What on Earth IS this thing?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (238277)
Walnut Creek, California
October 24, 2015 8:42pm CST
How does a nerdy professor spend his Saturday morning? A friend stopped by without warning. He's a fellow audio geek (and a retired engineer), so we spent the morning tearing apart a pair of Acoustic Research AR-2ax vintage loudspeakers from 1972 or so. I already refinished the dark walnut cabinets. He's going to take the woofers home and fix them. I'm going to remove the nasty fiberglass stuffing and try to fix the midrange and treble controls (called potentiometers, or "pots" for short) that always go bad on older Acoustic Research speakers. I'm also going to make new grille cloths for the speakers. When we're done, we hope to have a fully functional (and very beautiful) pair of AR-2axs from something that might have wound up in the dumpster. They're actually excellent sounding speakers and would be worth about $300 for the pair if we get everything right. I might keep them, though.
8 people like this
7 responses
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
25 Oct 15
When you work on something you get attached to the work and the item in question as well. I would keep things because I'm a pack rat.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
25 Oct 15
@TheHorse I work on other people's stuff all the time, and most of the time it's ideas, so I don't get attached.
@TheHorse (238277)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Oct 15
@OneOfMany That would be satisfying too. Especially if they ACT on the work you do together.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169439)
• United States
25 Oct 15
My husband always wants to keep every car he fixes. I can imagine you wanting to keep these once you repair them.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238277)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Oct 15
I can relate. When I own them (I own these), it's hard to part with them. But I manage to sell most of what I own and refinish. I admit, though, that I have about five pairs of speakers already in my "permanent collection." Well, maybe six. Or so. Definitely not more than eight.
@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
25 Oct 15
It surprises me that you are able to find things made of wood to renovate. I thought they would all be replaced by fake stuff by now.
@TheHorse (238277)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Oct 15
Well, there's mostly fake stuff in the stores. Many of these old speakers have been hidden in someone's garage for years. Many of my "customers" are older guys returning to the stuff of their youth after the kids are grown and gone. But some are "hip" younger couples who are going back to vinyl (records) and quality stereo gear.
