What are the best version woofers for AR2ax ?

[Guest santa cruz carl]

I see that three different version speakers were offered for the AR2ax. Someone crammed some 10" Pyles in the openings on mine and they are junk. They went through the trouble of making plywood reduction rings so originally mine had 11" woofers. I am ebay shopping for used woofers and in my understanding the last versions with the four mount holes and the square magnets and smooth paper cones were the best sounding. I see though the version prior to that had a magnet on the back of the frame that was also square but had open magnets and taped sides, also 4 mount holes. And then in my understanding the earliest version had 6 holes and a magnet that screwed to the back of a cast frame with three screws but had horrible cones. Set me straight, which are the ones to get for the best sound? Carl

[Guest Americain]

I'm not sure I can answer your question Carl but it seems to me that the latest version or newest one would be the one to go for. Although if I were doing it I might be tempted for an older one just for historical purposes.

I was also wondering where you are in Santa Cruz? I'm from that area and I miss it like crazy. I moved to Ohio last year and I like where I live but it's hard to put 30+ years behind you just like that. I miss being able to stroll along Pacific Avenue and stop in at Book Shop Santa Cruz and Mr. Goody's Antiques shop. I especially miss my regular tennis matches at the Cabrillo College courts although technically that's in Aptos but you know what I mean.

[ninohernes]

The best sounding AR-2 woofers are the older alnico magnet versions. The alnico magnet woofers sound smoother and more acurate than the ceramic magnet woofers.

[tysontom]

>I see that three different version speakers were offered for

>the AR2ax. Someone crammed some 10" Pyles in the openings on

>mine and they are junk. They went through the trouble of

>making plywood reduction rings so originally mine had 11"

>woofers. I am ebay shopping for used woofers and in my

>understanding the last versions with the four mount holes and

>the square magnets and smooth paper cones were the best

>sounding. I see though the version prior to that had a magnet

>on the back of the frame that was also square but had open

>magnets and taped sides, also 4 mount holes. And then in my

>understanding the earliest version had 6 holes and a magnet

>that screwed to the back of a cast frame with three screws but

>had horrible cones. Set me straight, which are the ones to get

>for the best sound? Carl

Carl, what version AR-2ax do you have? It sounds to me that you have the pre-1970 version with the 6-bolt mounting hole (with a 4-bolt adapter plate to allow the smaller-frame woofer), but now with an alien woofer. Describe the drivers; the grill material and so forth. If your AR-2ax has the 1-3/8-inch orange phenolic-dome tweeter, which I believe it does from your description, your best bet would be to find an original 6-bolt 10-inch (actually closer to 11-inch frame diameter) Alnico/cast-aluminum woofer that originally came with the speaker. Toss out the Pyle driver. The early 1970 AR-2axs came with a new 10-inch, 4-bolt woofer with a pole-piece or "slug" magnet with usually a masking-tape substance covering the magnet sides. This woofer had the new low-vacuum cone and urethane-foam surround, and was very clean-sounding. By 1974 or so that same woofer acquired a ceramic-ferrite magnet, and some slight changes to the cone.

Sound-wise the best one for your speaker, if it is the pre-1970 version which I think it is by your description, would be the original 6-bolt Alnico woofer.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/466.jpg

Two versions of the early 6-bolt AR-2/AR-2a/AR-2ax pre-1970 cast-aluminum-frame, Alnico-magnet woofer: left, later version; right, earliest version.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/465.jpg

Version of the Post-1970 woofer: 4-bolt, stamped-frame, low-vacuum cone with urethane surround woofer.

--Tom Tyson