Ar3a woofers

[Bogden]

Can anyone tell me if these woofers look original for the serial # 3a 35350

[Aadams]

No. They do not look original. They could be original AR and could be OK but they don’t look like a 3a woofer. 

[Bogden]

21 minutes ago, Aadams said:

No. They do not look original. They could be original AR and could be OK but they don’t look a like 3a woofer. 

Could they be the woofers from Japan that were used often by factory replacements I think tonegan is the brand 

[Aadams]

25 minutes ago, Bogden said:

Could they be the woofers from Japan that were used often by factory replacements 

Yes.  They could also be re-coned original ARs. The only way to know is remove them and look at the back side of the woofer..  They are not original 3a woofers. 

If the price were right they would be OK as a starting point if you want a Classic AR. 

 

[Bogden]

52 minutes ago, Aadams said:

Yes.  They could also be re-coned original ARs. The only way to know is remove them and look at the back side of the woofer..  They are not original 3a woofers. 

If the price were right they would be OK as a starting point if you want a Classic AR. 

 

Not really concerned about value if they sound ok would it be ok to leave them   My problem is I have no idea what a nice pair sounds like so have no reference 

[ar_pro]

Tonegen woofers.

[Aadams]

15 minutes ago, Bogden said:

Not really concerned about value if they sound ok would it be ok to leave them   My problem is I have no idea what a nice pair sounds like so have no reference 

Assuming speakers are original except for woofers, your biggest question is, do both mids operate correctly?

If the mids work, the next issue is restoring the tweeters to original performance.  The tweeters in the photo are shot, whether or not they make a noise. 

Lastly, replace the pots and caps.

Do the above and you will hear AR3as

The woofers, if they work, are a relatively minor flaw.

[Bogden]

16 minutes ago, Aadams said:

Assuming speakers are original except for woofers, your biggest question is, do both mids operate correctly?

If the mids work, the next issue is restoring the tweeters to original performance.  The tweeters in the photo are shot, whether or not they make a noise. 

Lastly, replace the pots and caps.

Do the above and you will hear AR3as

The woofers, if they work, are a relatively minor flaw.

Who would you send the tweeters to get rebuilt 

[Aadams]

24 minutes ago, Bogden said:

Who would you send the tweeters to get rebuilt 

 

There are two sources, both in the NE US.

[Bogden]

3 minutes ago, Aadams said:

 

There are two sources, both in the NE US.

Sorry for the pain but where would I find these

[lARrybody]

Good morning Bogden. I believe your Ar3a's with serial number 35350 originally came with the Alinco cloth surround woofers. 

Here is a set I acquired several years ago (serial # 35105) that came to me with the Tonegen replacement woofers. I replaced them with first generation long lead ceramic woofers. They originally came with the Alinco's, but at the time I didn't have those. Here is another pair of all original AR3a's with serial number 27932 to give you a idea what they looked like. 

If you remove your woofers an they look like these you have the Tonegen's which is not necessarily a bad thing. They are very good acceptable replacements, just not original. 

 

One way to know for certain that your AR3a's originally had Alinco woofers is by the size of the large woofer coils. If your coils are #7 (1.88mh) then they originally came with the cloth surround woofers. When the ceramic foam surround woofers came in around 1971 the coils were changed to #9 (2.85mh) coils. I wound up unwinding some 3mh Erse coils to 2.85. to replace the original 1.88mh coils. I did save the originals and I have found a good set of Alinco woofers, but have not changed them out.

The control pots will probably need replaced. I got nice replacements from member JKent. Also the three capacitors will need replaced, but everybody has their own opinion about what to use. I personally like using electrolytic caps for the 50uf and the 150 caps and a good quality film cap for the 6uf tweeter cap. As already suggested the biggest bang for the buck is to get your tweeters rebuilt. Members RoyC and Chris1 can help you with that. It makes a big difference.

Good luck.

[69AMX390]

On 4/25/2023 at 9:43 AM, lARrybody said:

Good morning Bogden. I believe your Ar3a's with serial number 35350 originally came with the Alinco cloth surround woofers. 

Here is a set I acquired several years ago (serial # 35105) that came to me with the Tonegen replacement woofers. I replaced them with first generation long lead ceramic woofers. They originally came with the Alinco's, but at the time I didn't have those. Here is another pair of all original AR3a's with serial number 27932 to give you a idea what they looked like. 

If you remove your woofers an they look like these you have the Tonegen's which is not necessarily a bad thing. They are very good acceptable replacements, just not original. 

 

One way to know for certain that your AR3a's originally had Alinco woofers is by the size of the large woofer coils. If your coils are #7 (1.88mh) then they originally came with the cloth surround woofers. When the ceramic foam surround woofers came in around 1971 the coils were changed to #9 (2.85mh) coils. I wound up unwinding some 3mh Erse coils to 2.85. to replace the original 1.88mh coils. I did save the originals and I have found a good set of Alinco woofers, but have not changed them out.

The control pots will probably need replaced. I got nice replacements from member JKent. Also the three capacitors will need replaced, but everybody has their own opinion about what to use. I personally like using electrolytic caps for the 50uf and the 150 caps and a good quality film cap for the 6uf tweeter cap. As already suggested the biggest bang for the buck is to get your tweeters rebuilt. Members RoyC and Chris1 can help you with that. It makes a big difference.

Good luck.

I have a set of AR3a that came with one early style cloth woofer and one late style fiber/paper woofer.  My serial numbers are pretty low and close together (3A12967 and 3A13019).  I am thinking the one woofer was changed.  I will attach some pics of each speaker and crossover.  The magnets are like those in my pics.  How can I tell if crossovers are different?  Seems funny that my serial numbers are 43 apart and I got and early and late style speakers as a set.  That would mean that AR did the change between my serial numbers.  Does anyone know approximately what serial numbers when the change was made?