building a new website, but you can always contact him on the forum via PM (Audible Physics) or contact me or Zach(Boostedrex) for more info.


Dude your fast.


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Audible Physics said:


> Dude your fast.


I got your back.


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