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AR 5 with ceramic woofer


wilson

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Hi,

I recently picked up a newer pair of AR5's #40500. These are the first I've seen with the ceramic magnet woofer.

The woofers are marked AR5 and seem to be dated 1974. The labels on the back are Norwood MA /Teledyne

rather than Cambridge

What is the feeling about the ceramic woofer? Are there changes to any of the other drivers?

I have a spare set of regular alnico woofers - should I use the older drivers or rebuild the newer 5's as is?

Thanks for your thoughts.

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The ceramic magnet woofers should work OK. I am not aware of any AR-5 crossover changes specific to that era or driver. The early ceramic magnet 10 inch driver has the same cone and flat dust cap of its predecessor. Is that the version you have?

Roy

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The AR-5 woofer-to-midrange crossover frequency changed from 650 to 550 Hz, in specs published around 1973-ish. When I wrote to AR at that time to question it, they replied something along the lines of, "....the specs had been updated to reflect changes that had been made some time ago."

My guess is that the AR-5 w-to-mr x-o freq changed at the same time that the 3a went from 575 to 525, as the result, if I remember correctly, of a slight coil change.

Steve F.

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The early ceramic magnet 10 inch driver has the same cone and flat dust cap of its predecessor. Is that the version you have?

Roy

Yes - from the front it looks identical to the early woofers. I haven't pulled them apart any further than the woofers. What year was the Teledyne

transition?

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Yes - from the front it looks identical to the early woofers. I haven't pulled them apart any further than the woofers. What year was the Teledyne

transition?

The AR-5 crossover change occurred before the introduction of the ceramic magnet woofer. Like the 3a, the crossover changes happened substantially before being reflected in the published specs....more like '72 based on my observations.

The woofers you have will behave much like their alnico magnet predecessors. They should sound fine.

Roy

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