Acoustic Research AR-2ax speakers?

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have onyone information? bad or good sound? good classics...

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I just auditioned a pair this week.They looked great,but every one Ive listened to has an issue.Definetely listen to them before you pick them up,because getting inside them and changing drivers is one royal pain.
Jimmy
 
These are terrible speakers, and you should buy them and ship them to me IMMEDIATELY for proper disposal. :D

Getting in is not so bad, you just have to pull the woofer and work through the opening. Issues are likely to be bad pots, virtually guaranteed. This is (IMNSHO) one of the best models AR made in this era. Almost all the bass of a 3 series, and almost all the treble response of the 4x series. They go down to 30 hz, and do not suffer from the "mud" that some hear in the AR 3 mid and treble. Well worth picking up and restoring.

If you don't want them, where are you located? I would drive a pretty good distance for pair at a fair price.:thmbsp:
 
Great speakers for their day and I owned a pair in the 60s. However, they are not great for rock, more of a classical speaker as they have that typical New England sound.

I almost bought another pair recently but passed when I remembered that they were impossible to fix w/o the right equipment.
 
I agree with Ozmoid. I am refurbishing 2 pair right now -- the first time I've done this. Take your time and read as much as you can and you shouldn't have any problems. They are a very nice sounding speaker. I am still adjusting to the East Coast sound, but there is a lot I like already.

Steve
 
datsunmike said:
I almost bought another pair recently but passed when I remembered that they were impossible to fix w/o the right equipment.
Screwdriver, soldering iron, wire snips, pocket knife, dremel tool...:scratch2:

Yep, that's about it. You can go with rheostats or L-pads if the pots won't clean up. Drivers come up on ebay from time to time for reasonable prices, and you CAN use modern replacements if you want (I have a pair with RS tweeters that sound very respectable) but I think blown drivers are rare in these.
 
Do you own them or are you looking to get them? If I came across a pair at a reasonable price I would jump on them. They are very desirable if you find you don't like them I don't think you would have any problems passing them on.
 
krimecing, if you are located near where your blog is hosted, I DON'T think I'll be driving there!:D
 
Those are great speakers. Easy to work on (the only tough part is the sealant AR used around the woofer... it can seem more like cement than sealant).

Probably just clean the pots, and they're ready to go (cap change is easy and cheap, too). If they have foam surrounds, they'll need to be replaced (if they havent been already). If cloth surrounds, just a coat of rubber cement will bring 'em back to life.
 
Those look like a very nice example of early model 2AX. I'd pick them up in a heart beat. Like Oz says, they are worth the time to bring them up to snuff.

Can't see from the picture (other than early AR badge) but early models have solid wood all the way around the fron edge. You can see the edge between this solid wood and the veneer on rest of cab. Makes fixing any nicks that much easier. And if they are of this vintage, they will have cloth surrounds, redish orange tweeter, and higher crossovers than the the later models with foam surrounds and smaller dome (blackish) tweeter.

Be carefull replacing the rheostats on the older model - I had bad experience with 8 ohm l-pads as it moved the crosser for mid and tweeter into stratosfere. Best if you can clean up originals and replace the rock wool with something that won't corode the pots - see separate thread on classicspeakers.net concerning the sulfur in rock wool and it's detrimental effects on the pots. Iportant to replace with correct weight of new material.
 
These are really great speakers. You will really enjoy them. They are a classic speaker and are historically significant.

Don't forget to pack them into 2 separate boxes when u ship them to me :D

Cheers
 
thanks for all answer :yes: sorry my english is not so good :tears:
reads latter all in rests, again...

most say:

Code:
thus one can say good loudspeakers best for classical music

ok :scratch2:


krimecing, if you are located near where your blog is hosted, I DON'T think I'll be driving there!

what :D :scratch2:
 
Woofers

I found a pair of those AR-2X speakers on the curb on garbage night.
Someone had smashed the cabinets badly, the tweeters had been punched in too. All that I could salvage was the woofers, the surrounds are shot, the crossovers and the little name badges. Such a shame.
 
I got a pair free off Craigslist and am in the process of refurbishing them. So far I have refoamed the woofers, replaced the caps (an easy job that made a HUGE difference) and cleaned the pots. For my money these are great speakers: not TOO big, still have nice bass, good mids and a sweet, effortless upper range. I listen to a lot of classical and jazz, and with my 69 wpc Setton receiver they sound great. They do seem to be power-hungry compared to some other speakers I've tried.

The level control pots are still sticky; once in awhile the tweeters will drop out and I have to fiddle with the level controls to get them back; ultimately I'll either bypass the level controls altogether or replace them. Then I have to refinish the cabs and recover the grilles and the WAF will go way up (the speakers are being "tolerated" for the time being).

Briefly, great speakers. One of my favorites. Jump on them.
 
bob s said:
I found a pair of those AR-2X speakers on the curb on garbage night.
Someone had smashed the cabinets badly, the tweeters had been punched in too. All that I could salvage was the woofers, the surrounds are shot, the crossovers and the little name badges. Such a shame.

I hate to hear stories like yours. It is a shame.
 
Roypercy said:
The level control pots are still sticky; once in awhile the tweeters will drop out and I have to fiddle with the level controls to get them back; ultimately I'll either bypass the level controls altogether or replace them.
Don't just by-pass them! Go HERE for a technical discussion of the pots, and how to use L-pads instead. Start around post #27.
 
Hey Ozmoid, I'm not sure if I mentioned this already, but your L-Pad thread should be a sticky.
 
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