Fourth of July Steal of the Century

[Darrell Peart]

I would hang on to those 10pi's.

I owned a pair when they were new and am still kicking myself for letting them go.

Just recently went from a pair of ADS 810's to a pair of AR 9's and am happy now.

The search is over .

I will never let the 10pi's go - up to this point they are my favorite speaker. I keep hearing about the 9's but in reality they are probably too much for my listening room. I am contemplating my next speaker purchase - maybe the AR-LST or the 90.

My search is not quite over - I still wonder whats out there that will make my audio life complete.

I blogged about my quest for the ultimate stereo......

http://darrellpeart.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-midlife-crisis-tale-of-woe.html

[DON]

I will never let the 10pi's go - up to this point they are my favorite speaker. I keep hearing about the 9's but in reality they are probably too much for my listening room. I am contemplating my next speaker purchase - maybe the AR-LST or the 90.

My search is not quite over - I still wonder whats out there that will make my audio life complete.

I blogged about my quest for the ultimate stereo......

http://darrellpeart.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-midlife-crisis-tale-of-woe.html

This is an AR9 thread but to save opening another.............The AR11s arrived today undamaged. They were so well packed they probably would have survived a drop from a helicopter. One is absolutely mint.....well almost someone did a cosmetically poor job refoaming the woofers. Nothing to be concerned about. The other one had a stain left from a glass and the top looked as if someone had ice skated and cut a few cookies n the surface. About half an hour with a wet cloth, an iron and some Restora Finish with steel wool it looks almost as good as the other. I haven't' hooked them up yet but I will lateron tonight or tomorrow. I don't know the 10PIs but I heard both in Austin in 1976 and the bass was very solid and deep. More to come.

[ar_pro]

Nice work with the AR-11s, Don - looks like you've got good timing.

You might want to keep an eye on eBay for the dedicated metal stands that AR built for the 10pi and 11 (photos attached).

They support the speakers at an optimum height, and with a shallow depth, perfectly accommodate the dimensions of those two speakers.

[Darrell Peart]

Nice work with the AR-11s, Don - looks like you've got good timing.

You might want to keep an eye on eBay for the dedicated metal stands that AR built for the 10pi and 11 (photos attached).

They support the speakers at an optimum height, and with a shallow depth, perfectly accommodate the dimensions of those two speakers.

There is some magic to the correct height. I made some speaker stands the same height as the AR metal ones - then placed my 10pi's about a foot from the wall and it made a big difference.

[DON]

Nice work with the AR-11s, Don - looks like you've got good timing.

You might want to keep an eye on eBay for the dedicated metal stands that AR built for the 10pi and 11 (photos attached).

They support the speakers at an optimum height, and with a shallow depth, perfectly accommodate the dimensions of those two speakers.

Thanks for the photos. Are they photos of your home? Those look the same style as the ones ADS made for their L series speakers. There is a seller on e-bay that makes stands from metal tube to order. I have several stands......maybe I can find ones I can use.

[ar_pro]

Thanks for the photos. Are they photos of your home? Those look the same style as the ones ADS made for their L series speakers. There is a seller on e-bay that makes stands from metal tube to order. I have several stands......maybe I can find ones I can use.

No, the pictures are from brochures for the 10pi and 11 - I used to own two pairs of these stands, but they're long gone.

I believe that AR only offered the stands for a couple of years - they were welded steel, and surprisingly sturdy.

They also complemented the more modern appearance that AR began with this series of speakers.

I'm with Darrell when it comes to bringing these systems to the proper height - it makes a very big difference.

[DON]

No, the pictures are from brochures for the 10pi and 11 - I used to own two pairs of these stands, but they're long gone.

I believe that AR only offered the stands for a couple of years - they were welded steel, and surprisingly sturdy.

They also complemented the more modern appearance that AR began with this series of speakers.

I'm with Darrell when it comes to bringing these systems to the proper height - it makes a very big difference.

Those stands look to be about 12". I Have stands that are 6", 12" 4" 18" and 10". Maybe I can come up with the right height with one of these.

The owner refoamed the woofers and used what looks like a latex or silicone adhesive that's thick and still pliable. When I push in on the woofers they take about a second to return so I would guess they're ok.

[mike tarelli]

Those stands look to be about 12". I Have stands that are 6", 12" 4" 18" and 10". Maybe I can come up with the right height with one of these.

The owner refoamed the woofers and used what looks like a latex or silicone adhesive that's thick and still pliable. When I push in on the woofers they take about a second to return so I would guess they're ok.

I have the UK brochure from 1977 for these stands. They are 13&15/16in wide,10&3/4in deep and 12in high. £14 per pair plus V.A.T. I had a pair made but 15 in high plus plus spikes. They sound fabulous.

Mike.

[DON]

I have the UK brochure from 1977 for these stands. They are 13&15/16in wide,10&3/4in deep and 12in high. £14 per pair plus V.A.T. I had a pair made but 15 in high plus plus spikes. They sound fabulous.

Mike.

I've just finished assembling a pair of metal stands and with the spikes they're a little over 12" tall. I have some stands with 3 tubular columns that I filled with about 50lbs. of lead shot but they're 24" tall and that may be too high.

[DON]

I've just finished assembling a pair of metal stands and with the spikes they're a little over 12" tall. I have some stands with 3 tubular columns that I filled with about 50lbs. of lead shot but they're 24" tall and that may be too high.

Just picked the 9s up at the freight dock. I have been working on removing the crate for over an hour and I have one side off. Too hot to work out there very long. The crate was so well constructed so I don't expect to see any damage. I can't wait to get them hooked up but I'll have to get the individual speakers off the truck by myself. My neighbor across the street is home but she's 91 and wouldn't be much help. Thats the same thing someone would say about me if they needed help and I was the only one home Breaks over......back to work!

[Rat44]

Take it easy.

Those things are a handful by yourself.

And the grills are fragile.

I use a hand truck and a blanket if I need to move mine.

[Tom H.]

Shoot Don, I wish we were neighbors! Good luck.

I'm anxious to hear how they sound and what kind of shape they are in.

[DON]

Shoot Don, I wish we were neighbors! Good luck.

I'm anxious to hear how they sound and what kind of shape they are in.

The speakers were packed securely and there was no damage at all. All four woofers will need refoaming but the drivers appear to be in perfect shape. Hey Tom I wish we were neighbors too They're off the truck and in the garage. When I get ready to move them I have a truck and lotsa padding. I looked at the crossovers in one speaker this morning! They had to be put on two boards. One is attached with screws so I could remove that one if I had to work on it. The other is stapled on and I could remove it if I had to. Lord I hope theres nothing wrong in there (I know.....they will never sound their best with the old caps). There's one cap in there almost as big as the baked potato I had for lunch yesterday! TTYL

[Rat44]

Glad to hear they made it intact.

Its difficult to ship speakers that big.

You are in for a treat when they are up and running.

Any thoughts on what you will power them with ?

[DON]

Glad to hear they made it intact.

Its difficult to ship speakers that big.

You are in for a treat when they are up and running.

Any thoughts on what you will power them with ?

Right now my plans are to use an Adcom 5800. I also have 2 Adcom amps that I can bridge and get more power but the 5800 should do ok. I'ts what I'm using on my B$W 801s.

After getting the woofers out I can almost pick one of these up and carry it. Won't try that.....one little trip over something and the speaker is junk and I'm worse.

Sittin around waiting for Fed X to deliver a little tube amp. My first venture into tubes. Hope all the hype is not just hype. I've got two weeks to try it out before I decide if I like it.

[ar_pro]

Glad they arrived safely, Don.

As others have mentioned, Bill at Millersound is the best in the business - he has a real love for the AR-9, and makes a special effort on their woofers & lower midrange drivers.

I would advise against trying to remove the crossover boards - there should be adequate access through the woofer holes to replace any caps.

You'll also want to evaluate the level control switches, as they're known to become intermittent - 30 years on, these things can happen.

Before mono-strapping your Adcom amplifiers, you might consider taking advantage of the AR-9's built-in bi-amp capability.

After removing the external jumpers, simply connect the upper & lower sections of the speaker to the L&R outputs of one amplifier, in a vertical bi-amp configuration. Then do the same for the second speaker & amplifier.

This set-up has provided the best experience that I've ever had with the AR-9.

[DON]

Glad they arrived safely, Don.

As others have mentioned, Bill at Millersound is the best in the business - he has a real love for the AR-9, and makes a special effort on their woofers & lower midrange drivers.

I would advise against trying to remove the crossover boards - there should be adequate access through the woofer holes to replace any caps.

You'll also want to evaluate the level control switches, as they're known to become intermittent - 30 years on, these things can happen.

Before mono-strapping your Adcom amplifiers, you might consider taking advantage of the AR-9's built-in bi-amp capability.

After removing the external jumpers, simply connect the upper & lower sections of the speaker to the L&R outputs of one amplifier, in a vertical bi-amp configuration. Then do the same for the second speaker & amplifier.

This set-up has provided the best experience that I've ever had with the AR-9.

The only reason I have for possibility of removing the crossovers is bad eyesight. I have a head mounted magnifier but I have to find lenses that will give me the magnification and allow me to work at a distance. The large silver can capacitor in one speaker has been replaced by a by a blue cap that is smaller.

I have two Adcom 5800s that I can use to bi-amp. The only problems is they take up a lot of space. I'll check the controls but unless I've missed something they are switches and not like other ARs I've worked on. I'll try to contact Bill and see what he recommends.

My "little" tube amp just arrived but judging from the weight of the box it may not be so little. TTYL (learned that from my grand daughter)

[DON]

What size are the large woofers on my 9s? I measure the frame as 12" but almost all the references I see refer to an 11" woofer. I thought that the frame size was the size of the woofers.

I really should be in bed.

[michiganpat]

What size are the large woofers on my 9s? I measure the frame as 12" but almost all the references I see refer to an 11" woofer. I thought that the frame size was the size of the woofers.

I really should be in bed.

they are a truncated 12" frame....IIRC the cone size is slightly undersized for a 12" frame, with a larger roll, similar to the large advent (10" cone in a 12" basket), or the Realistic Mach1's (15" frame, with a ~13.5" cone)

[DON]

they are a truncated 12" frame....IIRC the cone size is slightly undersized for a 12" frame, with a larger roll, similar to the large advent (10" cone in a 12" basket), or the Realistic Mach1's (15" frame, with a ~13.5" cone)

So will a foam kit for 11" woofers be what I need? Thanks. Don

[RoyC]

So will a foam kit for 11" woofers be what I need? Thanks. Don

Hi Don,

Your foam surround supplier will know the correct surround to use. This woofer cone is a unique size and the replacement surround is very specific to it. If your supplier is not aware of this fact, find a new source for your surrounds. John at Msound (msound@citlink.net) provides the proper high compliance surrounds for all AR woofers, and has been providing discounts to CSP forum members.

Roy

[DON]

Hi Don,

Your foam surround supplier will know the correct surround to use. This woofer cone is a unique size and the replacement surround is very specific to it. If your supplier is not aware of this fact, find a new source for your surrounds. John at Msound (msound@citlink.net) provides the proper high compliance surrounds for all AR woofers, and has been providing discounts to CSP forum members.

Roy

Thanks Roy.

[jgscott]

So did you hook up the AR11's? What do you think about them?

[DON]

So did you hook up the AR11's? What do you think about them?

Yes I did get them hooked up. I'm playing them with a 30 watt tube amp and they sound very nice. The little amp can play the AR11s surprisingly loud but I will hook them up to a 250 watt SS amp. after I listen to the tubes a few more days. I've not yet experienced the "tube euphoria" that so many rave about but the sound is better to my ears than the B&K ST 140 that I've been using. I need to experiment with the placement of the 11s. Now they are on stands about 10" off the floor and slanted back about 6 degrees. I have other stands that will raise them further without the tilt. I've torn my rotator cuff again and there are days when I can lift very little. So the 11s will be where they are for sometime. I go in Monday to get an MRI scheduled in anticipation of surgery. I had it done about 8yrs back and I'm not looking forward to having it done again.

[DON]

Last week I did a lot of reading on one thread here about recapping AR9s. I found more information than I needed about the ins and outs of different caps and discussions where some members actually talked about going back in the speakers and changing caps because they didn't like the sound of the changes they had made.

That thread and my general lack of aptitude for electronics and all the different abbreviations used convinced me that I'm just too old and tired for this hobby.

I'm quitting all my projects except for 2 Advents and maybe my AR2ax. I need to spend more time relaxing and actually listening to music the way I did just a few years ago.

I've had a very nice time here and have received more help than I ever imagined I would and I want to thank all of those who took the time to help.

A few weeks back I said I'd be giving away some vintage gear just for the shipping costs. Well I've torn the rotator cuff in my right shoulder again so packaging and shipping will be more than I can handle. I'm still going to give things away but you'll have to come to Lubbock, Texas and pick it up.

Pioneer SX1010 maybe two. Sound is good and static free. Can't guarantee that the 100 watts is still there

Pioneer SA 9500 very nice

Dual turntable one or two. some work and some don't but no real major problems

Technics SL 1300 MKII one not working. One won't start with switch but can be manually started by spinning by hand

Pioneer SX 1050 Maybe

Pioneer SX1250 partially apart. Needs glass, wooden cover fell apart when I took it off. I've cleaned the faceplate and all the knobs. I've sprayed the switches with DEOXIT. One of the large filter caps has been leaking. It obviously came from a home of heavy smokers as the entire outside was covered with smoke residue.

A couple more Pioneer receivers but I'm not sure right now which ones.

OLA with walnut and either Bullnose or tapered front trim. Very nice. Previous owner says he recapped the X Overs and installed banana clip connectors.

AR2ax cabinet with tweeters. Cabinet was painted black and coming apart. I've removed most of the paint and repaired the separated panels as best I could.

I may also have a pair of AR5s minus woofers and grilles.

Polk Audio 5jr 2 pair. One pair has had the bottom painted black. Both work.

I may have other items that I'll list later on. If you want any of the items listed PM me.