AR 9 crossover update/upgrade

[69AMX390]

Thanks to another member ,I have obtained original drivers to replace both non working upper midrange and 1 tweeter and 1 woofer.  So, next step is crossover rebuild.  I have a good background in electrical theory.  There are so many choices on capacitors.  NPE, film, poly, etc.  I am just trying to make speakers sound as good as new, if not better.  Does anyone have a cookbook recipe for AR 9 crossover update/upgrades?     

I realize not all size capacitors with exact uf are available.  To obtain correct value multiple capacitors grouped together, in parallel, to obtain correct uf needed.  From what I have read, this could possible change the ESR, which in turn could alter the sound.  Has anyone reverse engineered capacitors and resistors to get the correct x-over frequency and ESR's needed?  Any thoughts on bypass capacitors included in cookbook?             

[PT Doug]

[PT Doug]

I used original drivers. Had all drivers tested and built the crossovers to match each speaker,  with  a flat  +/-1.5 db   response. Also took out the woofers and had them remounted to eliminate future rattle. Also remove the switches in the back and installed acoustic feet.   In my opinion trying to keep old outdated parts  isn't going to achieve the original sound of those speakers.  The same speaker box with the same drivers matched with a flat crossover will give you the sound you are looking for.  It worked for me. Built, installed, and tested professionally. 

 MY Opinion,I HAVE THE AR SOUND and they never sounded this good, NEVER!

[69AMX390]

PT Doug.

    "Had all drivers tested and built the crossovers to match each speaker,  with  a flat  +/-1.5 db   response. "   Can you enlighten me with equipment used and how to match crossovers to each speaker?  Don't the resistors fine tune?

I was assuming most would say they reuse the inductors.  Not a deal breaker.  It looks much easier to build everything on the bench, instead of inside speaker.    

[harry398]

You can go down 12 different rabbit holes.

My advice?  Dayton Npe caps, refoam them good and you will get incredible results.  You can spend more hard earned dough, but from my experience you will most certainly pleased with this route.

The original caps are shot, trust me.   

Think about a good amp.   I like the carver tfm 42 for the AR9.  The 4.0 is great too.   Youll need that endless power.      Theres a guy out in ohio that recaps them.   I think mine measured close to 550...575 @ 4 ohms.....much higher on peaks.    Clean power with great sound.   Ultra reliable.

Other amps i tried didnt sound as good.    I did like the kenwood basic m2a alot, but didnt have the A$$ carver has.   

[AR surround]

On 1/27/2021 at 7:55 PM, harry398 said:

My advice?  Dayton Npe caps, refoam them good and you will get incredible results.  You can spend more hard earned dough, but from my experience you will most certainly pleased with this route.

69AMX390, if you do decide to go the all NPE route, you won't suffer the agony of swapping out poly caps on that 24uF UMR series capacitor.  On that UMR cap, I tried a Solen MKP which was abominable.  Then I went to a Jentzen Cross Cap which wasn't as bad, but still incompatible with the UMR.  I finally settled on Mundorf E-Caps NPEs with Dayton F&F bypass caps.

I didn't try any real pricey poly caps (i.e. Mundorf Supreme) because doing so would have been prohibitively expensive given my setup.  (I have AR9's, AR90's, and AR91 in a 5.1 system.)

[DavidR]

The Dayton NPE caps measure very well compared to some other brands. I did my AR90s with all NPE but chose the Mundorf ECap (made by F&T, a German company) for the tweeter and UMR series caps and used the Daytons for everything else. I also used 0.01uF Vishay 1837 PP caps on all the series caps. I'm very happy with the results.

[69AMX390]

On 1/27/2021 at 6:55 PM, harry398 said:

You can go down 12 different rabbit holes.

My advice?  Dayton Npe caps, refoam them good and you will get incredible results.  You can spend more hard earned dough, but from my experience you will most certainly pleased with this route.

The original caps are shot, trust me.   

Think about a good amp.   I like the carver tfm 42 for the AR9.  The 4.0 is great too.   Youll need that endless power.      Theres a guy out in ohio that recaps them.   I think mine measured close to 550...575 @ 4 ohms.....much higher on peaks.    Clean power with great sound.   Ultra reliable.

Other amps i tried didnt sound as good.    I did like the kenwood basic m2a alot, but didnt have the A$$ carver has.   

I think I have the amps covered.  At least with my oldschool setup.  I have 2 amps to choose from.  Preamp is a Parasound P5.        

Plan A.  PS Audio 200CX that is an amp from yesteryear, but a beast.  It is rated at 200 watts/channel (8 ohms) and 400 watts (4 ohms) and over 1000 watts at 1.5 ohms.

Plan B.  Aragon 8002,  which is a little newer.  It is rated at 125 watts/channel (8ohms) and 250 watts/channel (4 ohms).  

I can use either one, or both to biamp. PS Audio for low freqs and Aragon for the mids/highs.  I will probably have to use 2 different circuits in the house to power them.