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This topic was spawned from the AR forum discussion of Dome Mids vs Cones. It seemed with all of the good full range 2way speakers available it should be possible to add a subwoofer and create a great sounding modern system comparable to a large AR for not much money. I originally placed this thread in the BA section because small BA speakers have a great reputation and are plentiful. There are hundreds of pairs of BA 2 ways for sale on the used market any time you choose to look. I eventually settled on BA CR65s as the tops. Objective: Create a system that will substantially duplicate the full range stereo sound of a Classic or ADD AR 12 inch speaker. Assumptions: Equalizer will be used Dual Subwoofers - one for each channel Mirrored pairs of two way bookshelf speakers positioned such that they produce a uniform soundfield covering at least a 90 degree angle per stereo channel. Mirrored triplets would be ok if it really can't be done with pairs. Sufficient, quality watts will be available. Question: This thread topic originated in a post I made in the BA forum. I have chosen to continue it in the mods and tweaks forum for the following reasons: 1. The original idea was a failure because of several issues which all stemmed from two main problems, a. Subwoofer performance vs Cost b. The difficulty of integrating the Subs with satellites yielding musicality equal to an AR12” 3 way speaker. 2. On a whim. I decided to salvage what was left and see what would happen if I used an AR58s as the bass module for each side. 3. IMO this topic is now about something other than AR or BA speakers alone. If you can imagine two AR3ts angled and sitting atop an AR3 then you can visualize a 12” LST2, which BTW never existed for sale. As I write this, I am listening to a similar configuration , only in this case I am using BA CR65s atop a AR58s pair. My original target with subs and satellites was to duplicate the 58s sound but, as I said, that was failure. What I am hearing now, and for the last five days, is easily equivalent to AR9s except in the very deepest base i.e. 32hz range. Edit: In retrospect, this last statement is early hyperbole from 2 years ago. This approach does produce AR9 level sound but is not easily reproducible until the April 7, 2018 post below. I don’t see why this can’t be done with any AR12” woofer system and two amps that can each carry a four ohm load. I already had the amps and 1 equalizer. The additional total cost for used equipment was about $150 which purchased 4 BA CR65s and an equalizer. Taking the system to the LST level will require an amp that can carry a 2 ohm load and another pair of BA speakers. I have been listening and comparing this arrangement to 9s and 3as all week using high dynamic, full range classical recordings and demanding non-classical. It does take some dialing in but it really works. Fearing I would come off sounding like just another hi fi nut I almost did not post but this is so doable at a bargain price I decided to share. I have received advice and tips from a few members on this forum that lead me to this but I did not drop your names in case you prefer to remain unconnected with this mess. Aadams

For sale are my vintage Acoustic Research AR5 speakers, serial numbers 42961 & 42964, purchased in January 1976 from Stereo Discounters in Baltimore, MD. The speakers are fully functioning and in excellent plus condition with accompanying manuals and other AR literature. Factory rated @ 20-100 watts, the AR5’s really come to life and perform their best when paired with amplifiers in the higher end of this range for sure. Since downsizing my amps to low low watts only, I must let these speakers go. In 2019 the following work was done: The cross overs were thoughtfully updated with the knowledgeable advice from members of The Classic Speaker Pages Discussion Forums. The woofers were restored. The grill cloth was replaced. Capacitors – All replaced, BUT. The original Sprague compulytic 24uF mid-range capacitor remains, allowing you to choose the new caps or the vintage Spragues. Presently, the circuit is connected to the newer 12uf (x2 in parallel) Dayton Precision Audio Grade capacitors. The original, untested 4uf & 72uf AR caps will be included with the speakers, but as ?working?/parts only. Ceramic Mid & Hi Controls – Replaced with correct L-Pad attenuators. An attempt was made to clean and reuse the original AR 15.7-ohm rheostats, but I cautiously went with new. The old pots will be included but again as parts only. Tweeter & Mid-Range Speakers - Original, no issues. Woofers – New foam surrounds, new dust caps and testing were performed by Bill LeGall of Millersound, Lansdale, PA. Bill is arguably the best in the business for vintage speaker repair in the mid-Atlantic states. Grill cloth – Beautifully done using Wichelt’s 28 count, genuine 100% Irish linen in the color of Lambswool. This fabric is of the highest quality. The thread count & color is the closest you’ll come to matching the original AR grill cloth. The fabric is rightly fitted and drum tight, with a straight and true weave pattern. Brass AR5 Badges - Originals Cabinetry – The walnut veneer is in perfect original, un-refinished condition! Remarkably after 46 years, the cabinets are very close to pristine. You’d be hard pressed to find a scratch, chip, dent, nick, stain, or blemish anywhere! Throughout the decades the cabinets were properly maintained using Howard’s Restore-A-Finish. $750 cash, no returns. Because of the weight and fine condition, they’re being sold as local pick up only, SE of Hanover, PA. Feel free to bring your own amplifier and a familiar CD or two, for a no pressure, pre-sale audition. If you are serious about owning these but the distance between us is a stretch, I would consider meeting halfway +/-, within a reasonable radius. If there’s a rendezvous, two things must happen: One, a safe meeting place of my choice will be agreed upon, and two, I would like a reasonable PayPal amount to cover my driving expense. Thanks for looking!

I will start this off by saying although I've dug through many threads about restoring, recapping, refoaming, repotting these speakers I am pretty much a total newbie to actually doing the things. The other day I came across some pretty decent looking AR-5s on the local marketplace. Took em home, took off the grills, and the foam is gone. Alright, I can handle that. Pulled the woofers. One measures 6 ohm, which is fine I think, and the other, open. Not great! So I dig out the rockwool and look at the crossovers: One appears to be fine, the other looks like where the resistor wire (?) is on the little board has basically burnt to a crisp including a bit of the surrounding insulation. I didn't remember to make not of which speaker came out of which cabinet but am I right to guess that the blown woofer probably came out of the cabinet with the fried resistor? My questions are: 1. What might have happened here and what kind of damage may this have caused to the blown woofer, if in fact it came out of the same cabinet? Or are these things unrelated? 2. What might it cost to get this blown woofer fixed? I'm looking around and guessing I won't be able to find the right drop in part any time soon. I'm not far from Millersound, I'm guessing that is the best place to go for a repair. Thoughts? Next move is going to be clean up the pots (or bypass) to see if the mids and tweets are functional. Then caps after that. Thanks for any help

Hi,I just picked up a set of ar5's in decent shape for what I would consider an o.k price, not great and not too bad. I have three days to decide if I want to keep them, and they are going to need work, I just am not sure if this set is worth the expense.One speaker works pretty well as in sounds is coming from all three drivers, the other side as very soft/muted sound coming from the high and mid. From initial research I assume this is a pot issue ( and that I should do the soak/clean/etc. that I have seen. The other option I am seeing are to buy newly manufactured ones on that auction site made specifically for the ar's - but it's $120 for all 4 of them. It seems likely that these needs a recap since I have read that they can be pretty excellent, right now they just sound like cr@p. I am having a bit of a hard time finding the 4uF - 24uF - and 72uF all in one place. Found the 72uF at mouser but again $$$$ and the same with the 4uF from parts Xpress.Does anyone have experience with these, have any advice or things to specifically look for, ideas on better pricing on the caps, etc?Thanks,Dan

I have managed to secure a pair of AR-5's. They were one owner speakers. On initial inspection, they seem to be quite good. The cabinets are very nice, as is the grill cloth. The woofers and mids work, I'm not sure about the tweeters. I need to do the battery check on them. The controls are iffy, no surprise there. The woofer surrounds are completely shot, also no surprise. One has holes in it, the other is solid but very fragile. I'll hook that speaker up and give it an extended listen before I start restoration on it. I ordered and received a refoam kit from Vintage AR. I hooked the "good woofer" AR5 up to my "classic good system" and have listened to it for about an hour with it on the right and one of my AR2ax's on the left. My impressions are what @stupidhead's were in his comparison video. First, the difference in efficiency is huge. Not small! Second, it doesn't sound significantly different from the 2ax. It is leaner and a little cleaner through the mids, the highs I'm not sure, because I'm not convinced the tweeter is working. The woofer sounds exactly like the 2ax. However, there is punchiness through the upper bass that 2ax tends to slur. It's that midrange! Overall, the sound of it is very, very similar to the 2ax. The tonal balance is just about identical. The controls are super dirty, and fooling with them causes distortion and cutouts. I know that midrange is fragile, so I'm not going to mess around any more until I restore the speakers. The other speaker has a bad woofer. I removed it because the surround had holes in it, and I didn't want to do anything other than ensure it worked. The surround easily pealed off, which was good. But, not so good was that the voice coil former has separated from the spider most of the way around. I'm going to have to figure out how to fix that. Both speakers seem to be much newer than my 2ax's. There was a styrofoam gasket behind the woofers in both, and each cabinet had a small serial number/ID tag on the back. There was no obvious sign that they'd previously been repaired, although there was a really sticky substance on the surrounds of the woofers. I don't know if they came that way or they'd been treated later. The grill cloths had been previously removed, and it was done well. Based on that, I tend to think they've been molested some how. I'm going to get started this weekend on the restoration. I've got to get the woofers refoamed. Hopefully I only need to re-glue one voice coil former! I have to figure out how to do that. While they're open, the controls need cleaning and the caps will be replaced (unless they already have been, I don't know yet). The tweeters may have to be sent out for repair, that's undetermined yet. I will keep you all appraised!

Hi all! I am currently restoring a pair of AR-5 speakers and would like to thank all of you for the information you have shared on this site. I have a question regarding the insulation within the units I acquired. Please note the speakers are within 2 serial numbers of each other and date stamp on one woofer is April 4th, 1973. I suspect this speaker is completely original. The other speaker appears to have a replacement woofer with a PN 200004-2, which from my research should be ok. My primary question has to do with the insulation. The one I suspect is original was completely filled with the pieced fiberglass insulation. The unit with the replacement woofer only had insulation behind the woofer and covering the crossover with nothing behind the tweeter and mid-range. Is it possible the unit with replacement woofer requires less insulation or did the individual replacing the woofer skimp on the amount of insulation? I was thinking about adding, in both speakers, fiberglass insulation batting acquired from local department store behind the tweeter/mid-range and the original batting behind the woofers. I would appreciate your thoughts on what I should do for insulation. Thanks in advance!