ar-2ax

[Guest John Mann]

My ar-2a's seem to have poor high end response. I removed and cleaned the wire pots last year and positioned them at their maximum setting. I have not touched the pots since because I had read they are a weakness on these older ar speakers.

The tweeter's and mids are definitely working but I always sensed cymbals and the richness of piano is lacking in the high end. Overall the sound just isn't as rich as I think it should be.

These are the original x-overs . Do these speakers have a true flat response and should sound this way, whereas I am accustomed to newer speakers which over emphasize the highs?

Do the cross-over caps need replacing? Any information/suggestions would be appreciated!

[genek]

My ar-2a's seem to have poor high end response. I removed and cleaned the wire pots last year and positioned them at their maximum setting. I have not touched the pots since because I had read they are a weakness on these older ar speakers.

The tweeter's and mids are definitely working but I always sensed cymbals and the richness of piano is lacking in the high end. Overall the sound just isn't as rich as I think it should be.

These are the original x-overs . Do these speakers have a true flat response and should sound this way, whereas I am accustomed to newer speakers which over emphasize the highs?

Do the cross-over caps need replacing? Any information/suggestions would be appreciated!

Caps that need replacing are a possiblity in speakers that old. Also possible is that the tweeters themselves have deteriorated.

However, before looking into either of those, you should try other speakers on the same amp and source, cmpare the sound of your speakers to other peoples' classic ARs, or have other people familiar with such speakers listen to yours. It is possible that your amp or source could be the problem, and if these are your first classic ARs, entirely possible that there is no problem at all and you're just not used to listening to speakers with a flat, accurate frequency response instead of the screaming treble boost that is common to most other speakers.

It could be that you just need to turn the treble control up to suit your tastes, rather than performing surgery on your speakers.