classic speakers AR-14, are they worth restoring??

[konman]

Hey everyone

I was just given these speakers.

They are AR-14 teledyne acoustic research 2 way speakers.

They weigh a tonne for their size and look cool and retro like.

I was wondering whether they are worth restoring / reconing the speakers and tweeters.

One cab has a dodgy replacement driver which is a shame, so i have to track down a replacement original woofer, and the other cabinet has a blown tweeter, and an original woofer with a disintegrated surround.

So... is it worth tracking down and buying the original woofers and tweeters and rebuilding these, or should I not bother and chuck in any old driver in there.

 

[konman]

the other cabinet with crappy philipino made driver

 

[ZilchLab]

If they are acoustic suspension, i.e., closed-box cabinets, you will need to find another of the original woofers and resurround (refoam) the one you have (and unpooch its dome), or a suitable pair of replacement woofers having parameters suitable for use in that alignment. Alternatively there are plenty of woofers you could use and vent the boxes, instead.

If the cabinets are in good shape, and decently built, I would consider them as suitable candidates for EconoWaving, assuming you have 12" of front baffle width to work with. Yes, the waveguides are available down under....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw7pTwpx0K0

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=150939

If there's anything worth knowing about AR-14s as "Classic" speakers, you'll likely find that information here:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/

 

[konman]

i was thinking more on restoring them, if they actually have value, or if they are sought after.

the crossover network seems to be very high quality, and the cabinets are very well built.

Im not sure exactly what a waveguide is, quickly went to that forum link, and they're using a horn tweeter setup? I dont have a login for that forum so cant see much more.

Oh and yeah they are acoustic suspension.

Porting the box is actually not such a bad idea, since finding these original woofers could be a mission in itself. I could just tune the port appropriately with the woofer that i select.

 

[ZilchLab]

i was thinking more on restoring them, if they actually have value, or if they are sought after.

That is easily ascertainable by viewing closed auctions on eBay. In any case, if you do anything other than a correct restoration, it's virtually given they have little or no value.

There are links in the the first post of the EconoWave thread which describe what waveguides are and what the project is about. 55 systems have been "Officially" completed by AudioKarma members to date. The video also gives a good idea of what is involved....

 

[Godzilla]

http://www.humanspeakers.com/human/index.html

Contact the above website and see if they have replacement drivers.

Those are well made boxes. You can sand them down and re stain if they are the real wood veneer and they will come out beautifully.

If you cannot replace the drivers i would consider buying drivers from PE or Madisound and making them into something really nice but keep them looking retro.

Godzilla

 

[Inductor]

Measure your box (for inside measures), so that you will know (liters) the 'test' size when buying or modelling a new woofer for your closed enclosure.

http://www.speakerbits.com/categories/speakers/list-200.aspx

http://www.wallofsound.com.au/Speaker Repairs.html

 

[konman]

thanks for all the links guys

these are helpful