Aadams

Did you put a battery or a test signal on the removed woofer terminals? Unless it is irreparably damaged I would not send an AR woofer to Simply Speakers or Speaker Exchange for repair if they want to replace the woofer cone. @RoyC could possibly repair it without replacing the cone. Send him a private message on this site. For AR9 use the Simply Speakers replacement AR 12 inch might be an OK substitute until you can get another original woofer. woo

No. The original black fabric was stretched and stapled around the entire perimeter of the large grill. Same with the woofer grills. But glue would work as well if you are careful and patient. Regarding placement. You have plenty of room and enough options. You don't need spikes but you could use adhesive felt pads to ease movement on the wooden floor. Those baseboard heaters being so close would concern me but others may know better. Above is a link to an AR 9 ref manual download. Read the section on speaker placement. Adams

NIMA welcome Here is a recent discussion on the subwoofer topic but with the AR4. The answers would be the same for an AR7.

Read the later posts in this thread to learn about swapping Polyfil for Fiberglass in old AR cabs.

I looked around the forum. All of the ADD project photos I saw had fiberglass. Wear rubber gloves in a well ventilated area to install 500 to 550 grams of fiberglass in large chunks, loosely throughout the cabinet, then cover the woofer hole with a sheet of crinolin fabric or thin polyfil quilt batting as a barrier. Put a slit in the barrier sheet to run the woofer wires through. The ARs after the ADDs were designed to use polyfil.

Maybe English ADDs came with polyfil but I am pretty sure US ADD series had fiberglass. My AR14s had yellow fiberglass. The damping properties are very different for an equal weight of material.

Did you use the correct weight in fiberglass stuffing not polyfil? Are you sure the woofers are connected in phase? Just reveiw questions.

The woofer chamber has a hard packed mass of the same material in the upper half of the chamber.

YES. That is the correct stuffing for the AR9 series. That cavity was stuffed very densely, specifically for the original 8" midrange driver.

Assuming your signal wires are connected to the 1 & 2 posts on the speaker, disconnect the jumper that connects post 2 to post T and play your speakers. I you still hear the sound the problem is related to the woofer. If not, then the mid. In the 2ax almost all human voice originates through the woofer, with mostly harmonics in the mid. It might be wires touching the woofer cone. Just a guess.

Reference Recordings makes a high quality product. Recording quality is always excellent. Their recording of Saint Saens 3 performed by the Kansas City SO is maybe the current best available and is also on half speed vinyl.

I like it. How many amplifiers are you using for this setup?

Ray K Very nice AR3s The instructions you reference apply to grills that were glued and stapled. Don't do this to your AR3 grills unless someone with AR3 grill removal experience says it is OK. AR3 grills were slightly oversized and force fitted into grooves without glue and staples. They are tricky to remove without breaking. @JKent, whom you can private message, may still have some fairly priced, new replacement Pots for sale or you can use Lpads with resistors as described in the AR3a restoration guide. There are other issues specific to AR3 mid range and tweeter drivers that you should be aware of as well. Be patient and wait for help before you open your speakers. Adams

Nice find with pristine grill cloth. JIC you have not already done so, be sure to read the AR3a restoration guide before you pull the grills from the speakers.

Are you referring to a 9 or 9ls?

From Stereo Review August 1976 If you can't place your Classic AR 3ways centered and recessed in a wall, this is a good article for working out alternate placements. Discussion applies to any full range box speaker. The Speaker and the Listener Roy Allison.pdf

Thanks for the reply. I thought you were speaking of circuitry differences. The following statement is what caught my attention: The cabinets were identical dimensions. I was wondering what change in the late 3a are you referring to? Adams

Compounded by the comparative scarcity of live space recordings that convey the "you are there" sensation, which can only be delivered by speakers. Studio recorded music can be presented well by headphones. Music performance videos eliminate the need for a good sound stage as long as the video presentation corresponds to the music source. A sound bar and a sub woofer will work well for most listeners. Only a few of us now feel the need for full range high quality speakers and the attendant paraphernalia.

PeteB Do you know about when the "late production" 3a with baffle step correction began? Also, does this explain why the AR11 was never recommended for bookshelf or in wall mounting even though the cabinet size is practically identical to a 3a? Finally, even though the AR58s is thought of as a budget AR91, the 58 was sold as and appears to be a bookshelf speaker while the 91 was definitely a floor stander; Question, do you know if the 58S has baffle step correction different from the 91? You seem to know a lot about baffle step so I thought I would ask Thanks Adams

The above quote, combined with mass consumption of music through earbuds and headphones among young consumers, is the reason traffic in the AR forum and this site in general has slowed to fewer than one post per day.

I thought you would have received an answer by now. The short answer is if they sound ok now you can go a while longer until the failure becomes obvious. They can be restored to original working condition by either @RoyC or @Chris1this1 both whom are CSP members and who can be contacted via CSP direct message. Protect those orange domes. They are irreplaceable. Also, these tweeters should be restored in pairs. If one breaks you should overhaul both. Adams

You made me search! Above quote is from the second page of this thread. Applies to 3a 5 and LST. Dispersion was decreased to increase durability and lower manufacturing costs. Adams

If your current tweeters are backwired then the Midwest are a drop in fit but iirc you also need a coil change. Somewhere on this site among tweeter discussions is a statement from a credible source saying, AR tried and rejected an AR11 type tweeter for use in the LST. The AR11 tweeter diverges from the Roy Allison approach to immersive sound. In the US the cost to rebuild original tweeter bodies is very close to the price of new Midwest tweeters that are not original and will subtract from value. You could contact @RoyCor @Chris1this1. Adams

I am not doing this (yet) but you can stream Lossless Atmos and Hires tracks on Apple Music now.. The catch is you almost always need an Apple device to get to the lossless streams. In the case of 24/192 you also need an outboard DAC.

Tweeters yes. Mid range no unless some recent development.