Acoustic Research AR-2ax, Loudspeaker Pair, Oiled-Walnut, SN AX 10962 and AX 10994, Collectible. AR-2ax, Oiled-Walnut Cabinets, SNs AX 10962 and AX 10994, 1965, Excellent. This pair of Acoustic Research AR-2ax speakers is in excellent working and excellent physical condition and 100% original. These are pristine and about as good as it gets for this old an AR speaker, and these speakers have been stored in cartons in air-conditioned/heated space (<50% RH) for nearly thirty years, removed periodically to inspect and test. They were in use briefly back in the late 1970s, but have very low total hours of use. These are fairly early models of the changeover to the new 3½-inch midrange used after 1964, and these include the AR-3 1--inch dome super tweeter that would be used in this series until 1970. The woofers are the Alnico-magnet 10-inch (11-inch 6-bolt) version, one of AR's best woofers. The oiled-walnut cabinets are in pristine condition with no noticeable marks or scratches on any cabinet side, top or bottom or the grill molding. The wood finish is very smooth and was oiled and waxed several years ago. The grain for this pair is "half-round" cut black walnut in oiled (boiled-linseed oil) finish with final wax, and this cut makes the wood extremely smooth. The cabinets do not have any damaged corners or edges, and all glue lines are perfect. The cabinets have never been opened, and the drivers are completely original as when originally installed. The grill on one speaker has been removed to show the driver configuration and condition; the other speaker grill has not been removed. Both grills are in very good condition and show some dust lines on the linen, but grills have no tears or threads loose. This linen grill material was used only for two years before AR went to a slightly different weave linen grill, so this grill material is also fairly rare. All logos are in place and are in very good condition with only slight oxidation over time. These speakers have been in air-conditioned/heated storage for thirty years and protected from moisture and heat. These speakers are in unusually fine condition. The woofers produce clean, excellent bass response, and the woofer surrounds, which are treated-cloth material in excellent, original condition with no air leaks. The midrange and super tweeter drivers have very smooth and clean output. These speakers have been operated and checked out over an extended period of time just prior to this listing. The level-controls are the Aetna-Pollock and are in good condition with sound through all individual drivers. As expected, the controls have some oxidation and must be rotated back and forth to find the right spots, but overall, the controls work surprisingly good, and one speaker worked the first time with all drivers playing without any rotation of the controls, after the speakers had been in air-conditioned storage for several years. All drivers work great, and the speakers produce a very smooth and clear sound. The question is whether to clean the controls, but it might not be required with this pair. Also, the crossover has never been disturbed and seems to work fine. New capacitors could be installed, but it is not always required to do this. The AR-2ax General Description. The AR-2ax was AR's effort in 1964 to improve the midrange performance of the AR-2a by replacing the two 5-inch midrange drivers with a single, smoother 3½-inch damped-cone. This midrange had significantly smoother off-axis dispersion and reduced interference effects. The AR-2ax could therefore be more comfortably mounted either horizontally or vertically. The AR-2ax continued to use the AR-3 1-inch dome tweeter, as in the AR-2a. The woofers were the same 10-inch Alnico magnet woofers (11-inch cast-aluminum 6-screw frame, as in the AR-2a), but small, evolutionary improvements were made over time to improve the smoothness, edge reflection and reduce distortion of this excellent woofer. These woofers use a treated-cloth surround, and typically these last much longer than foam surrounds and operate for many years without any issues or air leaks. The AR-2ax and the AR-3 were very similarwith a distinct family resemblanceand. With only small differences between the speakers, as noted before. This speaker was an integral part of AR's dominant 32% domestic-speaker market share during the 1966 model year. Compared with the renowned AR-3, the AR-2ax's bass response was slightly less prominent (-octave in the deepest bass), but many listeners never missed that lowest octave when listening to nearly all music, and deep bass could be felt as well as heard from the AR-2ax's 10-inch acoustic-suspension woofer. Only on the deepest organ music and orchestral bass drum could the AR-3's advantage be clearly heard. The smooth and unobtrusive spectral balance of the AR-2ax made it a very neutral and clean-sounding speaker, a favorite of many thousands of users the world over. When introduced, it was felt that the AR-2a was a match for any speaker system, even some that cost several times as much as the AR-2a. The AR-2a had superb, low-distortion bass response that approached the AR-3, and gave up only about -octave in the deepest bass when compared to the larger and more-expensive AR model with its 12-inch acoustic-suspension woofer. This was accomplished at a retail price of approximately one-half that of the AR-3. Sealed, 3-way, acoustic-suspension woofer system, 1.35 cu. 10-inch acoustic-suspension-type, highly compliant, with long excursion cone. Structure weight 3.3 lbs with Alnico-5 ring magnet. Cast-aluminum 6-bolt frame; cloth surroun. One 3½-inch, fiberglass-damped-cone driver. 1-inch phenolic-dome tweeter (same as AR-3). <7% at 30 Hz with 10 watts RMS input power. 2000 Hz; 7500 Hz. The speakers will be boxed "box-within-a-box" for maximum protection. The item "Acoustic Research AR-2ax Loudspeaker Pair, Oil-Wal, SN AX 10962 and AX 10994, EC" is in sale since Monday, July 29, 2019. This item is in the category "Consumer Electronics\Vintage Electronics\Vintage Audio & Video\Vintage Speakers". The seller is "acoustic-research-inc" and is located in High Point, North Carolina. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Factory Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Configuration: 3-way sealed loudspeaker
- Model: AR-2ax 3-way acoustic-suspension speaker system
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Custom Bundle: No
- Woofer Type: 10-inch acoustic-suspension
- Midrange Configuration: 3½-inch Midrange
- Tweeter Type: 1–inch super tweeter dome radiator
- Manufacture Date: 1965
- MPN: Acoustic Research Model AR-2ax, 1965
- Brand: Acoustic Research, Inc. (AR)