For what it's worth, I'm currently listening to a pair of L500's. Unlike most people here, who seem to have bought and sold theirs, these are original, with no changes. As far as I can tell they are in perfect shape. I bought them in the early 70s when I was in grad school. They were originally driven by a Dynaco Stereo 70 and whatever model tubed preamp went with it, modified by the store where I got them. Currently they're fed by an Arcam AVR-250. (Unfortunately the old Dynaco equipment doesn't do very well at decoding digital inputs, which is all I have these days.) Space doesn't allow me to consider anything larger. (I just happen to have these set up at the moment. Typically I use a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's. It's not clear which is better. Measurements suggest that the L500s are flatter.)
A/D/S line pecking order?
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Duffinator
Spin The Black Circle
Are the L500's an early version of the 520's with an 8" driver?
BSUfbfan
Member
hedrick said:
You're right, I had a pair of L400's in high school and sold them because the woofers weren't big enough (what a dipshit move). Anyway, now I'm looking for some L-810's to enjoy for a long, long time.
By the way, I just installed a complete Paradigm system 20 based theater system in a buddys house and it kicks a$$ for movies, is that what you use them for? I listened to a couple of my SACD's on the system in 2-channel mode and wasn't overly impressed. Probably just the fact that I'm not a fan of hard-dome tweeters and graphite woofers. Seems that to get quality on par with the old ADS stuff you need to spend thousands now days.
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
I know a lot of people like the/there L810's (No knocking here) but you may want to
consider the L880 also as it's a 10" woofer, dome mid/tweeter and they sound great!
After getting one pair I got 2 more pairs to do home theater with! They have a very
nice looking cabinet on most of them also.
consider the L880 also as it's a 10" woofer, dome mid/tweeter and they sound great!
After getting one pair I got 2 more pairs to do home theater with! They have a very
nice looking cabinet on most of them also.
BSUfbfan
Member
Kegger said:
I'll keep that in mind. So, you think the single 10" has better bass response than the dual 8"? I haven't heard either, so it's hard for me to make a conclusion before buying, so thanks for any opinions you can give me.
I know i've seen a lot of L-810's on ebay, but I don't recall seeing any L-880's recently. If I don't win this auction i'm currently bidding on for some 810's then I will definitely be browsing for 880's :thmbsp:
Duffinator
Spin The Black Circle
In theory two 8's should move more air than one 10. My 1980 ADS brochure states the two 8's in the 810's are equivalent to one 12". There's plenty of bass in the 810's. :yes:BSUfbfan said:
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
I have yet to hear the L810 or know anyone who has heard both except I believe it
was (Soundmotor) who said the L880 was one of if not the most well rounded of the
ADS line. I don't want to put words in his mouth and he should probably see this and
respond accordingly. I want to hear the 810 to compare.
But I have over 40 pairs of speakers, some very fine, and the L880 is the best that's
been in my house for all kinds of music with by far the best bass performace, they go
deep and forceful with great resolution and detail.
I've been searching for a speaker for the longest time that could do everything and
do it well, these are the ticket for me. These are also an 8 ohm load and I do believe
the 810 is a 4 ohm load so that may help to. Mine sound great on 40wpc of tubes!
You are correct though I don't see as many L880's as I do the 810. I kinda fell into these!
was (Soundmotor) who said the L880 was one of if not the most well rounded of the
ADS line. I don't want to put words in his mouth and he should probably see this and
respond accordingly. I want to hear the 810 to compare.
But I have over 40 pairs of speakers, some very fine, and the L880 is the best that's
been in my house for all kinds of music with by far the best bass performace, they go
deep and forceful with great resolution and detail.
I've been searching for a speaker for the longest time that could do everything and
do it well, these are the ticket for me. These are also an 8 ohm load and I do believe
the 810 is a 4 ohm load so that may help to. Mine sound great on 40wpc of tubes!
You are correct though I don't see as many L880's as I do the 810. I kinda fell into these!
Duffinator
Spin The Black Circle
My bet is the 810 and 880 are very close. Also BSU the L730 is a similar configuration as the L880 with a 3/4" tweet, 1 1/2" mid, and 10" driver. Maybe the 880 is a newer version of the 730? The 810's have a 3/4" tweet with a 2" mid and two 8" drivers. I'm not sure what size the other speakers in the 880 are other than the 10" driver.
BTW, I've scanned my 1980 ADS brochure into a Word doc and am taking it to work tomorrow and try to transfer it into a PDF which will hopefully make the 55 mb file smaller. If any of you want a copy emailed to you send me a PM with your home email address. I'll post here tomorrow with the size of the PDF so you know how big the file is.
Good night!
BTW, I've scanned my 1980 ADS brochure into a Word doc and am taking it to work tomorrow and try to transfer it into a PDF which will hopefully make the 55 mb file smaller. If any of you want a copy emailed to you send me a PM with your home email address. I'll post here tomorrow with the size of the PDF so you know how big the file is.
Good night!
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
I'm also a fan of larger drivers for rock music of 10" or larger with a Xover in that
500-700hz region as I feel they just do Guitars right and these Xover at 550hz.
Being a 10" verse a 12" woofer that I like to probably makes the bass a little faster
then a 12" so in the long run I'm probably better off with a 10" in these instead of
some 12" woofer in another speaker.
I know the 810 is a sealed to but just stating I prefer sealed bass cabinets to ported
so on paper these speakers fit what I was looking for and happen to perform beyond
my expectations by quite a bit, for me at least.
Not compairing these to the 810 just stating what I like about the 880!
500-700hz region as I feel they just do Guitars right and these Xover at 550hz.
Being a 10" verse a 12" woofer that I like to probably makes the bass a little faster
then a 12" so in the long run I'm probably better off with a 10" in these instead of
some 12" woofer in another speaker.
I know the 810 is a sealed to but just stating I prefer sealed bass cabinets to ported
so on paper these speakers fit what I was looking for and happen to perform beyond
my expectations by quite a bit, for me at least.
Not compairing these to the 810 just stating what I like about the 880!
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
Goodnight Duff, do let us know how big that file is. I got the L880 from soundmotor
if anyone is interested in that. It's 1.3 meg
The L880 uses the 10" cast basket driver with the 2" dome mid and 3/4" tweeter.
I suspect the 810 and 880 would be very simular to. Now the 880's mid/tweet are in
a vertical fashion as apposed to the 810's that has the horizontal config, don't know
if the woofers or the mid/tweet arrangement make a lot of difference or not.
if anyone is interested in that. It's 1.3 meg
The L880 uses the 10" cast basket driver with the 2" dome mid and 3/4" tweeter.
I suspect the 810 and 880 would be very simular to. Now the 880's mid/tweet are in
a vertical fashion as apposed to the 810's that has the horizontal config, don't know
if the woofers or the mid/tweet arrangement make a lot of difference or not.
BSUfbfan
Member
Kegger said:
WOW
40 pairs of speakers, how big is your house? My wife would never see me if I had that many to listen to.If I had to choose between the L-810 and L-880 for the same price, I'd be inclined to buy the 880's because (like you) my favorite woofer is a 10" and always has been. Dual 8" would be louder, but I just like the flexiblity of a good 10" driver.
Hopefully soundmotor chimes in on this since he's probably A/B'd them.
AlleyKat
Super Member
Question for the experts L710a
I recently sold my L-810's and replaced them with Vandersteen 2C's. I sold the 810's as I was never happy with the strength of the bass. The speakers never seemed to be balanced as well as I would have liked. I bought the 810's originally to replace a pair of ADS/Braun L-710a's that I've owned for more than 35 years. The foam surrounds of the woofers have rotted away and I was unable to find a source for replacement 7" surrounds or someone I felt comfortable with to repair them. I recently bought 4 replacement woofers for the 710a's. They are marked with the later aDs logo and have part #206 0318.
Does anyone know the series from which these came? They are somewhat different from the original Braun woofers, which are noticeably heavier. I'd like to get some information before I swap them.
I recently sold my L-810's and replaced them with Vandersteen 2C's. I sold the 810's as I was never happy with the strength of the bass. The speakers never seemed to be balanced as well as I would have liked. I bought the 810's originally to replace a pair of ADS/Braun L-710a's that I've owned for more than 35 years. The foam surrounds of the woofers have rotted away and I was unable to find a source for replacement 7" surrounds or someone I felt comfortable with to repair them. I recently bought 4 replacement woofers for the 710a's. They are marked with the later aDs logo and have part #206 0318.
Does anyone know the series from which these came? They are somewhat different from the original Braun woofers, which are noticeably heavier. I'd like to get some information before I swap them.
Attachments
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
Most of them are stashed away in the basement, EVERYWHERE! But there's a few upstairs to.
Yes I believe Soundmotor has heard both, I hope he doesn't mind all our questions!
Yes I believe Soundmotor has heard both, I hope he doesn't mind all our questions!
BSUfbfan said:WOW
If I had to choose between the L-810 and L-880 for the same price, I'd be inclined to buy the 880's because (like you) my favorite woofer is a 10" and always has been. Dual 8" would be louder, but I just like the flexiblity of a good 10" driver.
Hopefully soundmotor chimes in on this since he's probably A/B'd them.
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
Sorry I don't have an answer to your question, I would right down the #'s then try them and see how they sound.
Could you describe a little more in detail the difference you hear in the 810 and your Vandy's?
Would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
Could you describe a little more in detail the difference you hear in the 810 and your Vandy's?
Would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
AlleyKat said:
AlleyKat
Super Member
810's VS. Vandersteen 2C's
As I said in the initial post the 810's always seemed too bottom heavy for me. Over time, it just got to me. The L-710a's were much more balanced,a full rich sound without any part of the sound spectrum dominating. I'm not faulting the 810's, they were and are damn fine speakers. I was able to make the new owner more than satisfied and happy. The Vandys are a different class of speaker altogether. I held on to the 710a's for 35+ years, never hearing anything that made me want to move to new speakers. When I realized that I just had to move on from the 810's, I made a point of listening to various speakers mentioned here on AK. I ended up picking up a pair of 2C's in excellent condition. I have never been as impressed with a speaker in my listening environment as the vandys. When the music begins, the speakers disappear and the sound moves across the room. Their imaging is incredible, music fills the room without seemed to come directly from the speakers. The fabled "sweet spot" is incredibly large, unlike the well defined and much smaller of the 810's. Don't get me wrong, I've never believed that the ADS line got the recognition and respect that it deserves. However, for the music I listen to (primarily jazz & blues) the Vandrsteen's are far, far better speaker IMHO.
As I said in the initial post the 810's always seemed too bottom heavy for me. Over time, it just got to me. The L-710a's were much more balanced,a full rich sound without any part of the sound spectrum dominating. I'm not faulting the 810's, they were and are damn fine speakers. I was able to make the new owner more than satisfied and happy. The Vandys are a different class of speaker altogether. I held on to the 710a's for 35+ years, never hearing anything that made me want to move to new speakers. When I realized that I just had to move on from the 810's, I made a point of listening to various speakers mentioned here on AK. I ended up picking up a pair of 2C's in excellent condition. I have never been as impressed with a speaker in my listening environment as the vandys. When the music begins, the speakers disappear and the sound moves across the room. Their imaging is incredible, music fills the room without seemed to come directly from the speakers. The fabled "sweet spot" is incredibly large, unlike the well defined and much smaller of the 810's. Don't get me wrong, I've never believed that the ADS line got the recognition and respect that it deserves. However, for the music I listen to (primarily jazz & blues) the Vandrsteen's are far, far better speaker IMHO.
Duffinator
Spin The Black Circle
I can see that. The more I listen to them the more I hear this slight (to me) bias towards the bottom end. But it's doesn't bother me listening to mostly rock/punk/pop music. These speakers are better than any of my previous speakers and I'm very happy with them. :yes:AlleyKat said:
Kegger
R.I.P. 1/12/1966 - 6/1/2017
I think were all in a agreeance the larger ADS speakers are truly good performers that
can be bettered but it does take a really fine speaker to do that.
I'm a Vandy fan to and would like to add a set as I've listened to many but felt that
the ADS do hard rock a little better, mostly in the bass department but overall both
do all kinds of music justice. I'd like to do a direct compairison in my home though.
can be bettered but it does take a really fine speaker to do that.
I'm a Vandy fan to and would like to add a set as I've listened to many but felt that
the ADS do hard rock a little better, mostly in the bass department but overall both
do all kinds of music justice. I'd like to do a direct compairison in my home though.
i have to agree with AlleyKat here. the Vandersteen 2C just does everything better than the 810. simply put, its a step up in class. what i dont get is the idea that the 810's are a tad bass heavy. to my ear they are a very well balanced speaker, the bass is just right.
Jupiter1610
Active Member
I have a both a pair of Vandy 2CE Sigs and a pair of 810s in the house right now, and would have to agree that the Vandersteens are a step up over the 810s. The 810s are a wonderful speaker and possess a sweeter midrange than the Vandies, but are not as open or as detailed. My 910s on the other hand, I like better than the 2CEs. The 910s to me sound much more live, and are bested by the 2CE in the categories of openess and soundstaging (only laterally on either side of the speakers however). As far as the low end on the 810s, I like it but I definitely see why someone might think it a little much. Not boomy, but just very rounded and plumb.