Nothing more convenient than having outdoor speakers that need to be plugged in, or use a conservative ass pile of batteries that probably last at most a couple of days use.
/giphy battery-pile
@terrence, because of having to put 8 AA batteries in each mo fucking speaker every 14 hrs, you get mad & throw them out (side) in the garbage, outdoor!!
Now is that a total of eight batteries for the set (four batteries each, 6-volt power supply), or eight batteries each, for a whopping 16 batteries total (12-volt power supply)?
Such overnight creatitude! And here I am just hoping before they’re sold out someone will mention whether or not AR product is still good or not. What is this "Glendale " of which they speak? Doth it suck? Or not?
These speakers are an abomination! Sent screaming up from the bowels of Hell. No light? Batteries? This exactly what Satan would want us to spend our Holy dollars on!
I would feel safer ripping off the tag on my mattress and laughing at fate, then purchasing these.
But, If someone wants to gift some to me…That’s fine.
Know what I’m sayin’?
Oh the fond & nostalgic memories of Acoustic Research.
My father was an early audiophile in the late 50’s/early ‘60’s.
His system was made up of Acoustic Research speakers that were known for having wonderfully flat frequency response and being the first acoustic suspension speakers.
And original McIntosh tube amplifier, preamp and tuner. Of that gear, I have only the amp.
I attribute my appreciation for Nat King Cole, Chopin and many others others to growing up listening to his music on that system.
… and then brand whores Jensen, followed by Recoton, and finally, Audiovox happened to Acoustic Research.
Did anybody else buy these and try them, and find that they “stutter” while having very low audio quality?
In my trial, the two speakers paired correctly (to each other for stereo), and then paired correctly to a phone via Bluetooth, but then proceeded to have low bit-rate audio (as in poor quality) and then stop playing the audio signal every few seconds (as in the speakers go silent for a second, while the song keeps going on the phone as if nothing is going wrong).
What this means is the speakers can’t even play a song, even at low quality, without stuttering every 6 seconds or so. This is pretty bad, and I’d argue unusable (bad audio quality is one thing, but not even being able to maintain the bad audio quality to play even part of a song straight through is pretty unacceptable). I’m wondering, is this why they were refurbished in the first place? Did I get a dud pair or are other peoples’ speakers doing this?
@aoeu
Instead of looking forward to receiving these, I’m kind of dreading it now!
Does the stuttering problem go away when using only 1 speaker at a time? And is the sound quality any better when using the aux-in instead of Bluetooth? Curious if the speakers are irredeemably bad, or if it’s maybe just a pairing problem.
@lemonswithsalt The stuttering problem does not go away for playing on 1 speaker at a time via bluetooth. When plug in with the aux-in jack, the audio quality and stuttering is OK, but then the speakers (intentionally) go to Mono mode for the left speaker and don’t broadcast any sound out of the right speaker(!)
From the manual: “If you’re using a single speaker, the white Status light turns on while you’re using the Aux In input. If you’re using two, the blue Status light comes on and the stereo link with the other speaker is turned off while you’re using the Aux In input.”
LOL! What an anti-feature.
Using a 1/8" splitter cable (one eighth-inch jack to each Aux In input of each speaker) resulted in even worse audio quality than the bluetooth. I could run individual channels out of a powered mixer to each speaker, but having to use pro-audio gear to get around these shortcomings seems a little over-the-top.
@aoeu
Yeah it seems like yours is a dud unfortunately. Mine arrived today & everything is fine so far. Just curious, have you tried making a solo Bluetooth connection to just the other speaker? (to whichever one was the right speaker previously). If that one doesn’t stutter by itself, you can try to make that your left speaker now. And try to pair in stereo again.
Wow, you’re right, it’s forced mono via the aux-in >< What I did try that works (though not exactly elegant)… I plugged in a 1/8 to RCA cable into my phone’s headphone jack. Then touched the right RCA split to the right speaker’s aux-in cable. And the left RCA to the left speaker’s cable. Monoprice has RCA to 1/8 adapters for about $.40 each. So put those on the RCA ends of the cable & you can plug them directly into the speakers! adapter:
One of the two speakers has a defective switch. Meh! says go to AR, AR does not respond to specific problem but spits back their return policy. Snarky reply from Amanda. Careful Meh! You don’t stand behind - you don’t get my money AND I post this all on my FB page so my 1,000 plus friends can be warned. Shame on you AND AR.
Specs
What’s in the Box?
Price Comparison
$68.99 (for used) at Amazon
Warranty
90 day VOX
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 13th - Thursday, July 16th
GLENDALE!!!
Do these cast light or should I have bought yesterday’s item in conjunction with them?
I shall not buy more bluetooth speakers…this time. No guarantees for next time though.
Why is it so hard to show in a product photo if AC power is plugged in from the side/top/bottom?
@username it’s on the back panel with the controls.
@username, because it says 8AA batteries & AC optional, I’m guessing! I’m DC, so,…
I am so confused. My eyes hear things.
@hchavers, just wait till your ears start seeing things!!
@hchavers I don’t know; I like tasting my sound.
https://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Research-Portable-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B00WNNJ4QS
Nothing more convenient than having outdoor speakers that need to be plugged in, or use a conservative ass pile of batteries that probably last at most a couple of days use.
/giphy battery-pile
@thenagman Amazon listing states “up to 14 hours” on battery.
@djslack yeah that “up to” rating means “when the volume is set to a whisper”
/giphy battery-whisper
@thenagman There is a rechargeable version.
I’ll put the over-under on it coming to meh at 2 years.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SMT6SJX/
@djslack @thenagman That’s like my Nintendo Switch all the time. (old version with poor battery life)
In what way are these outdoor?
@terrence You wouldn’t want to have to listen to them indoors, would you? That’s why they’re outdoor use only.
@terrence, because of having to put 8 AA batteries in each mo fucking speaker every 14 hrs, you get mad & throw them out (side) in the garbage, outdoor!!
Where do the candles go? Or are these oil lanterns?
@canneddirt, No, remember all those Fn flashlights you bought in the past? Well, now you have another use for the versatile Duck Tape!!
@canneddirt Just pour lamp oil on them and light.
Huh, these actually look kinda cool. This January is the least mediocre month in a while.
@winfield, yeah, until nx Jan!!
@winfield It is disconcerting when “least mediocre” is taken as a compliment.
/giphy tepid-helpful-learning
Now is that a total of eight batteries for the set (four batteries each, 6-volt power supply), or eight batteries each, for a whopping 16 batteries total (12-volt power supply)?
@PooltoyWolf, it’s 16 btrys every 14(-) hrs, or every 7 days @ 2 hrs per day!! JSYN! BTW, Outdoors = Landfill! LOL!
It doesn’t provide light, it doesn’t zap bugs…add a smart plug, pair to your Echo and say “Alexa, turn ‘your voice’ off”.
Sooo, since it’s IPX weather resistant, it it can be anywhere from not resistant at all to fully submersible?
Use with these to amaze your friends!
@iggy71 I bought a pair of those speakers you posted a picture of. They suck. Anything you play sounds like rock.
@iggy71 @Trinityscrew I’ve heard some awesome rocks!
KuoH
VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!
Such overnight creatitude! And here I am just hoping before they’re sold out someone will mention whether or not AR product is still good or not. What is this "Glendale " of which they speak? Doth it suck? Or not?
These speakers are an abomination! Sent screaming up from the bowels of Hell. No light? Batteries? This exactly what Satan would want us to spend our Holy dollars on!
I would feel safer ripping off the tag on my mattress and laughing at fate, then purchasing these.
But, If someone wants to gift some to me…That’s fine.
Know what I’m sayin’?
bluetooth?..what is this, 2012?..Assistant or Alexa…get with the times
How are you supposed to power TWO separate speakers with just ONE AC adapter?
I just wanna point out that these are really well reviewed.
Really doing all you can to push the overpriced shirts, huh? I’m rather curious as to where the sales numbers have gone since the price increase.
@cinoclav When I read the first line, I saw “shirts” without the “r,” and yet that would be appropriate too.
Yeah, I like supporting cool shirts and artists, but honestly I try to get my shirts at $3 or less.
@pmarin someone had to buy those shirts the first time before you could get them for $3.
@pmarin Thank you for your service, @djslack.
Nope, I’m a spoiled member of the 21st century…I want it to provide light, zap bugs, pair with Alexa and maybe even make me a cocktail.
“$69 for 2 on Amazon”
nice
@jmoor783 I didn’t know they provide that service now…
I love lamp!
Four stars is worth a shot.
/giphy klutzy-marginal-avocado
@Dizavid Welp that makes me never want to eat an avocado again.
Oh the fond & nostalgic memories of Acoustic Research.
My father was an early audiophile in the late 50’s/early ‘60’s.
His system was made up of Acoustic Research speakers that were known for having wonderfully flat frequency response and being the first acoustic suspension speakers.
And original McIntosh tube amplifier, preamp and tuner. Of that gear, I have only the amp.
I attribute my appreciation for Nat King Cole, Chopin and many others others to growing up listening to his music on that system.
… and then brand whores Jensen, followed by Recoton, and finally, Audiovox happened to Acoustic Research.
@RedOak Yeah a few years ago I saw some $10 headphones on the internet sold as Nakamichi brand. Sad.
Did anybody else buy these and try them, and find that they “stutter” while having very low audio quality?
In my trial, the two speakers paired correctly (to each other for stereo), and then paired correctly to a phone via Bluetooth, but then proceeded to have low bit-rate audio (as in poor quality) and then stop playing the audio signal every few seconds (as in the speakers go silent for a second, while the song keeps going on the phone as if nothing is going wrong).
What this means is the speakers can’t even play a song, even at low quality, without stuttering every 6 seconds or so. This is pretty bad, and I’d argue unusable (bad audio quality is one thing, but not even being able to maintain the bad audio quality to play even part of a song straight through is pretty unacceptable). I’m wondering, is this why they were refurbished in the first place? Did I get a dud pair or are other peoples’ speakers doing this?
@aoeu
Instead of looking forward to receiving these, I’m kind of dreading it now!
Does the stuttering problem go away when using only 1 speaker at a time? And is the sound quality any better when using the aux-in instead of Bluetooth? Curious if the speakers are irredeemably bad, or if it’s maybe just a pairing problem.
@lemonswithsalt The stuttering problem does not go away for playing on 1 speaker at a time via bluetooth. When plug in with the aux-in jack, the audio quality and stuttering is OK, but then the speakers (intentionally) go to Mono mode for the left speaker and don’t broadcast any sound out of the right speaker(!)
From the manual: “If you’re using a single speaker, the white Status light turns on while you’re using the Aux In input. If you’re using two, the blue Status light comes on and the stereo link with the other speaker is turned off while you’re using the Aux In input.”
LOL! What an anti-feature.
Using a 1/8" splitter cable (one eighth-inch jack to each Aux In input of each speaker) resulted in even worse audio quality than the bluetooth. I could run individual channels out of a powered mixer to each speaker, but having to use pro-audio gear to get around these shortcomings seems a little over-the-top.
@aoeu
Yeah it seems like yours is a dud unfortunately. Mine arrived today & everything is fine so far. Just curious, have you tried making a solo Bluetooth connection to just the other speaker? (to whichever one was the right speaker previously). If that one doesn’t stutter by itself, you can try to make that your left speaker now. And try to pair in stereo again.
Wow, you’re right, it’s forced mono via the aux-in >< What I did try that works (though not exactly elegant)… I plugged in a 1/8 to RCA cable into my phone’s headphone jack. Then touched the right RCA split to the right speaker’s aux-in cable. And the left RCA to the left speaker’s cable. Monoprice has RCA to 1/8 adapters for about $.40 each. So put those on the RCA ends of the cable & you can plug them directly into the speakers! adapter:
cable:
One of the two speakers has a defective switch. Meh! says go to AR, AR does not respond to specific problem but spits back their return policy. Snarky reply from Amanda. Careful Meh! You don’t stand behind - you don’t get my money AND I post this all on my FB page so my 1,000 plus friends can be warned. Shame on you AND AR.
@CooperDay NOT YOUR 1000 PLUS FACEBOOK FRIENDS!
Has anyone ran into issues with the speakers running under battery power? Tried 2 different sets of batteries and neither speaker will even turn on.