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AR-2ax Restoration; should I continue?


ian hughes

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The story so far:

Pulled my 2ax's out of storage where they have been for at least 15 years.

Both woofers clearly needed re-foaming, so didn't attempt to test the speakers at that point.

Have removed the woofers and re-foamed them both only to discover that one had a voice coil problem with the voice coil sticking to the pole piece.

Have just had the re-foamed woofers tested by an audio engineer and it turns out neither is working at all and he doesn't recommend any further restoration e.g. reconing! Also, discoverd that the woofers are not a pair in any sense of the word.....they are clearly of different design (but definitely as fitted by AR in the UK factory!!!!).

So, now I am at the point where I don't know if I should continue my restoration by replacing the original woofers with modern drivers. I have been recommend to replace with Peerless 830668's which will cost about £100 in the UK. However, I assume that these might then require some mods to the xovers?

Also, still don't actually know if the mid and hi range components are okay or if these too will need replacement.

I'm now in a quandary; the likely cost is escalating beyond the point where it may no longer be worth restoration, and if I change the woofers (and possibly the mid's or hi's) I'm going to end up with a completely non-original sounding pair of speakers!

Any thoughts....should I cut my losses and sell them on as possible spares for some other enthusiast.

Has anyone swapped the original 2ax woofers for modern replacements....and what about the crossovers?

Ian

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Hi Ian,

When this engineeer says neither are working, what does he mean? Is it a mechanical problem, i.e. are the voice coils are fouling the pole pieces, or is there other physical damage, or are the voice coils open circuit?

I'd be surprised if they had both spontaneously failed over the last 15 yrs (foam surrounds aside).

My preference would be to keep the original drivers if at all possible, without the original drivers you just have some nice wooden cabinets. :-)

Going back to basics, is the voice coil intact or open circuit? Can you measure the DC resistance? Do the cones now move freely when you (gently) move the cone in and out?

Re the differences, can you post pictures? I am sure some of the learned types here will be able to recognise and confirm what models they are.

Dave

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Hi Ian

Tough break. I think the first thing to do would be to get your engineer friend to check the mids and tweets. If everything is fried you should probably cut your losses. Tweets could be replaced with inexpensive HiVi units but the mids are another story.

Other members may have experience with replacement woofers. Parts Express sells one that some people like. Or you may be able to find some on ebay. Just be sure to get the later style. I don't think the earlier ones with cast aluminum baskets and cloth surrounds will work in your cabinets. Of course, transatlantic shipping is an issue, and I don't know about import duty in the UK but 100BP sounds like a lot of money (that's about $160 USD). Those Peerless woofers sell for about $55 here, and the Dayton DC250-8 10" Classic Woofer is $27 ea. A pair of 2ax woofers recently sold on ebay for $46 a pair.

Good luck. Hope you can salvage those speakers

Kent

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Tough break. I think the first thing to do would be to get your engineer friend to check the mids and tweets. If everything is fried you should probably cut your losses. Tweets could be replaced with inexpensive HiVi units but the mids are another story.

In the US, mids would be the least of your problems. Typical cost for a 2ax mid is around $15 on eBay, they're frequently available and there isn't anything particularly unique about them, unlike the tweeter. Don't know about the UK, or how many US sellers would be willing to ship overseas.

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In the US, mids would be the least of your problems. Typical cost for a 2ax mid is around $15 on eBay, they're frequently available and there isn't anything particularly unique about them, unlike the tweeter. Don't know about the UK, or how many US sellers would be willing to ship overseas.

I replaced both of the woofers in the 2axs I recently rehabbed with the new ones that Vintage-AR sells, and those were just fine. I've got a spare original (refoamed and working) 2ax woofer I can sell you if you need it.

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