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A/D/S line pecking order?

Djm2_98 said:
How do the L1090s compare to the others? Also, I’m in WA and curious if you have seen any 810, 910, 1290 down in OR, recently. Also, prices seem to be getting high, which given the age and paucity of parts makes these speakers much less attractive than for others here who purchased at bargain basement prices several years ago.
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Too bad you are out in WA.....my friend has a very nice pair of L810's series II that he is likely going to sell. But if you are interested in the L810 you should also consider
a pair of L730's. I am on my 2nd pair of L730's having regretted selling my first pair. I was lucky enough to find another pair for the same price I sold mine and I
snapped them up immediately.

I have done A/B listening on the L730 and L810 having them set up side by side and I found them to be virtually indistinguishable from each other. The L730's seem to be the red headed stepchild of the ADS line since nobody ever seems to mention them....lol. However, they are a superb speaker but are hard to find because they had a short production run. In my opinion they are every bit as good as the L810's even though it's the L810's that get all the attention. I believe the cabinets are exactly the same for the L810's and the L730's. If you find a pair in really nice condition, scoop them up because they will likely disappear fast. You won't regret it.
 
Adamo0926 said:
Too bad you are out in WA.....my friend has a very nice pair of L810's series II that he is likely going to sell. But if you are interested in the L810 you should also consider
a pair of L730's. I am on my 2nd pair of L730's having regretted selling my first pair. I was lucky enough to find another pair for the same price I sold mine and I
snapped them up immediately.

I have done A/B listening on the L730 and L810 having them set up side by side and I found them to be virtually indistinguishable from each other. The L730's seem to be the red headed stepchild of the ADS line since nobody ever seems to mention them....lol. However, they are a superb speaker but are hard to find because they had a short production run. In my opinion they are every bit as good as the L810's even though it's the L810's that get all the attention. I believe the cabinets are exactly the same for the L810's and the L730's. If you find a pair in really nice condition, scoop them up because they will likely disappear fast. You won't regret it.
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If your friend wants to sell, I’m interested. I go down to OR, Portland, sometimes down to Salem region. Found som 1090s up here, but if the sound doesn’t compare to the 810, not for me. Heard some 730s off CL, but tweeters didn’t work.
 
Djm2_98 said:
If your friend wants to sell, I’m interested. I go down to OR, Portland, sometimes down to Salem region. Found som 1090s up here, but if the sound doesn’t compare to the 810, not for me. Heard some 730s off CL, but tweeters didn’t work.
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Dead ADS tweeters are usually but not always blown fuses..
 
dingus said:
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".
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A fine vintage show.
IMG_0581.png
 
Thoughts on
L1230 vs L810s. ?

Listen to classic rock music...
Also have HSU vtf15 sub
Aragon 4004 mkII amp

Thank you
 
jlm86 said:
Thoughts on
L1230 vs L810s. ?

Listen to classic rock music...
Also have HSU vtf15 sub
Aragon 4004 mkII amp

Thank you
Click to expand...
Drawback of 1230 is if you buy a pair in need of grille repair, you’re pretty much going to need a professional upholsterer or seamstress to fabricate new ones. Add to that, a fairly low WAF.

I have 810s and listen to much classic rock myself. If you use 810s on a stand the same measurements as the dedicated factory stands, position them in the room properly, you get more than enough clean bass.

Of course everything is based on your signal chain, amp, room acoustics, etc.
 
I will demo a set of L570/2s this afternoon, the seller has owned them for 30 years and they look pristine in the pictures. My research indicates that I will be very happy with the way these little speakers sound... what is considered a fair price to pay these days? The optional metal stands are included.

I am currently using Klipsch RP-160Ms with a small powered subwoofer.

Thanks.
 
H2OMAN7.62MM said:
I will demo a set of L570/2s this afternoon, the seller has owned them for 30 years and they look pristine in the pictures. My research indicates that I will be very happy with the way these little speakers sound... what is considered a fair price to pay these days? The optional metal stands are included.

I am currently using Klipsch RP-160Ms with a small powered subwoofer.

Thanks.
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Yes they are excellent speakers- I’m sure you will be happy. I certainly love mine.

As for price, depends on location but I’m in the NE and picked up mine without stands for $250 shipped from Maine. I’ve seen them locally since as low as $175 up to $350.
 
Coolhandjjl said:
Drawback of 1230 is if you buy a pair in need of grille repair, you’re pretty much going to need a professional upholsterer or seamstress to fabricate new ones. Add to that, a fairly low WAF.
Click to expand...

Actually, the grills really weren't that bad to recover. My wife can machine sew so I had her sew a (roughly) 8" section where I knew it made that corner at the top. Once you have that, it's like recovering any other grill except larger and a little awkward. lol But I've made/covered hundreds of grills since the early 80's as my first career was in home/car audio at some high end places. I did have to re-solidify the grills some and repaint them. They had apparently been peed on and left outside for a year. They were nasty.

Before...

1714826859225.png

After...

1714826899801.png

1714826921038.png
 
Chris __R said:
Yes they are excellent speakers- I’m sure you will be happy. I certainly love mine.

As for price, depends on location but I’m in the NE and picked up mine without stands for $250 shipped from Maine. I’ve seen them locally since as low as $175 up to $350.
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I got mine for $135 a few years ago in Burlington, VT, from a used record store. Seller wanted a bit more but I talked him down. They are very nice sounding. I use a sub though with the right placement a sub might not be needed.
 
Chris __R said:
Yes they are excellent speakers- I’m sure you will be happy. I certainly love mine.

As for price, depends on location but I’m in the NE and picked up mine without stands for $250 shipped from Maine. I’ve seen them locally since as low as $175 up to $350.
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I was able to pick them up, and they sound great... I am very happy with them.
 
LBPete said:
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
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L 780s/ Version1 here…love them…with a quality vintage amp like Sansui or Denon / 80 WPC….hard to beat
 
Fomoco1649 said:
L 780s/ Version1 here…love them…with a quality vintage amp like Sansui or Denon / 80 WPC….hard to beat
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You quoted a post of mine from 2005. My ADS speaker collection has changed quite a bit since then. I no longer have the L-780 or the L-880s but have acquired a pair of ADS L-810s, Braun LV-1020s and Braun L-2030s.

The ADS 300s mentions were refoamed and have been in service as my PC sound system driven by a Sansui AU-555A for a very long time. I haven't used the L-580 in years and they could use a new home.

- Pete
 
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