First time hearing Acoustic Research AR2-AX speakers.....oh my!

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bigcaddy64

Super Member
I picked up 2 pairs of AR2-AX speakers a few months ago and have been slowly rebuilding them when my schedule allows.

Thanks to this website and a few others, I've been able to figure out how to make that happen and keep them as original as possible.

I always knew they were quality speakers but now I really understand why. Once I fired them up and played some music, it was like Benny Hinn slapped me on the forehead and absolved me of my sins of using inferior speakers in the past. I have been reborn!

The bass is amazing and the highs chirp like breaking glass.

Total work involved was a resurround of the woofers and a replacement of the dried out caps. I was able to reuse the old wax paper capacitor box, restuff them properly and clean out the potentiometers.

The only thing left is to recover the grills and possibly clean the cabs. They looks nearly spotless and are the "oiled walnut" finish so I might just go with AR's guide to cabinet maintenance for these.
 

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Just finished the grille cloth. I was going to polish the badges but noticed that the protective plastic film is still intact.
 

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Looking good.
It's fun when you DIY and can see and hear the results in progress and when done.
 
Nice! :thumbsup:

I had a pair which I bought new, back in '73. Absolutely loved them.

Long story short, about ten years later, I had to throw them out because they were clashing with the living room furniture. Yup ..... that's right.
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My wife wasn't crazy about how they looked. They were big, an "eye-sore", and they had to go. I ended up getting a pair of small Mission (model 700, I believe). They were ok, but nowhere near my 2aX.

To this day, I still haven't forgiven her for this (and she knows it).

Enjoy them. I know you will.
 
the_nines said:
Nice! :thumbsup:

I had a pair which I bought new, back in '73. Absolutely loved them.

Long story short, about ten years later, I had to throw them out because they were clashing with the living room furniture. Yup ..... that's right.
00008862.gif


My wife wasn't crazy about how they looked. They were big, an "eye-sore", and they had to go. I ended up getting a pair of small Mission (model 700, I believe). They were ok, but nowhere near my 2aX.

To this day, I still haven't forgiven her for this (and she knows it).

Enjoy them. I know you will.
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Maybe it's time to reintroduce the wife to the finer sound of finer AR's?? Mid Century Modern and all that is big now.
 
I had the same experience when I rebuilt my 2ax's although like "the nines" I had a pair back in the early 70's and the sound always stuck with me.
 
GD70 said:
Very nice! Everyone should experience a vintage set of AR's.
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Or enjoyed them when new. Had AR-5s back then. Picked up some AR-2x a few years ago and wasn't impressed (it is just a two-way) but the cabinets were great and they worked as they should with the caps that CSW says do not need to be replace, the aluminum cans. Traded em. Alls good. Now if a pair of AR-5s show up at the right price...
 
tubed said:
Well musichal this pair was really exquisite but I was quite disappointed that one of the tweeter pots were bad.
I sold them as the grill would not budge without busting and I didn't have the heart to proceed with a repair that surely would have maimed its looks.
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Which model is that? Er, was?
 
tubed said:
2ax(pine ply)
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Looked different than I remember seeing - guess its the light finish and grill cloth. I wanted a pair as teen, when I would ride my ten-speed several miles to go hear a pair at a dealer's in downtown Jackson a few years ago. At the time the price seemed stratospheric to me. As did the McIntosh driving them.
 
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