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AR9's got my fingers crossed.....


xmas111

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The description is fubar - the speaker in the photo is absolutely an AR-9 - best of luck in your quest !

I've played four AR-9 systems with two 200 watt/channel McIntosh stereo amplifiers in our large (35' x 24' with a 17' ceiling) listening room, and the result was a HUGE sound, with an overabundance of LF energy.

We initially placed them side-by-side, in two pairs, with not great results, and were very interested in hearing them back-to-back, but with that orientation we could never get the LF sound balanced with the rest of the speakers' output.

I'd love to hear the same set-up in a larger space, though!

I do believe that stacking the AR-9 could prove to be a challenge! ;)

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Yes, you can tell there 9's by the three little toggle switches below the mid range. The 90's don't have those.

I'm picking them up in a little while. I'll let you all know what condition they're in.

As for stacking them.....I'd have to cut a hole in the ceiling and that's not happening....I don't think.....

John

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Finally got my neighbor to lend a hand and get the 9's in the basement where I'll be rebuilding them.

They're in pretty good shape cabinet wise. Won't take a whole lot to get them looking new...I hope!

All the woofers and lower mids will need to be refoamed. And the xovers will need rebuilding. Shouldn't be to big of a job once I find the time to work on them.

I am concerned about one of the upper mids, the cone is pushed and I'm not sure if pulling it out is all it's going to take.

Another thing I've never seen before is it list "Norwood Massachusetts" and "Bedfordshire, England" on the label under the grill. You can see it in one of the pics below.

Not sure about the logo on the grill. All the AR9's I've seen have the AR9 logo not just AR like these have.

Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted as to the rebuilding progress once it start. Should be an enjoyable project!

By the way, I didn't even bother taking any the HK components, got enough junk laying around already :rolleyes:

John

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John,

I also emailed this guy in Woburn, MA asking him to set a price for the AR-9 only; I guess you won them by offering to pay the full asking price without the other HK stuff, as he never emailed or called me back.

As to the logos, after losing this, I decided to get a near perfect pair of AR-90 in Providence, RI, also on Craigslist for $300, but I paid $200 for them (compensation for bad tweeters)! They also came with these same logos, but I also have never seen them on either 9s or 90s, so not sure if they came originally like that. He was an original owner but had the grille’s cloth replaced, but mentioned that they came with these logos. They also have the same "Norwood, Massachusetts" and "Bedfordshire, England" labels as yours.

This beautiful AR-90 pair was much easier to pass my wife approval, so I'm also happy for that and still very excited with this find. I will have to replace both tweeters as mentioned, as they were DOR, but I already had spares anyway. I'll also send all four woofers and both lower midranges to Bill LeGall of Millersound for refoam and to clean the previous massy refoam. The cabinets, grilles, and foam surrounds, are in near perfect shape.

Francisco

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I don't think they're an European model (if they even exist). The guy I bought them from said they were his fathers (who passed away a couple of years ago) and remembers when his father bought them.....because he had to help lug them in the house. :lol:

I could of taken the HK stuff but after looking at it I decided it wasn't worth it to me. It would probably need some work and I don't have the time or desire. Never would have used it either.

John

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Your correct ar_pro, the grills do have a plastic backing.

My original 9's have the wood backing.

As usual I couldn't wait to rip into these things. :rolleyes:

All the woofers and lower mids are on the bench waiting to be refoamed.

Bought this surround kit on ebay. It has the surrounds needed for both speakers and is cheaper than buying the individual kits.

http://www.ebay.com/...984.m1497.l2648

Took the entire xover assembly out of one of them, will do the other one tomorrow or later.

Added some pics for you guys of everything..although I'm sure most of you know what it all looks like.

Glad I made a list and saved it when I did my other 9's with all the caps I'll need. That will save some time.

John

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That's really good work, John - a nice clean job of removing the crossover boards, too.

Taking the level-control switches out is also an excellent idea - although I've never encountered a completely bad switch, it seems like there's always one or two intermittant switches that need attention.

How will you seal the woofers?

Did you buy new gaskets, or will you use something else?

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>>Taking the level-control switches out is also an excellent idea - although I've never encountered a completely bad switch, it seems >>like there's always one or two intermittant switches that need attention

I took the level-control switches out of my 90's when I rebuilt the crossovers. I'd recommend leaving them.

I was absolutely shocked how bright the speakers became after rebuilding the crossovers. Heck, I discovered one speaker had a bad upper mid after rebuilding the crossovers that wasn't apparent with the original crossover.

The voice coil on the failed upper mid apparently "popped out" of the gap due to moving stress over the years. Interestingly enough, I had to reject the first replacement because it arrived in exactly the same condition.

I'm the original owner of this pair. Bought them on a close out sale for about $1,000 in 1979 or 1980.

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That's really good work, John - a nice clean job of removing the crossover boards, too.

Taking the level-control switches out is also an excellent idea - although I've never encountered a completely bad switch, it seems like there's always one or two intermittant switches that need attention.

How will you seal the woofers?

Did you buy new gaskets, or will you use something else?

I'll shoot some contact cleaner into the switches to make sure they're ok.

My original set I bypassed the switches when I rebuilt them. Going to leave them intact on this set.

I'll be making new gaskets out of a roll of foam I bought when rebuilding the LST's.

This is the foam I bought: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-16-MICRO-FOAM-24-WIDE-ONE-50-ft-ROLL-PACKITGONE-item-F62450-/120925535866?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c27b93e7a

I've got plenty of it left.

John

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Hi John

If I may suggest using a cleaner such as, DeOxit or equal, to be certain of maximum cleansing and no plastic deterioration.

Yup, that's what I was thinking of using.

John

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I'm not sure what to do about the upper mid with the indented cone.

Is the speaker ruined in this condition?

I've tried pulling it out with tape but it doesn't want to come out and stay. I don't want to try any other drastic procedures in fear I might destroy it totally.

Anyone had any luck repairing something like this.

Thanks,

John

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