AR2 / AR2X, AR2A/ AR2AX 연보

Guest_John Faulkner_*

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Posted 11 December 2008 - 03:04 AM

I have a pair of 1962 AR-2a speakers - cloth surround woofer, dual mid, hard brown tweeter. I also have a pair of AR-2ax black 3/4" tweeters - could these be substituted in place of the hard brown ones without a crossover change? AR seemed to use essentially the same crossover for the AR-2a and AR-2ax, except the #1 lug on the mid potentiometer is not attached to the common negative speaker input in the AR-2a, but is attached in the AR-2ax. I suppose I could just get a pair of AR-2ax mids and make a little baffle board to replace the dual mids and their enclosure and have a pair of AR-2ax, or else pick up a pair of AR-5 mids and rebuild the crossover and have a pair of AR-5, Decisions, decisions.. AR seemed to go through quite a few variations in the AR-2/AR-2a/AR-2x/AR-2ax series - has anybody worked out an actual timeline for all the variants involved, along with driver changes and maybe crossover changes? Did AR once make a AR-2ax with the dual mids? (I thought I saw a pic of one on CSP at one time). The AR-2a pair (Mahogany) is now refinished, pots cleaned, ready to go to my daughter's new (old) house in Portland OR so they can experience some vintage sound. Soon will have a pair of later vintage AR-5 4 bolt woofers re-surrounded, Walnut cabinets in nice shape, to compare them to, and also working on a pair each of AR-3 and AR-3a, all 4 pine utility cabinets that were walnut stained many years ago. Pots cleaned, new caps and some new inductors to bring them up to 2.88, the AR-3 will have to use AR-3a mids as that is all I have, but one will have an older hard brown tweeter, maybe both if I change out the tweeters in the AR-2a pair. What to do with so many speakers, but I got a little carried away. I've had the AR-3 pair since the late sixties. Any advice on the 2's, 3's, or history?

thanks

John 

#2  AR-2a vs. AR-2ax, also AR-2 series history: post #2 Steve F

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Posted 11 December 2008 - 04:08 PM

The AR-2 series was indeed a complicated, drawn-out affair.

This is a reasonably accurate chronology of events. The order of model introduction shown below is pretty accurate; the actual dates may be off a little here and there.

AR2 1세대 (초기) : AR2 , AR2a

AR2 과도기 (중기) : AR 2ax  , AR2x ( AR2 와 AR2a  'X' 시리즈 업그레이드 킷 판매.

AR2x, 2ax 2 세대 (후기) : AR2X 와 AR2AX 판매. 2X는 조기 단동되고, 2AX 는 1976년까지 생산.

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1세대 AR2,AR2a,AR2x, AR2ax

1957—AR-2 intro’d as follow-up to 1954’s AR-1. 

AR-2 has 10” w, (2) 5” tweeters, x-o 2000Hz.

1960 (?) AR-2a added, includes 1 3/8” dome tweeter of AR-3. x-o is 2000, 7500 Hz.

1964—First-generation AR-2ax replaces 2a. Dual 5” drivers replaced by single 3 ½” midrange. Retains 1 3/8” tweeter. x-o frequencies same as 2a.

AR-2 replaced by AR-2x. Again dual 5” drivers replaced by single 3 ½” driver. x-o still 2000 Hz.

AR offers factory upgrade kit to customers who wish to upgrade their older 2 to 2x or 2a to 2ax status. (replacing the dual 5" drivers with single 3 1/2" driver.)

2x and 2ax live side by side until 1970.

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2세대 AR2ax 와 AR2x

1970—“New” 2ax and 2x replace the first-generation 2ax and 2x.

2ax uses 5’s 10” woofer with foam surround, retains 3 ½” mid, uses new ¾” dome tweeter, also from the 5. x-o is now 1400, 5000 Hz. Logo badge is changed from “AR” square and brass “a” to 3a-styled logo with red de-bossed “AR-2ax” on a rectangular brass field.

2x changes to 5’s woofer and 4x’s 2 ½” tweeter. X-o changes from 2000 Hz to 1200 Hz.

New 2ax and 2x live side by side.

2x quickly fades away, but 2ax lives on until 1975 or 76 when ADD series is intro’d.

Steve F.