AR2ax adventure

Apolek

Well-Known Member
Finally got my first Acoustic Research speakers, just need to go pick them up. AR2ax with mahogany cabinets. Seller says mid and tweeter non-functional on one, and scratchy, intermittent mid on the other. Sounds like typical pot issues, but I'll have to wait until I get them home to see. Other than that, from the photos the cabinets look to be in good shape with typical scratches and no veneer loss. Bit of a gamble, but what the heck. Just need to go for a drive with the CFO/Wife. Got a full tank of gas, a half pack of cigarettes, it's 218 miles to Springfield, and we're wearing dark glasses...
 
Not bad. Zero veneer damage, and most scratches are superficial. No need for refinishing. Grills look like they've never been off, and the cloth is in excellent shape aside from being dirty. Feel like a five year old being forced to stare at the presents under the tree for two weeks before Christmas. Want to tear into these NOW, but have to finish another project first. O.C.D. prevents me from multitasking worth a damn.

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Nice catch. Saw those yesterday and was wondering about the mahogany finish .. did the seller oil then up for sale, or did they come with a glossy finish?
 
cool get. Looks are outstanding. I had to get new tweets and caps for mine some years ago. Let us know if you need pics and help. enjoy.
 
Nice catch. Saw those yesterday and was wondering about the mahogany finish .. did the seller oil then up for sale, or did they come with a glossy finish?

This one has a lacquer finish. From what I've been able to find doing image searches (mahogany cabinets aren't very common), these were finished that way from the factory.
 
Great audio road trip!
The pots are a good bet that that's the problem with no mid or tweeter output.
Lacquer is very easy to work with and forgiving. You can lightly block sand the cabs, and then refinish with spray can lacquer with excellent results. Make sure you're in a well ventilated area as it stinks and is bad to breath in.
Be very careful removing the grills. I know there will be six spots where they were glued to the baffles. The four corners, and the sides near the woofer cutouts. This area is very thin and often the frames wil bend and break. Go slow. I'm not sure if these have the bazillion staples as well like the 2a's.
Congrats on your new AR's!
Glenn
 
Great audio road trip!
The pots are a good bet that that's the problem with no mid or tweeter output.
Lacquer is very easy to work with and forgiving. You can lightly block sand the cabs, and then refinish with spray can lacquer with excellent results. Make sure you're in a well ventilated area as it stinks and is bad to breath in.
Be very careful removing the grills. I know there will be six spots where they were glued to the baffles. The four corners, and the sides near the woofer cutouts. This area is very thin and often the frames wil bend and break. Go slow. I'm not sure if these have the bazillion staples as well like the 2a's.
Congrats on your new AR's!
Glenn


Thanks! looking forward to working on these just as soon as I finish up these Rectilinears. Was going to ask about removing the grills, but it sounds like extreme care and good old fashioned patience is the key. Finish is actually really good. May just scrub them down to remove the grime, hit them with some rottenstone, add a couple coats of wax, and leave them at that. I'll get a better look at them tomorrow.
 
I know I said I wasn't going to touch these until I finished the Rectilinears, but I couldn't resist having a peek. Wish I had resisted the urge now. :eek: Think it's safe to say they need refoaming.

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I've refoamed two pairs like these. You need the Boston filled fillet style surrounds. Also, best to shim them. The shims help keep the cone level with the basket while the surround glue dries. Carefully cut around the dust cap leaving just a little bit, and flip open like a lid. After the foams are done, reglue the dust cap and position it back to original location lining up with the cut you made. Once the glue dries you will hardly be able to see where you cut it.
Glenn
 
Don't know what type they are, but I got the kit from the vintage AR place on EBay. Says they're specifically for AR speakers.
 
Good news is the grills came off relatively easy and intact. Any tips on cleaning the grill cloth? Can it be done in place, or do I have to pull it off to properly clean it?
 
Once the grills are removed from the speaker cabinet you can clean them in place with a spray bottle of diluted bleach solution and let them dry in the sun. There is a good write up over at classic speaker pages website.
 
I've used VintageAR surrounds on all my AR refoams. He sells the right sealer for the cloth surrounds, the right grill cloth, and the right kits for tweeter and pot upgrades, so I assume he applies the same high standard to his choice of foams. No affiliation.
 
That's great the grilles came off easily. You can see the glue on the baffle. Apparently no staples like mine had. I couldn't get the staples out without damaging little areas of the dried out fabric. Too easy to pull. It was unfortunate because they were perfect otherwise.
 
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