Pair of AR-2ax looking to learn more.

Moenghus

Hey guys, I stumbled upon this forum when I was searching for information about AR-2ax speakers. I have a pair I'm interested in learning more about them.

Everything about the speakers appears to be working correctly, as I have them connected to a sound system right now. A lot of people are restoring these and I think mine would require minimum restoration if any at all.

tophatjohnny

Mods haven't deleted this stumble yet??????????

Moenghus

Tophatjohnny, why would the mods delete this? I have some vintage speakers that I'm generally interested in selling, should I be posting this elsewhere?

Even if I don't sell them here, I wouldn't be opposed to getting more information about them as I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to vintage speakers.

11tsteve

here you ask for info in this forum. the for sale is for selling, and you don't have enough posts. you are breaking the rules.

Moenghus

I see, I don't see any way to edit this thread unfortunately, or I would edit out the intent to sell.

Well, maybe you guys can help me get more information about these speakers as I don't know much about them. They're entirely original and in great shape (from the outside). I haven't looked inside the cabinet yet, but they definitely work. Is there anyway I can reliably date them? How much do original AR-2axs usually sell for?

11tsteve

you can only edit up to 30 minutes after posting. a mod will need to help.

seems like they started manufacturing in 1968, and anything i can tell you will be googled, which you can do as well. guess i am saying i have no personal experience with the AR's....

http://cgim.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/bb.pl?acousticresearc&zzar%27%272ax&showmodl&zzar%27%272ax&4&zz&zz

Moenghus

Thanks for the help, I'm still having a hard time finding a good price point for these original AR-2axs.

I've seen from anywhere between $50-75 all the way up to $250-400 for a good pair of these. I do believe they need some attention and refurbish work, but the sound is still excellent as is, and the speakers look to be in great shape.

What's the best way to open one of these speakers up to take a look inside?

TNHNDYMAN

Screwdriver or chainsaw, your choice..

cnh

Moenghus wrote: »

Thanks for the help, I'm still having a hard time finding a good price point for these original AR-2axs.

I've seen from anywhere between $50-75 all the way up to $250-400 for a good pair of these. I do believe they need some attention and refurbish work, but the sound is still excellent as is, and the speakers look to be in great shape.

What's the best way to open one of these speakers up to take a look inside?

It seems you are "unclear" as what you want to do?

If you are looking to sell these here. You can't! You don't have enough POSTS! So why mention the PRICE??

If you want info about them, you're better off going over to audiokarma.org and becoming a member if you are NOT already.

In any case here is something you SHOULD know about!

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/acoustic_research/original_models_1954-1974/

cnh

gmjungbluth

I have a pair of AR2AXs at home that are waiting for restoration. To get inside, you need to remove the speaker grilles and pull out the drivers, which are screwed in to the front panel. The speaker grilles are glued on to the front face, so you will need to be careful prying them off - the grille frames are delicate and can break easily, and they you're in trouble. I think I used a screwdriver and a putty knife or something like that and gently worked it around the perimeter of the frame. Be careful to not dent your cabinet surrounds while you do this.

The AR2AX is a 3-way with two tone potentiometers on the back. Those tone pots corrode on the inside and stop working, leading to poor tone or non-operable drivers within the speaker. My research indicates that replacement pots are hard to come by and cleaning out the pots without destroying them is a trick. A lot of folks either bypass them altogether or do some other sort of surgery to get around them - check on Audiokarma for a bunch of threads on this topic.

If you are going to refurbish these, I would recommend fixing up the cabinets (depending on their condition you may just have to wax or use Howard's wood restore, or go for a full refinish), replacing the grille cloth if it is torn or stained, and then going in to the speakers to refurbish or bypass the tone pots and replace the capacitors. At that point you should have some almost good as new speakers.

Or, if they sound pretty good as you say, you can just leave them. If your goal is to hold on to them and have the best sounding pair you can, then by all means restore. I don't think that you will get a lot more money out of a sale for restoring them, especially compared to the amount of work you will have to do once you have them open.

My recommendation is to put them up on your local CL and see if you have any bites.

Moenghus wrote: »

Thanks for the help, I'm still having a hard time finding a good price point for these original AR-2axs.

I've seen from anywhere between $50-75 all the way up to $250-400 for a good pair of these. I do believe they need some attention and refurbish work, but the sound is still excellent as is, and the speakers look to be in great shape.

What's the best way to open one of these speakers up to take a look inside?