New Advent woofers?

Ken Kantor of AR & NHT fame has done some testing of re-foamed AR 12's using the Simply Speaker re-foam kits. The foam that they use has to be quite different than the OEM foam that AR used. The parameters of operation all shifted quite noticeably when comparing the Simply Speakers re-foamed drives to OEM drivers and drivers that were re-foamed at another facility. If they have brand new OEM woofers, those would be worth picking up, but their re-foam kits may provide results that are quite different than what one is expecting. Sean
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what are the possibilities of using modern drivers, from some one like Focal or Scanspeak with the original cabinets and crossovers? Both are in good condition.

Sean,I always wondered about that. The original foam wasn't like the replacement and it did result in an audible difference and I can't really say for the better.
Simplyspeakers says these are OEM replacement woofers. However, the magnet structure is round instead of square. Also, the visible spyder wires on the outside center of the cone cap are sealed instead of visible wire showing. I know there were production changes over the last few years right before Advent was bought out and then right after that. I don't know where these fit. I'm sure Ken K. would know this also. These woofers do resemble the units out of the "New Advent", not the original version.
I have been using a pair for a while and I'm not sure of the verdict. I have a pair of originals that are still usable but they are old and the foam is fragile. I'm afraid to use very much volume on them.

APL is Applied Physics Lab not "Advanced". Sorry

I've got AR woofers that have square magnets and some that have round magnets. I've never run them on test equipment to compare them, but i'm sure that there are differences in them and not just because of the magnet shape. Technically speaking, one is better off with a bigger round magnet than a square magnet. Whether or not this works out to be true for these specific drivers may be another story.

While i've not used them, i've only heard phenomenal compliments about Millersound. They seem to be very up on the technical aspect of driver repair, so if you want to get some drivers repaired, that might be a good phone call to make. Stephen Tidwell at Layne Audio is a favourite amongst AR devotees, but i don't know how "OEM" the drivers are after he gets done re-foaming them. He is very fair in terms of price, but i've heard that he's been very hard to get ahold of lately. Sean
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