Hi all,
Years back, I picked up a much abused pair of Sound Lab A-2s that, unfortunately, proved to be beyond economical repair (damaged panels and missing transformer) and had to be set aside as a project. I kept them, though, in case something came up where I could try again.
After about twelve years or so of waiting, another pair of A-2s came up within driving distance, so I snagged those. My thinking was that between the two pairs, I might be able to get one going.
Trouble is, they're different. One pair has the faceted midrange/treble panel down the middle flanked by two bass panels set a slight angle outwards. All in all, very reminiscent of the old Quad ESL-57s in that arrangement. This new pair, however, has the midrange/treble panel mirror imaged to one side and a single large bass panel mounted straight on in the frame.
Apparently, I have I must have one pair of A-2s and one pair of A-2Xs, but which is which I don't know. I thought I knew, but have seen conflicting information as to the differences in the model and only one poor resolution scan of a small catalog listing for the A-2X.
Might anyone be able to help me sort out which is the A-2 and which the A-2X? Anyone know whether the crossover frequency and the panel sensitivities are the same between them and that the electronics may be interchangeable since the panels aren't? Pretty important information there to know if I'm going to attempt such a parts swap if needed and it's not like I can look at the crossover component values and work back from there as with a regular speaker.
Thus far, I've not yet had a chance to go over the new pair yet to see if there's any issues with them. I can see some wrinkling on the diaphragm through the grill cloth with a flashlight (this new pair does not have removable grills like my older set) and so am not in a hurry to just plug them in lest there's a tear and a short between membrane and stator. I'm working on researching more info first.
Lastly, was rosewood an option? The information I've seen indicates oak and walnut were the only finish choices Sound Lab offered at the time, with cherry coming later. My first pair are oak and I went to pick these up thinking them dark stained oak or maybe walnut. If they're walnut, then it's the most gorgeous walnut I've seen. It's a very nearly a match for another pair of cabinets I have that are definitely rosewood. The wood grain is very similar and only a little darker and browner in color to the unfaded rosewood bits.
I'd ask these questions on SLOG, but I waited weeks for my membership request to be approved to ask and finally had to give up and try here.
Years back, I picked up a much abused pair of Sound Lab A-2s that, unfortunately, proved to be beyond economical repair (damaged panels and missing transformer) and had to be set aside as a project. I kept them, though, in case something came up where I could try again.
After about twelve years or so of waiting, another pair of A-2s came up within driving distance, so I snagged those. My thinking was that between the two pairs, I might be able to get one going.
Trouble is, they're different. One pair has the faceted midrange/treble panel down the middle flanked by two bass panels set a slight angle outwards. All in all, very reminiscent of the old Quad ESL-57s in that arrangement. This new pair, however, has the midrange/treble panel mirror imaged to one side and a single large bass panel mounted straight on in the frame.
Apparently, I have I must have one pair of A-2s and one pair of A-2Xs, but which is which I don't know. I thought I knew, but have seen conflicting information as to the differences in the model and only one poor resolution scan of a small catalog listing for the A-2X.
Might anyone be able to help me sort out which is the A-2 and which the A-2X? Anyone know whether the crossover frequency and the panel sensitivities are the same between them and that the electronics may be interchangeable since the panels aren't? Pretty important information there to know if I'm going to attempt such a parts swap if needed and it's not like I can look at the crossover component values and work back from there as with a regular speaker.
Thus far, I've not yet had a chance to go over the new pair yet to see if there's any issues with them. I can see some wrinkling on the diaphragm through the grill cloth with a flashlight (this new pair does not have removable grills like my older set) and so am not in a hurry to just plug them in lest there's a tear and a short between membrane and stator. I'm working on researching more info first.
Lastly, was rosewood an option? The information I've seen indicates oak and walnut were the only finish choices Sound Lab offered at the time, with cherry coming later. My first pair are oak and I went to pick these up thinking them dark stained oak or maybe walnut. If they're walnut, then it's the most gorgeous walnut I've seen. It's a very nearly a match for another pair of cabinets I have that are definitely rosewood. The wood grain is very similar and only a little darker and browner in color to the unfaded rosewood bits.
I'd ask these questions on SLOG, but I waited weeks for my membership request to be approved to ask and finally had to give up and try here.
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Topic - Sound Lab A-2 vs. A-2X - jpvs 21:47:52 08/5/18 ( 2)
- RE: Sound Lab A-2 vs. A-2X - E-Stat 08:42:28 08/7/18 ( 1)
- 2nd to that - Jian 07:34:43 08/8/18 ( 0)
- 2nd to that - Jian 07:34:43 08/8/18 ( 0)
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