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Need More treble AR 2AX


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My 2ax's are in perfect working condition, all origionaland besides inefficiency, my only complaint is that even with the knobs for the mid and high on the back of the speaker all the way up, the treble is rather weak. It sounds fine, it's just there's not enough of it. By the way, I have no intention of replacing the drivers or crossover (original but seems to be fine), just tips on fiddling with the stuff I've got. (Tight budget).

When I say that the treble is weak, I am comparing it to my Smaller Advent Loudspeakers, not exacly known for it's high's. It sounds downright bright in comparison.

Also, on the back of the speaker there are adjustments for the mid and high and the + and - terminals but theres a third binding post with a wire that connects it to one of the speaker terminals. What is this?

-Thanks

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Hello...

Are your sure your speakers are in 'perfect working order'. In my experience, vintage ARs will sound slightly 'dull' when compared to some other brands (especially contemporary designs), but they should not be substantially weaker in the treble region than the old Smaller Advents.

A slightly 'soft' high end was characteristic of the 'New England' or 'East Coast' Sound' ...for those old enough to remember the term.

60s and 70s vintage AR speakers are notorious for having dead or weak tweeters and mids due to faulty level controls... they corrode with age and become non-functional. They're easy to repair, but you have to remove the woofers to get at them. I'd start looking there first.

The three terminals on the back should be labeled 1, 2 and T (at least mine are). Its been awhile since I looked at the back of my 2ax, but if my memory serves me well, the '2' and 'T' posts should be tied together for normal operation. Not bridging these will disable the mid and tweeter.

Jim.

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Hi,

I read your recent problem with not enough treble. You will not need to replace any drivers or cross-over. You should replace the "Level Controls" (or L-pads, as some people call them). I have just within the last week replaced Controls in four 2ax's with the OEM replacements. They are available on the same web site as this Discussion forum and are priced at $14.00 each. As for the little "jumper wire" to the "T" Terminal, this is VERY important. If you only want to utilize the woofer, the jumper would be removed. In order to drive the tweeter and midrange, the jumper wire must be replaced on there. While I replaced the level controls, I also replaced number 1 and 2 screw terminal with Insulated Banana Plug Binding posts. Amazingly, they are 3/4 inch apart to utilize the dual Banana Plugs. It is now SO much easier to hook up my AR's, instead of fighting with those hideous thumbscrews that do not hold very well.

If you have any other questions, I will be glad to try to answer them for you.

Good luck!!!

Sincerely,

a-r-man

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When level controls are by-passed, the tweeter and midrange seem to be overly bright to me. With new level controls installed, I found myself turning them back about half-way. I like having the control over the volume of the tweeter and midrange. A lot of people have by-passed the controls with success. I guess it boils down to what your tastes are.

a-r-man

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Hi,

A bit off subject but...

One of the replies mentioned the "New England" sound.

Please can someone tell me more about this whole "New England" thing?

I'm just a guy who heard, liked and bought a pair of Genesis IIs about 25 years ago. In the real late 90's I ended up refoaming them and started learning about how good the old ones sound with a bit of TLC. Since then I've acquired (and gave some away) Genesis, EPI, Advent and Infinity.

On the surface there seems to be a link between these and AR and a few more.

SO CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS WHOLE "NEW ENGLAND" THING?

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