Naldo Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 I nabbed a pair of AR 2ax's last week, not really looking for more vintage gear, just a drive-by CListing. Original owners said they still sounded great... maybe just not lately. Definite buzzing when I tried them out at home, although behind that I could still marvel at the transparency these things have retained after all these years. I had intended to replace the pots, assuming that was the origin of the buzz. Eh...looks like new surrounds are also in the immediate future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlspeak Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Don't play any more music thru the speakers until you refoam the woofer. The buzzing you hear may well be the woofer coil rubbing because it isn't being held in alighment correctly due to the deterioriating woofer surround.Remove the woofer and disconnect it, then play some more music and listen to see if the buzzing is still there or gone.BTW, the midrange doesn't look like an AR original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naldo Posted December 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Don't play any more music thru the speakers until you refoam the woofer. The buzzing you hear may well be the woofer coil rubbing because it isn't being held in alighment correctly due to the deterioriating woofer surround.Remove the woofer and disconnect it, then play some more music and listen to see if the buzzing is still there or gone.BTW, the midrange doesn't look like an AR original.No, I hadn't intended to run any more sound through it. Interesting call on the midrange- the owner said he picked them up in Okinawa circa 1974 or so. I'd bet $ he never opened them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michiganpat Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 or at the very least, put the speaker on it's back and try playing it--that should keep the VC from cocking due to the weight of the cone being cantilevered out and not supported by the foam.Carl, what does the AR mid look like with the wire mesh and fiberglass pillow removed? from the pics it looks like there was a mesh screen over the mid at some point in time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naldo Posted December 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 or at the very least, put the speaker on it's back and try playing it--that should keep the VC from cocking due to the weight of the cone being cantilevered out and not supported by the foam.Carl, what does the AR mid look like with the wire mesh and fiberglass pillow removed? from the pics it looks like there was a mesh screen over the mid at some point in time...Hah, bingo guys. I went back and looked at it and voila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlspeak Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Aha! glue that scsreen cover back on it will look like an AR original. Good find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 These are from the later run with backwired tweeters. That last pic is a good shot of that oatmeal-mix linen that I've been trying for ages to find a good match for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naldo Posted December 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 Don't play any more music thru the speakers until you refoam the woofer. The buzzing you hear may well be the woofer coil rubbing because it isn't being held in alighment correctly due to the deterioriating woofer surround.Remove the woofer and disconnect it, then play some more music and listen to see if the buzzing is still there or gone.BTW, the midrange doesn't look like an AR original. Well I took your tip, but when I got the cover off the 2nd, the 'really' buzzy speaker it became pretty obvious. There was literally no surround left, just shreds. I went ahead and cut the woofers loose, hooked up the boxes and played a few minutes of some samples through them. Very tinny and weak, obviously, but no buzzing that I could hear.One oddity (to me) was that the + (red) and - (blue) were mirrored L/R, R/L on the two woofers. Is that typical? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 One oddity (to me) was that the + (red) and - (blue) were mirrored L/R, R/L on the two woofers. Is that typical?Yes, It is not uncommon to find + and - sides reversed on AR woofers. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to it, and it occurs in every size woofer. Apparently polarity was determined after the voice coils were installed.It is always a good idea to double check polarity with a 1.5v battery before reinstalling the woofer.Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naldo Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 These are from the later run with backwired tweeters. That last pic is a good shot of that oatmeal-mix linen that I've been trying for ages to find a good match for.That fabric looked familiar to me because I'd seen something very similar years ago that was used for wall-covering by a designer I used to do remodel for. I'd check tile and wall-covering type home-design stores.p.s. the speakers sound pretty awesome. Thanks, all, for all the tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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