Hello all,
Long timer lurker, first time poster. Anyway, I recently decided to track down the components to build a late 1950s "TOTL" mono system, and in my mind there was only one speaker system that could perform to that level: the Janszen 1-30 with an AR-1W woofer. This seemed to be the combination that set the standard in high fidelity reproduction for at least a 10 to 15 year period, starting about 1956.
I already had the Janszen 1-30, a fairly early model with the voltage doubler bias supply. I'm nearly done restoring that. Thankfully all of my panels were already working well, so it is really a matter of recapping, replacing the rectifiers, repairing a damaged coil, and dealing with the cabinet.
The AR-1W I had to track down from eBay. I found one that was sold in decent, working shape (but cosmetically rough) so hopefully it arrives working and I can go from there with the cosmetic restoration. It is Serial #8266, and it appears from the photographs on the listing that it may have an orange surround. Can anyone hazard a guess as to when it was built?
I have a few questions regarding this combination. Would I be better off bi-amping, or running both off a four ohm tap on a tube amp? What is the approximate sensitivity of the woofer, and will I be OK with 40 to 60 clean RMS watts of tube power driving them? I'm fleshing out a schematic for an amplifier using triode strapped 6AR6s, swung hard into class AB2. My simulations in LTSpice show I should be able to get 60 clean watts from the pair, but with actual iron on the bench, 40-50 watts seems to be more likely before the IM distortion begins to run away. The damping factor is low, being triode strapped, so that should help keep the woofer clean down to its lower limit.
Any comments, concerns, or advice on my little pet project would be much appreciated.
Warmest regards,
Benjamin
