Mystery AR's

[Guest andimania]

Hi, Im attaching 2 pix of a pair of AR's Im looking at on EBAY.

Any ideas?

[johnieo]

AR-4x

[dynaco_dan]

>Hi, Im attaching 2 pix of a pair of AR's Im looking at on

>EBAY.

>

>Any ideas?

The photos are AR-4X's, I read the label on their backs.

A 2 way system that was the least expensive speaker that AR made for several years.

Probably one of the more popular speakers of all time due to it's quality of sound and low price.

Certainly not of the highest quality sound but if this is a starter speaker system you sure can't do much better than these especially at ebay prices, sometimes.

There is usually a few pairs on ebay auction at any one time, cabinet condition is important, but can be re-finished if only minor issues.

The drivers should be matched and of course functioning.

I have bought a few off ebay and some sellers sure do know how to safely package them, a few sellers are not so experienced.

AR products were discounted when they were new as were a lot of other brands.

They are comparable in sound to but different sounding to the Dynaco A-25, A-35, ADC 303, ADC 404, KLH Seventeen, KLH Six, Allison ?, Larger Advent, Smaller Advent, and others.

I jumped from the AR-4X's to the 3A's instead of stepping up to each level when they were new.

Each speaker from different manufacturers sounds usually different and one has to acquire a taste for them.

If you were to compare each speaker I've listed against the 4X's they would probably sound like brother speakers in some cases and cousins in others.

Definitely East coast sound, overall impression, bass heavy, treble shy, but verrrrry listenable over the long term.

I have owned and do own 4X's and I feel they offer the best bang for the buck of all speakers ever made.

There was several variations of the 4X's.

The first ones were with cloth surrounds, the later ones with foam surrounds.

The woofers had several cone materials.

First there was the original AR-4 speaker which had a 4" cone tweeter and different crossover with a screen and fibreglas over the cone, with an 8" woofer.

This 4" tweeter was also used as the AR-2AX midrange speaker.

After a year or so of production, the AR-4 was a very popular speaker, AR manufactured a 2 1/2" tweeter an re-named it the AR-4x.

Consumer Reports said (mid '60's) "it was one of the widest range loudspeakers they had ever tested."

Later there was the AR-4XA (or AR-4AX?) I believe, which I have no experience with, sorry.

The library has fusing information and I would suggest reading it.

The slow blow fuses shown are difficult and expensive to find, an alternative might be an open fuse block and 1 @ fast blow fuse.

All this being said, go for it and good luck.

[draftingmonkey]

According to the AR Loudspeaker Manual both the 4x and 4xa take a Fusetron FNM 6/10 dual-element type fuse. I picked some up at Marvac in Costa Mesa, CA but you can find them elsewhere. Not cheap but they are available (do an online search). Installed just like the diagram in the manual.

[dynaco_dan]

>According to the AR Loudspeaker Manual both the 4x and 4xa

>take a Fusetron FNM 6/10 dual-element type fuse. I picked

>some up at Marvac in Costa Mesa, CA but you can find them

>elsewhere. Not cheap but they are available (do an online

>search). Installed just like the diagram in the manual.

Hi again;

I'm glad you were successful finding the FNM fuses.

Did they also have the open style fuse holders?

Do you remember how much they were?

Here in Vancouver BC, it is easier to find chickens with teeth than FNM fuses.

There is always a possiblity of an old electronics store having some gathering dust as surplus.

Now if you use the speakers at moderate volumes you can feel safer.

The fuse will primarily protect the woofers, the price of the fuse versus a blown woofer, $25.00 + US replacement cost off ebay, well worth it.

Enjoy a classic.

[dynaco_dan]

>>According to the AR Loudspeaker Manual both the 4x and 4xa

>>take a Fusetron FNM 6/10 dual-element type fuse. I picked

>>some up at Marvac in Costa Mesa, CA but you can find them

>>elsewhere. Not cheap but they are available (do an online

>>search). Installed just like the diagram in the manual.

>

>

>Hi again;

>

>I'm glad you were successful finding the FNM fuses.

>

>Did they also have the open style fuse holders?

>

>Do you remember how much they were?

>

>Here in Vancouver BC, it is easier to find chickens with teeth

>than FNM fuses.

>

>There is always a possiblity of an old electronics store

>having some gathering dust as surplus.

>

>Now if you use the speakers at moderate volumes you can feel

>safer.

>

>The fuse will primarily protect the woofers, the price of the

>fuse versus a blown woofer, $25.00 + US replacement cost off

>ebay, well worth it.

>

>Enjoy a classic.

Here again;

I went to Marvac.com's website and they list quite a few FNM fuse sizes.

Do they actually have in stock what they list or is it a hit and miss proposition?

I wasn't able to find fuse blocks or prices.

[draftingmonkey]

Vern,

Did a little checking around. The Fusetron fuse is made by Bussman (do a google search), a division of Cooper Industries. Looks as if they still make all the fuses listed in the AR Manual. You might try contacting someone like FuseOne.com about fuses and fuse blocks. If I remember right it was around 8-12 dollars US for a single-fuse block and fuse. As I live near Marvac it was easier to go get them at the store. Sometimes they have in, other times had to order. You might have to do a little web searching/email to get what you need but it is still out there.

Good luck and let me know how you fair.

James

[dynaco_dan]

>Vern,

>

>Did a little checking around. The Fusetron fuse is made by

>Bussman (do a google search), a division of Cooper Industries.

> Looks as if they still make all the fuses listed in the AR

>Manual. You might try contacting someone like FuseOne.com

>about fuses and fuse blocks. If I remember right it was

>around 8-12 dollars US for a single-fuse block and fuse. As I

>live near Marvac it was easier to go get them at the store.

>Sometimes they have in, other times had to order. You might

>have to do a little web searching/email to get what you need

>but it is still out there.

>

>Good luck and let me know how you fair.

>

>James

Hi James;

Thanks for the tips.

For my LST's I have the original 2 amp fuse in their open holder but I also use a one @ fast blow fuse in series with all of my speakers.

I may blow the occasional 1 @ fuse but at 10 cents each I think I can afford to do it once in a while.

It certainly feels better than a tweeter going pop at maybe $25.00 US plus S&H plus plus or about $50.00 CDN. each.

I remember reading in the library on the oldest AR fusing sheets the price of fuse blocks and fuses and that they were initially postage paid.

I used to buy bits and pieces from AR way back and fuses were one of my more common purchases, I wish I had bought a few more fuse blocks though.

I always addressed my mail to Roy Allison, and he always seemed to take care of the paperwork and answer my silly questions as well.

His level of customer service was what every company should try to obtain.

They also came through duty free, probably because of their low value.

I also bought some spare parts for my AR turntable at the time.

If you go to the Crown Audio web site you may read their theory on speaker fusing, I feel it is well worth downloading as a reading reference.

Woofers use a slow blow fuse and tweeters and mids a fast blow fuse.

This would mean digging into the cabinets and running separate leads out to the open fuse blocks.

For me to order a single fuse from a US store even at a cost of say $5.00 US each would end up costing me, minimum purchase maybe $50.00, shipping probably Fedex or UPS, plus we get nailed another $30.00 +/- CDN UPS customs clearance charge, plus GST.

We pay a hefty penalty for buying through the proper channels.

Our sources in Canada really are a US subsiduary which only stocks the hot selling items.

FNM fuses in our speakers lower values, are not a real hot seller here in Canada.

The last major electronics outlet here in Western Canada was ElectroSonic which had a local large warehouse and a catalog about 3" thick.

I would go to the sales counter and the very helpful staff would retrieve what they had in stock for you.

They would back order for you what they didn't have in stock and if you waited maybe a week there was no surcharge.

That went out several years ago now, how sad.

[draftingmonkey]

Vern,

If you ever come across the border you could probably pick some up around Bellingham or Seattle. Just a thought if you ever head south for a visit. By the way do you still ahve the AR turntable. I have the AR-XA, stock except for the Grado Blue Prestige stylus. Like it stock. See a lot of modded ones on the Vinyl Nirvana site. I guess I like my classic/vintage to be stock. Like old cars the stock ones are disappearing and it is nice to find an example of what they used to be. I know what you mean about how things used to be. Harder to find what you want, people who know what their selling and customer service. Times, they are a changing.

Next time I get up that way, parents and some siblings still in Spokane and one sister in Everett, if I get over to the west side of the state I might drop a line.

Take care, stay warm with the tunes.

James

[dynaco_dan]

>Vern,

>

>If you ever come across the border you could probably pick

>some up around Bellingham or Seattle. Just a thought if you

>ever head south for a visit. By the way do you still ahve the

>AR turntable. I have the AR-XA, stock except for the Grado

>Blue Prestige stylus. Like it stock. See a lot of modded

>ones on the Vinyl Nirvana site. I guess I like my

>classic/vintage to be stock. Like old cars the stock ones are

>disappearing and it is nice to find an example of what they

>used to be. I know what you mean about how things used to be.

> Harder to find what you want, people who know what their

>selling and customer service. Times, they are a changing.

>

>Next time I get up that way, parents and some siblings still

>in Spokane and one sister in Everett, if I get over to the

>west side of the state I might drop a line.

>

>Take care, stay warm with the tunes.

>

>James

Hi James;

Thanks for the tips regarding a visit down south.

I do still have my original AR-XA single motor turntable but un-fortunately I had a bug way back and bought a Rabco SL-8E tonearm and mounted it on the sub-chassis in the well.

Rabco made an adapter kit for this installation.

The original arm with a Stanton 681-EE cartridge and also the A stylus was what I used in the beginning.

I had more money than brains back then and the Rabco arm was considered not too bad.

I then went about fabricating a plexiglas cover to fit the base and the arms overhang.

I have several spare AR turntables but my original has a walnut veneer base and one has walnut vinyl finish.

We have a rag here called the Buy and Sell that used to be the main bargain hunters source for goodies before ebay came along.

Because I was self-employed, I was mobile and one day I bought the

paper just as it came out in the early morning.

Low and behold an AR-XA turntable with a new Grado cartridge for $50.00, I had it in my hands 15 minutes later.

I found I was collecting, rather than buying something I needed, and so I have a small museum here of different brands and models.

When I still had some spare change, I would order directly from AR more spare fuses, a spare turntable top, (I fitted this to my dad's Dual 1009 turntable), a spare tonearm, spare motor, spare cartridge shells, belts and a few little parts I felt might eventually need replaced.

Other than the mat rotting, I haven't found anything else to replace yet, 35 years later, so I may sell the extra parts on ebay at a later date, or leave them in my museum.

There is remarkably more than just a few original individual parts for this simple turntble.

The original platter mat went with the woofer surrounds and I bought one from Parts Express, I believe and it had Stanton printed on it.

I know I have a few rubber mats about the right size I saved over the years but I'll wait for the Stanton to disappear first.

Among the junk I used to collect and save was Dynaco A-25 rubber surrounds, AR grill cloths carefully removed by me, AR's policy was to replace all grill cloths with new ones at no charge.

There was a slight problem with this policy, as the ones I saw may have been slightly discoloured from smoke and the new ones were OEM beige linen.

I have been given a few pieces of equipment from past customers and on occasion found a bargain or two in my travels.

One customer phoned me one evening and asked if I wanted their utility Larger Advents for $65.00 for the pair, and later their friend wanted $75.00 for a pair of Larger Advent oiled walnut finish.

Like I say, I had more money than brains.

Lucky isn't my middle name, a friend went to a basement sale a few years ago and somehow the owner just said take this for free.

A mint Dynaco PAS-3X pre-amp.

How sad, heh?

Tom Tyson has his rec room photo posted in the AR library, it sure beats out my museum.

It looks like an AR demo room, it must be very enjoyable to have the opportunity to listen to, I think, all of the classic speakers and electronic models sold by the classic AR.

There has been numerous mods for the turntable as well.

What a person ends up with is not an AR turntable, but a wooden base with an AR logo after spending many hundreds of dollars.

Would I buy any of the mods, certainly not at the prices being asked for them, but I'm not saying there isn't a difference that can be heard.