AR55

My intent was not to stir up a hornet’s nest over speaker wire gauge. I use the Belden wire because it is a respected name (the wire is truly 14 gauge copper); it’s relatively inexpensive ($.40/ft); it’s sheathed in white (blends into my base boards) and at 14 gauge it can easily handle the longer runs to my back surround speakers.

Blue Jeans Cable makes a good product and is it reasonably priced, but doing it yourself is obviously cheaper. I tend to agree with genek. Simpler is better. In my case, I purchased Belkin 14 gauge speaker wire in bulk, cut it to the desired length & crimp on the spade connectors. I know that soldering is a better connection, but crimped connections are easier & if done right they hold up just fine. Below is a picture of my AR-11 speaker wire connections with the negative connection unscrewed to show the spade. Parts Express sells 100-ft of Belkin 14 gauge speaker wire for $40: https://www.parts-express.com/Belden14-AWG Speaker-Cable The also carry gold spades: https://www.parts-express.com/Gold-Spade-22-16-AWG Pair

Blue Jeans Cable will custom make speaker cables of any length with just about any connector you can imagine. https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm

dxho put together an index a while back. I checked with a couple of drawings that I have downloaded and it appears to be agree with the files in the folder referenced by Jose.

Unfortunately, the 1st generation AR-11A’s that I picked up a few years ago had blown tweeters, so I wasn’t able to compare them sonically to my 2nd generation AR-11B’s tweeters. That said, I don’t believe that the difference between the two will be all that noticeable. Other than adding ferrofluid, I think that the only other noticeable change was the color of the fabric for the dome. The metal work and voice coil/surround assembly (part no. 205057-1) introduced in the first generation 10π/11 tweeter was carried over to the second generation tweeter. For that matter, with the exception of the ¾” tweeter found in the dual dome assembly for the 9Ls(i), 98Ls(i) & 78Ls, it looks like the 205057-1 voice coil/surround assembly was used by AR in all their speakers with ¾” dome tweeters starting with the ADD series (10π/11), continuing through the AR-9 series & ending with the Post-Classic series.

Yes

It might work. The Fabric Mill website offers the option of buying a $1 sample, so why don't you try that first. You want to verify that the fabric has plenty of stretch. I have attached a copy of the instructions that Vintage AR provided me when I purchased the fabric for my AR-9Lsi's from them. Also attached are the steps that I followed to replace the fabric on my AR-9Lsi's. Your AR9's shouldn't be as challenging, but the procedure is basically the same. Vintage AR Grille Cloth Installation Instructions.pdf AR-9Lsi new grille fabric Installation.pdf

Just to further reinforce what others have said, I have a pair of AR-11's in a small home theater room (converted bedroom) that is 168 square feet. When I just listen at normal levels in stereo, which is most of the time, the meters on my McIntosh MC206 amp typically read between .2wpc & 2wpc. Even at sound levels where music peaks border on uncomfortable, the meters just barely reach 20wpc. Your room is only slightly larger, so I can't see that your NAD amp should have any problem.

I own the 98Ls, 98Lsi & 9Lsi. As I stated in a previous post, sometimes I can hear a slight harshness/brightness in the upper midrange of the 98Ls that is not present in either the 98Lsi or the 9Lsi. Richard Heyser also noted this in Audio magazine’s January 1985 review of the 98Ls, stating that “on some material, the upper midrange has, to me, a ‘fizzy’ characteristic that gives a somewhat exaggerated brightness.” In High Fidelity magazine’s review of the 9Ls they stated that “some members of our panel report hearing what might be described as a tinge of hotness on some high-frequency material (for which we have no ready explanation).” The only other fault that Richard Heyser found with the 98Ls was the negative impact of the speaker grille. It is interesting to note that when AR released the updated 98Lsi in late 1985, the 2 most notable changes that AR made to the 98Lsi was a redesign of the crossover and the grille. Yes, they had outsourced the drivers, including the tweeter/upper midrange assembly, to Tonegen but I don’t believe that they had much of impact on the sound. I have switched out the LM and woofer of the one of my 98Ls’ with Tonegen drivers and I didn’t notice any significant difference in the sound when compared to the 98Ls with the original drivers. The occasional harshness/brightness was still noticeable in the 98Ls with the Tonegen drivers.

The exotic wood veneer and plaque definitely make the speakers one of a kind. What I find interesting is that a 30th Anniversary AR9LS has pre-1986 woofers and crossovers. My guess is that either the woofers and crossovers were NOS, or they were pulled from existing AR-9LS' and put into a new cabinets. Either way, it’s a great find. As I have said before, I have found few speakers on the market today that can compete with my 9Lsi’s.

I don't have any info on the SW30, but if the volume control is giving you problems try cleaning it. I have had good experience with DeoxIT D5. Just remember to blow it out with compressed air after cleaning. You can get a can of DeoxIT from Amazon: www.amazon.com/DeoxIT D5 Contact Cleaner

I believe by the time your 98Ls' were made, most if not all AR's sold in Europe were manufactured in England. The guy that I bought my 98Lsi's from said that his brother bought them in Germany while he was stationed over there.

The AR-17 was only sold in pairs with a 1978 list price of $195/pair. My 17's have sequential serial numbers - 07883 & 07884, as do my AR-8bxi's and AV-570's that were also only sold in pairs. All my other AR speakers have non-sequential serial numbers with the exception of a pair of 98Lsi's that were made in England. Their serial numbers are 02234 & 02235. Perhaps unlike individually sold AR speakers made in the USA, AR England intentionally sold them this way. It would be interesting to see if others have English made speakers with sequential serial numbers.

I picked up a pair of Rock Partners (AV-18's) a few months back for $45. The cabinets were in bad shape and one of the tweeters was blown, but for me they were a steal. Why? I needed new woofers for a pair of AR-17's that I restored, and the Rock Partner's 210037 woofers are almost exact matches for the 17's original 200001 woofer. Before I removed the woofer from the fully functional Rock Partner, I compared it to my AR-28's and the AR-17 with the 210037 woofer from the other Rock Partner. All three sounded about the same. The bass from the 28b's & the 17 was a little deeper than the Rock Partners, but that probably was due to their slightly greater internal volume. My recommendation is that if the Rock Partners you're considering are in good shape and you like their looks buy them for $50. If you decide later that you don't like them, you can part them out for more than the $50 you paid for them. Their 210038 tweeters also can be used in a number of other AR speakers.

The following is an excerpt from the initial AR-11 sales brochure: “The AR-11 uses a substantially improved version of the 302 mm (12 in) woofer with which Acoustic Research introduced the acoustic suspension principle to home listeners, as well as the hemispherical dome midrange of the AR-3a. It also uses a newly designed 19 mm (3/4 in) highrange based on the original high-frequency dome radiator introduced by Acoustic Research in 1959.” From the above I would conclude that any changes made by AR to the 1½” dome midrange between the AR-3a and the AR-11A were minor. When AR updated the 11 (AR-11B), I know that they made some cosmetic changes to the 1½” midrange (silver screen, etc.), but the part number remained unchanged (200010-1). It's possible that AR also added ferrofluid to the 11B's midrange, but I have never found any confirmation of it.

Just out of curiosity I decided to do a little research and found that AR called the felt/foam trim around the woofer an "External Woofer Gasket" with the following part numbers: 400211-1: 8" woofer 400211-2: 10" woofer 400211-3: 12" woofer Unfortunately, finding out who made them is next to impossible. The only reference in the AR drawing achieves is just the part number itself listed in the notes to the various speaker assembly drawings.

Attached is a picture of an AR-17 that I restored and my AR-14. Both "trim rings" were made from 1/8" thick x 1/2" wide, adhesive backed foam. It's not perfect, but it looks a lot better than the bare metal. The advantage of foam over the felt is that it can be easily manipulated to follow the curve without wrinkling.

The term that I see used most often is speaker gasket, but I have never found a felt version. What you see from Parts Express and others are cardboard, or maybe cork. I basically make my own out of 1/8" thick adhesive backed felt or foam. You can find both at Amazon.

I have used stain pens to cover up small chips in the walnut veneer that have exposed the underlying MDF board. The results have been generally good, however, sometimes walnut stain pens can be a little dark, so I would experiment in less visible spot first.

I think that everyone is overthinking this. The 10π’s specs show that the its nominal impedance is between 4 ohms and 8 ohms (see full specs below). I couldn't see where 16 ohms is ever listed. It is possible that its impedance could peak to as high as 16 ohms, but it would still have a nominal impedance of between 4 ohms and 8 ohms. Almost every speaker’s impedance peaks above its nominal rating at multiple points over the audio spectrum. A case in point is my daughter’s AR-98Ls speakers. In January 1985 Audio Magazine reviewed the AR-98Ls. Their tests showed that for most of the audio spectrum the impedance of the 98Ls remained between 3 ohms and 5 ohms (confirming the nominal 4-ohm rating). It did, however, rise up above 5 ohms a few times with the highest peak being 12 ohms at 30hz. Her vintage Pioneer SA-7500 has no problem powering those speakers. The same would be true if it or any other well-made £500 or even $500 solid state or tube amp, rated at both 4-ohms & 8-ohms, was used to power the AR-10π. This would be true regardless of how the 10π’s switches are set. Again, I think you should set your 10π’s switches to give you the best listening experience. For the best bass response, the π switch setting should logically be based on the placement of the speaker in your room. For what it’s worth, I own the AR-11, which is basically an AR-10π without the π switch and the accompanying additional crossover circuitry. My speakers are placed in a 2π position. In my room, they sound the best to me with the midrange switch set to -3 db and the high range switch set to 0 db. My wife thinks that they are a little bright at this setting, but not unpleasantly so.

You just need to set the switches to what sounds best for you and not worry about the impedance. It will vary across the audio spectrum regardless. As long as your amp can handle a minimum of 4 ohms you will be fine. I have attached 2 pages from an AR brochure that explains the pi, 2pi & 4pi settings. The other two switches just boost or cut the midrange & high-range responses.

Based on AR’s power recommendations for the AR-11 (basically 4-ohm AR-10pi’s with their controls set to 2pi), 45 wpc would probably be sufficient. A 3000-cubic-foot (85 cubic-meter) room is not small If you are thinking about getting a vintage Japanese integrated amp, I would consider Pioneer. I purchased a Pioneer SA-7500 integrated amp new 44-years ago. I used it for about 30 years. First powering a pair of KLH-6’s and then a pair of AR-14’s. Then after spending some time on a closet shelf, I got it back down, cleaned it up and gave it to my daughter. She has been using it to power a pair of 4-ohm AR-98Ls’ for the past 8 years, and has never had a problem. She says the amp will get warm to the touch, but it never runs hot. The 4-way 98Ls is probably more power hungry than either the 11 or the 10Pi. The SA-7500 is rated at 40 wpc into 8 ohms & 45 wpc into 4 ohms. If you are interested in a Pioneer, you may want to step up to the SA-8500, which is rated at 60 wpc into 8-ohms & 75 wpc into 4-ohms. Both should be available for less than $500. I would stay away from Kenwood amps from that era, as some of them had issues with IM distortion.

I have never completely stripped and re-veneered a speaker, but I have replaced damaged faces. You have a number of options, but first you need to remove the drivers and then strip off the existing vinyl veneer with the aid of a heat gun. The options that I would consider are: 1. Reapply a new vinyl veneer. Would not be my first choice. 2. Prep and paint the exposed MDF board. It will take a few of coats to get a good result. You can find a number of how to videos on YouTube. Done right the finished product can look great. I was going to do this with a pair of AR-48b's for my daughter, but she ended up giving them away before I got to it. 3. Replace the vinyl veneer with real walnut veneer. Here is a link to a guide on how to strip and install new wood veneer: Stripping and re-veneering KLH 6 speaker (you have to scroll down a bit to get to the veneer install). This is pretty close to how I have done it.

I had my father in law's Fisher 800C (30 WPC RMS) restored a few years back, and tried it out with a few of my speakers before I returned it to him: AR-15: 2-way speaker with an 8" woofer & 1" dome tweeter. AR-14: 2-way with a 10" woofer and the same 1" dome tweeter. AR-11: 3-way speaker with a 12" woofer, 1-1/2" dome midrange & a 3/4" dome tweeter. In my small theater room (12-ft x 14-ft) the Fisher performed well with all of the speakers. The Fisher didn't show any strain even with the volume was pushed to an uncomfortable volume. Typically, I listen to my AR-11's in that room and it is rare to see the meters on my amp peak above 10 WPC. In my larger outer room (24-ft x 17-ft) the Fisher struggled to power the AR-11's if the source material was in the least bit challenging. Even the AR-14's pushed it if there was a lot of bass energy. I typically listen to my AR-9Lsi's in this room and they will draw 50 WPC or more at times, although most of the time the amp's meters peak at less than 25 WPC. Basically, if you going to use the amp in a small, somewhat live-to-average room, your Fisher 500C can probably can handle most any 2-way or even 3-way AR speaker. However, if your listening room is a larger, less live room, I would stick to a 2-way. Below is a graph that AR published for the AR-98Ls showing the relationship between power needs and room size/liveness. Note that the AR-98ls is a larger 4-way speaker, probably requiring more power than the AR-11.

Your very welcome. I would suggest that you confirm my dimensions with your speakers. I doubt that there are any differences, but it easy enough to verify.