Sitting with the AR a 10-Pis


AR 10-Pis? You must be talking about some math or geometry lesson, right Vic? ‘Cause you can’t be talking about the speakers from the 70s – those over-sized-3 ways, right?

Yes, I am talking about these. Long story short – a friend of mine ask me to get these for him on eBay – so I put in a bid. I did take his pulse and asked if he was mixing Valium and Demurral, but, he insisted that he was not. He indicated that all I do is listen to them.

I got them out of the box (‘cause I had to inspect them anyway) plugged them into the Doge 6130 amp and Shuguang CD player. Put on a CD and sat back.

I have to admit that I had some prejudice. I expected a dark, wooly sound in the bass and nothing but tin in the midrange and high end. Then I did remember myself making a big mistake in the 70s, pooh-poohing the Shore V15 Mark IV because of the Sure name and going for the likes of high compliant cartridges like the ADC XLM and the Sonus Blue. All the time not knowing that the Sure could track the heck out of the other two and sound quite neutral and detailed if given the chance. But, my audio snobbery got hold and I passed it by.

I also passed by this speaker. It was time to give it a listen and undo some of my audio stereotypes (the pun, intentional). In went to Dire Straits, “Brothers in Arms” .

I was surprised. What surprised me was how coherent the speaker was. I was also surprised by the lack of cross over distortion in the speaker. The 12” woofer also surprised me as it pushed bass deep into the room and if it wanted to , could shake the room. Mated with a good tube amp, like the Doge 6130, the speaker was a real treat to listen to. Yes, it was colored and not for everyone, but colored in such a laid-back euphonic way – I was really enjoying myself. The down side, and it is a big one for me, was the lack of detail. The 70s drivers were just not fast enough, so significant smearing occurred.

These speakers, as I am now learning, have quite the cult following. They go quickly on eBay and are fetching a cool $500 a pair. For $500, you are not going to get a more coherent, euphonic speaker than the AR 10 Pi. Interesting.