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ADS L-810 vs. Rectilinear III - which one will it be?

N

Njord Noatun

Super Member
Banned
Scored a pair of ADS L-810 (ser# 4004 and 4008) with original (?) stands for $20 at a garage sale today. A little beat up by kitty, but nothing worse than can be sorted out with a cabinet refinish and grille new cloth (missing emblems, though - is eBay the best source for replacements?).

I am currently A/B'ing them (Steely Dan - Babylon Sisters (etc.)) against my current mains, Rectilinear III's. Both are pretty innefficient, particularly the III's, and both like the 165 wpc I am pushing at them. There isn't a whole lot between them - they both sound excellent, with strong highs, mids and lows. It may, however, be that the ADS' have a slight edge in that their sound is a tad more airy and open.

In short, I like them enough that I will at the very least start refurbishing them. In due course, the R-III's may be demoted, although it will not happen lightheartedly and without substantial pondering.

Rgds,
 
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Oh yes, here is a photo, in all their glory despite all the dust and grime. Are the stands original? Are they desirable?

(Not looking for valuation here, just trying to figure out what I've got.)

Rgds,
 

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Very nice score on the 810's. Those stands do appear to be the originals, which are sought after, and very hard to find. I have a new-to-me pair of the ADS L-880's and had to resort to 18" "audiophlile" stands filled with sand and using spikes, they work very well so far.
 
Nice score, but those aren't the same stands that came (optional) with my L-810s in 1980. The stands are metal like those but the backs don't rise above the bottom of the speaker except about one inch. The do tilt the speakers back like yours.

Those do look kinda like the stands for the 901s though - they could be ADS just not the stands I'm familiar with.

The other thing is that the stands I had didn't have ADS or anything else stamped on them. And they did make a nice profit on them, my stands were $60.00...

$20 could be the killer deal of the fall, since those speakers are going for anywhere from 20-45 times that much lately.
 
I haven't been able to find a logo or name on my stands, either - will unscrew them from the cabinet to check if it is stamped on the cabinet back. They are screwed onto the cabinet with the same screw and washer as can be found elsewhere on the back, so this is a sign that they may be original. But I will need to do more research.

How much was the ADS 810 MSRP back in the day?

Rgds,
 
Njord Noatun said:
Oh yes, here is a photo, in all their glory despite all the dust and grime. Are the stands original? Are they desirable?

(Not looking for valuation here, just trying to figure out what I've got.)

Rgds,
Click to expand...

Post a picture of the back label where you connect the amplifier.

It would confirm that they are very early aDs 810's which is what they appear to be.

The stand looks to be the original German-made brAun version.

Outstanding score!

:thmbsp:
 
Here are two more photos - one with more detail of the stands, and one of the manufacturing plate. The plate looks different than others I have seen, including that it doesn't have the tone control I have seen on other 810s.

Is mine an early model, then? Are early models more or less desireable than newer ones? What kind of emblems should I be looking for - the black and white ones?

Thanks to all for helping me figuring this speaker out for me.

Rgds,
 

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SoCal Sam said:
Nice score Njord.
Click to expand...
Sam, my wife found them!
:thmbsp:

She told me afterwards that there was another speaker pair at the same house: She descibed it as "bigger than the ADS - really ugly with brown egg-crate style foam grilles". They were gone when we got back to get the ADS's: I am thinking that her description fits one speaker - the:

JBL Century L-100!
:eek:

Rgds,
 
Outstanding score! And only twice what I paid for mine! (couldn't resist)

Those stands are fantastic! I love how they look! Those are well worth cleaning up and sorting out. Sounds like they only need cosmetic work, so have at it and enjoy.

Their only shortcoming as I can tell is their refusal to image well. I knock them a bit too hard for this as the DCMs they keep company with in my house are killers in this area.

Enjoy,

Ed
 
Njord Noatun said:
Is mine an early model, then? Are early models more or less desireable than newer ones? What kind of emblems should I be looking for - the black and white ones?
Click to expand...

Unquestionably, those are the first series that aDs (precursor to ADS) built. They were built in their first New England location.* Now that I can see the stands from the back, they are definitely the same ones BrAun used in Germany. IIRC, the logo for that version was ~0.5" x ~1.00" w/ aDs across it.

*377 Putnam Ave. - Cambridge, MA
64 Industrial Way - Wilmington, MA
1 Progress Way - Wilmington, MA
300 Wildwood Ave., Woburn, MA
 
Fast_Eddie said:
Their only shortcoming as I can tell is their refusal to image well.
Click to expand...

They aren't refusing, they just can't.

The L1230 is the best implementation of that driver layout.
 
soundmotor said:
They aren't refusing, they just can't.

The L1230 is the best implementation of that driver layout.
Click to expand...

Is it the fact that the 1230 angles the mids and tweets slightly inward from the plane of the woofers, or that they're vertically mounted one on top of the other rather than side by side, that allows the 1230s superior imaging?
 
soundmotor said:
Unquestionably, those are the first series that aDs (precursor to ADS) built.
Click to expand...
I read in an earlier thread that the 810 came in three models as distinguished by their name, in chronolgical order from early to later:

810
L-810/A
L-810

The label on mine says "L 810" - are they in the latter group as per above and if so, are they still "early"? When, approximately, were they produced?

Rgds,
 
Outstanding score and those appear to be in excellent condition. Those stands look really cool and I have not seen a picture of them before. I'll add that to my collection. I recently purchased a pair of the 1980 version stands and I'm sure the sound quality of my 810's will improve once they are in place. :D
 
Those should clean up well. Yes, your earlier aDs models are certainly more desireable unless they have the foam surrounds which tend to rot out and require replacement.

Nice score!
 
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