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[BoringSounds]

Dear All,

Its my first post here, actually the reason why I signed up.

I just came into the possession of a pair of AR-7s, they seem to be in reasonable condition, the cases only have a couple of scratches and the grilles are clean, they only have one tarnished brass? logo..

I have a couple of questions, I would like to know:

Are these the original tweeters?

Is it expensive for both bass units need to be refoamed? Are there any differences in the kits that you see online? Which ones are the better ones? etc

Are they worth refurbishing?

I would like to have some bookshelf speakers for the library (small box room) powered by some old naim gear (nac42.5/nap110/snaps), until I build something better..

Would these be worth the work?

Sorry for all the questions..

Thanks

David

[BoringSounds]

Just realised that the search form on this site is case sensitive, i had previously been searching ar7,ar-7 ar-7's. ar7s....

I found this previous post http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=6483&st=0&p=88284&hl=ar7s&fromsearch=1entry88284

so the questions that I would like to be answered still are:

are they original tweeters?

are they worth restoring

how would they match up with the naim gear?

thank you for your time in advance

David

[ra.ra]

Hi David from Finland, and welcome to the forum.

Definitely great little speakers worth re-storing. Your pair, with nearly consecutive serial numbers, is clearly one of the Euro-versions which differ slightly from those manufactured in USA, most notable by:

1. manufacturer tag with England address (obviously)

2. speckled paint on rear of cabinet

3. rear wired tweeter

4. multi-color rock wool stuffing

All drivers appear original, and it looks like the stamp on the tweeter dates these to 1974. One oddity is that the woofer has two positive terminal stickers, although it looks like one may have been crossed out with black pen. Tweeters look terrific, and the woofers will be just as great after re-foaming.

More informed sources will probably help you out with this, but it appears you have the original blue Sprague 6 uf capacitor, which many people suggest often retains its value even after 40 years. Still, for short money, you may wish to replace these for performance insurance. Also, many experienced restorers of vintage speakers strongly detest the rock wool stuffing and often recommend replacing it with fiberglass, but since your speakers have only the simple switch, perhaps this is a non-issue.

Hard to tell if your cabinets are real wood or simulated vinyl, but the brass logo should clean up very easily - - - I hope you can find a second one to match. For reference, I have attached two pics of AR-7 crossovers (one with same blue cap) and a beautiful teak pair of Euro AR-7's.

[JKent]

Welcome David

A couple of comments in addition to ra ra's. I agree, the 7s are great little speakers. The best refoam kits come from ebay seller moonlistener (MSound). They come with everything you need, and very complete instructions. Tell John (MSound) you need a kit for the AR7 and he will put together exactly what you need. Also tell him you are a CSP member. He ships from the USA so there will be some additional shipping cost.

The 2 + signs on the woofer are odd but I've found that AR woofers are sometimes incorrectly marked for polarity. Better to check with a battery. The + side of a 1.5v battery touched to the + speaker terminal will move the woofer cone outward.

Don't know why that hot melt glue is on the woofer terminal.

Some suggestions here for polishing the solid brass logo plates: http://www.classicsp...h=1

I like Gene's olive oil trick, but have not tried it. Your plate still has the protective plastic film on it, which can be peeled off.

When I restored my AR7s I removed the blue Sprague caps and replaced them with poly film caps, but the Sprague still tested spot on, so as ra ra said, probably no need to replace them.

I don't think that multi-color stuffing is rock wool so there is no need to replace that either. According to RoyC (whose advice I trust) it is polyester.

I've never used Naim equipment but have read about it and I'm sure the 7s will work very well in that system.

If you have not already done so, be sure to look over the AR3a restoration guide. Much of the info in there applies to all AR speakers and it makes for fascinating reading:

http://www.classicsp...ring_the_ar-3a/

Also have a look here for AR7 ads and brochures: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/

Good luck with your project

Kent

[dynaco_dan]

Dear All,

Its my first post here, actually the reason why I signed up.

I just came into the possession of a pair of AR-7s, they seem to be in reasonable condition, the cases only have a couple of scratches and the grilles are clean, the only have one tarnished brass? logo..

Hi there

Whoever owned them took real good care of them judging by the overall appearance and paperwoork, nice tio see.

[BoringSounds]

well thank you all for such a great response, I will endeavor to try and restore them to the best state that I can, if my system does not want to get along so well with them I will pass them on.

I like to try and restore/re-use as much as I can, I personally cannot stand this disposable society.

It is so nice to be amongst people that prefer the old to the new...

Thanks guys..

[BoringSounds]

Ok, just contacted moonlistener through ebay, lets see what happens. Will keep you informed on the progress...

[Jaws]

Hi, since you are in Finland you might want to try this site in the UK for your re-foam kits:

http://www.speaker-r...foam/index.html

I have rebuilt two pairs of AR-7 and a pair of AR-2ax using their kits, and I can vouch for them.

Good luck with the restoration, the AR-7 is a great little speaker - my daughter has been given one pair, and my son the other (the latter with a severe warning not to play his bass guitar through them!

Jaws