AR22BX Woofer Drivers

[Meerkat01494]

I have a pair of AR22BX  speakers and the foam surrounds to both woofers have disintegrated. 

I love these speakers and have owned them for over 30 years and love the tone in the room. 

Rather than re-foam the speakers, would anybody be able to advise on suitable replacement woofers and the supplier?

The reference on the back of the existing woofers is AR 1210072-0B 281 TNG. 

All help/guidance would be most appreciated.

Regards

Meerkat01494

[JKent]

Welcome Meerkat!

Why not refoam them? It's pretty easy. If you "love the tone in the room" any non-original replacement will disappoint you. I believe your woofers were made by Tonegen (by the TNG in the part #).

If you are not up to the task yourself, contact Bill LeGall http://www.millersound.net  He'll make them good as new.

-Kent

PS: You did not say where you are. The 22BX was (also?) made in England. If you're on that side of the pond Bill can't help you.

[ra.ra]

Hi Meerkat,

These speakers are from the mid-to-late 80's, so it is perfectly normal for the foams to have deteriorated. Nonetheless, having rotted foams is usually not sufficient reason to "toss" the original woofers and begin a search for new replacement drivers. This is a mistake that many people have made and lived to regret. Your TNG drivers might be factory replacements, or perhaps Tonegen was providing original drivers to AR in these years. The 072 part is the important part to identify that particular woofer, but I would discourage you at this time from conducting a search to find similar part number replacements since it is quite possible that even those might require new foams.

Instead, I think JKent offers sound advice to attempt to re-foam these yourself or with assistance from a local audio shop. I believe these are 8-inch woofers, and replacement foams should be available regardless of which continent you are living in. Regarding re-foam, the thing to be aware of is these woofers have polypropylene cones, so you want to be certain that you use an appropriate glue that will bond with this material. Also, because of age, it might be prudent to consider replacing original capacitors. Schematic diagram is attached.