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ADS Obsession continues, a/d/s/ S700 Mini Monitors

Duffinator

Duffinator

Spin The Black Circle
I picked up a pair of a/d/s/ S700 mini monitors last weekend. They have a 1" dome tweeter and 7.75" woofer in them. Sealed acoustic suspension design that are biampable. They are almost identical in size to my AR4x speakers and similar configuration. While my AR's are not functional and I've never heard a good pair I'll put money that the S700 sound quite a bit different. From the ADS pecking order thread these have little in common with earlier ADS designs and the tweeter sounds better than the ones in my L710's, L420's, L810's, or L1090's.

These retailed for somewhere between $1,000 and $1,400 when new are were probably one of the last true ADS speakers designed and manufactured before the company was sold. That price is surprising considering the cabinets were painted and not available with wood veneer. Not quite so surprising when you hear them though. A pair just sold on eBay for $160 so I guess that's the going price. I placed these in my HT playing with my SVS sub crossed over at 80 hz and they have amazing clarity and detail. I've always been into 3 way designs but I may have to reconsider that thought.

Anybody else own these or the S600 or S500 speakers?
 

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Nice score (again), Duffinator! I'd have to agree with you on the 2-way vs. 3-way ADS's. I have a L620's and L420's, which are both 2-ways and I find them to be composed and musical in a way my 3-way L780's are not.
 
Hopity Hopity Hopity

Anybody else ever owned these speakers before? How about the Sat-5/6/7 speakers which were the predecessor to the S series?
 
I just acquired pairs of both S500 (SAT500) and S600 (SAT600) in minty condition in their original boxes. I actually came close to buying a pair of S700's new back in the day, and still had the original brochure for the "S Class" speakers. I'm completely amazed at how good these speakers are. I too wonder about the differences between the "S Class" and the original "SAT5/6/7" models. From the photos I've seen on eBay and such there is some cosmetic differences.
 
tmarx said:
I just acquired pairs of both S500 (SAT500) and S600 (SAT600) in minty condition in their original boxes. I actually came close to buying a pair of S700's new back in the day, and still had the original brochure for the "S Class" speakers. I'm completely amazed at how good these speakers are. I too wonder about the differences between the "S Class" and the original "SAT5/6/7" models. From the photos I've seen on eBay and such there is some cosmetic differences.
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Nice score and welcome to AK. Although I've never seen or heard a pair I Believe the Sat series has nicer finished cabinets but the the S series might have a better high end to them. Enjoy your new speakers.
 
Hey Duffy,

Those look like pretty nice. What kind of grills do they have? How would you compare those to the L-810s? How is the bottom end and overall sound. You know my birthday is coming up... right? :D
 
OP, this is an older thread and I've had these for 18 months. They sound very nice but different from my other ADS speakers. In fact they sound so good that it's disappointing that they weren't sold with wood veneers instead of the cheesy paint on them. They are being used with my 9090DB. Oh and they have metal grills. These are the worst looking but best sounding ADS speakers I have owned. :thmbsp:

I haven't forgotten about your birthday, when once again you are as old as me! Got any plans for the monumental achievement?
 
Golly Duff, Heywood-Wakefield too?

I've got the entire bedroom set, an exact match to your equipment stand!

Sold the Rob & Laura Petrie beds when our kids outgrew them but still have the his & hers matching dressers.
 
Duffinator said:
OP, this is an older thread and I've had these for 18 months. They sound very nice but different from my other ADS speakers. In fact they sound so good that it's disappointing that they weren't sold with wood veneers instead of the cheesy paint on them. They are being used with my 9090DB. Oh and they have metal grills. These are the worst looking but best sounding ADS speakers I have owned. :thmbsp:

I haven't forgotten about your birthday, when once again you are as old as me! Got any plans for the monumental achievement?
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I never saw this post. My L8es are the ugliest best sounding ADS speakers I have owned.

Don't have anything special planned when I catch up to you... yet. :D
 
onepixel said:
My L8es are the ugliest best sounding ADS speakers I have owned.
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No the ugliest would be B8's, the matte black vinyl versions w/ cloth grilles that preceded your L8e's. Exactly the same crossovers & drivers though. Yours look more like your avatar in direct comparison. Had a set of B8's and they were indeed great sounding. For a couple years B8's, Dynaco ST70, homebrew preamp, all sounding terrific together.
 
Duffinator said:
:thmbsp: Eames too. Check post 1789.
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OT -

Kindred Spirits one & all!

:thmbsp:

Your Eames is a beauty. I've had two, one fair & the other a complete mess. It had been stored in a shed for years so I parted it out. I still have the 5-leg base which someday I want to make some sort of equipment stand out of. I write this while sitting on one of a set of Herman Miller shell chairs in mustard yellow, not as yellow as the one below and w/ black legs. They are my all-time favorites. Had a set of Saarinen tulips too but they aren't the most comfortable so onto a new home they went.

Most of these I will use for awhile then move on. The best thing I ever came across was an early 50's Herman Miller hifi cabinet complete with integral speaker enclosure. Of course what was in it was pretty cool too, a Stephens 15" coaxial among other things! You still find a fair amount of mid-century unexpectedly in New England as it is almost never correctly listed or described. You have to infer as you read.

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Cool. I also have some Heywood Wakefield style furniture that my grandmother's first husband custom made for her while he worked at the HW casegoods factory in L.A. back in 1938. It's beautiful furniture still in excellent condition. Sitting with the furniture is a Saarinen executive chair. Saarinen and Eames went to school together. Grandma passed away yesterday three weeks shy of her 97 birthday.
 

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Sorry to hear about your Grandma Duff.

I've been searching all things a/d/s/ for the last week, and I came across these rosewood S600's on flea-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...0880&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab=Watching

While I kind of like the industrial look of the standard finish, I have admit it's butt ugly compared to the ones in that auction. I have a brochure for the S class speakers but it doesn't even show wood finishes. I wonder if the redwood matches the Museatex gear of that era.
 
Thanks, we should all live such long and healthy lives as she did.

I blew up one of those pictures and they are S500's. Maybe Soundmotor has some info on them.

BTW, I bought some B8's for another member and they looked like cheap speakers from Best Buy. I only listened to them for a few minutes and didn't find anything objectionable about them.

tmarx said:
Sorry to hear about your Grandma Duff.

I've been searching all things a/d/s/ for the last week, and I came across these rosewood S600's on flea-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...0880&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab=Watching

While I kind of like the industrial look of the standard finish, I have admit it's butt ugly compared to the ones in that auction. I have a brochure for the S class speakers but it doesn't even show wood finishes. I wonder if the redwood matches the Museatex gear of that era.
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I just a look at some B7's on flea-bay...those vinyl wrapped cabinets really look cheap. I guess we should enjoy the military industrial finish on our S series.
 
I know this is a really old thread, but can anyone out there give me a sound or opinion comparison of the ADS sat 500, 600, 700 vs the S series 500, 600, 700? I am looking to replace my ads L810's, they sound good, but they are too much speaker for my 10' ×20' livingroom i am also open to a good musical sub. How about 710's with or without a sub? I have a yamaha 1020 70 wpc vintage receiver, set up on along one of the 10' walls with the speakers, The only way it can be set up due to furnishings and a big tv. Ps. The speakers have to be mounted a bit above ear level tilted down due to the space problem. All opinions would be greatly apreciated. Thanks, Scott
 
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I have 810's, 710's, and B8's. I have never listened to any of them mounted high and tilted down. All sound really good, but the only ones that really fill a room when you crank them up are the 810's on stock type stands. At moderate levels it would be hard to pick the best pair.
 
Thanks, for your response. Any other a/d/s guys out there have an opinion on filling a small10×20' room with the right a/d/s speakers? Again I have a yamaha 1020 70wpc receiver. Scott
 
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