IvanB

Hundreds of albums in my LP collection are 1960s era so yes i will playing them as well as as older and new recordings. I have listened to The AR2ax speakers through many of my solid state amps and receivers and i appreciate the differences. It is now time for me to purchase a tube amp for an additional option for music listening and enjoyment. I know that there is wealth of info from all the folks here so i thought i would see if i could learn more about the how the AR2ax behaves in relation to the power ratings of tube amps, of all kinds, vintage or modern. Thanks for all the info and input from everyone here.

rl1856 can you expand on that? "better but not necessary" - "easier load" The tangential conversation was interesting.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have many solid state units such as a Sansui QR6500. I am specifically interested in the power requirements for the acoustic suspension design of these speakers. i have read that a lower powered amp might not take advantage of full potential from the woofers of this type of acoustic suspension speaker. I.E. under powering will not give optimal bass. I want to make sure i purchase a tube amp that has the optimal power, not under powered, for my speakers. Conversely i do not want to repeat the mistake i made of blowing a woofer by running them on an amp with more power than they can handle, the woofer gods smiled on my once and it may not happen again.

I am wanting/desiring/lusting to get my first Tube amp, Probably an integrated but i will consider all options. From what i have read on the "always accurate interewebs" the nature of an acoustic suspension speaker design dictates power requirements that may not be the same as a ported system. What are those requirements or any and all considerations to be aware of, specifically for my AR 2ax speakers. I am interested in the basic theory of amp power output and how it relates to acoustic suspension in general but for my budget, 1200.00 ish, suggestions of options in that price range for my speakers would be helpful. I know tube types can affect sound, how does that relate to acoustic suspension speakers.

Thank you Transmember I did as you suggested and they do not have any. They replied They did say they are cloth but none of their cloth ones will work. I will check on the forums they listed and eBay. Any info on where to source them would be appreciated.

I have a pair of Sansui SP-1500 speakers, they have the 12" woofers with an inverted surround. The surrounds have become stiff over the last 40+ years,. ( as have i ) I am not sure if they are cloth or foam because they are brittle, as in hard but not fragile though. I saw somewhere on the intetubes that it is a common malady. They are not giving the best bass they are capable of, the woofer just can not travel as freely as it should be able to. I am going to order new capacitors and i would like to get new surrounds, they are not torn or separated so maybe there is an alternative to new ? They actually sound decent considering, one is a little better than the other. Any input as to what kind of surrounds i need to order or remedies i can use to address the stiffness would be appreciated.

Just to update: i posted on another forum as well and i was gifted a replacement woofer by a kind anonymous person. Wow. It works great, after listening to a few acoustic Dead, Garcia band and jazz albums i have determined that i have one issue with one tweeter to deal with. Thanks for the replies.

Thanks Lou, i will keep an eye out for one. In the mean time if i want to use the speakers until i get a match what are my options? If i am not concerned ( should i be ? ) with sticking with the cloth is A pair of foam surround units from a later model equal or better, or replacement reproductions, or upgrade.? Anybody with thoughts on options would be appreciated.

Well i am sick and more than a little pissed at myself. I scored a pare of AR-2ax speakers (Serial #'s in the 75000's) on craigslist from the original owner. He got the unfinished cabinets and put a rosewood veneer on them, they had not been used in many years. They worked but the pots were bad, i set them aside and i saved my money and got new pots put them in and fired them up. Everything was great, tweeter and mids worked good and the new pots function well. Woofers also sounded great until i got a little over zealous with my Dark side of the Moon sacd. I got half way through the cd and in the middle of "Time" one woofer gave out. (ran out of time) So sad, these are woofers with the cloth surrounds, 6 mounting holes, round magnets stamped Jan 1968. I pulled it and I get no reading with a multi-meter on the posts What are my options. let the flogging begin.