Acoustic Research TSW 510 tower speakers, pair, seen at an angle: solid oak tops and plinths framing black cabinets, grilles off

Acoustic Research TSW 510 towers from the front, grilles off, each with a 10-inch woofer, 6.5-inch midrange and titanium dome tweeter

Acoustic Research TSW 510 tower speakers turned to show their black cabinet sides between the solid oak top and plinth

Acoustic Research

Acoustic Research TSW 510 Vintage Towers, Pair – Refoamed, Oak

Name: Acoustic Research TSW 510 Vintage Towers, Pair – Refoamed, Oak
Brand: Acoustic Research
SKU: 21346
Price: 595.00 CAD
Availability: InStock

$422.00

A pair of Acoustic Research TSW 510 three-way floorstanding speakers from the late 1980s, with solid oak tops and plinths, freshly refoamed.

✔️ Freshly refoamed woofers and midranges
✔️ Very good condition, grilles included
✔️ 3-way acoustic suspension, 10″ woofer, titanium tweeter
✔️ Covered by Radique Warranty
✔️ Includes Perpetual Trade-Back Program eligibility
✔️ Curbside delivery, local collection or freight within Canada

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Description

A pair of Acoustic Research TSW 510 three-way floorstanding speakers from the late 1980s, with solid oak tops and plinths and their full-length cloth grilles. The woofers and midranges have been freshly refoamed, and they are in very good condition.

Radique’s Take

We think these are amazing speakers, both sonically and in sheer performance. The TSW 510 comes from the line that Acoustic Research, the company that invented the acoustic suspension speaker, launched in 1987 as the best of its American engineering, and it shows: big, room-filling sound with genuine bass weight. With new foam surrounds on every woofer and midrange, this pair is ready for many more years of music.

What makes it good

TSW stands for titanium and solid wood: a titanium dome tweeter, and solid wood top and bottom panels in place of the usual veneer. Here they are solid oak, framing a black cabinet and a felt-covered front baffle.

Each speaker is a true three-way design in a sealed, acoustic suspension cabinet, the approach AR pioneered. A 10-inch polypropylene woofer handles the bass, a 6.5-inch polypropylene midrange in its own sealed enclosure carries voices and instruments, and a ¾-inch liquid-cooled titanium dome tweeter covers the highs. The crossovers sit at 700 Hz and 5 kHz, so each driver works in the range it does best, and the response runs from 44 Hz to 40 kHz.

Amplification and connection

The TSW 510 is rated at 4 ohms and is happy with 15 to 150 watts per channel. Pair it with an amplifier or receiver that is comfortable driving a 4-ohm load and it will reward you with real dynamics and scale. Each speaker has a pair of red and black binding posts in a recessed cup on the back, and our Custom Speaker Cable Builder will make a pair of cables to the exact length you need.

The testing it has had

Tested on our bench before listing: woofer, midrange and tweeter in each speaker. The woofers and midranges have been freshly refoamed.

Condition

Very good. The oak tops and plinths and the black cabinets present well, free of significant marks, and the grilles are included.

A classic of American speaker engineering, refoamed and ready to fill a room with big, effortless sound.

Acoustic Research TSW 510 Tower Speakers Specifications

Type: 3-way acoustic suspension (sealed) floorstanding speaker, sold as a pair
Woofer: 10″ polypropylene cone, freshly refoamed
Midrange: 6.5″ polypropylene cone in its own sealed enclosure, freshly refoamed
Tweeter: ¾″ titanium dome, liquid-cooled
Crossover: 700 Hz and 5 kHz
Frequency response: 44 Hz–40 kHz (−3 dB)
Sensitivity: 87 dB
Impedance: 4 ohms
Recommended amplifier power: 15–150 watts per channel
Cabinet: solid oak top and plinth, black finish, felt-covered front baffle
Terminals: one pair of binding posts per speaker, in a recessed cup
Grilles: included
Introduced: 1987
Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 15.0 x 30.8 x 14.0 inches (381 x 783 x 356 mm) each
Weight: 48 lbs (21.8 kg) each

🔌 Speaker Cable, Built on Our Own Bench

We hand-build speaker cable here in any length you need — pick the gauge and the terminations on our Custom Speaker Cable Builder. We also make our own gold-plated banana plugs, spades and pin connectors if you would rather terminate cable you already have. 👉

🚚 Curbside Delivery — This Item Ships Differently

These weigh 48 lb each, which is over the weight we ship by courier. Instead we offer personal curbside delivery by our own vehicle, collection in person from us in Kanata, or freight anywhere in Canada. Please contact us before purchasing — use the pink Ask a Question button on this page and include your postal code, and we will come back with pricing and timelines so you can decide before you buy. Full details and coverage area are on our Curbside Delivery page. 👉

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.

📺 Curious about our business? Check out our YouTube channel for behind-the-scenes videos and more!

📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.

$422.00

Additional information

Impedance	4 Ω
Power Handling	101–200 W
Sensitivity	86–89 dB
Woofer Size	10″

About brand

Acoustic Research at Radique

We service Acoustic Research, too. Bring us your own Acoustic Research speakers and turntables for repair, servicing or restoration (speakers up to 80 lbs each), with a 90-day warranty on the work. See our Audio Service page

Acoustic Research was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1954 by Edgar Villchur and his former student Henry Kloss, to build the AR-1, the first speaker using Villchur's acoustic-suspension design. We carry Acoustic Research towers, bookshelf speakers, centre channels and cables. We've had around 10 Acoustic Research listings so far. Every used Acoustic Research here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

The Acoustic Research models we've sold include the PS2062 bookshelf speakers, the TSW-210 bookshelf speakers, the AR93 towers, the PSC25 centre and Master Series cables.

The Acoustic Research story

Edgar Villchur, who taught acoustics at New York University, patented the acoustic-suspension principle (filed 1954, granted 1956): the air sealed inside the cabinet, not a stiff mechanical suspension, acts as the woofer's main spring, for cleaner, deeper bass from a small box. He and Henry Kloss built the first AR-1s in a Cambridge loft, and Kloss left to co-found KLH in 1957.

The AR-3 and the AR turntable. The AR-3 of 1958-59 brought in AR's hemispherical dome midrange and tweeter, which Villchur and later writers credit as the first domes in a production speaker, and an AR-3 is on display at the Smithsonian. In 1961 came the AR turntable, a belt-drive design with a spring-suspended subchassis that sold in the hundreds of thousands. By 1966, AR said it held about a third of the US speaker market.

Teledyne and after. Villchur sold AR to Teledyne in 1967. The Teledyne years brought the AR-3a, the AR-LST, the four-way AR9 and the AR90 series, then the TSW series in 1987. International Jensen bought AR in December 1989, Recoton took over the name in 1996 and Audiovox in 2003. Today the Acoustic Research name belongs to VOXX International, part of Gentex Corporation since 2025. In the 1970s and 1980s, AR speakers reached Canadian dealers through A.C. Simmonds & Sons of Pickering, Ontario.

Which Acoustic Research is which?

Founders' years (1954 to 1967): the AR-1, AR-2 and AR-3, the AR turntable from 1961, then the AR-2x, AR-2ax, AR-4 and AR-4x of the mid-1960s.

Teledyne years (1967 to 1989): the AR-3a (1967), AR-5, AR-6, AR-7 and AR-LST, the AR9 (1978), the AR90 to AR94 towers (1979 to 1980), and AR amplifiers and receivers.

TSW series (1987 to the early 1990s): TSW stood for "titanium solid wood". The TSW-210 is a two-way bookshelf speaker with an 8-inch woofer, and the TSW 510 a three-way floor-stander with a 10-inch woofer. Later versions carry "-A" (1989 to 1990) or "-B" (1991) on the rear label.

International Jensen and Recoton (1990s to early 2000s): the Holographic Imaging series of 1991, and later "PS" models such as the AR328PS tower, sold in 1999, and the PSC25 centre.

Accessories: AR-branded cables, the Master Series included, were sold under the AR name long after the original company.

Buying used Acoustic Research: what to check

Level controls. Many AR speakers of the 1960s and 1970s, such as the AR-3a and AR-4, have rear midrange or tweeter level controls. Audio magazine criticised the AR-3's controls in 1968, and owners still report oxidised, crackling ones. Turn each control slowly through its range with music playing: crackle, or a tweeter or midrange dropping out, points to the control rather than the driver.

Amplifier load. The AR-3a is a 4-ohm speaker for which Audio recommended 60 clean watts per channel, and the larger TSW floor-standers, the TSW 510 included, are 4-ohm designs. Pair them with an amplifier or receiver rated for 4-ohm loads.

Surrounds and grilles. Owners of AR93 and TSW towers report refoaming the woofers, and the AR93's fabric grille sleeves are hard to replace if torn.

AR turntables. Restoration guides for the AR turntable centre on the belt, the suspension springs, the motor and pulley and the tonearm wiring.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.