• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

AR2 woofer stopped working

My Ar2ax's are the later version and have six mounting holes with the t nuts. First I tried the foam gasket tape from Parts Express when reinstalling the woofers. Worked great on large Advents, but was a no go on the AR's. Wound up using three lines of rope caulk from Ace Hardware and it worked fine.
IMG_2948_zpscr3pas9n.jpg
 
Ugh...too bad about that woofer.

These last three posts are good, and I hope I can clarify matters a bit. The AR-2 series (AR-2, 2a, 2x, and 2ax) did indeed use three different woofers, and the obvious physical variables were: outside basket diameter, number of screw holes, surround material, cone material, and magnet type/shape. This may be far from complete, but chronologically:

Type 1: cast metal basket (11" dia), 6 screws, cloth, heavy ribbed cone, cylindrical alnico magnet. Found in all AR-2 and 2a's, and in 'early' 2x and 2ax.
Type 2: pressed metal basket (11" dia), 6 screws, foam, smooth paper cone, slug alnico magnet. Found in 'transitional' 2x and 2ax.
Type 3: pressed metal basket (10" dia), 4 screws, foam, smooth paper cone, slug alnico magnet. Found in 'late' 2x and 2ax.

Am not 100% positive about a 'late' 2x, but nonetheless, the transitional woofer (like larrybody in post 21) was meant for cabinets with the larger diameter baffle cut-out as AR began shifting towards foam surrounds. While types 1 and 2 should both perform well and fit the AR-2 cabinet, if your other speaker is the original cloth woofer, that is what you will want for your second speaker as well.

I don't know what makes these drivers go dead, but before I tossed that beloved 10" woofer in the trash, I might want to first chat with Bill Legall at Millersound to see if a repair might be possible. Many serious east coast audio geeks say that he is the man for repairing the unrepairable.

http://www.millersound.net/about.htm
 
ra.ra said:
Ugh...too bad about that woofer.

These last three posts are good, and I hope I can clarify matters a bit. The AR-2 series (AR-2, 2a, 2x, and 2ax) did indeed use three different woofers, and the obvious physical variables were: outside basket diameter, number of screw holes, surround material, cone material, and magnet type/shape. This may be far from complete, but chronologically:

Type 1: cast metal basket (11" dia), 6 screws, cloth, heavy ribbed cone, cylindrical alnico magnet. Found in all AR-2 and 2a's, and in 'early' 2x and 2ax.
Type 2: pressed metal basket (11" dia), 6 screws, foam, smooth paper cone, slug alnico magnet. Found in 'transitional' 2x and 2ax.
Type 3: pressed metal basket (10" dia), 4 screws, foam, smooth paper cone, slug alnico magnet. Found in 'late' 2x and 2ax.

Am not 100% positive about a 'late' 2x, but nonetheless, the transitional woofer (like larrybody in post 21) was meant for cabinets with the larger diameter baffle cut-out as AR began shifting towards foam surrounds. While types 1 and 2 should both perform well and fit the AR-2 cabinet, if your other speaker is the original cloth woofer, that is what you will want for your second speaker as well.

I don't know what makes these drivers go dead, but before I tossed that beloved 10" woofer in the trash, I might want to first chat with Bill Legall at Millersound to see if a repair might be possible. Many serious east coast audio geeks say that he is the man for repairing the unrepairable.

http://www.millersound.net/about.htm
Click to expand...
Great info ra.ra! From what I've seen on fleabay, the 2&2a woofers look the same, hence my comment.
 
Now, why would a woofer be short circuited? Even if the VC is scraped badly there should be some non-shorted turns between the terminals - unless the VC has multiple layers (unusual) and the short is between two very close turns. Take a real close look at the tinsels to see if there is some short between them or between them and the metal basket. If so, the fix is not necessarily a replacement.
 
Alrighty! Picked up a "new" woofer of the bay. Unfortunately there was a tear in the paper cone, so I carefully fixed that with some glue and coffee filter. BUT, now both AR-2s are singing pretty!

Thanks everyone for their input and help!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom