Acoustic Research AR9LS owners? Just for thought


I am the new owner of a pair of these fine speakers and they are in mint condition. Drivers redone, wood polished, new foam in lower cab area... all done right. Original owners manual and recipt from purchase in october of 1984. WOW. Please give me some input as to how these should be placed, wired, ran, etc etc. I would love to talk to some other owners. THanks.
agarrison
Oh, and by the way, I dont have the option of placing them against a wall for now... I do have some space apart.. about 9 or 10 feet apart from center to center... I also would like to mention that these do have the 'i' mod and I wouldnt know how to say what difference it makes although it seems to be the popular vote. MORE RESPONSE PLEASE GUYS!!!
What about a used Threshold amp, in the 150 to 200 watt range? those typically go for around 1500 or even less sometimes.. bullet proof amp, should be a good match I think? Krell KSA 150, Forte 3 (higher watt one), I should think the Mac amp mentioned would be right match also.
140wpc is getting there, not underpowered, but not realizing their full abilities either. that said there should be nothing to prevent you from enjoying them as is.

for $300 you are not likely to find anything significantly more substantial than the A-1000, so i'd recommend putting something aside on a regular basis towards a future purchase, though you might get lucky and find a big amp that fits within your current budget. you might also consider looking for a pair of mono-blocks (that can handle a <4ohm load).
Hey guys I really want you to know how much I appreciate your time and input thus far. As a "newbie" it can be tough for me to feel like a am a part of the community and I know that I have A LOT to learn. Is there any way I can get in touch with a few of you via email for easy conversation and questions? It seems to me that out of the 3 threads(which i am not familiar with doing) I have attempted, that this is the only one that shows on my list of threads. ????? Anyway, so be it, I still want to say thank you to you guys and glad I am a member of the community here.
Sorry to say this but you will never realize the full potential of your speakers when placed out from the wall. Go to Classic Speakers site and read about the design of the AR-9 series. I think 3-4" is max. Most folks have the opposite problem, they cannot place their speakers (other models) far enough out into the room for best performance.

I assume your AR9LS are rated at 4 ohms. How is your Yamaha amp rated? Is the 140 wpc at 8 ohms? What at 4 ohms? A good quality amp should come close to if not actually doubling output into 4 ohms. From my limited experience with AR speakers (none of the 9 series), amplifier choice can be critical to optimize them.

Good luck.