Acoustic Research

Origins of Acoustic Research

Acoustic Research has its origins in the pioneering work of Edgar Villchur, who developed a new type of loudspeaker in the 1950s. In 1954, Villchur demonstrated his prototype to Henry Kloss, a former student. Impressed by the innovation, Kloss offered his Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, loft as a manufacturing facility. Together, Villchur and Kloss founded Acoustic Research (AR) with an initial investment of $6,000. Their first product, the AR-1 loudspeaker, was showcased at the New York Audio Show in September 1954. This marked the beginning of Acoustic Research’s journey in the high-fidelity audio industry, where they continued to innovate and produce popular stereo components.

AR produced a low-cost ($68 in 1963) belt-drive turntable using a cast aluminium 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) turntable platter suspended with a T-bar sub-chassis that greatly reduced acoustic feedback. A 24-pole hysteresis-synchronous, permanent magnet Hurst AC motor propelled the platter via a precision ground rubber belt to produce very low wow and flutter, exceeding the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) standards for turntable measurements.

Many AR turntable models remain in high demand. In particular, the mid-1980s models are highly modifiable to become first-rate vinyl record playback units.

In 1967, Acoustic Research was bought by Teledyne, Inc., and for the next 22 years, it continued development and operations in Cambridge as Teledyne Acoustic Research.

Teledyne sold the company to their major competitor, Jensen Electronics. In 1996, Jensen, including AR, was sold to Recoton Audio Corporation.

In 2003, Audiovox (now Voxx International) acquired Recoton's US audio operations and continues developing and selling AR-brand speakers.