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Calling any AR4x experts, is this the original grill cloth?

nbarber

nbarber

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I was gifted a pair of AR4x's recently. The cabinets are in exceptional shape and both drivers and tweeters work so I'm very happy with the acquisition.
Over the next few weeks I'll pull them apart, dope the surrounds and recap the x-overs because they sound a little muddy, no big deal, that's an easy chore.

The hard part so far is removing the grills. I've already cracked one in the middle prying the corner up and am on the verge of marring the cabinet (because I'm clumsy and impatient).

Even though they don't appear to have been apart before I can't find any examples that have the same grill cloth. So I'm wondering if they have not been redone already. If so, I may not be so careful with the cloth and just replace it with something closer to the original.

Looking to the collective to chime in and give opinions please. Do I continue to be patient and preserve the original cloth or can I make my life easy and cut away the non-original replacement?

AR4x front.jpg
 
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Thank you for responses gentlemen. You have confirmed what I suspected about the cloth and I agree, it looks to good to destroy. Patience it is...
 
I just finished rebuilding a pair of AR-2x that followed me home. 10 inch woofer was stamped April 15, 1970. They have the exact grill cloth that yours have. The factory glued the grills on. One blob in each corner, and another in the middle of each top to bottom side. The emblem has a threaded stud and can be unscrewed. I then screwed a slightly larger screw in the hole and slowly worked the grill loose by pulling on the screw. Once the first blob was freed, I worked my way to the next from under the grill. If you need to pry, use a putty knife between the prying tool and the cabinet edge. Removed the woofers and recapped the crossovers in the cabinet through the woofer hole. Glued new surrounds on the woofers, (every AR I've seen needs new ones), cleaned the wire wound L pads for the tweeters. Grills fit tight enough they need no glue when you replace them. Drop of glue on the emblem stud as the screw I used enlarged the hole. I am amazed at the deep clean bass from these 2 way speakers. I listen to them every day. Make sure the woofer is sealed when you replace it. Please let us know how these sound when you fire these up. Paul.
 
malden said:
Lucky Pierre said:
While I have sold, or traded, or given away all of my ARs except for my AR7s, they all are special speakers. I found all of them liked high-powered SS amps. Anything over 75-80 watts made them sound best.
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I use my AR-2x's for easy listening. They are powered by a 1959, 10 watt Japanese stereo tube amp that I rebuilt. PP 6BM8 finals. If I want more, I power up my McIntosh MC30's that power a set of Cornwalls. A bit of history. As a teenager in 1970, I was in Grand Central Station, NYC. AR had a room set up in the station to demonstrate their speakers. I was mesmerized. I listened to audio at home through my Dad's homebuilt tube amps. But I had never heard high quality equipment like that. I decided I would have a pair of AR speakers. Last month I found these AR-2x's that had been shelved for decades. Took me 56 years, but I now have my AR's. 10 watts will power them nicely, but not too loud. When I get around to it, I will wire them to my MC30's, just to hear them. I am thinking the bass from the AR's may exceed the Cornwalls. nbarber, I really like the grill cloth on yours that matches mine. I'll bet it may be original. Paul.
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@prww Thank you for the details. I've been interested in the AR's for quite a while and am happy these found their way to me. Once they're done, I have a Marantz 2226 that they'll initially be partnered with for a smaller room. Depending on the circumstance, I may try them with a set of 300B set's that are being underutilized. I know the AR's don't have nearly the efficiency required for heavy use with low powered tubes, but they may do well in my office system.
 
AR did use a dark brown cloth on the 2AX's sold to the military in their PX's in Europe I know.
Have a pair but the weave is different color also. The cabinet front edge was also different on the 2AX's.

Better pictures as promised.


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At one time I was a AR snob. I had a pair of AR-7's and an pair of AR-2AX's. That ended when I first listened to the Achromatic W series Wharfedales. My W-45's which are a 3 way like the AR-2AX completely out class the them. Much better build quality. better crossover, the zinc die cast 10" Wharfedale woofer with a doped canvas surrounds are in perfect condition after 56 years. My brother has the the 2 AR's and the woofer's foam surrounds on the AR-2AX needed to be replaced.

Both of the above mentioned AR's have the grill cloth like the photo of the AR-4x I posted up thread. When you get the grills out clean up the glue points and use a shoe repair contact cement to glue in small neodymium magnets to hold the grills in.
 
The AR turntable is a good totally manual turntable. My brother has one. The last model was semi-automatic with the tone arm lifting itself at the end of a record.


AR (1).jpg
 
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This picture from @kirk57's link looks a whole lot more like my grill cloth in person than it does in the photos I posted. I have not had a chance to finish removing the grills yet but it sure seems like they've never been off before. The deeper I get into this, the more I think the cloth is original.

The only putty knife I can find is about 1mm thick, too much for the task. Next run into town and I'll grab a thinner one and see about finishing the detachment.


cat and grill.jpg
 
Finally got around to pulling these apart. It definitely looks like the grills have been off before judging by the big globs of glue.
Other than that, they look all original. Now I just need to source some 10uf caps and dope the surrounds.

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Those glue globs were an original feature of the 4x. I had three or four pairs that I have since passed on, but here is a pic of my 7s. Same glue globs.

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