Need new speakers

So Joe, how do the AR-2ax's compare to my AR-4x's? Just curious because they look a lot alike.

 

Welcome to AR Keith, I am sure you will love the AR-2ax. It is a truly fine loudspeaker system!

The AR-2ax is a three way system, and it is larger than the 4x. The AR-2ax has a 10 inch woofer, a 2 (or 3 inch mid, depending on the vintage) and a 1 inch dome tweeter. They sound very much alike, however, the bass of the 2ax obviously goes deeper, due to the larger woofer, and the high end is a bit more efficient, due to the dome tweeter. Both systems have very flat response, the 2ax is just more extended at the lower end and the extreme upper end (12k-20k).

 

I got the AR-2ax speakers from the seller this morning. We met at a Starbucks and made the exchange in the parking lot.

The difference between these and my Sherwoods is very noticeable. The Sherwoods aren't bad, but they have a higher cut off in the low end, plus the imaging isn't too hot. The AR-2ax speakers have a crisp high end, and a very deep bass in comparison.

First I hooked them up to my Fisher tube amp. I played a couple of Steve's gold discs (Ray Charles "Recipe" and McCartney's self-titled). I played the Zombies SACD and the Roxy Music "Avalon" SACD. Sidenote: Now I can REALLY hear the difference between SACD and Redbook!

It took me a bit to get used to the ARs... I was disoriented! But once I got into it I noticed so much more... the imaging, the low end, the realistic high end.

I switched to the solid-state JVC, because the left channel of the Fisher isn't as strong as it should be. I played through the same discs again. I noticed that the high end was a little more stale, but not offensive. I think the tubes really helped there. And of course that magical midrange wasn't quite as nice, but still really good.

I tried "Achtung Baby" because I wanted to hear that low end on Zoo Station. NICE!


______________________

Question: There are three connectors on the rear of each speaker. 1, 2, and T. The latter two are jumpered together. I hooked up the common to 1 and the positive to 2. Is that correct? It sounds right to me, but I want to be sure...


Now I have more incentive to get the Fisher refurbed! And I need Speaker stands, and possibly some Grover speaker wire. Oh, it never ends, does it?

A big THANK YOU to Joe for the recommendation. I realize it's best to compare a bunch of speakers and make some decisions in a good environment, but I took a chance and I'm very happy.

By the way, the seller was picking up ANOTHER pair of AR-2ax speakers today. They looked to be in good shape, with the original grill cloth. He's going to refoam them, clean them up, and sell them on eBay. If anybody is looking for a nice pair of these from an honest seller, I highly recommend him. On mine, he treated the woofers with a 50/50 mix of speaker glue and water to stiffen them up a little, but he plans on keeping this new pair as stock as possible.

 

You are correct!

I am so glad that you like them. They are really fantastic speakers!

 

Quick question: Since the seller stiffened the cones up with 50/50 speaker glue and water, do I need to break these in again?

 

bump

 

Nope. All he did was dampen the speaker cone. This helps clear up the lower midrange a bit, and adds strength to the cone.

 

Using a SS receiver with vintage speakers - try putting a resistor in series with the speaker cables. Radio Shack has pairs of 1 Ohm and .49 Ohm resistores for less than $2.00. Just connect one end to the speaker cable and the other to the speaker or amp (doesn't matter which side). If you try the .49 Ohm and want more "tubeness", replace with the 1 Ohm, or go straight to the 1 Ohm (very inexpensive way to get a more tube-like sound - if you don't like it you are out less than 2 bucks).

This mimics the higher output impedance of a tube amp, which has been said to be responsible for about 75% of the difference in sound between tube amps and SS.

 

Thanks for the tip Tman! I'll give that a shot.

 

I would not recommend doing this with AR speakers. They are inefficient enough as it is, and adding resistance would only lower the level, causing you to raise the volume control to compensate, causing the amp to clip earlier. Clipping is what hurts AR tweeters the most.

 

Alrighty then.

 

Uh - what is the wpc of your JVC? I'm guessing it's more than the Fisher.

 

For $200 ish -I'd get some Rogers LS4/A MK1

or a bit more
Linn Kans Mk1 or 2 only

or for $400 ish
LS35/A by Harbeth. Kef or Rogers.

they all suit valve amps superbly and are accurate

Tim