A/D/S line pecking order?

[savv]

I have seen that the A/D/S line of speakers are well regarded here. I have the 570. Anyone care to rank the ADS speakers you have heard/owned? How would you characterize/describe them? What amps/receivers seem to be good mates to the ADS line?

 

[dingus]

i really like the dynamics and the the highs of the ADS, and the overall "sweet" sound they put out. the low end is nice and tight, and they will crank quite well. probobly best suited for rock, but do well with any type of music. as for a pecking order, i would put the L-570 on about par with the L-520. my personal favorite is the L-810. in my experience they match very nicely with a Yamaha CR series receiver.

 

[doucanoe]

I have a pair of a/d/s/ L520, a stand mount 2-ways with nice detail and tight bass.
The L570's might be essentially the same but with a larger woofer. I havent heard them but I sure like the 520's.
Not a rock n roller IMO but great for jazz and the like.

RC

 

[Rybeam]

I have had two pair thru the years and had to hunt up replacement tweeters for both. I trade and sold them before I had to do it twice. Is this to be expected ? You see a bunch of them on e-bay.

 

[dingus]

Rybeam,
as long as they are not fed distortion, the tweeters do just fine. you might also have had incorrect fuses in yours.

doucanoe,
goes to show that it all comes down to ones preference. i listen to pretty much only rock, so it stands to reason that my opinion would be skewed that direction. maybe its time i expanded my listening horizons, the best jazz tune i've ever heard was the theme to the "Ren & Stimpy Show".

 

[sydsfloyd67]

I'd say there is something near mystical about the little L300s. The localization of the left and right channel is phenomenal in a speaker of this size, then you add the clarity of the same tweeter used through the line and the fast 5.5" woofer. The Minimus 7 isn't even in the same league, despite what you can read here about the comparison. -sf

 

[wrunow]

I've been spending some time reaquainting myself with my L420 that I were basically my college speakers and had forgotten how good even these entry level ADS speakers sound. I am using my cr-1020 with them and they sound real crisp.

 

[doucanoe]

goes to show that it all comes down to ones preference. i listen to pretty much only rock, so it stands to reason that my opinion would be skewed that direction. maybe its time i expanded my listening horizons, the best jazz tune i've ever heard was the theme to the "Ren & Stimpy Show".

dingus, Im going to have to look for the original vinyl pressing of that recording :lmao:

RC

 

[SPL db]

I recently picked up a pair of L620 speakers, they lack a little in the
bass area, but the bass that's there is nice and tight. :yes:

I'd have to agree with Dingus, they have a very sweet openess to
the highs... no problems with the tweeters on mine. :thmbsp:

Scott

 

[Rybeam]

I did like the sound of the ADS's I had both smaller 2-ways, do not remember number. But I did have tweeter issues with both, next time I will check for proper fuse before i use.

As for the Ren and Stimpy song I think it is by Raymond Scott, his songs are also used in Looney tunes. There is a CD avaliable. Very neat stuff considering the lack of technology at time. His band must of hated him. Zappa was a fan of his.

 

[Mark B]

I'd say there is something near mystical about the little L300s. The localization of the left and right channel is phenomenal in a speaker of this size, then you add the clarity of the same tweeter used through the line and the fast 5.5" woofer. The Minimus 7 isn't even in the same league, despite what you can read here about the comparison. -sf

I had a set of 320i's (1" dome tweeters & 5" mids) in my car and loved em. Simply beautiful construction.

 

[GordonW]

I've heard the ADS L1530s... dual 10" woofers, dome mid and tweeter. Lemme tell you... THAT is an IMPRESSIVE speaker.

Haven't ever heard the L2030s... IIRC, a big monster with dual 14" woofers, SIX dome midranges, and a dome tweeter. Made originally for studio monitors... Telarc used to use these monitors quite prodigiously, during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[sydsfloyd67]

I had a set of 320i's (1" dome tweeters & 5" mids) in my car and loved em. Simply beautiful construction.

I'd like to sample the next one up in size from the '300 (eg. L300C). Can someone tell me that model name or a comparison? Thanks, -sf

 

[lfender]

I have a a pair of L690 floor-standers. Just a two-way but they're great speakers. They really sound good with an NAD 3230 and 5240 cdp that I have. I have no idea where they are in the ADS pecking order, but they're tied for third place at my home.

Luke

 

[bignfat]

The only ADS i have heard is the 1500 powered sub/sat unit i picked up last year the sats are L-400's the sub is dual mono 100w each 10" drivers
WOW does it sound great :thmbsp:
I have it running in the office
definition
separation
BLAH BLAH BLAH
It sounds great to me!
BIGNFAT

 

[RichPA]

I hadn't heard ADS speakers since the early 80s, but remembered them fondly. Just got a pair of L420s (from the late 70s or early 80s, I think - anybody know for sure?), and I am very impressed with them - I second the comments on the sweet, open highs.

 

[uriah Heep]

1984 ADS 'pecking order

I picked up a pair of ADS L1230's at a garage sale a couple of months ago. They came with the original boxes (with packing) two owners manuals and an original warranty card. I had never heard them before but the condition and build quality convinced me to risk $65! Needless to say they are the centerpiece of my current system.

Any way on the warranty card are nice uncovered pictures of the 84 line up ( the card is dated 11/18/84):

L420
L520
L620
L710
L730
L810
L1230
L1530
L2030

I would second the thought that a biamped pair of L2030 must really rock!

Uriah

 

[dingus]

$65 for a pair of 1230's is an outstanding score.

there are others in the ADS line (all with the L- prefix),
300
400
500
570
630
670
700

my brain could be just messing with me but i think there were also a;
510
880
980
could be others that i missed, its been 25 years or so.

 

[LBPete]

I bough a pair of L520s new in 1980 and used them with a Yamaha CR-640 and later a Denon AVR-something.. They are all long gone now but I never forgot the sound quality and have been collecting ADS speakers over the last couple of years. I currently have the following ADS speakers:

L300 (need refoamed and refinished)
L400
L570
L780
L880

The x70 and x80 series came later the x20 series were earlier. From what I understand, the quality of the speakers themselves dropped over time. Cast baskets were used more in the earlier versions and the later versions used stamped steel baskets.

All of them sound good to me. For their size the L400s are excellent. They have a 7" driver and 1" domed tweeter in a cabinet that is less than 8" wide and 12" tall. The L300, L400 and L570 are all two way, the L780 and L880s are three way with a 2" domed mid range tweeter. The L780 has an 8" driver and the L880s have a 10" driver.

The L880s are a major step up in sound quality from the L780s. The bigger drivers sound better. They compare very nicely to a pair of JBL 166 Horizons that I use as a kind of benchmark.

The cabinet quality of ADS speakers is excellent. The L400 and L780 and L880s have beautiful teak veneer cabinets. They use real wood corner pieces with beveled edges on the 780s and 880s and radiuses on the 400s. This really set them off nicely. My favorites are the L880s for the sound and the 400 for the sound/size/appearance quotient.

- Pete

 

[sydsfloyd67]

My favorites are the L880s for the sound and the 400 for the sound/size/appearance quotient.- Pete

Pete, thanks for the insight. When you get those L300s refoamed, please give us a bit of comparison relative to the L400. Thanks. -sf