Howard Elliott Posted September 15, 2018 Report Share Posted September 15, 2018 This is the first topic I create as a new member of this great community. I've been an audio fan since I was 15 years old, and have been experimenting different systems until now. (I'm 41) I love classical and jazz music, specially in Vinyl or analog formats. So you can figure that there is no coincidence for me to be here writing about AR3 Loudspeakers. I came across this particular model because it delivers what I look in a recorded musical performance. My search stopped some 12 years ago when I bought a pair of rare Hegeman model 1 loudspeakers, that really filled me thanks to their special ability to create a realistic concert hall effect, with great presence and very deep bass response. But it was'n until I got a pair of Advent 5012 that I realize that there is a new world below 40 hz!! These simple speakers got my attention. I read a lot about east coast loudspeakers but untill then, never had the chance to test a pair in my own system. So my obvious step was to think what loudspeaker would give that ammount of bass and presence with more accuracy in the mid and high region. That's when I started to think about giving AR3's a chance. I took some time for me to decide, because I had a pair of AR10pi in the past, but the woofers were incorrectly repaired, with very stiff spiders and surrounds. So I bought a pair of OEM AR woofers from simply speakers. But for my surprise, those resulted to be as hard as the repaired ones I had. So I never discovered the real low end of this model and ended selling them. Few months ago, I found a pair of AR3 in hands of a louddpeaker tech, wo had them sitting for 20 years literally collecting dust without the grilles in a very dirty environment, so the drivers suffered, the tweeters rubber suspension dots failed, and domes were pushed out breaking the fragile voice coils. Midranges are not working, they collected excess of dust that came in the voice coil gap. Woofers are physically ok, but only one works. cabinets are a little raw but still un good shape. So my questions are: I want to restore them and make them work the best as possible soon. Where I live, original parts are very hard to find. I think I could start restoring the woofers and get oem mids and tweeters that are available until I can find mint condition original drivers on Ebay. Mids and tweeters are very hard to repair to get them to their original shape, so would you recommend to use the oem AR mids that Simply Speakers offer? Are those suitable for AR3? (they sell them as AR3a's replacement.) For The tweeters I'm thinking about getting a pair of Hivi's. I will aporeciate your comments and reccomendations. Best, Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Elliott Posted September 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 Hi folks, I will really appreciate your comments! I will drive my AR3s with a Scott 222d and a rare first generation Sony TA1120 from 1965. My prefered source is vinyl that I play in a Neumann PA2 turntable Best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aadams Posted September 16, 2018 Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 you need to read this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Elliott Posted September 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 Thanks!! I will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted September 16, 2018 Report Share Posted September 16, 2018 2 hours ago, Howard Elliott said: ....with a Scott 222d..... Hi Howard, and welcome to the forum. Good luck with your restoration efforts. Am just curious which version of the Scott 222-D you have - - - I have one like the top version shown here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted September 17, 2018 Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Great speakers, when properly restored. I hope you didn't pay much for them in their present condition. Im surprised one of the woofers isn't working, they almost always do. Did you try connecting the quiet one directly to the speaker wires from your amp? That may help determine if it's the driver, or another issue like a loose wire in the cab, or even a bad cap on the crossover. The tweeters were also used in the 2ax, so they are not that difficult to find. The mids are another story. Very difficult to find originals. And when you do find them, be prepared to spend 300 or more for a pair. As noted, vintage-ar may be able to fix the mids, but it is actually Roy C. who does the repairs for them. I would suggest going directly to Roy for repairing them. He rebuilt my mids and they sound fantastic. Id like to see better detailed pics of the cabs. I've restored many and may be able to help with some pointers. The grills can probably be washed with soap and water to look presentable. Post some pics as well. Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Elliott Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 Thanks Glenn! I tested all the drivers connecting them directly to my amp. Only one woofer works. The second woofer is dead, if I move the cone, there is a ringing metallic sound, maybe the voice coil former is broken or something like that. I willa send both to my tech, who has fixen many ARs. I think is a good idea to send my mids to Roy C and wait fot a minty pair of tweeters from ebay. Regarding the network, there is a broken pot and the rest feel sucked, so I will try to restore them and replace the broken one. As for the cabs, I will take more pics to share with you. The biggest issue is that ine speaker has wrapped veneer on the top. Sadly I bought them without the grilles. A lot of work, but These are woth the effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Elliott Posted September 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2018 16 hours ago, ra.ra said: Hi Howard, and welcome to the forum. Good luck with your restoration efforts. Am just curious which version of the Scott 222-D you have - - - I have one like the top version shown here. Hi there! I have the same, the one with square blue jewell lamp and white switches. How do you like the sound? Best!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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