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AR 2ax Tweeter choice: Opinions wanted

-reverb-

-reverb-

Buying, selling... mainly buying
Hi all,

I am rebuilding a pair of AR 2ax's and have all original AR drivers except the tweeters. I don't really care about resale value I just want a good sounding set of speakers

When I go these, the originals AR's tweeters had been replaced with a pair of Realistic 40-1276 dome's. Not a bad tweeter for sure but the down-side is they do not fit well in the opening. Even with an adapter ring, the fit will still be problematic because of the screw pattern and their location.

While researching I found some have decided to use the HiVi Q1R from Parts Express as a replacement. RoyC did some work and determined that if you add a 0.05mH Inductor, it matched well to the original AR part.

Lastly, I could find a pair of correct AR tweets. As I understand it based on my production date (72-73), these would be the black dome versions. My concern here is age and how much the tweeter has drifted from it's original voice.

So my question is, which ones to use:

1) Realistic 40-1276's
2) HiVi Q1R's
3) Correct AR replacement Black Domes
4) Something else

Thanks for any opinions!
 
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I have different classic ARs, and I've made different choices (Door Number 2 or 3). The Q1Rs are a known quantity. Used tweeters, not so much. I'm 51% in favor of new at the moment, especially if you're not worried about authenticity.
 
Thanks for your input RxDx. That is where I am (slightly) leaning as well.

I figure input from the AK collective would be a good thing to hear though. Lot's of folks have plowed this field already.
 
I suppose since resale value is not important, then the HiVi option with proper inductor is the way to go. If it is Roy's choice then it must be the best option. If resale is to be considered, then holding out for originals is the way to go.
 
I recently went the Hivi route myself. I have no basis for comparison to the original tweets, but I am completely satisfied. Some minor mods to the tweeter itself (none to the cabinet) and you could always revert back to original if you wanted to, so I don't see where value would be depreciated in any way.
 
What's the overall condition of these? If really good except for the tweeters, I would steer towards originality. You could always swap out for the HiVi's later.

When I was restoring my LST-2's, all 6 tweeters were dead! It left me with little choice but to go with the HiVi's along with the crossover mods which was Roy's suggestion. They sound exceptional to me, though I didn't have anything to compare them to. I don't think, or hope this will detract from their value that much if I was ever to sell them.

Glenn
 
When I got them, I didn't know what was inside. All I could see was the cabs, grills and badges. The cabs were pretty good - no bashed corners, the grills had been recovered and one of the badges has a tarnished edge. Not pristine, but certainly a good place to start.

It all went south once I got home and pulled the grills. The only driver left that was an AR original part was one midrange. Crappy Realistic woofers, a single crappy non-name mid and not-so-crappy Realistic domes rounded out the compliment. Oh, boy! Not the $34 GW Scroe I once thought it was.

I have since sanded and refinished the cabs, repainted the baffles, refurbished the pots and recapped the crossover. I have accumulated the missing AR mid and two correct AR woofers (they still need to be refoamed). The finial piece to the driver puzzle are the tweets.

As mentioned, I think if I use HiVi's now, I could always go back to the correct AR part if/when they become available at a reasonable price.

I don't see a down-side to this option.
 
-reverb- said:
Lastly, I could find a pair of correct AR tweets. As I understand it based on my production date (72-73), these would be the black dome versions. My concern here is age and how much the tweeter has drifted from it's original voice.
Click to expand...

I had an older pair with the cloth woofer surrounds. One tweeter was the black dome and the other was dark green. :dunno:
 
You can't duplicate the original AR dome tweeters/midrange. There is nothing made today with the same response and dispersion characteristics so you cannot make a classic AR sound like it did when it was new. You can install new drivers to make it sound like whatever makes you happy or you can use the original drivers which won't perform up to their original specs but can sound quite good depending on their condition.

ARs with replacement drivers are worth very little resale wise compared to those with original drivers. It all depends on what you want. If you have ARs that already have replacement drivers, I would just replace those with whatever are currently considered the best choice. But if you want original drivers, they usually show up periodically on Ebay.
 
I was faced with the same dilemma with my AR-2AX’s a couple of years ago only I only needed one tweeter. I found correct AR tweeters on eBay without too much trouble. There is some risk that they won’t work or stand up but you can’t beat the original tweeters if they are good condition.
 
I'm hedging my bets... placed an order with PE for the Q1R's and the added inductor. Will keep an eye out in BT and on that web site for original AR tweets as well.

This way I enjoy the 2ax's while looking for the original repalcements.

Thanks for all the suggestions and opinions - it is most appreciated.
 
When looking for AR's drivers, one should always look for a beat-up pair of speakers with working drivers, instead of the individuals drivers, much cheaper in the long run.
Re-sellers on ebay always look for this type of deal, and sell the parts at huge profit.
 
Good point mainau. I need to find some real sweaty ones on Cl or something. Beat to crap but with working drivers (tweets at least). :thmbsp:
 
Could someone direct me to the crossover coil mod from Roy C with the HiVi tweeter. Mine tweeter in my new to me AR 2ax is broken....
 
-reverb- said:
When I got them, I didn't know what was inside. All I could see was the cabs, grills and badges. The cabs were pretty good - no bashed corners, the grills had been recovered and one of the badges has a tarnished edge. Not pristine, but certainly a good place to start.

It all went south once I got home and pulled the grills. The only driver left that was an AR original part was one midrange. Crappy Realistic woofers, a single crappy non-name mid and not-so-crappy Realistic domes rounded out the compliment. Oh, boy! Not the $34 GW Scroe I once thought it was.

I have since sanded and refinished the cabs, repainted the baffles, refurbished the pots and recapped the crossover. I have accumulated the missing AR mid and two correct AR woofers (they still need to be refoamed). The finial piece to the driver puzzle are the tweets.

As mentioned, I think if I use HiVi's now, I could always go back to the correct AR part if/when they become available at a reasonable price.

I don't see a down-side to this option.
Click to expand...
this would be my strategy...
 
What about a suitable KLH tweeter, say from a model six, seventeen, twenty, etc? Pair it with the correct capacitor to get the proper crossover, and listen? Seems to me that would preserve the "east coast" sound, and while not original, at least has some of the DNA. Might be more plentiful, too.
 
I have no dog in this fight anymore. My AR's were sold in the wife-sanctioned great speaker purge of 2015.

Th AR's turned out well and sounded great but I had other pairs that I chose to hold onto instead.
 
curious was the buyer concerned about the hivi?

the resulting sound reproduction, if very good, trumps all in most cases.
 
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