Just found some ar-1's and tweeters

[Guest Kokopelli]

Hi,

New poster here. Due to some sad circumstances, I recently obtained a pair of AR-1's and separate tweeters. I'm no expert, but I have learned a bit about the AR-1's from google. I can't find much information on the tweeters, however. Does anyone have any info or references? I'd really appreciate it. I've attached some photos here:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/728.jpg

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/729.jpg

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/730.jpg

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/731.jpg

I'll state upfront that I'm probably going to sell them; I'm not a collector, just a musician. They're very cool looking though, I'm glad I got to check them out.

Anyway, thanks for any information or references.

[tysontom]

>Hi,

>

>New poster here. Due to some sad circumstances, I recently

>obtained a pair of AR-1's and separate tweeters. I'm no

>expert, but I have learned a bit about the AR-1's from google.

> I can't find much information on the tweeters, however. Does

>anyone have any info or references? I'd really appreciate it.

> I've attached some photos here:

>

>

>I'll state upfront that I'm probably going to sell them; I'm

>not a collector, just a musician. They're very cool looking

>though, I'm glad I got to check them out.

>

>Anyway, thanks for any information or references.

The tweeters in your pictures are the University Sound "Sphericon" dome tweeters, a development from LTV University in the early 1960s. The dome was a phenolic material, much like the horn-tweeter diaphrams that were made by University for many years dating back to the 1940s. The Sphericon was actually an excellent-performing tweeter with extended response, and a test published in the AES Journal in the 1960s showed that it was second only to the AR-3 1-3/8-inch super tweeter that was also tested. These tweeters far outpaced the other tweeters in the AES report. To the amazement of the tester, the AR-3 super tweeter essentially duplicated the microphone calibration curve, but the Sphericon was not too far behind. The tweeter had a dispersing ring in front of the dome that helped with off-axis response.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/732.jpg

Image of the "naked" University Sound Sphericon Dome Tweeter from the University Classic Mark II

The stand-alone Sphericon tweeters shown in your pictures also had a built-in crossover network designed to be used with existing systems, and the x-over frequency was somewhere around 5 kHz. This combination worked fairly well with the AR-1.

It is interesting that most AR-1s that show up these days came from an estate somewhere, or an "inheritance" of sorts. Usually the recepients "cash-out" on them on eBay, but the value is increasing, so you might want to reconsider selling them right away.

--Tom Tyson

[ar_pro]

It's really a shame, but these fine speakers will most likely be gutted in Asia for their Altec drivers.

They are probably 100% operational, and ready-to-play; unlike the later-era systems with foam surrounds, which would require the removal of the grilles to repair the woofers and (almost definitely) clean/repair the level controls.

[Guest Kokopelli]

Thanks for the help and info. It does seem sad if they get torn apart; they're in good shape as far as I can tell. I haven't gotten to try them out myself, but I'm pretty sure they're ready to play.