Acoustic Research AR4x tweeter repair

[tobias2]

Hi guys,

I picked up a pair of AR4x speakers over here in Holland. Unfortunately one of the tweeters is dead...
At first I thought both tweeters were bad, but on one it was just the tweeter attenuator, that started conducting again after turning it up and down a couple times.

I pulled the other one, and it fails when checking the coil for continuity with a multimeter. I'm good with fidgety, small stuff, but have never taken a tweeter apart to attemp repair.

Any tips on how to take these apart without ruing them forever?

This is what the tweeter looks like (not my pics):

Thanks!!

 

[stickman]

The odds of a successful home repair on that tweeter are very low. I'd start searching eBay as these tweeters turn up on occasion and hopefully the seller will ship to Holland. It won't be cheap but a fully functioning pair these speakers are probably worth the cost.

 

[tobias2]

Thanks! Couldn't find any on eBay or other sites.. So if anyone has a clue where to find a working tweeter; I'm all ears!
I separated the cone from the metal housing with a hot scalpel. It looks messy because of all the glue, but it actually came off with zero damage to the paper cone itself. I found one of the voice coil wires was loose (either it already was, or came detached when desoldering from the outside). Resoldered it, but still no continuity on the coil...
Can anoyone explain what will happen to an overdriven tweeter? What else than a loose connection can I look for?

 

[jamiecantar]

Hope it helps, I've read that many people replace the original with a Phenolic Cone Tweeter. If you want an original then you'll have to be patient and search the web frequently, like ebay and places like that.