AR surround
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Posts posted by AR surround
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Those original 6 uF caps in my AR90's were yellow mylar types. I'm assuming that they are the same in your pair. The highs with the series tweeter caps as the original 4 uF Callins and the 6 uF mylar sounded like a "chuh" compared to a more pleasant "shhhh" after I replaced them.
Here were mine for reference. Some values were remarkably close to yours.
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On 1/25/2023 at 1:08 AM, tysontom said:
I went to great lengths to mount my LSTs in our den back in the late 1980s, and I thought they looked great but sounded crappy up so high.
That was my first thought when I saw the high mounting height...potentially compromised sound from that position. Did you ever lower them a bit to correct the matter?
People complain about placement issues with the AR9 and 90's, but the footprints of those speakers are about the same as an upright large bookshelf speaker; even less than for the bookshelf units placed horizontally on those early AR stands.
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44 minutes ago, ar_pro said:
But 40 years later, I might be more inclined to have a pair of mint-condition LST systems over the mighty AR-9, if only because of its unmatched dispersion in a good-sized room.
I wish people would at least try pulling the AR9's out into the room despite the "as designed" position against the long wall. I have found the soundstage of the 9's to be much larger and more satisfying when pulled out into the room. They were positioned as such when I auditioned them back in 1978. As for the alleged loss of bass response, I really haven't noticed a significant reduction.
Of course, it would be interesting try the same away-from-the-walls positioning with the LSTs.
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10 hours ago, Hodge said:
Since re-capping , overall sound quality is fine, and I’m pleased with the result, but noted that even when I have turned the amp volume down to 0, I can still hear sound clearly through the speakers. The source is CD, so it’s not some sort of LP cartridge resonance - not sure if that’s correct term, but either way, it’s not that. And hasn’t occurred before and doesn’t occur with other speakers.
So just to clarify, the 'sound' you are hearing with the volume at 0 is music that is on the CD, not spurious noise. Correct?
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Wonderful article, Tom. I read it before I noticed that you were the author. My only complaint is that you talk about the AR9's in the past tense. My AR9's have been in my "present" since August 1978.
A family member has my first pair of AR speakers, the AR5's. Another relative has a pair of AR18's...possibly the most remarkable AR product ever made in light of it's diminutive size.
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11 hours ago, uarnutz said:
OK. I accept that the polarity difference between the two systems is by design. It seems to be well understood by speaker designers that reversing polarity between drivers can overcome some "bad" effects of certain crossover designs. Still, it is harder to understand why there would be a different approach to polarity between these two systems that appear identical except for the size of the woofers. I know this is off topic for the thread; just wondering.
9 hours ago, DavidR said:When polarity is different the drivers move in and out opposite to each other. Sound would arrive at a slightly delayed time for those drivers not in phase. Perhaps the smaller woofers of the 90 were 'drowned out' with all drivers in-phase. By having the upper 3 drivers delivering sound with that slight delay the bass would appear stronger; and remember the longer waves move slower. Just a guess as to why.
I would surmise that speakers with drivers out of phase to each other isn't all that uncommon. In the Audyssey (room correction software) manual, they specifically note this condition and state that Audyssey will pick up the out of phase condition; and that it should be ignored.
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This fellow uses a piece of packing tape:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-tN7zg4Skw
I also saw a video where the fellow used a glue stick, but it was on a woofer dust cap. I don't think that using a glue stick on a dome driver would be a good idea because the residue left on the dome might actually make things worse.
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6 hours ago, ar_pro said:
Fantastic layout - absolutely beautiful!
Always loved trains - my father had a great set of Lionel O-Gauge trains that he'd set up in the basement at Christmas time. Some of my earliest & best memories.
Sadly, an interest in model railroading does not always work out so well (NSFW):
Geez ar_pro, that was awful!!!
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6 hours ago, genek said:
Are you routing railroad sound effects through the audio system?
It is possible with some of the equipment. I can put several receivers around the room and route it to the subwoofer channel on the audio system. Hearing low frequency effects through the AR9's and AR90's would be interesting indeed. But I haven't done so as of yet because it would be an additional complication.
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7 hours ago, tysontom said:
and you definitely must have a very accomodating and sweet wife, too!
My wife and I met while skiing...one of my passions. Second date...dinner. Third date..."I'd like to introduce you to my pair of AR9's and my train set. They all come with the deal."
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22 hours ago, tysontom said:
Wow, that is a very nice layout! Very, very impressive, along with your sound system! Well done!
Thank you, Tom.
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On 12/8/2022 at 3:28 PM, frankmarsi said:
Say AR-surround, did you do the train layout? That's some fine work there and a lot of man hours.
Thank you, Frank. Yes, I built everything myself.
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On 12/4/2022 at 8:43 PM, tysontom said:
Post some more pictures of this setup if you can. Looks like an HO layout, but can't tell for sure. I've never had an environment that came close to this room; very nice!
OK Tom, here are four pics of the train layout that surrounds the AR surround sound system. The layout goes through four rooms around the walls of the basement. I don't want to post too many pics as this is a forum on AR speakers and not model railroading. However...in the third pic, note the Boston Acoustics A70 loudspeaker on the back wall. That is the right-rear-surround speaker in the 7.1.5 system. (Actually it is 7.0.5 because there is not need for subwoofers when the five main speakers are AR9, 90 and 915.)
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10 hours ago, tysontom said:
Well, that fooled me! I haven't been paying close-enough attention. Six LSTs would be overpowering, for sure. Tom
I'm sorry, Tom. I should have noted that it was a photo-shopped fantasy of what Frank could do with his third pair of LST's. I thought everyone had been aware of the on going joke between Frank and me.
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We are all bloody sickos, Frank. Here's how to get (almost) all of one's speakers into one system...and throw in a model railroad to boot:
AR9 fronts; AR915 Center; AR90 Surrounds; Boston A70 Rears; Boston A60 Front and Rear Heights; Boston A40 Center Top.
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1 hour ago, Pete B said:
Mouser #661-ESMQ101D502MA40S
The specifications claim a life of 2000 hours. What does this actually mean?
"The following specifications shall be satisfied when the capacitors are restored to 20°C after subjected to DC voltage with the rated
ripple current is applied (the peak voltage shall not exceed the rated voltage) for 2,000 hours at 85°C."Also, does installing them in series to achieve the 2500uF requirement cause any issues?
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Having listened to my AR9's since August 1978, I fail to see the purpose of eliminating the capacitor to bring the impedance down to 2 ohms. Why do these speakers, which are prodigious bass capable behemoths, need to produce even more bass? I listen to movies in 5.1 with no subwoofer and allow the AR9's to handle the LFE.
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13 hours ago, DavidR said:
John, curious what cap you used in the UMR 40uF notch filter circuit? It could have played a role in the bad SQ.
The 40uF shunt capacitor is a Dayton DMPC 250v 5%. I don't know if it could have contributed to the problems I experienced. (As we now know, the Dayton polys are made by............................Solen.) 😲
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Beware of what you use as the series 24uF cap on the UMR. A Solen MKP was a bloody disaster.* A Jantzen Fast Cap was better but still noisy. I settled for Mundorf E-Caps with F&F bypass caps. I'm still happy with the results after 5 years.
I'm not convinced I needed to replace the enormous caps in the woofer section, but I did anyway.
*Back in 2007, (Diamonds & Rust) sent me this note on Solen capacitors: "This led me to purchase Solen capacitors for my 10pi’s and install those. That experiment was tragic...and there was a harshness that would damn-near run you out of a room. It wasn’t subtle, it wasn’t even possibly imaginary, and it was so horrible that I just about cried. Solens aren’t that cheap. Over the next month or so they began to settle-in (John O’Hanlon explained why this was probably so in a brilliant bit of materials detective work). They never lost a sort of brittle, sizzle, raspiness, however."
I had forgotten about this email exchange when I recapped my AR9's in 2017 and suffered for it.
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22 hours ago, DavidR said:
(1) What speaker is considered the last of the original Acoustic Research brand vs Teledyne Acoustic Research?
(2) AR3 or AR3a? Probably a personal preference but opinions wanted on the two speakers.
David, are you thinking of seeking out a pair of the AR3a? I've always felt that the classic ARs did the better job of presenting classical music than the various series that followed.
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19 hours ago, JamesF said:
Thank you. I'll look tomorrow... When my wife isn't looking over my shoulder! 🙄😬
James, if you wife is picking on you, simply show her @briodo's photo of this lineup of AR speakers. Then tell her that you plan to dispense with the AR5's and are going directly to AR9's. 😇
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Mine are the same with that fading below the grill. It's been a long time, but I don't recall them ever being exposed to direct sunlight.
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I'm seeing a "play" bar, but no videos. Anyone else having problems?
Vintage AR-91 purchase
in Acoustic Research
Posted
I second that. I preemptively replaced the Unicon capacitors in a pair of Boston A70's with new NPE's. It turned out to be dive into a rabbit hole that required adding resistance and F&F bypass caps to achieve acceptable sonic results.