A/d/s l910

fvillars

fvillars

New Member
Recently inherited a pair of A/D/S L910 speakers in fine condition. Previous owner carefully matched all components but amplifier is now gone and no one can remember what it was. Likely Mcintosh or Marantz.
Soooo....I am really clueless as to what to look for in an amp here as I rebuild this system. Dual 1229 turntable came as a consolation prize as well as massive opera collection on vinyl.

Seeking advice. Solid state vs. tube? Vintage era vs. new? Integrated vs. separates? Not interested in home theater, Dolby, 5.1, or other numeric soup. I wish to do justice to these speakers without breaking the bank. Willing to pay for quality but without getting more than I need.
 
Last edited:
Bryston 3b or 4b depends how much power you want . Welcome to the world of A/D/S.............
 
Two things...

1.) Some opera on vinyl can be worth some real coin. Most will not be worth more than a buck or two, but don't be surprised if you find several $50-$100 discs... if your collection is big enough and in mint condition.

2.) a/d/s/ speakers (or a/d/s or ADS, depending on what era your logo is from) are amazing, and you will fall in love with them. I have some L710's running in my office as I type this. They are run through tube amps, but you don't have to do the same. There are several good SS ams that will make you happy. The big question is what your budget will allow.
 
I use a lower powered push-pull tube amp with mine (under 10 watts). It's not your every day tube amp however, as it's all differential and every stage is transformer coupled. A friend commented that it was the best bass he'd ever heard. I think the 910's love tubes. They have a reasonably high sensitivity so don't let the comments about high power/current solid state scare you away from a tube amp. I've played mine with both and I vote for tubes. Either way I'm sure you'll enjoy them as they are great speakers.

Good luck,
John
 
The 910's are pretty efficient (94db @ 1w 1meter) so unless you're in a huge room or listen loud as hell, even a medium wattage amp will drive them, as long as it's okay with a 4 ohm load. I've run mine with a Sansui A5500 integrated amp (28 watts per channel,iirc)and it sounded quite good and was plenty loud in my 12x16 room with the volume set at 10 o'clock. How loud is plenty loud? If I turned it any louder I couldn't be in the room with them. I am now running them with an Altec 353a tube amp (1 pair 6L6 per channel, probably about 25 watts RMS or so) and they sound really good- plenty of bass, great soundstage, good transparency. I have run them with a Mac4100 receiver and the Altec sounds far better to my ears. The Harman Kardon BigElCat recommends would do the trick, a Marantz 2240 or 2245 would likely also. You really don't need a ton of power because they are very efficient and the low end is there. A hint at how good the 910's are(imo): my Dynaudio's are sitting unused for the time being (and I LOVE them)...
 
Last edited:
If you want to get into tubes, the Altec seems to be a good recommendation.

I see the Musical Paradise tube amp uses a pair of 6L6s per channel, also. It sells for $339 new. It's highly regarded, and budget minded compared to other tube amps.
 
BigElCat said:
If you want to get into tubes, the Altec seems to be a good recommendation.

I see the Musical Paradise tube amp uses a pair of 6L6s per channel, also. It sells for $339 new. It's highly regarded, and budget minded compared to other tube amps.
Click to expand...

I mention the Altec as an example of how well these speakers respond to quality amplification, even at relatively modest wpc. It just happens to be what I'm using. The 353a is a pricey amp these days and not that common-but the op can keep an eye open for tube amps in this power range if the room isn't too big- I imagine a Fisher 500C or Scott would be great on these also. I will say that solid state works really well too, and It wasn't long ago that I drove the 910's with a Marantz 2240, and then the Sansui AU5500 and either one drove them well- if solid-state is on the menu they'll still sound really good (imo). I'm going to look up that Musical Paradise amp now...
 
Nah. The little Musical Paradise isn't enough to push the L910...it's only 6.5 watts per channel. It's sure cute, though.

The Braun style ADS dome drivers love tube amplification. My Scott 299D did (and will) match my ADS stacks quite well. It's down for restoration.

A restored Fisher 500C would be great on a pair of L910s. The OP might be able to find one of those for a $1000.00.
 
Hopefully the op will post some pics of his set up. He now has my former Soundcraftsmen gear driving his 910's. Should be an awesome sounding set up and we need to see some pics.:yes: Woops almost forgot; welcome to audiokarma
 
Last edited:
Here's how things look so far:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0185.jpg
    IMG_0185.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 196
  • IMG_0186.jpg
    IMG_0186.jpg
    85.8 KB · Views: 107
  • IMG_0188.jpg
    IMG_0188.jpg
    49.7 KB · Views: 198
fvillars said:
Here's how things look so far:
attachment.php


attachment.php
Click to expand...

Soooooo nice! You have a great system there! And, I like the Gamecube and N64 on the side, too!
 
Thanks for posting those pics. Damn fine looking set up you have there and I'm betting it sounds great. That rack that you have is unique looking. What's the story on that?
 
Awesome possum!

How's it sound?

Weighed pedestals would be excellent to get the domes up to ear level. They would serve to decouple the L910s from the floor. A couple of cast concrete bird bath legs under each speaker would look cool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
A/D/S L910 90uF Capacitor
Replies
5
Views
840
jpdylon
J
B
ADS L910's
Replies
9
Views
3K
Cool_Manchu
Cool_Manchu
B
A/D/S Model L910-II Reference Speakers
Replies
0
Views
701
beden1
B
jeremyjustic
A/D/S L780/2 Vs. L710
Replies
2
Views
2K
MAXZ28
MAXZ28
Blue Shadow
ADS, aDs, a/d/s/ Merit Badges
3 4 5
Replies
87
Views
2K
manu et deo
manu et deo
Back
Top Bottom