Guest auto119042 Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 My AR303a midrange is dead. Does anyone know where one, preferably two, can be found? I've scoured this site and could not find anything definitive. In fact, I ordered a pair from arspeakers.com (P/N 1112-11-005-1). When they showed up, they are smaller in diameter and would clearly not fit. Magnet and cone different as well, missing wire mesh grill. Photo comparison attached.simplyspeakers.com says they can get them too, part# 2110021. But I'm a bit gunshy to layout another $150 each for the same result. I have two wonderful pairs of these, hate to think of replacing them. Perhaps I'll need to pull the 338s out.I'd sure appreciate any advice.KBNOTE: Upon further comparison - I see that the ones I received appear to be identical to my AR 338 mids. ??? Nice to know they are available, but I still need the 303a mid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest auto119042 Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 It appears my editing period has expired.UPDATE: Apparently the midranges I received was a simple mistake and the correct ones are now on the way from arspeakers.com. Nice folks. I guess the new ones no longer have the wire mesh grill over them, but I'll live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkantor Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 If you need to, you might also want to contact AB Tech Services. A 303 or 302 mid should work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest auto119042 Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Thank you, Ken. I received the speakers as a gift from my father - big fan of yours. Views the 303a's a something of a holy grail of speakers. I have the 338s too - awesome 'little' speakers.I casually mentioned that the replacement 303a midranges came without the grills. He seemed to think this was a big deal - compromising the sound quality. I was just happy to find something that fit.Any thoughts? What effect on sound quality occurs sans mid-range grills? Dad would think it's pretty cool getting your perspective. (of course I would too.)Respectfully,KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bret Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Since Ken said he'll be gone for a while, I'm going to copy and paste his reply to me about that midrange. I had asked him why, in the 303 design, he had "stepped backwards" to use an old midrange design. His response follows:"I would say that the midrange on the 303 has just about the same relative delta to the original 3a driver as do the woofer and tweeter. Obviously, this is subjective. The motors of all three drivers were changed a great deal. Diaphragm materials much less so.>Was that something you chose to do as "an echo," or was that the >only way you found to get the even energy response and so the >only/best/most practical way of making that speaker sound "clearly >in the family?"The unusual construction of the midrange does contribute to its excellent behavior. To make such a transducer work well, in my opinion, requires extra measures beyond simply sticking a tweeter into the copy machine and hitting "enlarge." (Note that I have not generally used midrange domes in my other designs, even expensive ones.) The eyeball approach was a viable option. By providing the ability to tailor spatial behavior, frequency response and diaphragm damping somewhat independently of moving mass and material, a better driver can result.I don't remember which team member coined the term "bee-butt," but it caught on...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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