Fried A-3 speakers

Bud Fried always made very nice speakers. His transmission line bass is a thing of beauty. If you can get the speakers for about $300/pr. I'd say you got a pretty good deal...

-RW-

Jperry,

I have owned 2 pair of A3s now for almost 10 years and can tell you quite a bit. First, they are superbly balanced IMO, being neither too forward, bright, dark, etc. The extend to 38Hz on paper but don't sound that low, more like 45-50 to me. Their midrange is extremely uncolored, they have superb transient response, and their treble is non fatiguing and extended. Bass is very good but not quite the same caliber as their miss/highs. My only criticism is that compared to my Spendor 1/2Es, frequencies below 100Hz sound a bit thick, and some air is lost. They use a PhaseTech tweeter no longer made and Carbonneau woofers. 90db sensitivity. Mine image great, and they have superb rhythm. They are speakers that always make me smile when I listen to them...I paid $130 for the first pair and $450 for the second because I was going to have pair #2 even if I had to pay a fortune. If you can find a pair, GET them!

I have a pair of A/6, which were a larger version.

They're fantastic sounding loudspeakers in my opinion, and feel they compete with anything up to about $5K in today's world. In general, Bud Fried's loudspeakers eclipse so much of what gets built today, and those smart enough to purchase them do so at prices a fraction of what today's products sell for.

However, if you prefer an upfront and forward kind of sound, they won't be your cup of tea. Rather, they have a relaxed and liquid nature that is not the high-end audio flavor in the 2000s.

I also had a pair of A6s and would have them to this day had I room in my collection. I also sent my A6 crossovers to someone in Charlotte, NC who was to build new ones (previous owner had modified them). He kept them and the $250 worth of crossover components I sent him, never to hear from him again (he's lucky I didn't find out where he lived). The A6s are similar but have a higher crossover point (2800Hz), different tweeter type (same brand), and different woofers and surrounds (Gefco). The A6s, though, have the best bass transients I have ever heard in a dynamic speaker, and they have AWESOME bass.