AR 28BXi Questions

[Guest]

Hi folks, I just acquired a pair of AR 28BXi speakers at a yard sale. I haven't tried to play them and the foam around the woofers is pretty crackly, so I imagine they should be refoamed. The wooden cabinets are in beautiful shape and I have the original boxes (it looks like they were sold in 1986) and metal speakers stands. I'm not an audiophile or an expert in gear, but I am excited about possibly having them refurbished for use in my basement playroom/workroom if it's worth it. Below are some very general questions:

1. Can anyone give me an idea as to the quality of this model of speaker; whether it is still desirable; how it stacks up in the grand scheme of the world of AR speakers? Also, as a measure, how would they compare in quality and reputation to my other pair (from college days), which are The Advent/1?

2. What's the recommended approach for refoaming the woofers--I'm inclined to take them to a local shop or send them to a mail order place. Is it posible to upgrade the speakers when getting them refoamed? Are there any things I should be wary of at this point?

3. How about the tweeters on this model--what's the reputation, etc. Do they typically need to be serviced/replaced?

4. Finally, are there any other thinbgs I should think about along the lines of refurbishing these?

Thanks in advance for considering my very open ended questions, Mike