AR4X project finished

[allsmith]

Well with help from everybody here at AK,I got my AR4X's all repaired and up any playing music again! They came to me with both tweeters not working, so i opened them up, saving the original grill cloth. I found after removing both potentiometers, that they were corroded beyond cleaning. I installed new L-pads from parts express, with a 25 ohm resistor across the tweeter leads(Roy C's design to get as original as possible control over the tweeters as the original pots had), also put in new Dayton 5% polypropylene capacitors. Everthing all soldered in place. I resealed all drivers to cabinets with strip caulk. Redoped the woofers with sealent from Vintage AR on ebay. I used Howards restore a finish and feed and wax on the cabinets. The cabinets were in pretty good shape with only a couple small gouges, and came out pretty nice. I been driving them with a sansui g3000 receiver with Fleetwood Mac's Rumors cd, and now i can finally see why i lot of ppl like them! They sound quite good, i really like there mid bass! Sound much larger than they look! Gonna serve as my workbench speakers.

 

[RS Steve]

Nice job, glad to see another set of AR's getting a second life. :thmbsp:

 

[GeoKost]

Nice job, looks good. Time to enjoy. :yes:

 

[ssmith3046]

One of the best sounding small speakers ever made IMO. Nice job.

 

[audiojones]

Lookin' good! Roy has been a huge help to so many here and over at classic speaker pages when it comes to restoring these beauties.

 

[Resident]

Nice job indeed, how do you like the sound with the lpad install? Did you happen to notice any change at all, I know that there is a lot of discussion about it without the resistor in place that it does change the sound.

I was thinking when my pots finally go I was going to go the same route that you did.

 

[allsmith]

Nice job indeed, how do you like the sound with the lpad install? Did you happen to notice any change at all, I know that there is a lot of discussion about it without the resistor in place that it does change the sound.

I was thinking when my pots finally go I was going to go the same route that you did.

Wish i could help you, but i only got to hear them for a few min, with both tweeters not working when i bought them, so i dont know what they sounded like originally, but i think they sound pretty good now! Hardest part was getting the crossover boards out(stapled and glued) I used rope caulk and screws to reinstall them.

 

[allsmith]

Thanks all! Yeah it was a fun project, there small size made them very easy to work on. But they have a huge sound to them! I like them a lot!

 

[Tetrode]

How would you rate the effects of the vintage AR sealant?

 

[allsmith]

My first impression was that it seemed like they lost a little bass after the sealant was applied, but the more i listen to them the bass does sound really good now,and more balanced, maybe before I sealed them (I could see light through just about every small hole in the surround s)they were sounding boomy, and the sealant took away that boomyness.There mid bass punch is great also ( you can hear the kick pedal mallet hitting the bass drum head) The other thing i notice is that they are way more power hungry now.They suck up the little sansui's 26 watts in a hurry!

 

[dc270]

Great resto work!! You should be proud! I am for ya
DC

 

[allsmith]

Great resto work!! You should be proud! I am for ya
DC

Thank you! If it wasn't for AK and all the helpful members here, i wouldn't have known where to begin!

 

[analoghound]

AR4X grill removal

Hi. I recently acquired a pair of AR4X speakers form an original owner who had them stored for 30+ years in his basement. They work but no tweeter sounds and the pots are very scratchy feeling and provide no change audibly when turned and I am hesitant as to the best method of removing the grills. They appear glued on and I wanted to confirm that the only way to remove them is to somehow pry them off wihout damaging the leading wood edge that they are seated into.

Thank in advance for your comments and advice.
Pucho (David)

 

[automojo]

My first impression was that it seemed like they lost a little bass after the sealant was applied, but the more i listen to them the bass does sound really good now,and more balanced, maybe before I sealed them (I could see light through just about every small hole in the surround s)they were sounding boomy, and the sealant took away that boomyness.There mid bass punch is great also ( you can hear the kick pedal mallet hitting the bass drum head) The other thing i notice is that they are way more power hungry now.They suck up the little sansui's 26 watts in a hurry!

Seems to be a lot of thought and discussion as to the proper sealant to use, as with the wrong one it won't sound right.
Vintage-AR seems to have the right stuff-and they also have the correct level pots ($14.95ea).
I imagine the woofers will loosen up over time.

 

[Br1ck]

The AR4x is a speaker you can listen to all day. I have mine on each side of my computer monitor, and listen nearfield. My tweeter pots work in one spot, so I leave them alone. Great for jazz.

 

[GD70]

Nice Job! The cabs look fantastic!
I'm doing a similar resto on a pair of KLH 6's. just finished re-capping but the tweets still don't work. I also bought the surround dope for my woofers but haven't applied it yet. I still have a way to go.
I've never heard the AR's but from what I've read here you should enjo them for years to come.

Glenn

 

[GD70]

My first impression was that it seemed like they lost a little bass after the sealant was applied, but the more i listen to them the bass does sound really good now,and more balanced, maybe before I sealed them (I could see light through just about every small hole in the surround s)they were sounding boomy, and the sealant took away that boomyness.There mid bass punch is great also ( you can hear the kick pedal mallet hitting the bass drum head) The other thing i notice is that they are way more power hungry now.They suck up the little sansui's 26 watts in a hurry!

Yes, they gobble up power! I'm running a JVC A-X5 @ 73 wpc and they love it. Extremely impressive little speakers. Mine are all original and near mint condition.
The surround sealer did make a big difference in mine. The woofers distorted at volume prior to applying the sealer. After the application, one coat only, it was night & day. One pot took a bit of fiddling to bring one of the tweeters to life, and I left it at that setting. I'm leaving everything alone until it's necessary to replace the caps and pots.

 

[Nicholas M]

Well with help from everybody here at AK,I got my AR4X's all repaired and up any playing music again! They came to me with both tweeters not working, so i opened them up, saving the original grill cloth. I found after removing both potentiometers, that they were corroded beyond cleaning. I installed new L-pads from parts express, with a 25 ohm resistor across the tweeter leads(Roy C's design to get as original as possible control over the tweeters as the original pots had), also put in new Dayton 5% polypropylene capacitors. Everthing all soldered in place. I resealed all drivers to cabinets with strip caulk. Redoped the woofers with sealent from Vintage AR on ebay. I used Howards restore a finish and feed and wax on the cabinets. The cabinets were in pretty good shape with only a couple small gouges, and came out pretty nice. I been driving them with a sansui g3000 receiver with Fleetwood Mac's Rumors cd, and now i can finally see why i lot of ppl like them! They sound quite good, i really like there mid bass! Sound much larger than they look! Gonna serve as my workbench speakers.

Hey there. I have the same idea. I have an original dual capacitor with the low pass filter. (black wire). I'm wondering how to connect it to my new Dayton cap. It looks here like you soldered to the braze for the inductor? And for your Lpad, you also connected that Dayton 25ohm 10w resistor ? Can you explain the schematics here.. it looks a wee bit confusing... thanks!@