JKent Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Byoo-tee-full! Keep the photos coming! I'd love to see well-lit close-ups of the rounded edges. Did you have the pro do the work? What brand/color is the stain? Those do look like keepers! -Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianw Posted November 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Thank you JKent Ended up doing it all myself ! Used the Minwax stain product. That would be the gel stain, rubs in and does not run. The rounded edges are MDF, so that was tricky, lots of cover p and stain ! https://www.minwax.ca/wood-products/stains/minwax-gel-stain -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Great-looking job - that's really a bold look & restoration for these fine speakers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stupidhead Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 looking good. what about the drivers? crossover? if woofers are glopped with rubber I have had luck with a slow methodical removal with q tips and toluene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 19 hours ago, brianw said: Once the final product is done final pictures will be posted. The speakers look so much better than when you started. Nice job! Please include a close-up of one of the corners when you post the final pictures. I'm curious on seeing how well the MDF and veneer sections compliment each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Wow, that's a pretty radical transformation - - - great work!.... and congrats on the excellent results. Now, you might be well served by including a simple coat of paint to refresh the appearance of the baffle board before you re-install the drivers - - - and those (excellent but) homely woofers are gonna bring down the overall bling appeal of your efforts . The metal badges are very simple to polish up - - any thoughts on grille cloth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianw Posted November 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 Thanks for the positive comments. Ra.ra the baffles have now been cleaned up with a flat black paint. The woofers do look a mess although work well. So apparently an option is clean up as best as possible and a new coating of rubber, replace surrounds and / or cone. Any suggestions ? Stupidhead, above, suggested q tips and toluene but not so sure about that. OR just keep the grille cloths on ! The badges we are going to try some brasso or utensil cleaner, as far as the grill cloth, trying to source something similar to the original, anyone no of a good source ? Thanks Pics will be coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted November 24, 2017 Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 3 hours ago, brianw said: The woofers do look a mess although work well. So apparently an option is clean up as best as possible and a new coating of rubber, replace surrounds and / or cone. Any suggestions ? Looking at your pics the woofers are fine and should be left alone. They are not pretty but that's how they are. Maybe post close-ips of whatever you think is wrong. In any case, do not replace the surrounds or re-cone. You will ruin the woofers. A VERY THIN coating of Roy's goo MAY be good but in most cases AR-4 surrounds should be left alone. 3 hours ago, brianw said: as far as the grill cloth, trying to source something similar to the original, anyone no of a good source ? Read the AR-3a restoration booklet. Lots of useful info there. The best replacement cloth is 18 count linen in "lambswool" color from 1-2-3 Stitch online. -Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted November 24, 2017 Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 27 minutes ago, JKent said: ....the woofers are fine and should be left alone. They are not pretty but that's how they are. Yes, I fully agree with Kent - - - your woofers are just fine, and I was just joking since you did such an extraordinary job (tux, bow tie and tails) rescuing those sad-looking cabinets, and by comparison, the woofers appear a bit informally attired (sneakers, jeans, t-shirt). It is very doubtful that the woofers require any attention at all. Below is one pair of my 4x's that employ the identical woofer, and they perform extremely well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianw Posted November 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 Got it. You are so right. Will not touch the woofers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianw Posted November 24, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 So tonight I took the time to finish some minor cabinet blemishes. And then remounted the tweeter and gasket. Re-installed the damping material, install the gasket and woofer in each speaker.. Then gasp, hooked them up to the Bryston Amplifier pictured earlier, 4B 250 Watts per channel, so I know I have clean signal, not for volume. Put on Norah Jones and it was that magical sound. Not near the AR 9 or the AR 91 but an amazing speaker. While Norah played I cleaned up the badges with Silvo and they came out like new.. So last thing is grille cloth and the AR 4 Xa is ready for it's second life. Pictures will be posted before it is all done. And then on to the next project a simple AR 7 re-foam job. And then to find another AR in distress and needing to be brought back. Anyone know of some AR speakers in distress ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted November 24, 2017 Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 The 18ct. Weichet Lambswool Linen is definitely the nicest and closest to original material out there for your AR's. If you have a Michaels near you might want to consider their 28 ct. Charles Craft Irish Linen. https://www.michaels.com/10357706.html If you download the 40% off coupon one roll ( enough for both speakers) would be less than $5.00. I used some on my 4X speakers. I soaked it in diluted bleach water to lighten it up slightly then dried it between two bath towels and ironed it with a touch of spray starch. Looking forward to seeing the finished speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted November 24, 2017 Report Share Posted November 24, 2017 18 hours ago, brianw said: Put on Norah Jones and it was that magical sound. Glad to know everything worked out so well - - when testing speakers, my preference is also often to listen to female vocals, but I also like to audition acoustic strings and maybe jazz organ and/or percussion with brushes. 5 hours ago, larrybody said: .....you might want to consider their 28 ct. Charles Craft Irish Linen. That fabric looks really good and at a fantastic price. Thx for the tip. Just some obsessive, fussy details here, but pics attached show finished version of 4x speakers mentioned above. Most of this simply reflects my personal cosmetic preferences, but also having some fun with the re-build process. Applying a coat of butyl sealer to the cloth surounds is not normally necessary (especially for these 4x woofers that have permeable dust caps), but I tend to feel that it adds a refreshed or enhanced suppleness to the surround. I do like adding the washers under the screw heads for a few reasons: a more refined appearance; a more confident tightening process; and it adds a degree of protection to the edge of the cloth surround. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio AR Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Hi, amazing to see a woofer with square ceramic magnet and cloth surround. The paper cone is identical to the version with alnico magnet, surround as well. What can experts say about this hybrid version of the 8 "woofer? Below the photo that testifies the ceramic magnet together with the fabric suspension! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 6 hours ago, Giorgio AR said: Hi, amazing to see a woofer with square ceramic magnet and cloth surround. The paper cone is identical to the version with alnico magnet, surround as well. What can experts say about this hybrid version of the 8 "woofer? Below the photo that testifies the ceramic magnet together with the fabric suspension! The manufacture date stamp clearly shows the woofer was constructed in 1984, long after the 4xa was being manufactured. My opinion is that this was an AR replacement woofer assembled from an old 4x cone from the late 60's/early 70's, using a later magnet. I have seen a similar combination (several times) consisting of the AR-2/early 2ax cloth surround 10 inch cone, again typical of the late 60's, attached to a modern round ferrite magnet. These woofers had red "service replacement" stickers on them. I'm guessing there were old leftover cones available, which were later used with later type magnets to make these rather unique replacements. It is anyone's guess the vintage of the voice coils and spiders, but the 10 inch woofers I worked with served as excellent replacements. Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio AR Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Thanks Roy, excellent report, the assembly date indicates 8438, but aesthetically the woofer (not seen from the magnet side, but seen from the cone) is correct for the AR4xa speaker about year 1973 (performed by the AR 10 years later: it may be a coincidence ), I am attaching photos of my AR4xa with the cone of the woofer (original), very similar to the one dated 8438. Great Acoustic Research Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio AR Posted December 22, 2018 Report Share Posted December 22, 2018 Excuse me Roy, but to complete the photos of specimens of AR4xa, another pair of mine,a little later than my other couple with back wired tweeter and woofer with ribbed cone and 4 holes for the screws. Different clothes, but the same philosophy of sound, grills give class to AR speakers, their removal shows the work of men! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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