The AR lineup was so beloved by older folk who had my respect, that when I was finally able to get a small bit of cash together in my late teens, I immediately bought a pair of AR-2ax speakers and an AR turntable. Shortly after, with the addition of the AR integrated amplifier, my system had become complete.

Upon graduation from college, the 2ax speakers went away, and I embraced a brand-new pair of AR-3a systems, and replaced the AR integrated with McIntosh components.

Years later, I know own a minimalist system that spans nearly 40 years’ worth of product development – a restored pair of Acoustic Research AR-9 full-range systems, a McIntosh integrated amplifier, and a silent, 3TB short tower that has our entire classical, jazz, and ambient music stored as WAV and FLAC files.

I had no hand in the development of the McIntosh amp, but literally rescued the AR-9 cabinets from a flood. Purchased from the disinterested owner for $100, my son and I spent a year buying the correct drivers on eBay, restoring parts that had failed, and bringing the cabinets to their current state of “retro-mod”, as they say in the world of classic cars.

We eschewed all ornamentation, so no glued-on badges remain – the speakers are also without the unfortunate chrome trim found on still-original 9’s, but do stand about 3″ higher, on their sturdy spiked feet.

Anyway, if you’re ever interested in hearing the best from your loudspeakers, I have just a couple of pointers:

1.) Avoid sustained high frequency reproduction at louder-than-normal volume. Tweeters fail, and finding a replacement is a crap-shoot.
2.) Although the 3a is heavy, it is a bookshelf system, and sounds terrific in that environment. A bookshelf would be my location of choice in the best of circumstances.
3.) If that set-up isn’t possible, then closely observe the variety of stands that AR manufactured over the years – there were at least three different styles that range from the earliest wooden riser up to welded steel of the AR-11 era.
They are all pictured in the Library section.
4.) When time and finances permit, consider an amplifier upgrade – vintage Dynaco tube preamps and power amps are bullet-proof, utterly rebuildable, and if restored correctly, will last for generations. I’ve never heard Dyna equipment sound less than beautiful with AR speakers.
Other tried & true choices for AR are Crown (vintage is better – plenty of reliable power), McIntosh (pricey, but perhaps the best overall mate), and rugged, reliable amplifiers from Adcom or Hafler.

The situations you describe would have been unimaginable in Germany from the mid-1930s until the end of the Second World War, not just because those styles of music didn’t exist, but because, as in any totalitarian state, the nail that sticks out gets hammered in.

Are we what we listen to? I don’t know. I doubt it. Most people don’t think too deeply about the forms of entertainment they consume. If it “sounds good” that’s what they like. There is more variety today than ever before. There are also more jerks. I think that explains a lot.

American culture is as diverse as any that ever existed anywhere at any time. That’s bound to cause friction on occasion. But I wouldn’t trade it for the alternative if that alternative looks anything like Germany in the years preceding the Entartete Musik exhibition. Thankfully, I don’t ever see anything like that ever happening here.