lakecat
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Posts posted by lakecat
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14 hours ago, Theo Wood said:
I just acquired a pair of AR12's and I am very impressed. The midrange need new surrounds but they still sound fantastic.
Dug up from past....time sure flies! Still have these bad boys....but never recapped. It sounds fantastic so never felt the need.
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52 minutes ago, crumpets said:
Just been searching re. the noticeable effects of drifting caps. Well, I really am a newbie! The prospect of lifting that veiled effect is very exciting.
The new caps will make a difference. Tweet on hi and mid at 75% is about normal on these and AR3a speakers in my experience. Good luck on your project.
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1 hour ago, Lucky Pierre said:
Quick update:
Day 4 with these and I keep thinking that this is the sound I have been looking for. I picked up the Marantz 240 today, along with a 120B tuner. I think the journey with this system is over.
I picked up material for repairing the grills yesterday. I found a post in my research, I think by lakecat, that suggested using electrical tape to attach the grill cloth. I might try that route rather than glue. I'll start that next weekend.
I'm really looking forward to the cabinet work, but that will have to wait until spring so I can do the work outdoors. I'm going to try my hand at spray can lacquer, to keep the finish original.
Pics to come in a few months.
Peter
Just to alert you on that thread. I did contact glue the top and bottom of the grill. I didn't like how the sides looked and decided to tape them as the sides need to be flexible to get them into the speaker. How it lasted I have no idea as a great gentleman from Italy wanted those rare 3's so off they went. The sides are meant to be behind the slot in the speaker so he may have removed the tape.
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Glad you like them. Isn't it amazing that a 50 yr old speaker can still surprise? Good luck on your refinish....they deserve it.
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2 hours ago, Lucky Pierre said:
Caps arrived. Restoration starting soon.
The grill fell off the midrange while one speaker was sitting on its side on my bench. Can I just glue it back on?
Peter
Yes....
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I have three pair of the Continental series II Bose 901's and have refinished about five other pair of different series over the years...so watching with interest. To me...the Continental was the best looking 901 made and still had the cloth surrounds....and the blue nose drivers.
I have looked in the past for the grill material with no success. Quite the secret I guess. EBay has an occasional sale of grills only for different series.
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Nice work on cabinets and first person I have run across that are/have built 901 cabs. Lots of measuring and work! Can I ask why not save the old cabs? They didn't look that bad. Are you going to use walnut veneer?
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13 hours ago, GD70 said:
Fabulous! Great examples!
My one frame on my 2nd set of 3's was bent and cracked. I had to make new frames from 1/4 MDF.
Glenn
G
Thanks Glenn. I have had my share of making grills also. Especially tough when you have to tuck the 3 grill into cab. Because I usually have it around here, I use 1/4" plywood.
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On 11/3/2018 at 10:11 AM, Lucky Pierre said:On 11/3/2018 at 10:11 AM, Lucky Pierre said:
"Thanks for the great advice. Yes, the cabs have seen better days, but it's mostly scratches with little lost veneer. I will have to ponder whether I want to try lift the scratches or just sand them and love the patina. I might try the iron method on the bottom of one to check out the results.
The steel strap covered the pot switches with little pieces of foam wedged between them. I think he just wanted the pots to stay where he liked the settings. He is an interesting fellow--I am not going to wonder his motives beyond that.
LC, I'll PM you when I am nearing the grills. I'll try gluing them. If that doesn't work, I'll take Kent's advice on the MDF.
Tom, I will definitely test the drivers before I try to take them out. I would rather not have to remove them.
Peter
Here is the new grill material on a pair of 3's I just refinished. They were just about as bad as yours and original grill material was shot.
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Those look nice....congrats. I saw those on Ebay as I follow the AR3's on there and was a head scratcher as I saw it was sold twice. First sale was a lower price than second price the next day. It stated no shipping but those were in Florida and you are in Wisconsin? Said they were completely redone recently so nothing should be done for awhile...good luck....and welcome.
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Whew!...those cabs looked like they lost in a bad cat fight!...lol. If you are not familiar with it, there is a wet towel...steam iron trick to lift the scratches...but your work is cut out for those.
If interested, I have the grill material that matches the AR3 old stuff. I had order more than I needed recently for AR3 work I am doing...and their minimum was enough for extras. Just PM me if interested. This material is fairly easy to work with and used contact cement for top and bottom with excellent results. I left sides alone so it could flex into cab.
If grills are not broken too much, I have glued those with gel super glue with good results.
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I hope you tested them before forking over seven hundred. If the mids are shot, you will be investing lots of dollars in them to get them playing correctly.
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30 minutes ago, arken said:
Thanks Roy!
Yes....Roy helped me with crossover with my 3's and sounds great with the 3a mids. I wasn't even aware the late model 3's had some 3a mids in them. So don't forget the crossover work!
I have a pair of 3a's here with original mids done by Roy and the modded 3's and wanted to compare....but I am in the middle of completely remodeling the great room so everything is stored for now. Hope to be done in a couple of weeks so I can test these.
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They will go high. Seems a lot of peeps are looking for them.
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Looks much better. Swirl remover!?...who knew?!!...lol. Kudos.
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Steve....maybe can is mismarked? I had a can of spray poly that I returned to store because it was not satin but gloss. I brought wood in show them. I got a new can. That is so glossy, I can't see that is satin.....at all.
I would lightly sand that varnish to get finish off. Get the satin spray cans of MinWax. I lay my speakers on their backs on a 6x6 block of wood twelve inches long to expose all sides and front. I cut a piece of cardboard to fit where grill goes to protect drivers. I then spray a light coat on all sides and front at once....holding can about eight inches away and doing slow sweeps....following grain...and spraying top to bottom....then bottom to top.
I let that dry for 72 hours because I sand it lightly....tack cloth it down...before adding heavier second coat in the same manner as first coat. Two coats should be all you need. Myself....I paste wax the cabinet after drying for a week.
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Looks great! Did you brush on the satin poly? I use the MinWax satin spray poly and it sure doesn't come out as glossy as these look. Weird.
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Another convert...;) I remember several years ago getting a pair and redoing them. When I played them....I about fell down with surprise. I was so impressed that I felt they were better then a pair of AR5's I had here....which probably had people wandering what medication I was on. But....they are slowly coming around as people get them. They are that good and the midrange is awesome.
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On 2/28/2018 at 12:45 PM, Sean said:
Soundminded: I know that this thread is fossilized, but I have to challenge / correct this statement: " Bose 901 has a distinct advantage over all other speaker systems in that it has what I call inherently low absolute vector distortion. This means that sound waves from a single instrument arrive at the listener from a multitude of directions just the way they do from live musical instruments".
There are three speakers that I can think of that do this equally well, if not in FAR superior fashion. That is, the Walsh driver based Ohm A, Ohm F & Ohm G. All three offer an even wider radiation pattern than the 901 AND they are time & phase coherent. They are also far more linear in amplitude frequency response both within their usable ranges AND at the frequency extremes. Having owned 901's & several pairs of Ohm's, I speak from experience with no guesswork involved.Some reading on your OHM speakers....the G....closest in price....No properly functioning Ohm Gs are known to still exist because of the degradation original foam in the surround. They can be upgraded with the current 2000 driver, which has a rubber surround and will not need to be replaced....but at a cost of $1400! The other even more expensive OHM's face a very expensive rebuild to be playable.
Despite your argument about vector distortion, I am years later enjoying a $200 pair of series II 901's with only a hundred dollar upgrade to the equalizer. I will enjoy excellent vector distortion without spending big bucks to do it....but thanks for your opinion. I am sure the OHM's were really good.
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Check with Parts Express if you buy there. They were back ordered on some of the coils....but failed to tell me until I purchased them four days before and got an email saying the coils will be awhile before they ship them. I called them and after several conversations....they finally said they were back ordered......grrrr…..so I canceled the order....and got them someplace else.
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2 hours ago, arken said:
That's good to hear, I figure ill use the mids from the 11's and if I find the originals I will go ahead and switch them out. I Have yet to see a set? Let me know when you do the comparisons I'd be curious to know.
You do know that AR11 mids are back wired? Best to find some 3a mids as they come up.
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On 8/11/2018 at 11:32 AM, lakecat said:
I will be using the 3a mid in a pair of 3's I am refinishing. I ordered the coils and have the Dayton caps. I doubt if I will hear much or if any difference in sound...but we shall see. My 3 mids were not repairable...damn it....
Plus...I will be able to compare...as I have a pair of 3's to refinish next and have good mids that Roy did for me.
As a follow up, I just finished the project today. The 3a midrange sounds pretty much like the 3 mid with the crossover changes....and I am really pleased with result. I even had to turn the mids down halfway on pots they were so strong and forward. I used all Dayton ploy caps for the drivers.
Have to finish the other pair of 3's now with the good original 3 mid and compare them. I am pretty sure there will be little difference.
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I will be using the 3a mid in a pair of 3's I am refinishing. I ordered the coils and have the Dayton caps. I doubt if I will hear much or if any difference in sound...but we shall see. My 3 mids were not repairable...damn it....
Plus...I will be able to compare...as I have a pair of 3's to refinish next and have good mids that Roy did for me.
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9 hours ago, RoyC said:
Thanks, Jeff...but based on our past dealings in other matters, I have nothing on you in the "unselfish" department. I will, however, take you up on that beer.
Roy
I have a strange feeling that one beer wouldn't suffice with us!....:)
And yes...I am having the worst luck with those damn mids...sigh.
Heathkit AS-103a Restoration questions
in Acoustic Research
Posted
Hi Bill...looks like you got excellent bones for a rare and excellent speaker that is the 3a clone. I am at a loss as to why the value of these is not higher.
You see how well they did the crossover. The plate with screws is sooo much easier to remove than the stapled one in the 3a for pot repair or cleaning. The caps are fastened down with brackets....not glue...and have the Spraque caps...which are almost always in spec...so no need for immediate replacement. They fused the tweeter which is superb as we know the stories of replacement tweeters. The cabinets are furniture grade...and were made by a furniture company in N.C. The grills are gorgeous...and well made...and last.
Lastly, they are very rare as not many were sold....due to it being a kit. I would guess for every 5000th 3a sold, there was one Heathkit sold. Most were sold to geeks who put way more time in making them nice...than the factory assembled 3a's. So yes...I would send tweeters to Chris and make these right. Congrats on getting these and trying to make them right....:)