sarals

I'll give this a go, but not just yet. This is a great thread!

Hi Kent! Yes, the HiVi tweeters are still in use. I haven't sent the originals to Chris, yet. I'm curious, too, as to how they'll sound in comparison to the HiVi's, which I honestly consider to be very good. They certainly don't do anything to the sound that is negative! I'm thinking they may either stay in the AR-5's or go to the AR-2ax's IF the original tweeters warrant the exchange. Thank you for the kind words! I have to admit that I haven't had this much fun or been so enthralled by a piece of audio gear in quite some time. That's saying something! ~~Sara

I am SO enjoying these speakers! They are so involving, so immersive. I'm past the point of marveling about their age and "antiquated" engineering, and simply enjoying them. Which is very easy to do. Fifty years of speaker "growth" and "design advances" and "new ideas" (plus Thiel/Small) mean nothing when I press "play" on my Marantz SA8260, turn off the lights, and sit back. These AR-5's make the room disappear, replacing it with the room in which the recording was made. They simply make great sounds, and they are astounding in that regard. The cabinet edges aren't beveled, the drivers aren't time aligned, the cone material isn't some exotic combination of materials, the magnets aren't made from unobtainium, the woofer baskets are stamped steel and not cast....so what? AR did it right with the materials and knowledge of their day, and these speakers are a testament to how good that old fashioned engineering and great ears were back in the day. Respect!

@crumpets beautiful work! I'm with @Aadams, if those mids are working, leave them alone. And, yes, they are wonderful, wonderful drivers. Congratulations on your AR-5's!

Just to add to my impressions, the HiVi's are working beautifully in my AR-5's. I've not changed the polarity on either tweeter, I don't know that I'd hear a difference. They certainly sound fine the way they are. I don't know that the AR-5's sounded like with the original tweeters, so no comment on that, but with the HiVi's - they're wonderful. Absolutely contemporary in their performance. Good luck with your AR-5's!

I used short wood screws to secure the HiVi tweeters I'm using in my AR-5's. The screws are arrayed at the 12, 8, and 4 o'clock positions. There is no need to remove any wood to clear the terminals on the tweeters. Also, the HiVi tweeters come with a foam gasket. I used the terminals mounted on the front of the baffle to connect them, running the signal wire through the mounting hole at the 6 o'clock position. I used some of the "clay" sealer to close up the hole, from behind, after I ran the wire through it.

Recorded with my iPhone XR. https://www.facebook.com/sarals/videos/10218307775596872/

You are very kind!!! That means a lot to me. I've got more photos to share, but the software here isn't letting me - I keep getting a "failure to process - 200" error. When I get that cleared up, I'll put some more up. @ra.ra, you folks are terrific! Thank you so much!

@ra.ra, I'll take that ding, with honor!! Maybe that's were the bottom octave is, tied up in those flat dust caps?

This morning I completed the second speaker. I was going to determine Fs on the woofer, but I couldn't find a 10 ohm resistor. Nothing even close! So, that did not get done. I proceeded with the assembly, reasonably sure the woofer would be fine. I cleaned the pots with Deoxit, with success! The caps were all replaced, the HiVi tweeter was prepared with the 0.05mH inductor, and installed. I hooked up a source and tested the pots. They worked just fine. The stuffing went back into the cabinet, and then the woofer was installed. Another test was performed, using interstation noise from my old Harmon Kardon 630 receiver. Nothing seemed to be amiss. I let the speaker reproduce that noise at a low level for about a half hour. Then, I set the both of the AR-5's up, driving them with my Audible Illusions/SCS MOSFET power amp combo. That was about ten o'clock this morning. It is 4:40 PM as I write this. I stopped listening about an hour ago. I ran the gamut - rock, folk, new age, electronic, brass, opera, classical, and finished up with some selections from the Stereophile Test CD2. The sources were CD and vinyl. The speaker setup was not optimal, but not bad. The speakers are about seven feet apart, and nine feet from my listening position. They're sitting on top of Small Advents. which are on the floor. That brings the AR-5's to ear height. They're a little more than three feet into the room. Impressions? Right away I liked what I heard. I needed to reduce the level of the midrange, turning the controls down to 3/4. That midrange certainly can be forward! Once I did that, I settled in. Rather than gush (I sure want to), I'll keep it concise. These speakers, in spite of their lack of low bass, are among the finest speakers I've ever heard. Yes, they are. I have heard better, but "better" is a matter of degree. The AR-5's are very refined, very well balanced tonally, and are ruthless in their objectivity. They give you what is on the recording. They render voice with a very natural timbre, and piano (which many good speakers don't quite get right) is stunning. They reveal inner detail, they're very nuanced, very detailed - but not glaringly by any means. There is nothing dishonest about the way they image - the sound stage can be wide, or it can be narrow, whatever the source intended. They can layer depth beautifully. They portray the space the recording was made in as well as anything I've ever heard. They just make music. Beautifully! I'm going to be listening to these things for some time to come. I'd post a photo of them, but this site isn't letting me do that right now ("error processing upload"). All of you fine folks who said I'd like the AR-5's? You were certainly right! To think these speakers are almost 50 years old....

I noticed these on eBay yesterday. They look quite nice, and they come with original accessories. Someone may get a good deal! https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-ACOUSTIC-RESEARCH-SPEAKERS-AR-5/233141913361?hash=item3648574711

"Value added", perhaps, with the supertweeter?

One of the things I love about audio is the differing opinions,. What I find about that, when a piece is good - neutral, gets most right - most everyone agrees. I have had no experience with classic AR speakers in almost 50 years. I never heard the 2ax's before I acquired my current pair. I never heard AR-5's, ever. I wasn't even aware of them until I came to this forum. I've had many a speaker system since my college years, and - here it is again - what strikes me about the speakers I really liked is how similar they sounded. It seems to me that the current crop of well regarded ('bookshelf") speakers are voiced very similarly (and to a degree that I think is right). They're also very articulate and open, presenting nuance, as well as solid, clean bass. I kind of wish AR had extended the bass in their 10 inch systems (agree, Pete). Based on what I recall of my beloved 1972 Advent Loudspeakers (larger), they could have. I have no idea why AR did things the way they did, but I have a suspicion cost was a factor. They developed, what, two midrange drivers, the dome used in their top tier speakers, and the cone used in the 2ax and the 4a? Spread the wealth, I guess.

I noticed that inductor, Pete. The 2ax's were built to a price point, I'm sure. Even so, they have the same overall character of the AR-5's, the voicing is very similar.

I will. Thanks!

@Aadams, yes, agree. My 2ax's are in a less than ideal placement right now. You're right about the midrange, it is a bit forward, for sure. Much different than the 2ax's. About the bass - it seems better controlled, but I chalk some of that up to the lower crossover point to the midrange. I've listened to some "bass taxing" program material since my initial post, and they certainly do not go any lower than the 2ax's (bottom octave is just not there). One of the things that I've noticed through omission is how smooth they are. Yes, I need to adjust the mid level (I will when the second speaker is up and running), but from top to (their) bottom, there is a sense of ease, nothing sticks out. They don't beam, either. So far, I quite like them (it!).

Here's another photo...

Today I worked on one of the AR-5's. I decided to put the speaker together that the woofer that I refoamed only lived in. I've yet to measure the Fs of the woofer I replaced the spider on, and I want to do that before I put that woofer back in the cabinet. I bought a pair of the HiVi Q1R tweeters, along with a pair of 0.05mh inductors to place in parallel with the tweeters. I'm using those tweeters for now, the original pair will be going to @Chris1this1. I worked on one speaker today, tomorrow I'll do the other. I started by cleaning the controls with Deoxit, because I wanted avoid removing them if possible, and that worked! Thank goodness. Next, I replaced the capacitors in the crossover. I decided not to measure the old capacitors, I just wholesale replaced them. Then I prepped the HiVi tweeter. I soldered the inductor across the terminal. Then, I put the tweeter in the cabinet cutout. I ran the signal wires through the bottom mounting hole, and attached them to the front terminal of the cabinet. I replaced the electrical tape to the midrange driver, and added tape here and there to clean things up. I tested the two drivers, they worked, and I checked the level controls once again. They were fine. Then the stuffing went back in, and then the woofer. I hooked it up to my Audible Illusions/SCS MOSFET 150 preamp/power amp pair, put on a CD, and started listening. OMG... this AR-5 is in a totally different class than an AR-2ax! The AR-5 has better bass, tighter and lower, with close to contemporary performance through the midrange, and the HiVi tweeter blends beautifully and is very articulate. Am I impressed!! I'm looking forward to putting the second one back together tomorrow. I am really looking forward to hearing the pair.

Hi Pete! I haven't, but I can give it a try. Right now, I'm not able to do much of anything. I had surgery to repair a broken bone in my right foot last Wednesday (Jones Fracture, for those of you familiar). I'm on crutches, having to keep the foot elevated. Day to day chores are a challenge. Working on my speakers is darn near impossible! I do want to get the tweeters removed and sent to Chris1, I'm hoping to do that (with help) sometime in the next few days.

Thank you!

Thank you, Bob! Will do, definitely!

Success! The spider is installed, and I've attached the new surround, and the dustcap. I have yet to solder the leads. I tested my repair, manually (no VC rubbing) and with a signal (it works, no noises!), and I am thrilled! I had to "shave" the Masonite landing ring slightly to make up for the difference in spider depth from the original. I used an X-Acto blade, new, and carefully went round and round the landing until I had a uniform cut on it. I used five minute epoxy to secure the spider to the cone, and once that had set up for a good couple of hours, I applied five minute epoxy to the landing and attached the spider to it. I used shims to center the VC, and to keep friction on the cone assembly so the spider had good pressure on the landing. Once all of that had set up, I glued the surround on, starting with the cone, letting it set during the day. In the evening I glued the surround to the basket, using laundry clothespins to hold the surround in place to the basket. This morning, I removed the clothespins, tested my work, and then installed the dust-cap. I've yet to solder the leads to the terminal, that's the last step. Next I'll recap the crossovers, and then address the tweeters.

Thanks for that, Frank! If I messed mine up, that would make a good fall back. There is also a pair of woofers on eBay right now, too.

The recone kit from The Speaker Exchange arrived today. Very nice! There were two spiders, one cupped, one flat. Both fit correctly over the voice coil, but neither one was correct in depth to sit on the landing properly and get the VC where it needed to be in the gap. The cupped spider was the closest to the original, but it still caused the VC and cone to sit slightly proud of the pole piece and basket. Pondering.... I considered, momentarily, using the entire recone kit - cone, VC and all - and totally revamping the woofer. However, the cone in the kit is made quite differently than the original. It seems more rigid, and I would bet it would sound noticeably different from the original. The parts are beautifully made, and it's a very nice kit. However....

Thank you!