Acoustic Research XB New in Box

It even has the shipping wing nut installed!!! Never seen that before!!!
It definitely looks unused !!! I am jealous !!!

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Athanasios
 
Congratulations on finding, if not NOS, virtually NOS condition XB! The vast majority of XAs and XBs need lots of attention to get them back up to speed but you have an opportunity to enjoy it as it was designed. A new belt, clean and lubricate the tonearm and platter wells, recharge the cue mechanism, make sure the vertical bearings are sound, properly set the springs and then enjoy!

Of course if you want to rev up the performance of your XB there are lots of resources but the best is AK's @marcmorin.
 
I think this is one that could be put into service with just a touch of maintenance, knocking the age off some of the parts as explained above. I'm sure a discussion about what to do before sitting down for lots of licorice pizzas would bring out a nice list of things to address. Once you are spinning you could consider the upgrade as needed.

Is there a serial number etched into the Stanton cartridge? looks like a 680 version (681 if it has the etching) and that stylus might be the original in good shape, looking at how little wear the table is showing.

Well bought. Now to do the research to find out about the table and to get a list of maintenance to do before calling it ready for prime time. A rebuild can wait I'm sure. But marc would be able to make it a big leap better.
 
I think this is one that could be put into service with just a touch of maintenance, knocking the age off some of the parts as explained above. I'm sure a discussion about what to do before sitting down for lots of licorice pizzas would bring out a nice list of things to address. Once you are spinning you could consider the upgrade as needed.

Is there a serial number etched into the Stanton cartridge? looks like a 680 version (681 if it has the etching) and that stylus might be the original in good shape, looking at how little wear the table is showing.

Well bought. Now to do the research to find out about the table and to get a list of maintenance to do before calling it ready for prime time. A rebuild can wait I'm sure. But marc would be able to make it a big leap better.
Thanks for the advice! There is a number etched on the cartridge.
 
The etched number means a calibrated standard cart that came with a printout of that response for the original stylus on that cartridge. Did you find the brush that hangs on the front of the cartridge?
 
The etched number means a calibrated standard cart that came with a printout of that response for the original stylus on that cartridge. Did you find the brush that hangs on the front of the cartridge?

Boy i hope not. the front of the headshell needs cut away for it to attach, adds a bunch of weight forcing the C/W to be set way back from the pivots, on every one i've heard with the brush attached, i hear the brush in the music, and it really adds to the skating effects.
 
Unpacked it. I think perhaps the Goodwill people may have unpacked some of it, or perhaps someone while looking at it in the store. It is definitely very lightly used, if at all though. As WaynerN mentioned, the Mat was in crumbles and I think in the process may have discolored the platter a bit, seems like some simple polishing would bring it back to new though. Regardless, it seems to be in terrific shape. I'm not sure I want to even try to run it without taking the good suggestions to have @marcmorin work his magic on it for fear of inadvertently damaging it. It appears to have the original plastic head shell, but can not see any markings on the cartridge. The original warranty card is still affixed to the bottom...not sure where to send it :) Here's some photos.


new oil in the bearing wells will certainly be called for. For the arm bearing well, add enough to where the oil fills that little pocket at the top. First "upgrade" in sonics is to remove the bottom cover. Remove a few staples and it will slide out. find the ribbed side of the power cord, mark that side on the plug, and that side plugs into the neutral of the mains socket. Use a long level across the front and both sides when setting the table up. A bubble level placed on the subplatter between the spindle and arm post should read level. if not, the suspension needs adjusted. 3/8 socket fits the nuts. the outer platter should ride no higher than 1/4" above the base. Don't use a heavy platter mat. 180-200gr albums can overload that suspension. Nice find.
 
That's amazing. The goodwills around here mark everything up to eBay prices if it looks even remotely valuable. Great find.
 
Boy i hope not. the front of the headshell needs cut away for it to attach, adds a bunch of weight forcing the C/W to be set way back from the pivots, on every one i've heard with the brush attached, i hear the brush in the music, and it really adds to the skating effects.
Well I'll leave it to you as far as slapping a Stanton brush on the AR turntable headshell but I would like to find it as for general tt use it does a nice job on other tables of keeping the grooves clean. But we have come so far with record cleaning rituals it is much less necessary than back in the 70s when it was new. Compared to the stiff boar bristles on the generic brushes, capable of playing the record themselves, the Stanton brush is nice. But I understand the pros and cons of it. I might use it on my automatic table but not my manual tables.
 
Many XBs were shipped with a Shure M91ED. Mine didn't look all that different from the OPs (also had the suspension wing nut in place) and actually was a model AR-XB91. One additional maintenance item to the ones I listed above is to oil the motor with sewing machine oil (I use Bernina oil) and let it run for a few hours to work out any crude that may have accumulated over time.
 
new oil in the bearing wells will certainly be called for. For the arm bearing well, add enough to where the oil fills that little pocket at the top. First "upgrade" in sonics is to remove the bottom cover. Remove a few staples and it will slide out. find the ribbed side of the power cord, mark that side on the plug, and that side plugs into the neutral of the mains socket. Use a long level across the front and both sides when setting the table up. A bubble level placed on the subplatter between the spindle and arm post should read level. if not, the suspension needs adjusted. 3/8 socket fits the nuts. the outer platter should ride no higher than 1/4" above the base. Don't use a heavy platter mat. 180-200gr albums can overload that suspension. Nice find.
Thank you Marc, I appreciate the advice as you certainly are the acknowledged expert on these Models in any forum I’ve looked at! Really appreciate the advice. I can not locate a brush so no issue there. Will follow your advice but have one other question....should I attempt to very mildly oil the motor via the spindle post prior to running it for the first time, or just worry the bearing wells and see how it runs prior to oiling the motor? Seems like conflicting advice abounds on this point, with some claiming the oiling ruined their motors. Also, should the bottom cover be left off after the adjustments you suggest are made? Thanks for your help, and if you are interested in making modifications I would be honored! Everyone suggests your tone arm upgrade but I’m not clear on what that is. Dave
 
Many XBs were shipped with a Shure M91ED. Mine didn't look all that different from the OPs (also had the suspension wing nut in place) and actually was a model AR-XB91. One additional maintenance item to the ones I listed above is to oil the motor with sewing machine oil (I use Bernina oil) and let it run for a few hours to work out any crude that may have accumulated over time.
Thank you! I’ve read some conflicting advice on oiling the motor, so really appreciate you mentioning it, I was very gun shy on that point.
 
The etched number means a calibrated standard cart that came with a printout of that response for the original stylus on that cartridge. Did you find the brush that hangs on the front of the cartridge?
Neither the printout nor the brush can be located.
 
Thank you Marc, I appreciate the advice as you certainly are the acknowledged expert on these Models in any forum I’ve looked at! Really appreciate the advice. I can not locate a brush so no issue there. Will follow your advice but have one other question....should I attempt to very mildly oil the motor via the spindle post prior to running it for the first time, or just worry the bearing wells and see how it runs prior to oiling the motor? Seems like conflicting advice abounds on this point, with some claiming the oiling ruined their motors. Also, should the bottom cover be left off after the adjustments you suggest are made? Thanks for your help, and if you are interested in making modifications I would be honored! Everyone suggests your tone arm upgrade but I’m not clear on what that is. Dave
1st upgrade is to remove the bottom cover. follow the advice of a drop of oil at the motor shaft and run the motor. wipe off every hour or so and add another drop.
 
Took back off and am running the motor per advice provided here. Fortunately the motor is very quiet and seems to run fine. In the process of taking the bottom off I located the Stanton Brush for the cartridge. Per Marc's advice I'm not going to hang it, but here is a more detailed photo of the cartridge along with the brush.

 
I just I installed a Pickering XV-15 (same as the Stanton 681) on my AR-TA.
The Stanton should be a great choice for the XB.

Leave the brush off. As Marc stated, it only causes problems with skating and mis-tracking.

I really like my leather platter mat.
It may be just the right thinkness to reach the proper vertical tracking angle for the Stanton.

Enjoy!
 
I was lucky to score a mint 77-XB about a year ago. It has a custom Acrylite dustcover that can be used while playing records. (I have a cat). The platter mat is a 3mm thick Rega wool. The counterweight is from an earlier version of the XA/XB to balance the 11 gram GE VR 1000. I want to put the Pickering XV-15 on the 77-XB and put the correct counterweight back on. My cellphone takes lousy pics. WP_20181019_001 1.jpg
 
All...thanks for all of the solid advice! Have it all up to speed, leveled, etc....sounds simply wonderful!! I’m going to live with it stock for a while then consider upgrades once the urge strikes. I so appreciate everyone’s help, thanks!!!
 
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