AR-2ax connecting external tweeters

[DukeSilver]

Hi everyone. 

First of all thanks a lot for being such an amazing resource for a total newbie when it comes to getting the most out of these great speakers. 

I recently bought a pair of AR-2ax speakers which had some scratchy pots and went through the (wonderfully thorough and helpful) tutorial on here to clean them. I also refoamed the woofers and they're certainly sounding better now. 

There really is nothing like the sound that comes from these sub-woofers, which is incredible. However, this is a bit of a double-edged sword because I find myself having to turn the treble right up and the bass right down to get a reasonable balance. This is probably because I have only one tweeter (on the left) and one mid range (on the right) working, even after cleaning the pots.

1) Are there any recommendations as to which tweeters I could externally connect to get the high range sounds that go near to matching the woofer for quality? Budget is up to 300 bucks, but would be willing to pay less for even a marginal improvement.

2) Is it a long process set up? (the fact I'm asking this question probably tells you I'm a novice!)

In case its helpful I'm running them through a NAD model 140 amplifier.

Thanks a lot in advance!

[JKent]

Welcome Duke!

The MicroStatic tweeter array was developed specifically for classic acoustic suspension speakers such as yours. You can do a google search but here's a thread:

They show up on ebay from time to time, usually around $150 +/-

-Kent

[samberger0357]

I've used the Microstatic, and also have been fortunate enough to find a pair of JansZen 1-30 external tweeters, made to be used with primarily with early AR and KLH speakers. Here's a picture of both in action with my AR 2's. 

 

[DukeSilver]

Thanks JKent that's exactly what I'm looking for! ? 

Also great to see them in context samberger - that's quite the setup you've got there!!

[ar_pro]

Have you determined that the midrange and tweeter drivers in your speakers are actually defective, or could your problem still be faulty level controls?

The Microstatic devices are a great complementary addition to the 2ax, but not really a substitute for the original mid & tweeter.

 

 

[ra.ra]

1 hour ago, ar_pro said:

The Microstatic devices are a great complementary addition to the 2ax, but not really a substitute for the original mid & tweeter.

This is exactly what I was thinking, and my suggestion would be to first get a working tweeter and mid in each speaker before assessing this pair's performance any further. Replacement mids are not all that difficult to find, but we do not know which version of tweeter (or woofer, for that matter) you have in your 2ax's. If it is the later 3/4" dome tweeter, there is now a forum member who fully restores this driver. For well under $300, I think you may be able to restore both tweeters, purchase a used mid driver, replace crossover caps (if desired), and re-foam or re-dope woofers as required.

Oh.....and welcome to the CSP forum, DukeSilver.

13 hours ago, DukeSilver said:

I find myself having to turn the treble right up and the bass right down to get a reasonable balance.

I assume you are referring to amplifier controls here? Despite personal preferences that we each have for setting our controls, this should not be necessary at all and again leads me to suggest that you should try to restore both speakers before considering any additional add-on components to your system.