JKent

I'd say here https://www.parts-express.com/L-Pad-15W-Mono-3-8-Shaft-8-Ohm-260-248?quantity=1 but I'm hoping Roy will give detailed instructions.

Norman, I think Jessi gives me too much credit. Roy's the crossover guru. But couldn't you use a new 3-position rotary switch? I use a Philmore #30-15303 for my KLH Model Eight aux input boxes. The switch is a 3 pole 3 position non-shorting type and I actually only use 2 poles but it works. If Jessi can suggest the correct 3-position switch type (2 pole? 1 pole?) I think my friend at Wayne Electronics should have it. That's not that far from you. Or if I have the right kind here I could send you one. Kent

Well, they're finished. For the record; woofers are 200046-0 and tweeters are 200047-0 leads from xo to terminals are white + and green - Restoration was new foam surrounds new terminal cups with 5-way binding posts new caps. One 4.7uF (original was 5.0) and one 8uF per xo The original surrounds were mounted behind the woofer cone. I started to attach them to the front, thinking it was easier and wouldn't affect the sound but it was actually easier to attach them to the backs. I used Aleene's Tacky Glue, which is quite forgiving. I shimmed the VCs. This is useful both for centering the VC and avoiding rubbing but also because it allows the cone to be raised and held in place as needed. I probably should have hinged the dust caps but I went with new so they're just a tad larger than original. The cabinets were in very good condition so I didn't repaint them. The result? IMHO these are exceptionally good-sounding speakers for their small size. I prefer them to my Zilch-modded Minimus 7s. They're a little bright compared to my reference AR-91s so sometimes I play these with the 91s. Nice little speakers.

It’s the only thing to use.

Yup. Right on both counts Gene. I couldn't re-assemble the cabinets with the foam on the sidewalls so it had to go. I only have one put back together (waiting for another terminal cup) but from what I've heard so far I'm impressed.

Better bass.

Giorgio has given good advice on removing or sealing the dust caps. The larger size isn't a problem unless the "look" bothers you. You can use Aleene's Tacky Glue, thinned a little with water, to seal them. Actually any white glue will work but I like Aleene's. I'd be more concerned about the surrounds. Whoever did the job used the wrong size, then cut it and pieced it together. Given the whole picture; wrong surrounds, wrong dust caps, I'd be inclined to have the woofers refoamed by someone who knows what he's doing. Bill LeGall would be a good choice but our own RoyC would be just as good and maybe a better price. And speaking of Roy.... the Hi-Vi tweeters are fine choices but why not ask him about rebuilding your originals? I really like the 2ax's (sorry I sold mine--both pair 🙁). Your purchase price (free) can't be beat and you've gone to the trouble of replacing the caps and pots. If these are keepers I wouldn't hesitate to ship the woofers and tweeters off to Roy. Assuming the mids are good (as they probably are) you'll have a virtually brand new pair of AR-2ax's! Just my 2 cents......... Kent

You’re right. Btw I contacted the seller and he corrected the listing

Ah! Mystery solved. Thanks Giorgio. I should have looked at the instruction sheet, also shown in the ad. It says "AR 1cs car speakers". Thanks Gene. That's reassuring! I'm thinking that since I've already put the foam tape in there, I may just leave it. Your thoughts? It's very simple to remove.

As for the ones I'm working on now, here's the plan: Replace the terminal clips with 5-way binding posts Replace the NPEs with film caps (some I had on hand) Re-foam the woofers Add damping Regarding #4, I noticed while handling the empty aluminum cabinets that they have a definite ring. That can't be good. Was planning to get some AcoustiMat or similar product but then I found some foil-backed foam pipe insulation in my basement and it looked like it might do the job. Sure enough, much less ringing when I tap the cabinet.

I've read some good things about these minis so when I found a pair I bought them. But Googling them turned up a mystery: There's a pair on ebay now, SN 4851, that don't look like any I can find anywhere else

I tried 3.5k, thinking my old ears won't hear above 7k but I was mistaken so now I have them set at 7k with the pots at about 50%

Earlier MS-1 grilles were lightweight linen, wrapped on all 4 sides of the cardboard backing. Later ones were a thicker fabric wrapped only on the narrow ends leaving raw edges on the top and bottom. They were stapled on and the staples eventually rust. I had some small pieces of the wichelt 18-count linen left. I glued them to the cardboard, wrapping on all 4 sides and attached the grilles to the speakers with Alene's Tacky Glue. The backs were screwed on, on the early models but glued on later ones. These had been glued but I used screws to reattach. Also added some DakaWare knobs to match my ARs and to be able to easily see where the pots are set.

The MicroStatic tweeter array has been discussed in these pages several times. I'm a fan. I think Frank is too. Some other members not so much. I've owned and refurbished several but sold my last working pair. All I had was one working orphan and a pair I'd foolishly bought "not working". I thought maybe it was a crossover component but it turned out all 8 drivers were fried. The MS-1 had Peerless tweeters. The very earliest ones had 2 sizes: Larger diameter on the outside and smaller in the center. Later ones had all 2" drivers. The drivers were Peerless, maybe MT-225 (?) I dunno. Those are no longer available and I seem to recall someone on these pages offering Mitsubishi replacements. So. This pair of MS-1s had Mitsubishi drivers. I guess someone fried all the Peerless tweets and replaced them with Mitsus, then fried those. Searching around for 2" Peerless tweets I found some at $25 each, so $200 for the pair of MS-1s 🙁 That ain't happenin. Then I found these Buyouts at PE: https://www.parts-express.com/JZ2-678H-2-Paper-Cone-Pressfit-Mount-Tweeter-6-Ohms-69-289-2358?quantity=1. I bought 10 for $13.30 total 😊 They fit the 2" holes in the MS-1s perfectly but had no mounting tabs so I glued them in with E-6000. This is a permanent thing so it has to be right. The xo wires were attached to the original drivers with Sta-Kon type quick connectors but I found those won't work on the PE drivers. The terminal tabs are inconveniently placed. You can't reach them after the drivers are glued in and if you attach them before pushing the driver through the hole they get hung up. The best (only) way to do it is to solder the wires to the drivers. And, the little terminal tabs are precariously close to the magnet so I used heat shrink tubing to protect them from shorting (sorry I didn't take photos). The PE drivers are 6 ohms and the original Peerless were, I believe, 8 ohms but in my brief listening tests I did not hear a significant difference between the new modded MS-1 and an original I had on hand. Next up will be replacing the grille cloth. The original linen-like fabric was glued to a cardboard backing so removing it is a challenge. I'll post more on that when/if I get the grilles finished. Here are some pics of the almost-finished MS-1 being tested and side-by-side comparison of the PE and Mitsu drivers.

FYI:

Interesting factoid: Henry Kloss and Arthur Janszen collaborated on afew projects: The combo Scotty was lucky enough to snag, the design of the KLH Model Eight radio, and the famous (and expensive) KLH Model Nine electrostatic speakers.

Wow!

Very interesting. I had some OLAs for a while. Did a complete restoration including all new caps, resistors and inductors but somewhere along the line I was advised to replace the foam with fg. I had AR-2ax's at the time and when I compared Advent vs AR my opinion of the Advents was "meh". Ended up selling them. In retrospect, too bad I didn't keep the foam. I imagine others will have opinions on this. Nice work. Kent

Sorry if I got things off track with my aperiodic comment. I had those speakers years ago, and only long enough to refurbish them. I think this is what got me confused: High Fidelity magazine tested it in August 1970, and described it as "…a modified air-suspension type in which an auxiliary, but acoustically damped, opening on the front baffle helps increase the stiffness of the air mass within the enclosure."

If you're fine with re-foaming them yourself, do it and restore them. Putting in some random after-market drivers will not be any kind of "tribute" because it will bastardize what were once great speakers. OTOH, I hear you saying you really don't want the work of refoaming 4 drivers. Maybe a couple of our Italian members will suggest someplace to get that work done in Italy or somewhere else in Europe. You've had input from the top experts on this forum. Roy literally wrote the book on AR restoration (see "Restoring the AR-3a" if you haven't already), Aadams is one of the most experienced guys here. Gene is the moderator. You should take their advice seriously.

KLH called it Controlled Acoustic Compliance. I think the port is stuffed with fiberglass but can’t really rely on memory 😉

Ditto that. Pictures don’t show up.

Sorry about the brevity of my 1st post. Was on my phone. The most important improvement for these speakers is a re-cap. The original black and red caps are usually garbage. Yes--the tweeters will be improved with new caps. So how's the push test? It shpould return slowly now. In my experience Roy's goo can make a BIG difference in the woofer response. YMMV and of course Roy's the authority on this. Glad to hear there was no previous application of anything. It's terrifying what some people have used to seal their surrounds. btw, the 22As have crappy caps too. Hope you replaced them.

1) Yes 2) Whenever

Don’t be intimidated. The Fives aren’t that bad, it’s just those double caps that can be confusing. I’ve done a lot and am happy to help.