AR speaker unknown hoe to ID

[Dormie]

hello,

is it possible to ID model number from serial #,

B59272,B59321,

i've also added pics,

i did not want to remove original grille cloth,

the paper with the model# is missing from the backs,

thank you for any assistance

[genek]

is it possible to ID model number from serial #,

B59272,B59321,

i've also added pics,

i did not want to remove original grille cloth,

I don't know from serial numbers, but based on the front photo and configuration of the terminal panel, I'd say you have an AR-2.

[Dormie]

I don't know from serial numbers, but based on the front photo and configuration of the terminal panel, I'd say you have an AR-2.

hello genek,thanks,

also one side of each cabinet has no wood veneer,

was this common for AR,

or was this a miss or defect in production,

this is ok if you stand them horizontally,

but is you stand them traditionally up and down vertically the unfinished side is shown,

thanks again

[tysontom]

hello genek,thanks,

also one side of each cabinet has no wood veneer,

was this common for AR,

or was this a miss or defect in production,

this is ok if you stand them horizontally,

but is you stand them traditionally up and down vertically the unfinished side is shown,

thanks again

Dormie,

First of all, these are *definitely* AR-2 models, which you can detect by (1) by the "B" in the serial numbers, (2) the single level control on the back and (3) by the "unfinished cabinet side." There is a slight possibility that your AR-2s were made around 1964 or after, therefore, they would have the newer 3 1/2-inch tweeter which will allow vertical or horizontal mounting; however, I strongly believe this pair was made closer to the 1962-1963 time-frame. Insofar as your speakers *do* have one side ("bottom") unfinished, which was precisely as AR designed them, the speaker would have been intended to be placed on a shelf horizontally since the earlier dual-5" Carbonneau tweeters meant that the speakers needed to be mounted in the horizontal plane for proper operation. The grills are also from the later (1965 and later) version, so while that doesn't matter, it indicates that someone has done some work on the speakers somewhere along the way. Someone has retrofitted a wire-wound resistor and put it across the input terminals. This was done by someone well after the fact, not by AR.

I would recommend that you carefully remove the grills to determine what lies beneath, then you can see if the newer tweeter has supplanted the earlier version, and you can also tell if the woofers are okay as well. Take a picture of the front baffle with the grills removed if you can.

--Tom Tyson

Attachment: Early AR-2 grill-fabric style

[Dormie]

Dormie,

First of all, these are *definitely* AR-2 models, which you can detect by (1) by the "B" in the serial numbers, (2) the single level control on the back and (3) by the "unfinished cabinet side." There is a slight possibility that your AR-2s were made around 1964 or after, therefore, they would have the newer 3 1/2-inch tweeter which will allow vertical or horizontal mounting; however, I strongly believe this pair was made closer to the 1962-1963 time-frame. Insofar as your speakers *do* have one side ("bottom") unfinished, which was precisely as AR designed them, the speaker would have been intended to be placed on a shelf horizontally since the earlier dual-5" Carbonneau tweeters meant that the speakers needed to be mounted in the horizontal plane for proper operation. The grills are also from the later (1965 and later) version, so while that doesn't matter, it indicates that someone has done some work on the speakers somewhere along the way. Someone has retrofitted a wire-wound resistor and put it across the input terminals. This was done by someone well after the fact, not by AR.

I would recommend that you carefully remove the grills to determine what lies beneath, then you can see if the newer tweeter has supplanted the earlier version, and you can also tell if the woofers are okay as well. Take a picture of the front baffle with the grills removed if you can.

--Tom Tyson

Attachment: Early AR-2 grill-fabric style

thank you Tom,

as the grilles are glued on,

how would recommend removal,

as the best procedure you have experienced or seen,

and can the original grilles be replaced,

thanks again

[Dormie]

hello,

was able to very carefully remove grille cloth intact with wood chisel,

so i can show tweeter and woofer,

to confirm model #,

should i treat the surrounds with Permatex high tack gasket sealant ????

thank you

[tysontom]

hello,

was able to very carefully remove grille cloth intact with wood chisel,

so i can show tweeter and woofer,

to confirm model #,

should i treat the surrounds with Permatex high tack gasket sealant ????

thank you

Hi Dormie,

Well, your AR-2s were made before 1964, just as I had invisioned. They have been returned to the factory at some point and were updated with the newer-style 3 1/2-inch tweeter factory upgrade kit, which is good. Your speaker is now an early version of the "AR-2x." You can play these vertically, but you will have to decide what to do (if anything) with the unfinished side of the cabinet.

Check the speaker (the other speaker where you have not removed the grill). Gently push the woofer cone inward about 1/4-to-1/2 inches, and quickly release. Use your fingers to gently press from the apex (flat rigid-paper disc); don't press on the cone area itself. Watch the cone to see if it immediately bounces back, or if it returns slowly as if immersed in a viscous fluid. If it returns slowly, definitely *do not* treat the surrounds with anything; they're probably just fine -- as most AR-2 woofers were. If one is okay, there is a high probability that the other will be fine as well. When you re-install the woofer (the one that you removed), be sure to use the Mortite material and gently, but firmly tighten the woofer screws in a cross-hatch fashion as though you were torqueing-down a car-engine cylinder head; i.e. cross-tighten, but *don't* over-torque the screws. You can test this speaker for the proper acoustic seal by pushing it inward, if you wish, if you haven't removed the other grill panel. You want this seal to work well, and with patience you can re-attach the woofer just as it was originally. You can use 2-sided tape to hold the grill on the baffle board.

--Tom Tyson