A/D/S line pecking order?

[Spiceman50]

https://www.marchandelec.com/
This is a good source for reasonably priced active crossovers. I kind of like the XM16. GD70 could even use this one. It can tri-amplify as well as bi-amp. Like ADS Linkwitz-Riley design of course.
To the right of the Facebook ad click on the crossover selection table. Page 7 in the 1230 handbook gives a nice thorough explanation on the benefits of bi-amping. Less distortion and if you can believe it even better transients. Imagine ADS clearer than they already are? Sometimes I wish I was rich LOL. Have a nice, and safe holiday everyone.

Thanks for the link. I want to go back to that and do some reading actually. Currently I'm working (ever so much slower then I had intended), on Bi-amping my L1530's. I will also bi-amp the L1230's just to hear them bi-amped and looking forward to checking out the bass extension feature for the L1230's with my ADS C-2000. Initially, I will be using two Yamaha MX-1000 to vertically bi-amp. When I find the tube amp I'm looking for, I'll Horizontally bi-amp the L1530's using the tube amp for the Tweeters and Mids. It's good to have a dream, and a plan. I guess I am rich actually ... I could not afford this stuff back in the day, I do need to work out my synchronization though ... (Humor)

 

[avguytx]

I'm really enjoying my L1230's after rebuilding the crossovers with Mundorf caps and resistors and having Richard rebuild the tweeters. I might spring for the mids to be rebuilt sometime after Christmas just so those are up to par with the tweeters. I dread working on the grills in recovering them and might come up with a different game plan on them as I'd rather have the grills on than have them off. But these speakers have really proven to be some of the best sounding t hat I have owned over the last 25 years...even with my tinnitus. I do love the Klipsch Belle inspired clones that I built for their dynamics and efficiency but these L1230's have fallen into the top spot currently being ran off my Onkyo Reference stack.

Now if only a pair of L1530's would pop up somewhere....

 

[Spiceman50]

@GD70 was telling me I'll be so surprised over the bass difference between the L1530's and the L1230's, and he was right. I was totally taken aback at the difference. This however, did not change my mind about the L1230's. Those are a very special bread in themselves in my opinion. They lend a really nice balance. The bass is tight and match the tweeters/midrange really nicely. There are times I just don't want all that bass from the L1530;s. I also built a HT system based off the L1230's and although the Center/Surrounds work nicely with the L1530's, it's matched to the L1230's.

The Grills and fabric was ... or at least for me a challenge when I built the Surrounds/Centers. I hired an apolsterer to do the grill work, and I wasn't pleased. I still took them so that I could cover the Tweeter and Mids to keep dust off them, but eventually I will redo them. This may not be a challenge for you though? The real challenge will be to find a fabric that comes close. I asked for, and got dozens of samples and nothing came close. I finally got the idea to ask Richard just in case he knew of something, and he sent me a link to a fabric that was .... not exact, but close enough I could live with and funny as it was, was the cheapest too. I would send you the link, but the company is no longer in business. The challenges are, finding a fabric that closely matches the weave, finding a fabric that is true black, and finding one that matches the thickness/durability of the original ADS.

Garry~

Edited. Just a thought, use care when removing the old grill cloth. If you don't have access to a sewing machine, you can use the grill cloth as a template for the new cloth and see if you can get a seamstress to make you the grill cloth. Also, if you put the fabric on, you might get hold of some liquid stitch at any fabric store, and glue the fabric to the grills from behind. That stuff REALLY holds! This way you don't need to use any staples that could eventually scratch the Baffles.

 

[Spiceman50]

Oh one other thing avguytx, There was a guy here, in Austin I believe who was selling a pair of L1530's for around half what you can get today's average price via CL. As I recall, they did need some love, and they were missing the grill frames. The frames can be made, and I know you possess the skills to do so. Especially as you have a template with the L1230's. I don't know if he ever sold them, but I might still have a pm from him and can maybe put you in touch with him if your interested? Don't be shy to say thanks but no thanks. Again, not sure if he ever sold them. He stated here in AK that if he didn't get his asking price he would store them.

 

[Adamo0926]

Anyone on this thread familiar with the L990, L1090 and L1290 ? Care to comment on the differences between them ?

 

[liteagilis]

Anyone on this thread familiar with the L990, L1090 and L1290 ? Care to comment on the differences between them ?

I’ve never heard the 990 but the difference in fullness of sound between 1090 and 1290 is large. And the difference between 1290 and 1590 I found to be enormous (full disclosure the 1590’s we’re never at my house, just at a friends and he had hard wood floors and a lot of hard corners so the 1590’s never sounded good but they sounded huge).

 

[Adamo0926]

I’ve never heard the 990 but the difference in fullness of sound between 1090 and 1290 is large. And the difference between 1290 and 1590 I found to be enormous (full disclosure the 1590’s we’re never at my house, just at a friends and he had hard wood floors and a lot of hard corners so the 1590’s never sounded good but they sounded huge).

From what I have read, the 1090s use two 7 1/2" woofers and the 1290s are two 8" woofers. I guess the fullness of the sound is likely enhanced by the slightly larger cabinet of the 1290 ?

 

[liteagilis]

From what I have read, the 1090s use two 7 1/2" woofers and the 1290s are two 8" woofers. I guess the fullness of the sound is likely enhanced by the slightly larger cabinet of the 1290 ?

I dont remember the exact dimensions but that sounds right. I much preferred L710's and L780's to the 1090's. I preferred the 1290's to all of the above.

And maybe my 1090's werent firing on all cylinders or what not, but overall I didnt much care for them. 1290's were great mid-sized towers. 780's were great large bookshelves (and I know this is heresy, but I preferred the 780's to the 710's).

 

[Adamo0926]

I dont remember the exact dimensions but that sounds right. I much preferred L710's and L780's to the 1090's. I preferred the 1290's to all of the above.

And maybe my 1090's werent firing on all cylinders or what not, but overall I didnt much care for them. 1290's were great mid-sized towers. 780's were great large bookshelves (and I know this is heresy, but I preferred the 780's to the 710's).

My friend has the 1290s which sound sweet ! He also has the 710/2 and the 810/2. I have the L730s which I am listening to right now. I've listened to his
L810s and my L730s side by side A/B comparison.....and really could not tell much of a difference in sound. I thought that my L730s sounded a little deeper
in the bass, likely because of the single 10" woofer as opposed to the 810s two 8" woofers. However I also thought the mid-range sounded just a tad better on the
810s, likely due to that wonderful 2" soft dome mid-range as opposed to the later 1 1/2" soft dome mid-range the L730s have.

 

[rickb119]

And maybe my 1090's werent firing on all cylinders or what not, but overall I didnt much care for them.

I listened to a pair (used hi-fi shop) and had the same thought. At the time I'd not heard ADS before, but had read about them here. Not long after I acquired a pair of L710's, and loved them. They were my daily drivers and were only bested by some KEF 104/2's. The 710's are now happily singing at a fellow AK'ers.

 

[David_NC]

Anyone on this thread familiar with the L990, L1090 and L1290 ? Care to comment on the differences between them ?

I have a pair of L1090's and M12's (the later version that replaced the L1290's), along with a few smaller models. I've compared the M12's to L1590's in the same space, with the same sources, during the same listening session. The bigger 1590's have more bass than the smaller models, obviously. However, when used with my SVS subwoofer, we could tell the difference when the speakers were switched, but we couldn't tell which was playing. Basically, there was no real winner. The differences between the L1090's and the bigger M12's was similar; the L1090's really do need a subwoofer, in my opinion, and both benefit from one.
Otherwise, the main difference between the L1090's and M12's / L1290's is size. The M12 / L1290 models are a good bit bigger. In one of my listening spaces, I swapped the smaller L's for the bigger M's, and the sound improved. I really didn't have the space for the bigger M12's. Now, the M12's are used in a much larger space and really shine. I recently upgraded the small dual 8" subwoofer in that system to one I built with a 15" driver and 900 watt amp, and that setup has never sounded better.
In my opinion, the size of the listening space should help dictate which model fits best. The L1090's really are a compact tower that's easy to place. Still, I've read that many consider the smaller L1090 to be better balanced than the larger models, but again, I'd imagine the size of the space would have an affect on that.
I will note that the big ADS L and M series - the L1290, L1590, M12, and M15 - all love power, though they can sound very nice on a 35-watt tube amp, at reasonable levels. Bi-amp them with tubes for the highs and mids with a couple / few hundred watts to the woofers, and they are quite impressive. When we compared them bi-amped vs through the internal crossovers, there was a noticeable improvement with the bi-amp setup - the sound was effortless at whatever levels we listened.
(Note that crossovers and drivers have been rebuilt on all the speakers mentioned above.)

 

[David_NC]

I dont remember the exact dimensions but that sounds right. I much preferred L710's and L780's to the 1090's. I preferred the 1290's to all of the above.

And maybe my 1090's werent firing on all cylinders or what not, but overall I didnt much care for them. 1290's were great mid-sized towers. 780's were great large bookshelves (and I know this is heresy, but I preferred the 780's to the 710's).

L780/2's were my introduction to ADS, along with a pair of L300c's I got from the same seller. They are one of my favorite large bookshelf models, though the bass isn't the best. I do think the L1090's are a bit better, but mine have been rebuilt; perhaps that was the issue with yours.

 

[stoutblock]

From my experience the M tower series do not compare with the L tower series. Personally I think the M series were developed to reduce cost and increase profits for ADS. Not bad sounding but not as full and smooth as the L series. They both sound quite different from each other. The L1090 is the sleeper IMHO. Not the bass extension of the L1290 or L1590 but very tight sounding speakers with an ideal tweeter location for seated listing position. Very little to any cabinet effect with the L1090s. A little more cabinet effect on the L1290 and even more on the L1590. Not sure the bass response is worth it? Don’t get me wrong, the L1290 and L1590 are impressive speakers and do nothing wrong. They are all milestone speakers ahead of their time. I have used a pair of L1090s with two ADS SW2 subs for 40 years now and I believe this setup would be very hard to beat.

 

[liteagilis]

From my experience the M tower series do not compare with the L tower series. Personally I think the M series were developed to reduce cost and increase profits for ADS. Not bad sounding but not as full and smooth as the L series. They both sound quite different from each other. The L1090 is the sleeper IMHO. Not the bass extension of the L1290 or L1590 but very tight sounding speakers with an ideal tweeter location for seated listing position. Very little to any cabinet effect with the L1090s. A little more cabinet effect on the L1290 and even more on the L1590. Not sure the bass response is worth it? Don’t get me wrong, the L1290 and L1590 are impressive speakers and do nothing wrong. They are all milestone speakers ahead of their time. I have used a pair of L1090s with two ADS SW2 subs for 40 years now and I believe this setup would be very hard to beat.

They lack the magic of the midrange dome (if you believe in it—and I do)

 

[AudioLoveYYC]

Rocky...

Sorry...I have no idea where the techs at ADS in Calgary have gone...I tried to track them down but nobody could help me.

I've talked to Richard and at the time all he was doing was repairing drivers.
I also bought spare drivers and woofers and crossovers for my 2030's...I bought everything they had on the shelves in 95...

There is a fellow here in Winnipeg who sold tons of A/D/S and might be able to help you with a name/direction that you can try...it might be a long shot but he did sell a LOT of A/D/S

McColloch Audio Video
204 786-5833
Bill is his name

might be a long shot but he knows A/D/S

Years later here and I'm new to the forum. There's a guy named Steve Lubin who sold ADS years ago in Calgary. You can find him on the ADS & Braun Speaker Fans group on Facebook. Also a fellow who was involved in ADS speaker design in their latter stages (late '80s, early '90s?) named John Wright who now does tech repairs at the Audio Room.

 

[Nader]

I have a set of L810s that I'm quite fond of, even with the infamous boomy bass. I went looking for the next best thing in a smaller size to use at the office. So I got a pair of L780s (3-way) and a pair of L420s (2-way). The 420s look like a shrunken version of the 810s, identical down to the veneer and grills. I just finished A/B'ing them, despite the heat wave, my lack of A/C, and the heat generated by the big SX-1250. I just couldn't wait! I turned off the equalizer and set tone controls to neutral to do this. Streamed Steely Dan at a high bit rate till I was sick of it (not hard to do).



In my short summary, I'm invoking the caveat that these are all decades-old speakers with unknown history. Also my decades-old ears are slightly jacked; my left ear is hyper sensitive; I can hear my wife blink when she's laying beside me in bed (a hypoplastic tensor tympani is my guess). And my right ear canal is often full of wax. That said, these 780s are really good on their own, but head to head they sound a bit muffled or subdued compared to the 810 and 420, like talking through a COVID mask. The 420s are sharper up high, maybe more efficient and with better imaging, but lack some of the bass, which can be expected. Overall, they're both great, but I think I prefer the sound and aesthetics of the L420s for a smaller speaker.

 

[Jay hartman]

Thank you very much.

 

[plugto]

Nader the slope on your EQ is opposite my hearing now. The old man is experiencing the usual drop off of high frequency response. Thanks for the pics, love the gear.

 

[Lavane]

I have a set of L810s that I'm quite fond of, even with the infamous boomy bass. I went looking for the next best thing in a smaller size to use at the office. So I got a pair of L780s (3-way) and a pair of L420s (2-way). The 420s look like a shrunken version of the 810s, identical down to the veneer and grills. I just finished A/B'ing them, despite the heat wave, my lack of A/C, and the heat generated by the big SX-1250. I just couldn't wait! I turned off the equalizer and set tone controls to neutral to do this. Streamed Steely Dan at a high bit rate till I was sick of it (not hard to do).

View attachment 2269759

In my short summary, I'm invoking the caveat that these are all decades-old speakers with unknown history. Also my decades-old ears are slightly jacked; my left ear is hyper sensitive; I can hear my wife blink when she's laying beside me in bed (a hypoplastic tensor tympani is my guess). And my right ear canal is often full of wax. That said, these 780s are really good on their own, but head to head they sound a bit muffled or subdued compared to the 810 and 420, like talking through a COVID mask. The 420s are sharper up high, maybe more efficient and with better imaging, but lack some of the bass, which can be expected. Overall, they're both great, but I think I prefer the sound and aesthetics of the L420s for a smaller speaker.

View attachment 2269758

View attachment 2269757

I was given a pair of L570/2's. That look similar to the L420's. They are 2ways.
They sound good also. Nice imaging, but they do lack low end in a larger room.
I'm using them in a system in a small bedroom where I have my bench setup.
In the smaller room they sound pretty well balanced.

 

[GD70]

On the ADS FG group page, a gent just got a set of 910s, with the ribbed style stands, backs of the cabs black. The badges are missing. Does anyone know what the approximate serial number range is when the switch from the horizontal badge to the ADS square badge was done?