What to do with AR-4's that I picked up at a Yard Sale

[td95ma]

Question for the Audio folks...

I came across a pair of AR-4 speakers at a Yard Sale... I liked the look of the cabinet, the real wood and thought about using them for a throwback stereo but based on some research, these things seem pretty rare? The original stickers on the back say AR-4 with the serial numbers they don't say AR-4x on them..

I know little to nothing about speakers... should I test these? How do I test them, I know enough to do an Ohms test with a multimeter....

I really don't have a use for them, would anyone be interested in purchasing them?

If not, I was thinking maybe I hook them up to my receiver and listen to some music... but don't won't to blow the speakers..

Your thoughts?

[HarryM]

I wouldn't recommend hooking them up until you've check the surrounds on the woofers. If I were you, I would restore them and keep them. They look like they are good candidates for it and I'm sure they will sound good when they are finished.

Harry

[tysontom]

The AR-4 was (and is) a great little speaker. No need to worry about the surround, as it has a butyl-latex-coated cloth surround (in the natural orange color, not black except in the very last versions), so the woofer in both speakers should be okay unless someone badly abused them. The AR-4 "orange" surrounds actually rarely dry completely out, and so the acoustic seal is maintained very well even after all these years. You also will not "blow" the speakers unless you abused them with very high input wattage, which would risk damaging any speaker. Try hooking them up and playing them at low level at first and then bring up the volume to moderate levels. The AR-4 is quite inefficient, and thus it requires a fair amount of amplifier power to play at good levels, but it can actually handle quite a lot of amplifier power. However, it will not tolerate abuse, such as high-level sine-wave testing or abusive high-power rock music or the like. But played normally, you would never damage them -- that is, they are not fragile. The AR-4 was built for one year: 1964.

The big Achilles Heel for all of this generation AR speaker is the level control on the back. It is almost surely oxidized or corroded such that as you turn it up and down, there may or may not be any output from the tweeter. You can spray some contact cleaner or WD-40 down the shaft on the backside and turn the shaft backwards and forwards about a thousand times to try to "self" clean the contact; otherwise, you will have to disassemble the speaker and remove the control and clean the contact with a Dremel tool. Once you've gone through that ordeal, you have officially become baptized as an AR type.

--Tom Tyson

[td95ma]

thank you for the tips, I think I will keep them, try a little WD40 and see what happens....

Now I just have to find an old 8 Track stereo in a wood cabinet to pull together the system.... the yard sale challenge has been set.....

thanks for the tips.... i am always looking for advice...

Do i clean the Cabinets with Murphy's Oil soap or anything?

[JKent]

Those cabinets look pretty good. Certainly Murphy's wouldn't hurt. You can then use furniture polish. The cabinets have an oil finish. That is, the raw walnut veneer was rubbed with boiled linseed oil. You can apply another coat of that or even better--Watco Danish Oil.

If there are any minor scratches or discoloration, what I like to use instead is Howard Restor-a-Finish. It comes in walnut, natural and some other shades. Wipe on/wipe off. You can also apply with steel wool if there are stubborn spots. After Howard's apply wax to seal it. Howard's is available online, in some hardware stores and Home Depot.

Take a look at Restoring the AR-3a http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/original_models_schematicss/restoring_the_ar-3a/

The 3a was the top-of-the-line AR when the 4 was their entry-level. There is a strong family resemblance and you will find tips about such things as the level controls ("pots") that Tom mentioned.

Kent.

[dynaco_dan]

Question for the Audio folks...

I came across a pair of AR-4 speakers at a Yard Sale... I liked the look of the cabinet, the real wood and thought about using them for a throwback stereo but based on some research, these things seem pretty rare? The original stickers on the back say AR-4 with the serial numbers they don't say AR-4x on them..

I know little to nothing about speakers... should I test these? How do I test them, I know enough to do an Ohms test with a multimeter....

I really don't have a use for them, would anyone be interested in purchasing them?

If not, I was thinking maybe I hook them up to my receiver and listen to some music... but don't won't to blow the speakers..

Your thoughts?

Hi there

I do not visit here very much anymore but I do have great respect of some of the more advanced members here.

I hate to comment negatively, especially after all we are here to help us all enjoy our hobby.

Do not put any solvent solution down the pot shaft.

I asked once of an ebuy seller what he did to overhaul his pots.

He loosened the nuts and sprayed a load into the opening.

Not what I would call an overhaul.

One of the problems with AR speakers was the serious corrosion of the A-P pot wipers and coil.

The examples of corrosion go from minor to extreme cases where the resistance of the pot rises as the corrosion increases causing heat.

When I was more actively involved with servicing AR and other brands I saw many melted plastic pot shafts.

I even saw burnt fiberglass insulation around some pot bodies.

Using something such as one of the suggested solvent spray could conceivably catch fire if the conditions are just right, or rather wrong.

At this point in time I would first suggest re-installing another NOS un-obtainium A-P pot.

Second choice would be buying a surplus NOS Ohmite pots and protecting the rear from wire and insulation contact.

Third and I am unable to advise or comment on the replacement with a L-pad, but this has been well documented here on CSP.

As a newbie I do not suggest removing the grille cloth and woofer to do this replacement, at least not yet.

You must be gentle or you can destroy the frames, etc.

Your speaker is a first generation AR-4, an 8" cloth surround woofer with a 3 1/2" tweeter.

The foam surrounds were much later.

The 3 1/2" tweeter, a non AR produced, was also used for the long production life in the extremely popular later AR-2AX speaker as their midrange driver.

The sound quality of the AR-4 speaker was not perfect, but sure gave the most bang for the buck at that time for the most listeners.

I am certain that any AR speaker, I'm biased of course, would have been a great hifi introduction, not perfect but close.

If someone here has a review of the AR-4X to post we should see what differences were apparent.

Often the good and the bad information comes out after each model upgrade, with tweeter and crossover changes in the AR-4.

[ra.ra]

Everyone is offering some pretty good advice here. The cabinets and grilles on your AR-4's appear in rather good shape, and if restoration is being considered, these components should require not all that much work and attention for them to really sparkle. Improving the function of the tweeter controls, and possibly replacing the capacitors in the crossover, is another matter altogether, but still not a complex procedure. Most everyone will agree that removing and dis-assembling the pots is the only way to achieve an adequate renewal of these problematic buggers, but it does require a bit of "can-do" attitude and a modicum of hands-on skill. Attached below is the link to my own AR-4 restoration.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=7264&hl=

Regarding what to do with the speakers, the obvious options are: to sell them 'as-is' to someone who wishes to restore them; to restore them yourself and re-sell; or restore for yourself and keep to enjoy. Mostly, it just depends on knowing what the intention of your enjoyment vs. investment objectives are, and then proceeding accordingly.

The AR-4's are somewhat rare since they were made for only a year, and some people really like them while others prefer the more recent incarnations (AR-4x, AR-4xa) or other similar AR two-way models (AR-6, AR-7) of near recent vintage.