AR8S (or AR8SE?) refurb

[Guest braychurchmouse]

Greetings from London UK...just joined today.

I have acquired a pair of AR8S speakers and am trying to find out a little more about them before (hopefully) bringing them back to life. The problem is I can't find any detailed reference to them (date, specs etc), in spite of much Googling and searching this site. The front speaker mounting board says AR8S, but the serial number sticker on the back is AR8SE 27447. I have looked at the spec of the AR8, but this seems a much bigger speaker with a 10 inch bass. The bass on mine is definitely no bigger than an 8 inch and the cabinet dimensions are aprox 35 x 24 x 16 cms.

As can be expected the bass speaker foam has perished, so at least that will need to be replaced. I have not powered them up yet as I understand this might damage the voice coils, but any advice on how to detect whether the speaker is worth repairing would be appreciated. eg power up at very low volume? Any UK suppliers of foam surround recommended?

I have seen a few people on eBay selling foam refurb kits so would a standard AR 8 inch kit be ok do you think?

Thankyou in anticipation of your assistance.

(by the way I also acquired a beautiful AR XA deck with Shure V15 III that I am just checking out, though will probably sell this, as its additional to my beloved Linn.)

[Robert_S]

I have acquired a pair of AR8S speakers and am trying to find out a little more about them before (hopefully) bringing them back to life. The problem is I can't find any detailed reference to them (date, specs etc), in spite of much Googling and searching this site.

Hello,

The AR-8s represents an excellent loudspeaker, especially where space is premium, or a diminutive form factor is desired.

It was essentially a cut-down version of the AR-18s, very similar in performance (see the 18s specifications below), using the same drivers (200037-0 woofer, 200038-0 tweeter) and 5-µF tweeter cap. (The later AR-8B and AR-8LS used a 6" inch woofer.) Manufactured, I believe, around 1981 to 1983; the drivers in mine date from early 1982.

Definitely worth fixing—the AR-8s can perhaps be considered the enfant terrible of the original vertical array series. Thoughtful placement will reward you with a clear and accurate sound, and, given the size, surprisingly low bass. I use a pair, connected to a Apple Mac, driven by the onboard Tripath "Class T" amplifier—they sound superb.

Hope that helps.

Robert_S

[Guest braychurchmouse]

Robert, that's fantastic info. Many Thanks indeed. I searched all over the web but even good old Google didn't help!

I have located a new pair of possible replacement speakers described as "Two Acoustic Research 8 inch woofers measuring 8 1/4 inches is diameter with new foam surrounds. I believe these came from a pair of AR 18bxi speakers but I understand they're suitable replacements for woofers in several other models and they're both in first class order! Written on the back "AR 1-2100670B K52TNI".

Do you reckon that would be a bit easier than re-foaming?

Cheers.

[Rich W]

I have located a new pair of possible replacement speakers described as "Two Acoustic Research 8 inch woofers measuring 8 1/4 inches is diameter with new foam surrounds. I believe these came from a pair of AR 18bxi speakers but I understand they're suitable replacements for woofers in several other models and they're both in first class order! Written on the back "AR 1-2100670B K52TNI".

Do you reckon that would be a bit easier than re-foaming?

Cheers.

Hello Braychurchmouse,

Welcome to the forum. The AR-18bxi has been noted in this forum as a "step backward/inferior" design or to put it more kindly an "economising" of the design used for the AR-18S and its smaller brother the AR-8. The AR-18bxi woofer is designed to crossover at a higher frequency (I believe 3200 hz), rather than the 2000 hz of the AR-18S and AR-8). It also designed to work with a generic tweeter rahter than one of AR's design (one of the best of its type ever designed). The woofer is also designed to operate in a larger cabinet that previous AR-18 incarnations.

While refoaming your existing woofers is a somewhat intimidating task, using the bxi substitute woofers will most likely change the sound of your AR-8's as orginally intended. I would suspect that the low bass performance would suffer, and that the speakers will probably exhibit some upper-midrange peakiness (assuming you do not modify the crossever, both the woofer and the tweeter will be producing output in the 2000 hz to 3200 hz range).

I'd opt for staying as close to the orginal woofers as you can.

Best Regards,

Rich W

[JKent]

Welcome braychurchmouse!

I don't know who sells kits in the U.K., but refoaming is not difficult if you have dexterity and patience. Did you build models as a kid? Are you handy with tools? It is not hard. You can read the step by step directions in this link to see if you want to tackle the job, but one of the rewards of this hobby is the satisfaction of doing it yourself!

Kent

http://www.citlink.net/~msound/refoam/

[Robert_S]

I have located a new pair of possible replacement speakers [. . .] Do you reckon that would be a bit easier than re-foaming?

I would not recommend using the BXi woofers, the specification differs. To quote Steve F, on flavours of 18, "Stay far away from the BX and BXi."

The advice I gave recently, in a topic discussing the AR-19B, gives details of two UK repair specialists, plus my general thoughts on the DIY route: http://www.classicsp...mode=linearplus

Since you are in London, and would perhaps rather not tackle the re-foam yourself, why not have Wembley Loudspeakers (AR specialists) do the work? The woofers in my AR-8s were done by them, cost around £50. (Mostly though, I re-foam my own drivers.)

One potential issue with the AR-8s is that the replacement foam may be slightly larger, on the half-roll outer edge, preventing the plastic front outer-ring from fitting correctly. Be sure to try a dry test-run, to check the fit, before applying adhesive. (Assuming that you use a good sealing gasket under the rim of the woofer, and tighten the screws sufficiently, the aforementioned plastic ring is not essential.)

There is ongoing discussion regarding the compliance of replacement 8" foam surrounds. The difficulty I find in recommending a particular solution, is that there are too many variables. Presently, it seems "You pays your monies, you takes your chances."—but please, if you can, stay with the original woofers.

With foam, I'm thinking Heraclitus: Everything flows, nothing stands still. All is flux!

Robert_S

Edit (2013): See also the following post for known-to-be-good 8" foam surrounds, as recommended by RoyC:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=7999&p=98487