AR91 Refoaming Question

[stumptacular]

i scored some AR91s for cheap... but they need refoamed... the gasket kit instructions say any cork or paper surrounds must be removed... but the surround on the original speaker are so intact...and more like masonite than paper or cork... and it doesnt seem right to scrape it off.... im kinda stuck on this ... first time refoamer here... any help or suggestions would be great ... Do I HAVE TO scrape off the surround or not?

 

[r_brumett61]

Please goto classicspeakerpages.net, there is a great downloadable pamphlet(manual) on rebuilding the AR3a. Which uses a woofer like the AR91. It goes into depth about cleaning and reforming the woofer.

 

[Drugolf]

The ring stays. I just stripped old surrounds off 4 of these (for my AR9's) and asked the same question over at CSP. The answer was to leave them. you should be able to get that remaining black residue off.

 

[michiganpat]

I have some 58S's I'm working on (essentially a bookshelf version of the 91's). I bought my surrounds from springfield speaker. the surrounds I got (allegedly for the AR11" woofer) would not sit correctly with the masonite ring (there was about an 1/8"+ gap between the cone and the surround when just laying them on, so I carefully cut them off with a utility knife. Then the foams sat perfect with them removed. once the glue dried on the cone/foam connection, I tried putting the masonite ring back in, and the foam doesn't sit right. I still need to glue the surround to the frame, but I plan on keeping the rings off.

 

[spkrdtr]

LEAVE THE RINGS ON!!!!

 

[michiganpat]

https://www.springfieldspeakerrepair.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=2AR11

this is the kit I used. with the masonite rings on the woofers, and the foam glued in place, it will be putting tension on the spider, pulling the cone forward at rest, which to me doesn't seem correct....

 

[dc270]

LEAVE THE CORK GASKET IN PLACE- it is used to level the surround/ frame to the cone! Taking it off will effect this critical spacing!!!
Good luck on the refoam
DC

 

[stumptacular]

thank you. great news.... i was confused and didnt want to just cut into them as the generic instructions from partsexpress implied...
they sell a speaker specific gasket they should have speaker specific instructions... but they dont...

 

[michiganpat]

here's the woofers from my 58S's with the Springfield Speaker foam installed on the cone only. It looks to be an exact match as far as ID, OD and roll diameter to what was left on my woofers, and are very thin/supple, so I'm pretty confident that they are foams designed specifically for this application and not some generic. Like I said earlier, I HAD to remove the masonite rings to glue them on. without the masonite ring at rest, the foam sits flat on the metal frame, and the roll isn't deformed at all. when I slip the masonite ring underneath the foam, it causes the foam to curl up, flattens out the roll, and preloads the spider (pulling the voice coil towards the front of the driver. I was planning on finishing the refoam tonight, but maybe I'll wait on feedback here, but I can't imagine that these particular AR foams would be correct with the masonite ring....

I'd dry fit it the foams before gluing and just see how it fits. perhaps there's more than one supplier, and one made one to the original dimensions, requiring the masonite ring, and another modified the geometry to eliminate the need for the 1/8" thick masonite spacer....

 

[Drugolf]

You could talk to Rick Cobb and see what he has to say about it. I know his are the correct ones.

 

[dc270]

LEAVE THE RINGS ON!!!!

I have seen many posts here by this member- I would certainly follow his advice! If you remove the "cork spacer" it will re-align the foam incorrectly! It still might possibly work, but there is a reason why the foam was set in place to start with! The new foams may possibly have a spacer incorporated into it- if not, then.......
DC

 

[stumptacular]

the refoam was a re-sounding success! i love these things... i need a good amp now.... learning to refoam was great experience... couldnt have done it without the advice... thanks guys... im ready to refoam some infinity bookshelf speakers with plastic cones next ...

 

[michiganpat]

as a followup, I contacted springfield speaker, and their foams are actually made in AR's original molds.....so....I'm willing to eat crow...after further investigation, it looks like my spiders are soft enough that the cone was weighing it down...holding the driver face down, the gap between the foam and the metal frame opens up to where the spacer would be needed....so.....I'll be gluing the spacer rings back on, possibly making new ones......

Springfield speaker said they recommend holding the cone up to glue the surrounds on in the instructions....stupid me didn't even look at them, since this is the 7th pair of drivers I've refoamed (including 3 pr od AR 8" and one pair of 2ax woofs) and the new foams always rested correctly on the driver without spider sag/flop.....

 

[dc270]

I guess we all live and learn.
When I got my 9's they had been stored improperly, laying on their sides, so the woofer spiders were "sprung" when I got them. It was not until I pulled the woofers and found them sagging heavily- ask the owner how he had stored them and THEN I found out to late thy were stored improperly. I had to pay to have all 4 woofers total rebuilt! That was $350 I had not planned on!
DC