AR-LST/2 Quiz

[tysontom]

AR Forum members, please examine this pair of AR-LST/2s on eBay: 220123670390. Anyone care to describe which drivers were retrofitted? I can't tell for sure, but the woofer appears to be the AR-302-style, the tweeters are similar to the AR-303 version and the center-firing midrange appears to be an AR-10Pi/AR-11B-version 4-ohm dome. The side-firing midrange domes appear to be originals!

This is a good example of what can happen when an "expert" goes in to repair an old speaker. I did write to the seller, and he was going to definitely go back and review his listing for possible changes, but I haven't seen any change as of yet.

--Tom Tyson

[roundhome]

Hello Tom you are correct on the mids these are a basket case the tweeters are your best guess but not 303 I have a lot of them and they are 3/4 front wire run back terminals I don't know what these tweeters are. there is no way thess could sound vary good at all some one is going to be vary unhappy when they get them. buy the way I have three AR lst IIs and 6 LST and have been working real hard on finding the correct tweeters for my LST II.

I wish they would not make staements like this it is vary misleading to folks.

Jim

[tysontom]

>Hello Tom you are correct on the mids these are a basket case

>the tweeters are your best guess but not 303 I have a lot of

>them and they are 3/4 front wire run back terminals I don't

>know what these tweeters are. there is no way thess could

>sound vary good at all some one is going to be vary unhappy

>when they get them. buy the way I have three AR lst IIs and 6

>LST and have been working real hard on finding the correct

>tweeters for my LST II.

>I wish they would not make staements like this it is vary

>misleading to folks.

>Jim

Jim,

I suspect the seller didn't really know precisely what was wrong, but he knew that the drivers were not original. When it was put on eBay, the description "soft-peddled" the issue of not being original by stating that it was not unusual for AR to substitute 1-inch tweeters for the originals. This is untrue, of course.

These refurbished speakers may sound okay -- it's hard to say exactly -- but there would be great differences from the original. When you consider that AR performed many hundreds of hours of anechoic testing and design work on the original AR-LSTs and AR-LST-2s to make them accurate, it's not unreasonable to think that changing out all of the drivers would drastically change the character of that speaker's sound, for better or for worse.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/2346.jpg

Refurbished AR-LST-2 (from eBay listing)

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/2347.jpg

Correct AR-LST-2 (from Classic Speaker Library)

--Tom Tyson

[GrillSargeant]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your interest in my listing on eBay I thought I would jump in here and be the "new guy." I've never posted anything anywhere before, so I though "why not in the middle of a controversy?" I have a love for Hifi and grew up around my Dads Dynaco and AR equipment. Then I built my own Hafler equipment in college. And lots of other info thats not relevant to this thread.

I am going to look hard at these speakers and determine if I should end or modify the listing. I can take closeups if anyone is interested. Does anyone know of the person in my listing? The listing states exactly the information I was given by reputable people. I have not verified any of it and took it to be "gospel". Just being truthful. Any help is appreciated. Criticism is unnecessary, I am not acting as an expert. They do sound great BTW.

Thanks,

Bryan

[GrillSargeant]

I ended the listing. Any ideas on how to get this to original specs? Bryan

[dynaco_dan]

>I ended the listing. Any ideas on how to get this to

>original specs? Bryan

Hi Bryan;

The tweeters, if not original, would need to be updated to AR-5 or AR-2AX original 3/4" units.

The mids, if not original, need AR-5 replacement units.

The crossover needs some work, we do not have a crossover schematic here, yet.

[GrillSargeant]

Thanks, I will keep an eye out for parts. Bryan

[dynaco_dan]

Hi Bryan;

If you are going to re-sell them after you have reversed all of the the updating, don't bother trying.

You won't recover your costs.

If you are going to keep them after resurrecting them, then by all means go for it.

The original replacement woofers are only available used.

Likewise with the mids and tweeters.

It will take some period of time to find all of the needed drivers, which can be from AR-2AX's (some later models), and AR-LST/2's.

There is usually one or two tweeters on auction at any given time and also with the woofers, but a little less commonly listed.

We can attempt to help you with the crossovers but we need good quality photos downloaded, for us to evaluate what was done and what needs to be done with it.

If you go back with them, as they are, to an auction, you will lose money, as you must point out what is not original or AR.