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Ar2ax tweeter front conection issue.


Mcintoshkid

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I just got a set of AR2ax speakers I had a issue with the conection on the fried egg tweeter. It seems the wires worked loose I thought I blew the tweeter so I pulled the grill still stapled from the factory and just started fiddling with the conections and the tweeter came to life. What is the correct way for those wires to be placed in the spring loaded posts?  A link to a existing thread will work too. The speeker is a fully functional I just want that conected proper. I was really depressed when it quit working I hadn't even had the speekers 24hrs.

 

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9 minutes ago, Mcintoshkid said:

Oh yes it was definitely the fine wire conection at the front terminals.  First thing I did was check the pot. I have ar 4x for years pots are the same issue. Everythingis working now so I guess I have a decent conection. 

The tweeter leads are aluminum, which are prone to oxidation.

Roy

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That expains why I had to fiddle ever so gently to get a good conection. Thankfully the tweeter is good. I got lucky with this set of 2ax they are sounding vary nice. I like that they are untouched. I want to preserve as much original sound. My 4x are doing amazing too. I am going to follow your advice of not doping these 10 inch woofers they seem to be holding their own.

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20 minutes ago, RoyC said:

The tweeter leads are aluminum, which are prone to oxidation.

Roy

expains why I had to fiddle ever so gently to get a good conection. Thankfully the tweeter is good. I got lucky with this set of 2ax they are sounding vary nice. I like that they are untouched. I want to preserve as much original sound. My 4x are doing amazing too. I am going to follow your advice of not doping these 10 inch woofers they seem to be holding their own.

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Mcintoshkid,

I believe you were referring to the FRONT push to open wire 'studs' which the tweeter's wires fit into at the location of the actual tweeter, not the rear of cabinet adjustments for the high and mid range speakers via the pots. As I just wrote on your other thread about these ARs, the tweeters are sensitive to getting blown out. I don't know but suspect it is possible to wire them up front to the abovementioned posts and have the two speakers out of phase, but I'm not sure. Mention this possibility in case you put the wires back in place in reverse order than you found them?

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17 hours ago, C.R.James said:

I believe you were referring to the FRONT push to open wire 'studs' which the tweeter's wires fit into at the location of the actual tweeter, not the rear of cabinet adjustments for the high and mid range speakers via the pots. As I just wrote on your other thread about these ARs, the tweeters are sensitive to getting blown out. I don't know but suspect it is possible to wire them up front to the abovementioned posts and have the two speakers out of phase, but I'm not sure. Mention this possibility in case you put the wires back in place in reverse order than you found them?

Well, yes he was referring to the front connections, given the title of the thread is "Ar2ax tweeter front connection issue". :)

The primary answer to your question regarding these early tweeters being sensitive to "getting blown" is AR's use of a very simple (single capacitor) crossover for the tweeter. Modern designs use parallel crossover components to provide a steeper "slope", preventing harmful lower frequencies from reaching the tweeter. Many later tweeters also have ferro fluid in the voice coil gap to help dissipate heat.

The way the tweeter leads are taped in place, it is pretty hard to wire them in reverse order. Not sure if you are implying this was the cause of the Mcintoshkid's connection issue, but it wouldn't be the cause, even if he did wire the leads in reverse.

Roy

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Roy,

Thanks for your insight. Is there a way to rebuild, repair, tweeters of this AR original type; or once they are shot/blown that's it for them?

How does one minimize the effect of the oxidation on the aluminium, if there is a way to combat its effect? Would coating with No-Ox mitigate its effect?

BTW, I was most concerned that Mcintoshkid was asking about front tweeter wires and folks were suggesting the rear, pot connections were likely the issue, (corroded pots). And I wasn't sure if reversing wires in the front would/could cause an out-of-phase between the two speakers tweeters.

Side question: can AR-2axes be fed 8 ohms as a source from an amp, or are they dependent on 4 ohms?

Same question when using Micro-static tweeter as replacements for blown OEM AR tweeters?

TIA for your help.

C.R.James

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1 hour ago, C.R.James said:

Roy,

Thanks for your insight. Is there a way to rebuild, repair, tweeters of this AR original type; or once they are shot/blown that's it for them?

How does one minimize the effect of the oxidation on the aluminium, if there is a way to combat its effect? Would coating with No-Ox mitigate its effect?

BTW, I was most concerned that Mcintoshkid was asking about front tweeter wires and folks were suggesting the rear, pot connections were likely the issue, (corroded pots). And I wasn't sure if reversing wires in the front would/could cause an out-of-phase between the two speakers tweeters.

Side question: can AR-2axes be fed 8 ohms as a source from an amp, or are they dependent on 4 ohms?

Same question when using Micro-static tweeter as replacements for blown OEM AR tweeters?

TIA for your help.

C.R.James

Nobody is fully rebuilding the 1+ inch orange dome/aluminum lead tweeters, though they can sometimes be repaired and refurbished. The aluminum leads can be replaced with tinned copper or tinsel leads.

A fair amount has already been posted in the forum regarding rebuilding the 3/4" black dome tweeters. Search posts by chris1this1. Chris does a very nice job of rebuilding the 3/4" tweeter using the original paper dome and a custom wound voice coil meeting original parameters. I'm rebuilding them as well using a replacement 3/4" cloth dome/voice coil combination, primarily for those with badly damaged or missing domes.

There is no way to minimize the effects of oxidation on the old aluminum leads. They are fragile and easily broken. It is best not to disturb them if they are working.

The 2ax is a relatively easy load for any amplifier, regardless of the tweeter being used.

Roy

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5 minutes ago, RoyC said:

Yes, a fair amount has already been posted in the forum regarding rebuilding the tweeters. Search posts by chris1this1. Chris does a very nice job of rebuilding them using the original paper dome and a custom wound voice coil meeting original parameters. I'm rebuilding them as well using a replacement cloth dome/voice coil combination, primarily for those with badly damaged or missing domes.

There is no way to minimize the effects of oxidation on the old aluminum leads. They are fragile and easily broken. It is best not to disturb them if they are working.

The 2ax is a relatively easy load for any amplifier, regardless of the tweeter being used.

Roy

Thanks Roy,

I'm new to this forum, and plan to search everything there is here about AR speakers/turntables, etc., as time allows, and maintaining a regular life concurrently permits.

AR first, life as usual, distant 2nd. ;)

So, to clarify the 2aXes should be connected to 8 ohm outputs? And what gauge wire from amp to speaker(s) would be best...

Thanks!

C.R. James

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1 hour ago, C.R.James said:

So, to clarify the 2aXes should be connected to 8 ohm outputs? And what gauge wire fr

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/original_models_manuals/ar_loudspeaker_manual_1973.pdf

Above is a link to the AR speaker manual for 1973 from the Library.  It lists the 2ax as 8ohm and recommends 18 to 16 gauge speaker wire.

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16 minutes ago, Aadams said:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/original_models_manuals/ar_loudspeaker_manual_1973.pdf

Above is a link to the AR speaker manual for 1973 from the Library.  It lists the 2ax as 8ohm and recommends 18 to 16 gauge speaker wire.

Aadams,

Thanks for that useful 'manual'. It provides all the data I needed, for the most part.

One question; why do I see on some of the rear knurled nut posts what looks like solder between the posts on some ARs? Is that factory bridging of some sort?

TIA,

C.R. James

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20 minutes ago, Aadams said:

The only thing I can imagine you are describing is the jumper wire connecting T and 2 posts.  There should be one on your 2ax.

image.png.b5e17d2ecc8dabbfe51211712e3b1470.png

That's it! Is that a factory setup with the jumper across the two posts, with everything in the speaker working as it's intended? ( No blown out/noisy pots or tired crossover network?)

BTW, what vintage is the speaker in the pic? Is it yours? Did someone used a surround to smooth out the recessed terminals area?

Thanks,

C. R. James

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1 hour ago, C.R.James said:

That's it! Is that a factory setup with the jumper across the two posts, with everything in the speaker working as it's intended? ( No blown out/noisy pots or tired crossover network?)

It is a stock 2ax. Not mine. The jumper is common on the early ARs and is required to connect the the woofer to the other drivers including the pots.

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