Stimpy Posted September 8, 2019 Report Share Posted September 8, 2019 I'm lucky. The foam inserts on my 90s still look pristine. Not sure why, just glad it is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted September 8, 2019 Report Share Posted September 8, 2019 1 hour ago, Stimpy said: I'm lucky. The foam inserts on my 90s still look pristine. Not sure why, just glad it is what it is. Same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted September 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2019 Thank you for reading and for the helpful suggestions and Links to articles/restoration threads. I appreciate very much the genuine interest and willingness to share thoughts/ experiences. Based on everything I have learned since posting my request, I believe I will be getting the woofers re-done by Bill and also seek his availability to investigate the other components for proper operation. These are 4-digit SN speakers that started life in New Orleans from 1981 - 1987, then to SE PA till 2006 then in POD Storage till 2018, I don't think they were played any from 1999 onward, they just sat. I don't have an AMP and take to heart that 'bigger-is-best' is the way to go - any suggestions here? I would like to get a marantz with gyro tuning from the 1971 - 1976 era if they have enough wattage. I will post the final outcome. Many thanks to ALL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR surround Posted September 9, 2019 Report Share Posted September 9, 2019 Here are some pics of the AR binding posts vs. the Parts Express offering as noted by DavidR. The AR binding post will handle a banana plug, but it cannot be inserted all the way. That may or may not bother some people. Both the AR and the Parts Express binding posts have a hole to insert a wire through it. The wire shown attached to the AR post is 16 gauge. That's the maximum gauge this binding post will handle, albeit with difficulty "threading the needle." The Parts Express binding post has a larger hole. The wire in the picture is 12 gauge. It will handle an even larger gauge if that is one's druthers. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted September 9, 2019 Report Share Posted September 9, 2019 Marantz from that era have a nice look but will need at least the power supply recapped. I've run my 91s on a 60wpc tube amp with stunning sound BUT not a whole lot of volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted September 9, 2019 Report Share Posted September 9, 2019 11 hours ago, DavidR said: Marantz from that era have a nice look but will need at least the power supply recapped. Many of us here use vintage amps or receivers, and the Marantz units are very cool. But any vintage amp or receiver should be gone over by a qualified technician and that can add to the cost. Modern options would include the Crown XLS 1002. Gobs of power for $339. Or the QSC GX3 for $350. There are some for even less; the Behringer NX1000 is $250. Check out these "pro" amps at PE. Virtually all are stable down to 2 ohms https://www.parts-express.com/cat/power-amplifiers-live-sound/346 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted September 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 Hi All! A quick update - today I purchased a 1-owner Marantz 2325 that is just beautiful - with Case! ?, and I plan to have it fully restored before even plugging it in, just to be sure it will deliver as it should. I also spoke to Mr. LeGall at Millersound and he said the re-foam he could do on a Saturday if I wanted to drop by, which I plan to do very soon - after making an appointment of course!. I also asked about redoing the Crossovers and he said they don't go bad on those speakers. I am not trying to create a firestorm but I also do not like to ignore a professional's advice. Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that 40-year old electronics do 'age' and I would have them done. Is it difficult to remove them from the enclosure? I'll post photos of things when I get further along and have something to 'show.' Thanks again for all the interest and great responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted September 20, 2019 Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 Hi Stever The Marantz 2325 is a beautiful receiver and having it professionally serviced is a wise idea. There are owner's & service manuals and some other lit here: https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/marantz/2325.shtml One thing gives me pause. I only see ratings at 8 ohms. The 91s are 4 ohms. The Marantz is certainly robust but I don't know if it is rated for 4 ohms. Maybe ask your tech or probably other members will chime in.I did a quick google search and found conflicting opinions. In any case, I would advise against hooking up a second pair of speakers. Bill's comment puzzles me. Of course he is THE speaker guru and my questioning his opinion is a bit like a college sophomore challenging a senior professor but here's my 2 cents: The caps in there are getting pretty old and some of the caps are the black & red PVC type. They are notorious for drifting or leaking because the black material and the red material are different plastics that expand and contract at different rates. The metal cans may be fine but I would not trust the PVC caps. Kent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimpy Posted September 20, 2019 Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 If your 91's have Unicon branded caps, they could still be good and sound good. My 58s speakers had them, and they sound great. But, as already noted, if they are the black & red Callins brand of capacitors, I'd rip those out and burn them! They do not hold up well at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted September 21, 2019 Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 A lot of the metal can Callins are no longer any good. The 24 and 100uF caps are metal cans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted September 21, 2019 Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 If you post some pics of your crossovers, members might be able to give more specific advice about the potential re-cap ideas. Generally, I agree with others that these would most likely benefit from full cap replacement. 2 hours ago, JKent said: One thing gives me pause. I only see ratings at 8 ohms. The 91s are 4 ohms. Kent raises a very good point here which should be researched and confirmed. While I find it difficult to think that a serious 70's receiver could not be adequate for a single pair of 4-ohm speakers, the Marantz literature is indeed very non-specific on this topic. The user's manual makes only this one mention of 4-ohm speakers, and even this statement can be read with two interpretations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted September 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 Thank you Kent & to ra.ra. I would interpret the Note according to the first sentence but will confirm with Millersound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted September 21, 2019 Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 The 2325 is a beautiful receiver on its own, but with the wood cabinet? - wow! To me, the note that ra.ra posted implies that it's ok to use a 4 ohm speaker as long as you don't try to run the main & remote systems simultaneously, which would show too low a combined impedance to the amplifier. If 4 ohm systems were absolutely forbidden, that note would be the place to mention it, no? The AR-91 crossover board is fairly easy to access for a cap replacement - removing the board (a miserable job) isn't really necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR surround Posted September 21, 2019 Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 12 hours ago, ar_pro said: The AR-91 crossover board is fairly easy to access for a cap replacement - removing the board (a miserable job) isn't really necessary. I agree with ar_pro. Do the work in situ. Look at all the "stuff" I was able to put into an AR915 (UK version of the AR91) without removing the board. (I had a bunch of surplus 24uF Solen poly caps, so I cobbled four of them together to make a replacement for the 100uF NPE. Totally unnecessary as opposed to installing a new 100uF NPE, but as some on this forum are aware, I had a serious vendetta against those Solen polys.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimpy Posted September 21, 2019 Report Share Posted September 21, 2019 I did my AR58S and AR92 crossovers, with the boards in place. No issues, and fairly simple. I even changed the stock binding posts, which some of us hate...! New caps too...! 'Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted October 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 Hi All! Finally got up to see Bill Legall and everyone is correct - he is a really Great Guy and very knowledgeable with a national following as confirmed by his testimonial letters of Outstanding work. I asked him about the Crosovers and it is his opinion that they don't get heat, so there is no real reason to rework them. Question to you guys - is the '0' position on the Crossover Selection a position that essentially turns 'Off' the Crossovers. Therefore no current will be directed through them? If this is not the case, then I will have to have them serviced. I am good with plumbing copper pipes and blow torch, but a soldering iron would be too steep of a learning curve at this point in my life. I will post a photo of the Crossover after I replace the Woofers. Anyway, below is a photo of the 'After' Woofers on which Bill worked his magic. Also attached is a photo of the back side of the Tweeter. Bill said that is a normal condition, and "no problem." Thanks to ra.ra for bringing that possibility to my attention. I have also decided to keep the OEM binding posts. Thanks to all for your continued interest and replies. ARs-2.pdf Tweet-1a.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 0 dB is the position where no signal goes thru a resistor to drop the dB level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted October 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 19 minutes ago, DavidR said: 0 dB is the position where no signal goes thru a resistor to drop the dB level. Thanks for the Reply DavidR. So if 0db is selected then it is the same as 'turning the Crossover Off' - therefore they are not being used and if always kept in this position there would be no need to have the Crossover serviced - Correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 No, that is not correct. The capacitors and coils are still used. The level switches control the path thru the crossover. -3 and -6dB go thru a resistor to drop the level of sound. Most of my 91's capacitors were out of spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted October 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 Thank you DavidR. I understand that selecting -3 or -6 would use the Crossover. Does selecting 0 use the Crossover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 The crossover is always in use. The switches merely make a change in the signal path direction and use additional parts in the crossover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever88 Posted October 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 Thank you Sir, I understand now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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