Acoustic Research AR 18S

 Another project as of late is this pair of Acoustic Research AR 18S speakers. I got this pair way back in November 2019 and finally got into the re foaming mode. 

This being the third pair of 8" 2 way speakers featured recently on this blog. Much like the EPI 100's that use well matched woofer and tweeters that need minimal crossovers, these speakers use a simple 1st order 5uf cap to cross the tweeter, allowing the natural roll off of each speaker to due the rest of the work.

Since these have a smaller cabinet the bass is nowhere near as deep as the PSB Avante or the EPI 100's, everything above 80kz through the mid range and upper range is just as good as the PSB and EPI's. Same goes with the imaging, these have a very nice sound stage and are super pleasing to the listener.

 

 

 

 

Acoustic Research AR18S Speakers

A new arrival this week is this pair of Acoustic Research AR18S speakers. This is my second pair of AR18's the last was a few years back in this pair of AR18B speakers, which I really enjoyed.

This little pair is probably a little earlier version of the AR18B's that I had as the cabinets are not as refined.

 

 

The foam surrounds on this pair seem to still have life left in them and could use a new set somewhere along the line before I pass them along. To make sure they are good for another 30 years. One thing that seems to be happening and I have seen it before is the copper leads are exposed to oxidization and this pair seems to become a victim of such issue. Generally they try to cover the leads with a membrane to prevent oxidization but they seem to miss out on some sections.

I will get the solder iron out and tin in a new copper lead on all four of the leads on the restore of these speakers, it will probably happen in a few weeks. While in there maybe a recap will happen too.

I am excited to get another pair of these little gems and can't wait to hear how they sound.