ignag Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Ok...I am new.....not a stereo junkie, but I picked up a set of LST's and a single Avid 103 out of a sound studio, to strip the woofers out of to use in my son's speaker cabinets for his electric bass. But it seems wrong to do that now, after reading some posts on here. I have some powerful PA amps that I am sure would drive these things, but would it be safe? Would anyone be interested in trading some music equipment for them, or maybe buy them? I really don't care, because I am trying to figure out how to post pictures, and will do so. The woofers need new foam for sure, and I think rubber would do better than the foamy stuff. Otherwise they are in pretty good physical condition for old units like this. Anyways....just looking for advice, or I guess I will just strip them down....dunno... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wsill Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Ignag, Hello. Where are you located ?Thanks,Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignag Posted January 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Ok...I am new.....not a stereo junkie, but I picked up a set of LST's and a single Avid 103 out of a sound studio, to strip the woofers out of to use in my son's speaker cabinets for his electric bass. But it seems wrong to do that now, after reading some posts on here. I have some powerful PA amps that I am sure would drive these things, but would it be safe? Would anyone be interested in trading some music equipment for them, or maybe buy them? I really don't care, because I am trying to figure out how to post pictures, and will do so. The woofers need new foam for sure, and I think rubber would do better than the foamy stuff. Otherwise they are in pretty good physical condition for old units like this. Anyways....just looking for advice, or I guess I will just strip them down....dunno...Texas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest red55 Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Don't strip the LST's!!If all that's wrong with the LST's is that the woofers need re-foaming, they're worth at least $1200 for a pair (even with a few cosmetic blemishes).I had two pairs and sold one pair for $1800 on ebay last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexicomike Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Dang it Red!!I was going to reply that those LSTs are useless and that I would take them off his hands and pay for the packing/shipping so he wouldn't have to bother carrying them to the dump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignag Posted January 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 I think stripping them would be an injustice... I liken it to stripping a '57 stratocaster for just a body. Think I should spruce them up? I am not a sound engineer, but I am an engineer..I could put some time into them and make them spiffy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundminded Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Ok...I am new.....not a stereo junkie, but I picked up a set of LST's and a single Avid 103 out of a sound studio, to strip the woofers out of to use in my son's speaker cabinets for his electric bass. But it seems wrong to do that now, after reading some posts on here. I have some powerful PA amps that I am sure would drive these things, but would it be safe? Would anyone be interested in trading some music equipment for them, or maybe buy them? I really don't care, because I am trying to figure out how to post pictures, and will do so. The woofers need new foam for sure, and I think rubber would do better than the foamy stuff. Otherwise they are in pretty good physical condition for old units like this. Anyways....just looking for advice, or I guess I will just strip them down....dunno...You have what is in the opinion of many who post here one of the finest loudspeaker systems ever made. Only one other speaker system made was ever quite like it, one made by Cello and that was actually a direct knockoff and an inferior one at that even though it was probably far more expensive. Restoration of this speaker insofar as is possible should yield an oustanding high fidelity reproducer by anyone's standards but they are not intended for deafening rock music or as electric bass speakers. Instead they are aimed at reproducing serious music, classical and jazz as accurately as possible. A PA amplifier is not a very good choice for these speakers IMO. DO NOT connnect them to the 25volt or 75 volt output taps or they may be damaged. Like all AR 12" woofer models, the impedence of this speaker is very low at some low frequencies and can damage amplifiers not capable of handling this kind of load. This includes many otherwise very fine amplifiers and likely most low cost HT receivers made today no matter what their stated power rating. AR LST is intended to be mounted with its back to a wall at ear level and connected to a high quality high fidelity amplifier of about 100 to 150 wpc or more. PA amplifiers most likely will not have the low frequency power output capabilities to exploit this speaker's exceptional performance potential even if the rest of the response is smooth and distortion free. There are many alternatives to providing speaker cabinets for an electric bass and a lot of them are pre-engineered specifically for that purpose. On the other hand, the rarity due to the limited number of these speakers remaining in existance and the degree to which they are prized by those who covet them suggests that if you don't want them, you would do well to sell them to someone who does and use some of the money for your son's electric bass speaker. It would be a shame to canabalize them. Restoring them will require not only refoaming the woofer surrounds but replacement of the crossover network capacitors, cleaning the high frequency switches, and there may be problems with one or more of the midrange and tweeter drivers, replacements for which are sometimes hard to find. You can canabalize those drivers from AR3a if you have to as they are more common finds but even there, time has usually taken its toll on this equipment. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignag Posted January 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Point well taken Mr Sound. I am glad I found this place. I have a friend way down in town that is a serious audiophile. My plan is bring these to him to determine what drivers are operational. Recapping, pot cleaning, and such is no problem for me, since I have done many amplifiers in my day. Refoaming looks easy as well. My units have all of the badges and such, but new fabric would dress them up a tad. Time is the inhibitor...I think I would prefer to sell them right here to someone in this group who would have a sincere appreciation for the product, than throw it out to the masses on e-bay. I'll chew on whether selling "as-is" or going through a restoration process would yield better results, but my initial thought is that a serious audiophile would be a better restoration candidate than I, since he/she would be able to tailor their cap preferences and finishing techniques to their own particular tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pbda Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I strongly concur with other members...the LST is a superb speaker, and a pair is extremely valuable in toto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexicomike Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Ignag - I sent you an email... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tysontom Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Point well taken Mr Sound. I am glad I found this place. I have a friend way down in town that is a serious audiophile. My plan is bring these to him to determine what drivers are operational. Recapping, pot cleaning, and such is no problem for me, since I have done many amplifiers in my day. Refoaming looks easy as well. My units have all of the badges and such, but new fabric would dress them up a tad. Time is the inhibitor...I think I would prefer to sell them right here to someone in this group who would have a sincere appreciation for the product, than throw it out to the masses on e-bay. I'll chew on whether selling "as-is" or going through a restoration process would yield better results, but my initial thought is that a serious audiophile would be a better restoration candidate than I, since he/she would be able to tailor their cap preferences and finishing techniques to their own particular tastes.Dear Ignag:Soundminded summarized the AR-LST very eloquently, and little more needs to be said about these great loudspeakers. I would add that this speaker is increasingly rare because so few were manufactured, and the demand is great and probably growing due to its vaulted reputation for accuracy.When Hirsch-Houck Labs tested the AR-LST (in the early 1970s), it became their reference standard for many years afterward, thus forming the true “standard” against which all subsequently reviewed speakers in Stereo Review magazine were judged. CBS Labs, the testing organization for High Fidelity magazine, similarly used the LST as their standard and the No. 1 consumer-testing organization in the US tested the LST when it was introduced, and determined that it had the highest accuracy score (95%) ever measured on a loudspeaker, using their current test procedures, which included the integrated-power response measurements. While they did not publish their findings (because they were not actually testing speakers in that category), these results made the “rounds” in industry. Many other magazines and testing organizations raved about this amazing speaker, and the AR-LST was used commercially in many installations across the globe.The bottom line is that even with a small investment in time and money to get them right, the results will definitely worth the effort. As Soundminded stated, you must mount the LST back against a wall and up close to ear level, without obstructions on either side. This usually means a large listening room, as well; but properly mounted, LSTs will reward with remarkable spaciousness and clarity that few other speakers can emulate.--Tom Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignag Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 I responded via regular e-mail....Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ignag Posted January 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks Tom, you guys certainly know your stuff. I don't have anything that will push these, and it seems the correct amp pairing is very important....so I am going to sell them. I do not have the money to buy high dollar Macintosh amps. I would refurb them myself, but it seems unfair to do so since there seems to be varying opinions on cap types amongst you guys...at least I found this place and didn't strip them down for woofers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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