Acoustic Research 570 (c.1990–1992)
Documentation on the Acoustic Research 570 is thin. What survives comes almost entirely from period advertisements, not reviews or service manuals. The 570 appears to have been a powered loudspeaker system, marketed as the Powered Partner 570, meant as a versatile, self-contained monitor for musical instruments, computers, portable cassette players, and video gear.
One ad described the Powered Partner 570 as packing 90 watts of amplification per speaker (Audio, 1990, p.133). A later ad listed 40 watts per side (HiFI-Stereo, 1992, p.100). It's unclear whether that is a spec change, a different production run, or an advertising discrepancy. Both sources agree on the drivers: a 5-inch polypropylene woofer and a liquid-cooled tweeter (HiFI-Stereo, 1992, p.100). The cabinets were magnetically shielded to prevent CRT discoloration when placed near a computer monitor or television. That made the 570 a multimedia-capable speaker well before the term became common.
Little else is recorded. No original price, dimensions, weight, or frequency response figures have been found in the available material. The 570 doesn't appear in AR's main line of passive home loudspeakers from the same era. It's unclear whether it was a standalone product or part of a broader Powered Partner series. The ads pitch it as flexible, and one showed the 570 paired with a computer and a cassette player in the same layout, which suggests AR saw it as a utility speaker for the desktop and the practice space alike.
- Type: Powered (amplified) loudspeaker system
- Woofer: 5-inch polypropylene cone
- Tweeter: Liquid-cooled dome
- Amplifier power: 40W or 90W per speaker (sources conflict)
- Shielding: Yes—designed for video/computer use
- Period of ads: 1990–1992
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