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Acoustic Research Lst 3a Bass Driver Pair of 12" bass drivers suit AR LST or 3AExcellent condition. Refoamed.Part number 210003-0 Condition: Excellent Payment Method: PayPal, EFT,Cash Region/State: (WA) Western Australia/Australia By Batty57 0 Comments Secure Ad AUD $500 Date: January 6Jan 6
At A$500, this is well below the kind of money an AR-LST usually commands in the used market, where working pairs tend to sit around A$2,100–A$4,000+ depending on condition and completeness; that makes the ask look like a genuine bargain if this is a proper, usable driver and not a parts unit. The original LST sold for A$600 new in 1972 pricing, so seeing one major driver listed at A$500 today is only compelling if the piece is genuinely scarce or hard to source.
The upside here is that the LST is a cult classic: it uses AR’s multi-driver, wide-dispersion approach and shares the family’s respected voicing, so a clean original driver can be the missing piece that saves an otherwise valuable restoration. For a bass driver, the main thing to verify is originality, voice-coil health, cone/surround condition, and that the impedance/specs match the rest of the system; if those check out, this is the sort of listing worth moving on quickly.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Acoustic Research (AR) emerged from Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1954, founded by audio pioneer Edgar Villchur and his student Henry Kloss. Villchur, an inventor, researcher, and educator, developed the groundbreaking acoustic suspension loudspeaker principle, patented in 1956, which enabled compact speakers with deep, distortion-free bass. Their debut AR-1 model, unveiled at the 1954 New York Audio Show for $185, revolutionized the industry by shrinking enclosure sizes by up to 75 percent while delivering superior performance, setting the stage for AR's rapid ascent.
The brand focused primarily on loudspeakers, pioneering acoustic suspension designs like the AR-1, AR-2, AR-3 series, and compact bookshelf models such as the AR-4, which appealed to students and families. AR expanded into turntables, including the enduring AR Turntable still prized by vinyl enthusiasts, alongside other stereo components. This emphasis on innovative speakers with flat response, wide dispersion, and extended bass defined their catalog, prioritizing engineering over aesthetics.
AR commanded peak dominance in 1966 with over 32 percent of the U.S. loudspeaker market—the largest share any hi-fi company has achieved—earning reverence for natural sound reproduction and robust build quality. Now owned by VOXX and shifted toward lower-end accessories, its vintage products remain collector icons, embodying mid-century high-fidelity excellence for discerning buyers seeking timeless accuracy.
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