A&R active system.

Ive just bought a 2nd / 3rd maybe even 4th hand A&R active set up, consisting of A&R A60 integrated and SA60 power amp and ARC (crossover-less) speakers. I have gathered that the A60 has a its aux input modified so it works as a pre out, it then outputs to the power amp, which has crossovers in it. the signal is split, (into bass and treble), and the left channel is sent back to the A60. This meas the A60 does one speaker, the SA60 the other. Does anyone know if its possible to remove the crossovers from the power amp, whilst keeping the pre out on the A60 (as it doesnt normally have one), in order to use these amps with modern speakers, in a conventional bi-amp system

 

That sounds interesting – the A60 is a remarkably competent little amp (I've got a mint boxed one stashed away as a spare). I've always wondered what the active variant sounded like, bet its pretty damn good. Which ARCs have you got? I remember the 101 being rather good.

If you are after info about the kit Arcam still support and service A60s etc, I'm sure they would be able to advise.

Tony.

 

ARC 050

They're ARC 050 speakers. Any ideas where I can get the plug in crossover block so I can use them with other amps? it says in the instructions (amazing, I even got the manuals for everything!!) that the crossover block for all arc speakers were different, so I'd need to be careful.
Ive got a rega p3 (a couple of days old) and a TAG 60i integrated, with Acoustic Energy AE120 Speakers, and on direct comparison with the A&R / ARC setup theres more bass / control with the modern setup (making it more suited to modern music), but vocals and accoustic instruments sound more natural on the A&R.
I'd be interested to mix and match speakers, but this isnt possible with the active crossovers / lack of crossovers in the speakers.

 

I suspect you stand roughly zero chance of finding a crossover block for a pair of Arcs!

The A60 / SA60 is more interesting; I have no idea how the active aspect works here. I can't recall my A60 having any internal socketry to plug an active crossover into. Probably best to send Arcam a email on [email protected] (I can't find a phone number). It might be worth your posting this query over at pfm too as there are a few dealers knocking about who have dealt with kit of this vintage over there.

Tony.

 

Hi - don't know if this is of interest.

I'm not absolutely certain how the active part of the amp works, other than knowing that you need to have an appropriate board in the amp, but I do have a pair of Arcam One speakers - the models released by Arcam at the time for active use - and they have - in addition to the normal two inputs on the rear of the speaker - six inputs with joining bars which would be removed if running 'active'.

I've got a load of Arcam publishing blurb from the range available at the time at home and, if you're interested, I can have a peruse of it and see if there's any info there - if there is and you let me know an address by PM, I can copy any relevant stuff and send it to you.

Hope that helps,

Goomer.

 

I used to have a pair of ARC 101 speakers with removable external crossovers. They were the big brother of the smaller ones you have. They were rather coloured but could do bass! They were designeds to be partnered with Nytech amplification however, who provided a matching crossover amp.

Bob

 

the power amp has the crossovers, the a60 has only been modified to allow the aux socket to become a pre out / main in (at the same time), as it outputs a full range signal, and recieves the post crossover signal through the same socket. i would have guessed that the a60 could still be used as a stand alone integrated, so long as nothing was connected to the old aux socket, but I tried it with an old pair of speakers (fitted with crossovers) and the sound was hardly audible, any ideas?

 

I suspect the pre/power link now no longer exists in your A60, so you would either need to use a jump-lead in the aux socket to connect the ins to the outs or physically undo whatever was done when the aux socket's functionality was changed.

Tony.

 

Help! I managed to prove the A60 still works as an integrated, on its own (using an old pair of speakers), by using a jump lead in the aux socket, but in doing so blew a fuse in the left channel. Having replaced this, and wired the ARCs back up, there's more treble coming out of the right speaker than the left, however the left tweeter is still working, just a bit quietly! What should I look at now?????

Just swapped speakers over, so the A60 was on the right speaker and the SA60 the left, and the lack of treble swapped speakers too! So its obviously the A60, but as the signal goes through the SA60 Xovers I dunno whats goin on.

 

I was thinking a bit more about using these two amps for bi-amping of my floorstanders (which are fitted with xovers), and wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this (assuming I can sort out the lack of output to the left tweeter).
If I were to remove the active boards, I'd effectively be left with a bog standard 2 channel power amp. The A60 only works if it outputs through the aux socket, and recieves a signal back through the aux socket. So I could connect them up as they are, but without Xovers in the power amp, in order to run normal speakers. I just can't work out whether the signal would return to the power amp section of the A60 from the SA60 power amp, after the Xover boards have been removed. It would be easy to make A60 a pre amp, and use the seperate power amp, but this would not really achieve anything, its just getting the signal back to the A60's power amp. There must be around this, but I fully can't get my head round it!

 

If the fault moved channel when you swapped speakers .. then the problem is with the speaker. If the A60 was causing the losss of treble then it wouldn't matter which speaker you had connected to it.. it would suffer from loss of treble.


GTM

 

no the dodgey trebble stayed on the speaker running off the A60

 

"the dodgey trebble stayed on the speaker running off the A60"

couldn't have put it better myself, matthew is right. I think I've got too many amps, and speakers and different left and rights, and things connected through other things that I dont know my ass from my face any more. Its definitly the A60, cos if its used on its own, as an integrated, one speaker is quieter than the other.