jldeni

Welcome, Jade. Glad you stopped by.

Big +1.... These threads usually prompt me to buy at least one or two items that I didn't have in my library.

I think the Carver Site! CD has a few really good tracks for this... Bela Fleck's Flight of the Cosmic Hippo is the last word in bass, the percussion is sparkling and his banjo is crystal clear. Also, if you don't have it, get a copy of Flim and the BB's Tricycle CD. It is an outstanding recording, esp. Lunch Hour Wedding March...

I think it was a good idea to split these groups into reference disc and memorial disc…and, I have the same opinion as a couple others have voiced - the reference disc recordings should be just that - sparkling-good recordings that can be used as a basis or standard to test a system. When I use the previous CS! reference discs there are certain attributes I listen for to see how the equipment is handling certain material as a comparison to other systems. It is a “known baseline standard”. I remember when the previous disc material was being debated there was a discussion regarding why each track being suggested was reference material and why it should be included. I think that was valuable discussion, and knowing what attributes or artifacts someone was hearing/listening for in a specific recording made it all the more interesting a project. Regarding the memorial disc… most of the tracks in the list above are already part of my collection. I, too, expected and was looking for more music that I am not familiar with - maybe the deeper and less commercially exploited cuts to say that these artists did more than just pump out mainstream cash cows. I think that would make the CS! second disc set stand out. But, that’s just my suggestion – and probably worth less than two cents – even with inflation. I appreciate all of the effort and work you guys put into a project like this.

I took another listen to my Flim & the BB's CD and discovered that I had named the wrong track. The one I would actually like to see (hear) on the next reference disc is not Thunder and Birdies, it is: Lunch Hour Wedding March by Flim & The BB's from Tricycle Sorry for the confusion - I'd like to change my selection. Lunch Hour Wedding March will fit this purpose perfectly.

A new disc is an awesome idea. I have used the 2014 disc extensively and even downloaded the files to burn myself a backup copy. I'd like to recommend for the remembrance disc Toccata (An Adaption of Ginastera's '1st Piano Concerto, 4th Movement; Live 1974; 2016 - Remaster) from Welcome Back my friends... because it showcases some of Keith Emerson's best synth work in a progressive piece produced by Greg Lake. I love the way Carl Palmer's percussion and Emerson's synth work together on this cut - but then, that's what ELP was all about. For the "sound quality" disc, consider Flim & the BB's Thunder And Birdies from Tricycle.

Unbelievable thrift store find today! 99 cents each and in mint to near mint condition. First time ever for me.

Thanks for posting Perry. Welcome to the site. It sounds like you'll fit right in with the mainstream! Enjoy!

Nice neat setup. I'm impressed with how neatly some people can dress their wires and cables. Did you custom make your interconnects to the length needed? My setup starts out fairly organized when I take it all apart and put it back together, but by the time I move stuff around once or twice it quickly becomes a rat's nest of tangles. I like your Dennon TT.

Thanks CT. I did it more for fun (and because a friend gave me the AR2's for nothing) but I do like the way the system sounds at this point.

...and...there's more: The Acoustic Research AR2 was always meant to be a low end entry into hi-fi and, as expected, the bottom end response of this acoustic suspension unit only reaches down to about 70hz while the high end rolls off somewhere around 12khz. That is not surprising since this two-way system has no tweeter. It relies solely on the two 5” paper-coned midrange speakers for top end. Frankly, I think that within its range the output is smooth and sweet – with tight bass and clear treble. The airtight cab is built like a little tank with a very nice cloth-surround woofer. These speakers are great for spinning vinyl of rock music or jazz from their era – 50’s and early 60’s, and, I think this is where the speaker’s capability shines. So, I started reading about these old AR’s and coming across/remembering ads from many years ago which basically said that if you wanted to upgrade your system, a few manufacturers produced after-market electrostatic add-on speakers that would bolster the top end. Of course, as part of my obsession, I have no issues with this kind of experimentation and quickly started looking for a way to follow this path. The AR2 along with this Electrostat-3 looks like a neat combination. In fact, I was trying to find a pair of the Realistic Electrostat-3’s shown in this ad, but could not – or got impatient while looking. But, I also saw this 1956 ad from Janszen where they matched their 1-30 array up with an AR1, which was AR’s version of an acoustic suspension, single driver sub. …and, I found a pair of these Janszen 1-30 Electrostatic arrays. What can I say? They followed me home. In fact, the Janszen owner’s manual provides diagrams to connect their electrostatics with many of the popular speakers of that time and one of these is the AR2: These things are totally vintage and in great shape. They currently work fine and sound awesome so I’ll see how they hold up until I can take a good look inside. I’m not sure what they would need as far as refurb of the HV power supply and crossover for preventive maintenance purposes but, performance-wise, they produce highs that are clear and open with an airy quality. I saw (somewhere) that the 1-30’s were advertised as having good response between 1Khz to over 30Khz. I’ll bet that’s pretty close. There are four ES panels in each cab, each panel is around 6” square. I like how the arrays are spread out in an arc to cut down on the directional-beaming trait of the electrostats. Anyway, here are a couple pics of my new addition to the AR2 project. Additionally, I have my Signature sub running to augment the bottom end. I’m having fun with them.

The grill cover frames actually fit perfectly into the face and are tight enough so that I don't feel it necessary to attach them. My original plan was velcro - and I might do that later.

Thanks everyone for the comments and positive reinforcement. It means a lot to me and I appreciate all that this community shares. Enjoy! Jim

I can't take the credit for that one, Kev. It is listed on the Klipsch forum as what several have used to replicate the classic color and finish. It does look spectacular.

I did. Since I was cracking them open, I wanted to install new pots. I ulled out the old ceramic based wire wounds and replaced them with brand new wire wounds. They work great.

I have not had a lot of time over the past three years to do much in the way of playing with my audio toys, but a guy who works with my wife had this old set of AR2 speakers in his basement for a dozen years that came my way for $0. The cabs were in rough shape and one of the woofers seemed to have a "clicking" sound at certain frequencies. So, since they followed me home, I promised to take them in and care for them. He thought his grandfather had originally purchased them in the late 1950's. I did, in fact, find ads ranging from 1957-1959 for these systems. I am not the best at chronicling every aspect of a project, but this was pretty quick and easy - and I really like the way it turned out. So, just thought I'd share what I have... The gold nameplates were pretty classy looking - not the typical glue-on or stick on. These have a screw post welded to the back. They cleaned up nice, but I decided to leave them looking rather old instead of chancing removal of the lettering. The grills were not easy to remove. There were at least 20 tiny staples holding the frame to the plywood face. The frame was quite flimsy (likely from age) and was hot glued to the plywood. It did not come off intact - but these are readily available for all variations of AR2 cabs - already covered with decent cloth, so I ordered it ahead of time. I sanded the cabs and face down completely and finished them using minwax oil based stains - mixing 70% Gunstock and 30% Special Walnut - and cutting it 50/50 with mineral spirits. I had used this years ago on my Cornwalls and it produces a nice, original looking finish. Then, I finished them with a clear coat of Watco Danish oil. I'm very happy with the results. I had discovered where the clicking noise was coming from with bass freq's. There is a ring of foam material bonded to the woofer cone about an inch from the dust cover. A small area of it had separated from the paper cone and was flapping - creating the noise. I decided to use a rubber cement and reattach the foam ring. It would have been just as effective to remove the ring altogether - I've seen pis of these woofers without the ring but, other than the one section, they seemed to be in good shape - and these are really nice cloth-surround speakers with a heavy alnico magnet. Just wanted to save as much of the original configuration as I could. Crossover component replacement was pretty easy - I replaced the 5K wire wound pot and pulled the old can-type caps - one 6uf and one 2uf and installed a couple of similar-valued polypropylene caps from Dayton. The gasket material sealing the drivers to the cab was very much like plumbers putty except black - and even after all these years it was still soft and pliable. I did not get a pic before cleaning it off, but here is one I found from someone else's files. The tweeters are enclose in a molded plastic unit that was also sealed to the cab with putty.. So, after replacing all of the insulation, I reconnected the driver wires and sealed the cabs with putty. Trimmed the excess to clean it up... Ready for the new grills and to fire up. Finishing touch... I'll report on what I think of these little guys and how they sound in a future post.

Welcome Morgan. I hope you understand the risks of hanging around here and exposing yourself to a full-on case of OCCD.

Glad you found the site. Welcome!

There is something exotic/erotic about Kashmir. Maybe its just my era. Kashmir is my favorite...and for a change of pace I pull up Misty Mountain Hop.