The woofers are fixable with new surrounds - $30 a pair, I'd guess. The mids and tweeters are tougher - call AB Tech in (I think) Hopedale Massachusetts for replacements. They have the pots, too. The 3a is still a fine speaker. Not as refined as today's best, but if you enjoy doing the work and they have sentimental value, why not? There's a reason so many folks fix them up.
Rehab of AR3a Speakers Worthwhile?
Due to an amp change-out, I've got a spare set of Quicksilver 90W tube mono amps sitting around. Instead of doing the rational thing and selling 'em on A'gon, I took a looksee around the house and decided I could put together a "study" stereo if I rehabbed a pair of old AR3a speakers salvaged from my parent's house. I know one tweeter is blown, one midrange is blown, both woofers are subject to foam rot, and both of the L pads are probably rotted to garbage. I poked around at looking for replacement parts on the web, and found a place that will sell me new woofers at $120 ea., and a Dynaudio tweeter/mid/crossover upgrade (for both) at $485. So, I could entirely rebuild 'em for $725. My recollection is that the AR3a's sounded pretty good, and I wonder if I could pick up anything today that would sound better for the price of the upgrade (I know, "old" is probably anathema to most audiophiles, but these cabinets are *solid* and the basic 3a design was good). Any opinions?