genek

The AR-11 crossovers in my spare parts box have Sprague Compulytic caps. There's a good chance the 10pi crossover does too, in which case recapping probably wouldn't be needed.

The unfinished pine boxes had solid birch face frames, so if they seem blonde under the white paint on the fronts you'll need to remove some paint from the side faces to see what's under there.

I am surprised that nobody took these, even if only to pull parts from them.

Cabinets are usually less available on auction than woofers, although there do seem to be a few up for bid right now

The new baffle might have to move the position of the mid and tweeter a bit to clear the furring strips supporting it.

The crossover plate is a total remove and replace. The MDF backs and Norwood labels are a tell that this is a late model 3a that originally came with back-wired mids and tweeters. This is a project for someone who already has a crossover and a full set of drivers in his/her spare parts box. And who lives close enough to not have to pay the shipping.

Cut away the remainder of the old baffle, glue furring strips to the insides of the cabinet faces, then glue a new baffle to the strips. Not sure if the strips would change the cabinet volume enough to require tweaking the stuffing.

The front baffle would be relatively easy to replace and the veneer doesn't look too bad. If this was close enough to pick up I'd probably offer $50 for it.

This suggests to me that they were all that way when they were new.

If any of your caps are aluminum cans that say "Sprague Compulytic" on them, just leave them be.

I'll move it to News. It'll stay on top longer there.

The 755 had an unusually smooth response for a full-range speaker of its era, over a range from about 300Hz to 10kHz, though there are a couple of large dips under 1kHz. This made it a good choice as a high-range driver for the AR-1 crossing over at 1kHz. It also had the advantage of being widely available and relatively inexpensive. By modern audio standards, its performance is utterly unworthy of the high prices it brings as a collectible.

AR-1 has an additional jumper that puts a 3.5 ohm resistor into the crossover circuit for an 8 ohm connection. It was supposed to compensate for certain "unfavorable" speaker placements, but is really not the best solution for normal placement with the wrong amplifier because it doesn't really turn it into an 8 ohm speaker; the resister just converts some of the amplifier power into heat, and who needs a heater in a speaker cabinet?

Hrm. Ok, no such thing in the USA, I guess. Damn, that grill cloth is ugly.

And while we're at it, let's also mention that there's no such thing as an AR-2xa.

Oops. You're right. No dome in the center of the cone.

The tweeter I'm your photo is for the AR-4xa. It is not the same as the one for the 2ax.

Your best approach is to tear the batting into pieces about the same size as the originals and mix them together. Or just replace all the old stuffing with identical weights of new stuffing in pieces.. There may be a density difference between old and new fiberglass, and there will definitely be a density difference between pieces and batting. What you want is for both speakers to be filled uniformly and as identically as you can make them.

If you remove the fiberglass from the unmolested speaker and weigh it, be sure to post the result here. I don't think we have that data on the site for the AR-5.

Or you could just order Kimpak. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HNLT4NW/

Original finish was linseed oil. Watco is an oil/varnish mix, if you use that you'll get a glossy coating.

Somebody's driver license number is my guess.

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The "restoreability" of the finishes on these is questionable. Repairing the split corner, added to extensive water damage, is most likely going to call for sanding and a new finish.

The unfinished utility ARs were originally intended for buyers who were going to insert them into other cabinetry (consoles) or to paint them. The issue with leaving them unfinished and not enclosed is that they'll eventually end up in the state Nes' speakers were in when received, dirty enough to require some extreme chemical treatment to clean. And even after the cleaning Nes is performing, there will probably still be things the wood has absorbed over the years, such as tobacco residues, that may outgas under the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) conditions. If you want unfinished wood to continue to look the way it does over the long term and to seal contaminants in, then you should plan on giving it a shot of clear, matte finish or regularly applying some clear paste wax to it.