Brian RC Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 Hello Acoustic Research experts, The tweeters are blown in my AR98LSis and it is very difficult to find a used set of mid/tweeter pairs for these speakers. I see a lot of discussion on this site about tweeter replacement alternatives for all the other AR flagship speakers, but not for the AR9LS/LSi family. I did see a thread where someone rebuilt the voice coil of their AR 98LSi tweeter but I think that would be too challenging for me. Is replacing just the tweeter in my AR 98Lsi a viable option? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lance G Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 Probably an idea to look at and put a saved search on th'e-bay internet site, then if anything crops up you should be automatically notified. Of course some kind soul on this site may have something to offer ? If you are particularly fond of the specific speaker model, and/or depending how serious you are, perhaps try to source another complete working pair of speakers whilst waiting for a driver or drivers to "turn up" ? You could also then possibly have the option to switch the driver/s over to your original speakers. If in time nothing materialises replacement driver wise sell your original, or the replacement "slightly less than perfect" (being kind !) pair of speakers to offset the costs. Hope the above makes sense. I suppose it could be seen by some as an extravagant way of going about things ? IMHO it's a shame to see these things unneccessarily broken up or thrown away. Do also give some serious thought as to how/why your original tweeters blew ? Good luck ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 That tweeter/midrange combo may have been used in other AR speakers. Maybe the AR98ls and 98lsi. Maybe others. I have seen them pop up for reasonable prices. The original tweeters may be repairable with the right dome/voice coil which I see available on the auction site. Eventually something will pop up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR55 Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 Vintage AR (eBay store) used to offer a repair service for the tweeters in the dual dome 200048 (78Ls, 98Ls & 9Ls) & 210048 (98Lsi & 9Lsi). I haven't seen them advertise this service recently, but you might want to check to see if they still offer it. The 210048 & 200048 are the same unit. The 200048 was made by AR & the 210048 was made for AR by Tonegen. There is a pair of the 200048 dual domes for sale on eBay by recycled_josh: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Research-AR-9LS-9LSi-98LS-98LSi-Tweeter-Midrange-Pair He wants $475 for the pair, which is bit above the going rate. Usually they can be found for around $150 each. The post is been up for awhile, so he may be willing to deal for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio AR Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 Hello Brian, try this: https://www.ebay.it/itm/324155784808 It is an example, better to find a matched pair, it is not expensive, with little difficulty you can replace your non-working tweeters (it also happened to me with an AR78LS tweeter: the wire between the contact and the course on the magnet is interrupted by corrosion!), and you will be able to recover some of the money spent by reselling the mid. or all the rest. If you don't feel able to replace, there is a member who has this ability, Chris1this tries to contact him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian RC Posted May 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 5 hours ago, AR55 said: Vintage AR (eBay store) used to offer a repair service for the tweeters in the dual dome 200048 (78Ls, 98Ls & 9Ls) & 210048 (98Lsi & 9Lsi). I haven't seen them advertise this service recently, but you might want to check to see if they still offer it. The 210048 & 200048 are the same unit. The 200048 was made by AR & the 210048 was made for AR by Tonegen. There is a pair of the 200048 dual domes for sale on eBay by recycled_josh: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Research-AR-9LS-9LSi-98LS-98LSi-Tweeter-Midrange-Pair He wants $475 for the pair, which is bit above the going rate. Usually they can be found for around $150 each. The post is been up for awhile, so he may be willing to deal for one. Thanks for the tips AR55. I will give a call out to Vintage AR. I also did see the pair on eBay, but at over $500 shipped, I thought I would ask about the possibility of repairing mine first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian RC Posted May 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Giorgio AR said: Hello Brian, try this: https://www.ebay.it/itm/324155784808 It is an example, better to find a matched pair, it is not expensive, with little difficulty you can replace your non-working tweeters (it also happened to me with an AR78LS tweeter: the wire between the contact and the course on the magnet is interrupted by corrosion!), and you will be able to recover some of the money spent by reselling the mid. or all the rest. If you don't feel able to replace, there is a member who has this ability, Chris1this tries to contact him! Thanks Giorgio. Are you saying that the tweeter in the AR-48B is the same tweeter that is in the 9/98 LSi? Interesting. As soon as I get some temporary replacement loudspeakers, I plan on disassembling one of my tweeter/midrange units to see if it is a repair I can manage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR55 Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 I would be very careful disassembling your dual dome. The lead wires are glued in place and can stick to plastic cover, and snap off when you take the cover off. Unfortunately, I know this from experience. Giorgio may be correct, but I was not aware that the tweeter in the 48b is related to the tweeter in the 9Lsi's dual dome. If it is, then you should have a lot of options - the 38b, 38bx, 38bxi, 48b, 48bx, 48bxi, 58b, 58bx & 58bxi all have the same dome tweeter/cone midrange assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AR55 Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 I did a little research in the AR archive drawings, and it looks like the voice coil from an AR-48b’s tweeter may not be an exact match for your AR-9Lsi’s blown tweeter. The 2 tweeters have different voice coil part numbers. The .75-inch dome tweeter found in the 38b, 48b, 58b, etc., shares its voice coil (AR Part Number 202012) with tweeters in the AR-10pi, AR-11, AR-58s, AR-9, AR-90, AR-91and AR-92. The .75-inch dome tweeter in your AR-9Lsi has a voice coil part number of 202029 which, from what I can tell, only appears in the dual dome assembly 200048/210048 of the AR9Ls, AR-78Ls, AR-98Ls, AR-9Lsi, AR-98Lsi and the MGC-1. AR often gave parts new numbers, even when only slight changes were made, so it is possible that the coils are the same. I have measured the DC resistance of the tweeters in my AR-11's, 9Lsi's, 98Ls' & 98Lsi's and they all read between 3.2 & 3.7 ohms, so its possible that the coils are the same. I just can’t confirm it, since I was only able to find a detailed drawing of the one of the voice coils (202029) in the AR archives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 4 hours ago, AR55 said: AR often gave parts new numbers, even when only slight changes were made, so it is possible that the coils are the same. The tweeters in my AR91 (pn2000029-1) and my AR58S (pn200043-0) are mechanically identical with some slight cosmetic differences as seen in the pictures below. It deffently is possible that the coils and domes are the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian RC Posted May 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 5 hours ago, AR55 said: I did a little research in the AR archive drawings, and it looks like the voice coil from an AR-48b’s tweeter may not be an exact match for your AR-9Lsi’s blown tweeter. The 2 tweeters have different voice coil part numbers. The .75-inch dome tweeter found in the 38b, 48b, 58b, etc., shares its voice coil (AR Part Number 202012) with tweeters in the AR-10pi, AR-11, AR-58s, AR-9, AR-90, AR-91and AR-92. The .75-inch dome tweeter in your AR-9Lsi has a voice coil part number of 202029 which, from what I can tell, only appears in the dual dome assembly 200048/210048 of the AR9Ls, AR-78Ls, AR-98Ls, AR-9Lsi, AR-98Lsi and the MGC-1. AR often gave parts new numbers, even when only slight changes were made, so it is possible that the coils are the same. I have measured the DC resistance of the tweeters in my AR-11's, 9Lsi's, 98Ls' & 98Lsi's and they all read between 3.2 & 3.7 ohms, so its possible that the coils are the same. I just can’t confirm it, since I was only able to find a detailed drawing of the one of the voice coils (202029) in the AR archives. Wow AR55. Thanks for the research! I would tend to think that the tweeter from the AR-10pi or AR-9 would perform admirably in my 98LSi. Good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian RC Posted May 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 1 hour ago, lARrybody said: The tweeters in my AR91 (pn2000029-1) and my AR58S (pn200043-0) are mechanically identical with some slight cosmetic differences as seen in the pictures below. It deffently is possible that the coils and domes are the same. Thanks IARrybody. This is consistent with AR55's research. As to your previous question about what caused the tweeters to blow, I suspect it was a new Outlaw 976 processor I bought that sounded great but had horrible issues with HDMI handshaking. Switching inputs caused very loud, transient pops, some so loud that they the protective circuitry in my amp shut it off. This has never happened before in the 20 years I've owned it, so I suspect the loud transients blew the tweeters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian RC Posted May 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 22 hours ago, AR55 said: I would be very careful disassembling your dual dome. The lead wires are glued in place and can stick to plastic cover, and snap off when you take the cover off. Unfortunately, I know this from experience. Giorgio may be correct, but I was not aware that the tweeter in the 48b is related to the tweeter in the 9Lsi's dual dome. If it is, then you should have a lot of options - the 38b, 38bx, 38bxi, 48b, 48bx, 48bxi, 58b, 58bx & 58bxi all have the same dome tweeter/cone midrange assembly. Thanks. I'll be careful if and when I disassemble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tod Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 I have a pair of dual dome tweeters I'd be willing to part with for far less than the ones on eBay and also in better working condition be contact me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fentonio Posted February 20, 2023 Report Share Posted February 20, 2023 Hi al resurrecting this as I have a pair of 9LS just acquired, almost for free, had to recone all the woofers and then fired them up (success, hurray) only to find the tweeters on both have failed But I suspect not blown, just lost connection due to perished lead wires as they are tiny single strands, and I don’t think this pair were stored very well over the years, they look like they’ve had damp times what are the chances of opening up the domes and soldering on fresh lead wires to wherever they have perished if that is the case. Are the voice coils copper or aluminium? otherwise are you still considering selling yours Todd? Would they be appropriate for some 9LS? (I’m in the uk also) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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