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Rich W

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About Rich W

  • Birthday 09/17/1954

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    Male
  • Location
    Long Island, New York
  • Interests
    Classical Music, Vintage Audio Restoration, Amateur Astronomy

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  1. Looks like the solution was fairly simple. I failed to notice that the cloth surround on AR-4x woofers are attached to the back of the cone. So I just used a sharp x-acto blade to cut away the surround along the circumference of the cone (no scraping). The remnants of where the surround was attached are so miniscule as to not add significantly to the cone mass, so I'll just leave it in place. Of course, the added benefit is that the top of the cone has an untouched surface to attach a set of Boston filled filleted foam surrounds. I'll be taking measurements on the woofer once it's refoamed (or I should say foamed for the first time). Does anyone know the published fs of this woofer?
  2. Thanks Kent. It does seem to be much more of a job (with much less margin of error) than scraping some rotted foam from a cone. Wow, I must have really been gone for a long time. I've been demoted back to "newbie" rank! I think I joined CSP more than 15 years ago! Rich W
  3. Hello fellow AR enthusiasts. Been absent from CSP for quite a while - it's good to be back! I recently acquired a pair of AR-4x speakers at a yard sale. Unfortunately, the cloth surrounds were compromised by the overzealous application of what appears to be a black liquid electrical sealant which has made them extremely stiff. I'd like to replace the cloth surrounds with foam versions. Is there a particular solvent that will work well to remove the old surrounds without causing irreparable damage to the woofer cone? Thanks! Rich W
  4. I know I'm just reiterating what I've stated on these pages before, but given the context, I feel it bares repeating. Back in the day, as a 19 year-old "nerd", I was, even in that early time, most interested in what it took to simulate a live musical performance in a home setting, with the state-of -the-art gear at my disposal. I had combed every audio magazine of the day looking for information, Stereo Review, High Fidelity and Audio, and came to the conclusion that AR speakers, at least from an advertising standpoint, seemed closest to my stated goal. With a thirst to learn more, I visited the AR exhibit at Grand Central Station in early 1973. I quickly realized that all the advertising hype was in fact true (at least to my ears), and set out to purchase a pair of AR-3a's. I then visited an audio retailer on 6th Ave, NYC (adjacent to the aforementioned 45th Street conglomerate of retail audio stores). I was quickly shunted away from the AR products and introduced to the "Fairfax" (house) brand of speakers, for which I fell hook, line and sinker, in most likelihood more to the sales person's hype than to my own ears. Several months later (and after "donating" the aforementioned Fairfax's to my parents), I revisited that same audio salon and insisted that I wanted to buy a pair of AR-3a's. After much dis-suasion, I did leave with a pair of 3a's, and the rest is history. Whatever the relationship (or lack thereof) existed between AR and its retailers, I can only vouch to the superiority of their product. Call it snob appeal, elitism or whatever you choose, AR knew what they had. To this day, I am a total shill for their vintage offerings. Rich W
  5. The early AR-2ax has totally revised my opinion of ARs mid-sixties offerings. At first, I thought it was simply a poorer and wannabe brother to the AR3 and 3a, until I happened upon a pair at a yard sale for the undesputable price of $50. Saving the details for a future post, the early cloth-woofer and phenolic tweeter 2ax demonstrated, in my listening space, superior sound to my restored AR-3a's. This reinforces my view that the AR3/AR-3a's need a large room in which to "bloom". For smaller, more modest sized rooms, an AR-2ax or AR-5 will likely yield better sound. Waiting for the universe to reveal a pair of AR5's to me! Can't wait! Hope this helps. Don't think you have to pay 3/3a prices to get superior sound. Rich W
  6. Glenn, absolutely superb job on those AR-12 grills. I think they look way classier than the original foam versions. Got to do the same for my AR-11s! Thanks once again for sharing not only your restorations, but the thinking and step-by-step process that goes into them. - Rich W
  7. Glenn, thanks so much for sharing your restoration processes with the rest of us. After seeing your work, it motivates me to tackle some AR- 4x cabinets that I once thought too far gone. By the way, I hestitated on that pair of AR-LST2's from Long Island, only to regret it later. So glad they wound up in such competant hands - that was one first class restoration!
  8. David, What method do you use to interface your external crossover network with the speaker drivers? Does it require putting holes in the cabinet? Best Regards, Rich W
  9. David, Great job - and a superb thread. It's getting me thinking about refining the crossovers in my AR-7's. The tweeter is dead-flat above 2.2k, but there's a bump of about 5 db centered at 1.7k. My AR-17's, measured under identical conditions, are flat right though the midrange. I know the AR-7's should be measuring better! Looking forward to further posts on your AR-4x's. Best Regards, Rich W
  10. Rich W

    AR18's

    Hi Brian, Later versions of the AR-18 had no toggle for cutting the tweeter -3 db, and in fact, no other incarnations of this very popular speaker model had a level control afterward (i.e. AR-18S, AR-18B). In addition to it being a cost cutting measure, I suspect there were not many applications where the speaker sounded better at the -3 db setting. Without the toggle, you're essentially getting the 0 db (flat response) setting. So yes, you have a "plain old" AR-18, albeit a later version. In my estimation, the AR-18 with no suffix was the best built and best sounding of the series. The AR-18S and AR-18B do not sound as smooth in the treble to my ear - they are certainly brighter in overall character. They are also more cheaply constructed. Best Regards, Rich W
  11. Rich W

    AR18's

    Hi Beck, Thanks for the photo. Your AR-18's are from the ADD (Advanced Development Department), also known as the "Truth in Listening" series from the mid 1970's. The AR-18 is direct successor to the AR-7, one of the most highly acclaimed small bookshelf speakers from the original Classic series. Please refer to the archive Library, under 'ADD Series" and you'll find a wealth of information. There are also numerous posts on the discussion forum regarding the AR-18. I'm a big fan of this speaker, and believe it to sound superior to any other vintage speaker I've compared it to, including such highly venerated speakers such as the Large Advent. Only my AR-3a's sound better, and in smaller rooms, I would give the edge to the AR-18's, since they don't need as much as much space to "breathe" as an AR-3a (3a's need a to be heard at a greater distance in the so-called "free-field" to sound their best). From your photo, it appears that the foam surrounds on the woofer are in good condition and were replaced recently, so your speakers can be enjoyed "as is". It is possible that the single 6uF internal capacitor has drifted out of spec over the years, and should probably be replaced if it hasn't been already. If you have basic soldering skills, this is not difficult to do. However, if the speaker sounds good, I wouldn't be too concerned. Enjoy your new AR18's! Best Regards, Rich W
  12. Rich W

    AR18's

    underneath the foam they say "teledyne acoustic research", then some address details, "AR18AU" and the speakers have the serial numbers 1643 and 1644. Hi, If you can post a photo, that would help. However, you did give a clue as to the generation of AR-18 you have. When you said "underneath the foam", are the speaker grills approx. 1" thick and made of a spongy foam material? Is the tweeter location offset, above but to the left of the woofer?. Is there a high frequency level switch on the back of the speaker? Best Regards, Rich W
  13. The AR-3a restoration document is superb! My compliments to the dedicated members of this forum who made it happen. Although I just completed my own AR-3a restoration (searching this forum every which way to get every last tidbit of information!), it was such a pleasure reading the document to confirm that "I got it right!". Both future restorers, and those of us that have already "been around the block" will now have a wonderful reference manual at our fingertips whenever needed. Thank you gentlemen! I'll be posting photos of my completed 3a's soon. They sound terrific, and I now have my AR-3a's back, after so foolishly parting with the pair I had 30 some-odd years ago. Now on to my Allison One restoration! A special thank you to John O'Hanlon for his guidance via several emails. Thanks John! Best Regards, Rich W
  14. Yes, I rememember . . . yet another terminology for this tweeter, "Pressure". Does anyone know what is meant by this term? Does it describe how the tweeter disperses sound? A tweeter by any other name would sound just as sweet. Rich W
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