AR5 Speakers

[Jess]

I found a pair of AR 5's today at a local shop that deals mainly with guitar amps and repairs. I had the guy pull the grill off one of the speakers and saw that the surrounds on the woofer were shot and the tweeter looked to have been replaced with an aftermarket unit that was attached onto a scrap piece of thin plywood and then screwed to the front over the original tweeter cut out. The speakers were not priced and the guy working behind the counter did not know how much they were selling for. The guy didn't know shit on any of the stuff they had for sale. He thought the speakers had been gone over until I pointed out that the surrounds were shot on at least one of the speakers. If I could get these AR's for cheap would they be worth restoring and can I find new surrounds and replacement tweeters for this model? If replacement tweeters cannot be found I could not live with the hack job the previous owner did on the tweeter unless I got them for next to nothing.

[dynaco_dan]

"If replacement tweeters cannot be found I could not live with the hack job the previous owner did on the tweeter unless I got them for next to nothing."

Hi there;

If you want to you can almost always find a single or pair of used AR-2AX/AR-5/AR-LST 2 tweeters on the ebay auction block.

They are more plentiful than the 4 ohm version and you will need to watch out and test the DCR to be certain you have the correct impedance.

If you were to buy used 4 ohm tweeters, they will be about 2 - 3 dB louder than the proper 8 ohm tweeters.

Re-foaming the woofers is well written up in the AR forum and is within reach of most all members to accomplish themselves.

Were they operated to see if at least the mids also worked?

How is the veneer and cloth condition?

AR-5's do come up once in a while on ebay and from what you describe they would not bring in a good dollar to the seller, pending previous sentence comment.

[joelongwood]

AR5's are excellent speakers, as quite a few people find them to be more balanced from top to bottom than the more expensive AR3a. Personally, I would not pay more than $25-$50 for the pair, considering the condition, and what needs to be done to restore them. If you do the work yourself, refoaming both woofers will cost around $25 for the pair. Replacement tweeters from eBay are anybody's guess, but I figure at least $50 for the pair. So, if you pay $25-$50 for the speakers, and add the cost of refoaming and replacement tweeters, you're at $100-$125, which would be a great price for AR5's.......and then you need to check the midrange drivers for operation, and the potentiometers most likely (definitely) need to be cleaned.

To put things in perspective, I picked up a pair of mint AR5's on eBay a little less than a year ago for $160 shipped. They had new foam, new pots, and were literally plug 'n play. It can be done.

However, if you enjoy the restoration process, I'd say go for it, because, in the end, you'll have a GREAT pair of vintage AR speakers, and the satisfaction that comes with doing the work yourself.

[Jess]

Well I got the price on the AR 5's from $100 to $50. I thought I could live with that and said I would be there in the afternoon to pick them up. I got there and removed the grills from both speakers and found that the woofers had been replaced with non-matching pairs. I have no idea as to the make or origins of these woofers but both appeared rather substandard in my eyes. Both tweeters had been replaced with generics in a haphazard way and so I told the guy that I would have to pass on them. He was nice enough about it and admitted he had not even checked them out. The cabinets looked structurally good but someone apparently tried their hand at refinishing them and did a sloppy job on them. It looked like they had poured varnish onto them because there were some heavy runs showing. I was utterly disappointed as I had hoped to rescue and fix them up. Had the woofers been original I would have taken a chance on them but the cost of finding replacements for them as well as the tweeters would have put them over what I was willing to spend to get them up to snuff. I have no idea if the mids were working which was another factor to consider. I am sure another set of vintage AR's will come my way down the road. A good set of speakers pretty much destroyed by someone who did not care enough to do them justice. What a shame.

[Guest Peter Richards]

AR 5 question...

How do I remove the grill cloth ?

I have a pair of AR 5's I purchased new in 1969...

Foam around the woofers is shot...

Have never been able to get the grill cloth off...

Suggestions...

Thanks, Peter

Boulder, CO.

[dynaco_dan]

AR 5 question...

How do I remove the grill cloth ?

I have a pair of AR 5's I purchased new in 1969...

Foam around the woofers is shot...

Have never been able to get the grill cloth off...

Suggestions...

Thanks, Peter

Boulder, CO.

Hi Peter;

Have 2 metal putty knives about 3" wide or so.

Carefully un-screw the AR logo CCW first.

Lay the cabinet down on it's back.

The creamy coloured hot glue that AR used, to hold the frames to the cabinet front baffle, is usually in each corner behind the grille frame.

It also usually has 3 dabs equa-distant from the corners along the long sides, and at least one centered between the tweeter/midrange drivers.

Starting in one corner, gently place the blades between the grille cloth and cabinet edge.

Place cardboard or similar between the blade and the cabinet to protect from gouging the veneer.

Pry up on the frame, like opening a can of paint, gently and the glue will release itself.

Take your time and be gentle.