bad-monkey Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 Backstory: I bought these as my first foray into the world of vintage hi-fi last year. They were cheap and rough around the edges (I'm always up for a project!), and I wasn't sure what I was looking at, just what I was looking for. After having recapped a new-to-me set of AR-4X's (with pristine pots) last week, I felt confident enough to open up my 2ax's and do the same (and check condition on confirmed scratchy pots/replace with L-pad + 25 ohm). Here's an album of what I found when I started to take it apart: https://imgur.com/a/QprlaG0 Can anyone tell me more about these replacement speakers? You can see an AR on the back of the woofer there, and the stickers are interesting--was this what Teledyne AR did to service broken "Good" AR's? Should I be looking for original speakers? These things always had that characteristic AR bass, and they sounded good when the pots weren't crackling, but I'm also in a place where I'd like to spend some money get these up to original spec--IF there's value in doing so. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted September 24, 2018 Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 Is there documentation on the back of the cabinets? Are they big or small labels? Any serial numbers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad-monkey Posted September 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2018 2 hours ago, lARrybody said: Is there documentation on the back of the cabinets? Are they big or small labels? Any serial numbers? I have stickers and S/N's on the back. I'll get pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted September 25, 2018 Report Share Posted September 25, 2018 Hey, those speakers look pretty nice - - - cabinets and grilles look great, and you've got the nice rectangular badges, too. The p/n 013-2 tweeter is the correct 8-ohm replacement unit, and you can see that the original front-wire terminals have been abandoned to accommodate the rear terminals (much better, IMO) on the replacement. The heavier grey wire does not appear to be AR factory original, and I suspect the added resistor suggests that these replacement drivers may be a bit more sensitive than the originals. You are missing the original midrange drivers, and the good news is that these original ugly ducklings are commonly available and reasonably affordable - - a couple pairs are currently for sale in online auctions for about $45 per pair, and you can often even do better than that. What you have is a popular phenolic ring tweeter (not an AR part) - - - it is a pretty good driver and a perfect drop-in fit, but only you can say how it performs in this application. The woofer is also not original but definitely an AR service replacement driver (made by Tonegen). We cannot read the numbers on the backside, but you are looking for a part number ending in 004 for the 10" woofer. Again, I assume the added resistor is to compensate for increased sensitivity of the replacement driver, but others here will chime in with more hands-on experience and knowledge. When you get a chance, you may also want to post pics of the crossover assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad-monkey Posted September 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2018 On 9/24/2018 at 6:15 PM, ra.ra said: When you get a chance, you may also want to post pics of the crossover assembly. Thanks ra.ra and IARybody! I've got pix of the s/n and the x-over here: https://imgur.com/a/EMCSd4D (also, is the CSP image uploader just broken?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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