Guesstimator Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 Hi all first post here. I am the proud owner of a pair of ar4x and as of yesterday a pair of ar3a improved (I live in Italy). Found them at a reasonable price because a young couple bough a house which was cluttered withe previous owner' junk...including a (what looked like) pristine pair of ar3a improved. Got them home and it is clear they have been very well looked after by the original owner. Only thing is, that on opening them I discovered that one of the woofers is incorrect. One speaker has a 20003 which must have been refoamed some years ago (which I believe to be the correct part for this speaker), and the other has an ar1210003-2a . Now, this later woofer is in need of refoaming which leads me to believe it was a new replacement at the time of fitting. My question is: is this woofer truly the same as the original ar 20003 ? Is it worth refoaming or should I start looking for another 20003? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Mat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 Welcome to CSP Mat That is a Tonegen A7 replacement woofer probably made in Taiwan. Not a bad woofer. Your other 20003 woofer could have a round or square magnet. There is information on the different woofers used in the AR3a restoration guide found here in the library section. They look very well cared for. Could you show the back switches and binding post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guesstimator Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 The other woofer has a round magnet. And some metallic mesh on the basket. Could be A4 or A5? Mid seems to be the A13 and the tweeter A20. I think I will refoam the tonegen woofer and keep my eyes peeled for another 20003 woofer in the next few months. For some reason I can't seem to upload pictures....at the the end of the upload I simply get a -200 warning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guesstimator Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio AR Posted August 28, 2019 Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 Hi, nice speakers, I have to add two things to the comment of Kent: the Tonegen woofer should be produced in Japan (I am attaching photos of front and back of my 1990 TNG woofer, next to a '78 200003), second, from the photos it seems to see that the foam on the TNG woofer is glued under the paper cone? Furthermore the 200003 woofer foam is not the correct 5/8" roll and here you will also find the advice on the correct type of foam to use. Giorgio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guesstimator Posted September 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 Hi all just finished my first refoam (of the tonegen woofer). I can confirm that The foam was glued to the front of the cone. The foam width of the 200003 woofer is the correct 5/8th and is extremely soft. The new foam for the ring is specific for the ar3a but the roll width measures about 15mm as opposed to the 16mm of the original. Main difference is that the new foam is obviously stiffer than the older one on the other speaker. Any suggestions on how to speed up the breaking in of the foam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio AR Posted September 3, 2019 Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 Hi, the foam you used I think was bought in Italy and it's not the same one you find in the USA. On the Italian site Melius you will find a nice discussion on the foam you used for the TNG woofer, in that topic it is written that the new foam was torn after listening to high volumes and later replaced with correct foam! Probably if the speakers are not subjected to high power, this foam should be able to guarantee a listening very similar to the original. I am attaching 2 photos of a pair of my AR3a improved woofers from 1974 refoamed with the foam purchased from AR Vintage. Giorgio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guesstimator Posted September 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 Yeah the single foam I bough is definitely not the correct item although it is sold as though it is. However this is not an issue. The plan is to try the speakers and see how much I like them. If all is good the I will search for a 200003 woofer and at that point will then refoam both at the same time with the vintage ar kit, and sell on the freshly refoamed TNG. Is running a 30hz through the woofer a common practice to soften up the new foam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomK Posted September 3, 2019 Report Share Posted September 3, 2019 2 hours ago, Guesstimator said: Yeah the single foam I bough is definitely not the correct item although it is sold as though it is. However this is not an issue. The plan is to try the speakers and see how much I like them. If all is good the I will search for a 200003 woofer and at that point will then refoam both at the same time with the vintage ar kit, and sell on the freshly refoamed TNG. Is running a 30hz through the woofer a common practice to soften up the new foam? 30hz is used to test whether or not the voice coil is centered. My material science information is extremely old at this point, but I would think the purpose of synthetic foam is to ensure a consistent suspension throughout its lifespan. Can foam really soften that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTally Posted September 5, 2019 Report Share Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/3/2019 at 11:23 AM, TomK said: 30hz is used to test whether or not the voice coil is centered. My material science information is extremely old at this point, but I would think the purpose of synthetic foam is to ensure a consistent suspension throughout its lifespan. Can foam really soften that way? Every woofer I have refoamed (dozens) have sounded better after several hours of use. My experience is that foams loosen up and go deeper with use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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