Aadams

Chris The LS(i) mod brings the mid range balance into approximate alignment with an unattenuated AR9, which sounds quite forward in a reverberant room like the one you show. The LSI, having no attenuators, requires mild equalizer adjustments to give it the frequency balance or voicing of the AR3a, 5 or 9, an approach that should also work for an AR3 or LST. Adams

The published performance for a 98LS is -3db @ 39hz and -3db @ 32000hz, so plenty of room for a hump in the mid range. I haven't seen anything published for the LSi. Edit: LSi published spec is identical and can be found here http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/special_sections/ar_uk_related_information/brochures/ar_uk_bxi_lsi_brochure/

I would have to inspect the 3as that are priced at 1100. The hivis don’t add value unless you know they were installed correctly. Your tweeters are of no use in this transaction.

In my case the LS model was unbearable without abnormal equalizer adjustments. After the "I" installation the equalizer was not needed. No auto suggestion involved. Adams

Plain ole Alene's Tacky glue is better than the generic white glue and Nitrile is not needed. Nitrile gives you about 1.5 tries before you're screwed. These are not the woofers with which you practice your nitrile skills.

Luxman Are you sure this is the correct photo? Those 4mfs are not Sprague Compulytics but ICCs. Had you shown this image earlier you would have definitely been advised to put in new 4mf caps. Adams

The Masonite ring is a spacer and mounting surface. Don’t damage or remove it. Scrape glue with razor blade or exacto. Surface does not need to be perfect. Use Alene’s white glue. Get surrounds from speakerworks or parts express. Be sure to shim the voice coil. Search this site, there are a lot of 12 inch woofer repair threads. PIA on a phone keyboard.

I thought the AR9 was not as good at presenting live performance recordings as the AR3a. I was wrong. It is just a good as an AR3a IF the Roy Allison Isosceles triangle rule for placement of any loudspeaker is followed. These snips are from the Allison CD9 manual. The problem with live performance recordings and speaker placement is when the speakers are too far apart the scale of the presentation can be overly large and not credible for a ”you are there” presentation. Spacing that works for studio recordings can be wrong for live performance recordings. From the listening position, an AR9 pair too widely spaced will present a gap in center of an orchestral or live jazz performance recording where an AR3a will just make the sound stage bigger beyond credibility. After I moved my AR9s according to the Allison rule above, 5ft from side walls, (as pictured below) on a 4ft baseline, live performance recordings were presented as they should be. The 3as that were stacked on the 1ws now sounded a bit disadvantaged by comparison from the listening position, so I placed them in the bookshelf position atop the AR9s, as pictured. With everything dialed in, volume and frequency equalized, the two systems sound identical from a listening position anywhere on the red centerline in the photo. In searching for audible differences, the AR9 cannot sustain a good soundstage more than around 40 degrees of axis. The 3a soundstage is so uniform and broad I can traverse the room with almost no change in presentation but when I do the same with the AR9s it's akin to walking across car headlight beams.

L.T when you asked this question on Dec 10 2020 you said: Does anyone know if when they were new, were AR speakers sold with sequential numbers, and what was the approximate production date? My 17's are numbers 28937 and 28938. Any info would be great. Thanks! Your serial numbers have increased by 1. No they were not typically sold with consecutive numbers and with ARs consecutive numbers are not important. AR17s were packaged as pairs with one serial number per pair. You most probably have two speakers from two different packages. What matters most is what drivers are in the cabinets and general condition. Here is a link to the DEC10 thread that has a more complete response to your question.

Same place you get your tweeters and Lpads? It is 3% off spec but probably close enough.

I you had not yet touched it I would say leave it but you are in deep now. I think most here would advise you to replace the 4 with a new film cap. Just in case you don't know; Be careful with those mid range drivers. They make the tweeter problem seem simple.

I noticed the clamps and wasn't going to mention that there was probably no need to remove the Spragues. The Compulytics have proven to be durable. Your meter may not be definitive in this case. Our late member Carlspeak did a lot of testing on brands of old AR caps and concluded there was no need to change Sprague Compulytics. I have 5s and 3as with Spragues and new NPEs. You can't here the difference.

Will it connect and make noise? Yes. Will anyone here tell you to use it? No. There was only one tweeter model made for the AR5 and it appears identical to an AR3a Classic tweeter but is not the same. There are other AR tweeters that will exactly fit the hole but you will be experimenting with crossover modifications. Your mods may be spot on perfect for you but they will subtract value from the speakers and few if any here will be able to help you once you have cut your own path. Regarding cost: If DIY, in the U.S., the Hivi is the least expensive way to get close to the target. Unless you get free parts, anything else will cost at least as much as getting your tweeters properly repaired. Adams

You need the parallel coil on the tweeter. Most have installed the coil on the back of the tweeter. I think the current advice is no cap changes. Here is a recent thread that talks about the front wired mod for the Hivi tweeter, Here is a very good AR5 restoration with Hivi

White paint has been removed from cabs but I don't remember it being removed from walnut veneer. I do remember it involves a lot of water, oxylic acid and time consuming hand work. Those with better knowledge will be along later. The AR5 and AR3a are very similar. If you have not read the AR3a restoration guide now would be the time to do that, before you get deeper into the project. Regarding pots and tweeters: Over the 20 year life of this forum the opinion regarding pot repair has changed. Almost everyone who has fought pots now believes it is almost never worth the effort to restore pots when it is so much easier in the long run to install Lpads and resistors. LPads give you better control, are trouble free and inexpensive. There is also a new style pot available on ebay that is more expensive than lpads. It is true your tweeter can be repaired by anyone who knows how to install a voice coil and new dome but it will not perform correctly at the crossover point when reinstalled. The only two people in the world that we know of, who have the knowledge and proprietary materials to restore your tweeter to original performance are @RoyCand @Chris1this1. Your alternative is a proven modification using a Hivi tweeter. If you are particular about the woofer surrounds there are two correct choices. Adams

Luxman Welcome. AR5s are among the very best ARs. Are you looking for information or telling us what you intend to do? Adams

The Mortite gasket is a mess. There were some small pieces of wood that stuck the the Mortite gasket. I'm assuming I just use a putty blade to to gently remove Mortite from the cabinet and the driver. When I replace the Mortite it will fill in the places where the wood lifted off. Yes. You might want to fill and sand a bit but you will use gasket tape instead of mortite. The Kempac looks in poor shape. I'm going to order the suggested Poly-Fil Low-Loft Quilt Batting. The stuffing is in bits and packed. I'm going to order new Owens Corning R-6.7 5.6-sq ft Unfaced Fiberglass Roll Insulation as suggested. Q - Do you recommend replacing the stuffing? NO that is the original glass fiber stuffing just pack it in a plastic bag and put it aside to be reused. Is there any specific way that this needs to be stuffed? No just pack in a way to prevent rubbing and rattling of wires Or just pack it so the space is will filled, but not jammed in? Yes I've found the missing L-Pad. The crossover has been rewired in an odd way. I don't see a capacitor. The capacitor is the yellow box. This might explain why the LPad has been pushed into the cabinet. Those are pots not lpads. You will replace them with Lpads. Q - Where can I get a wiring diagram? Open the other cab to see if it is intact. If it is unmolested that is your wiring diagram. There are some wiring diagrams posted in the threads that have been previously linked.

You have at least two leaks in the attenuator bore holes. If you have already done a good job of sealing, additional mortite won't extend the bass of the 2ax. You can make the two systems sound the same at at about 4 meters by judiciously using a 10 band graphic equalizer, starting with both systems set to max on the attenuator controls. But even after they sound indistinguishable at a distance, you can still hear the differences when you listen closer than say 3 meters. If you mostly listen for bass the Advent will sound better but over time, if you listen attentively, it seems many folks prefer the 2ax.

If you used new mortite on all the drivers, including the mids, your speakers are probably sufficiently sealed. The difference in bass between the 2 systems is real though what you hear could also be influenced by different room positions. A fairer comparison would be to place the systems in the same spot and listen. If both are operating properly, you will hear deeper bass notes from the Advent but the overall presentation of the 2ax will be smoother, cleaner and better balanced once you get the lpads adjusted to taste. And yes, lowering the mid output can appear to increase the upper bass output. I had OLA and 2ax at the same time and remember the OLA as exciting but the 2ax was easier to live with. The OLAs would make great TV speakers. I regret selling them. Happy Holidays Aadams

Following

Good news on the Crown. Have you used its crossover yet? The system looks like it could be a good one. Is this it below? Looks like a 4 way with 5 drivers.

The stereo sound stage of the AR9 begins to break down when the listening position nears 45 degrees off axis. Modern orchestral recordings develop a “hole” in the center and the orchestra becomes perceivable as left and right halves. Live performance recordings of Jazz Orchestras, in which the configuration and placement of the musicians is known from video or photo, exhibit extreme displacement of the instrument sections, even from a front row center recording perspective. My solution is to move the speakers closer together (4 ft) to get a 30 ish degree off axis listening angle at 6 to 8 ft, a setup in which everything comes together. The AR3a + 1w hybrids were moved outside the AR9s, are now 6ft apart and do not suffer from the move except for one problem associated with solo grand piano recordings. When a piano is recorded from the perspective of the performer, with low notes on the left and high notes on right, the piano will sound as wide as the speakers are separated and will be wrong if they are greater than 4 feet apart. The result for me is, some pianos sound unrealistically large on the 3a whereas on the AR9 they do not.

Are the tweeters rebuilt. It's hard to tell from the images

Still nice with the grills off. Provide images of the inside. Things to keep in mind. 1. Don't remove the tweeters unless you must, the flanges can be delicate. 2. Be patient in removing the woofer, the old putty can be stubborn. 3. Use adhesive gasket tape instead of putty when reinstalling the removed drivers.

You made be look at my 98s and they are sequential; U011016 and U011017. I know the were purchased new in Keflavik, Iceland but I don't know if they are UK origin.