ADS 206-0315 12" woofers??

[seb9316]

So, tooling around on craigslist today I came upon these...

Now I know enough about ADS to know that the 206-0315 woofer was a 7" used in the late 70's/ early 80s in their early CS-400 automotive subwoofer system, as well as the original L-10 speaker (different frame I believe but otherwise the same speaker.)
These however are 12" subs. I also have never seen a dustcap with the old ADS logo imprinted on it. I assume these are knockoffs? Anyone? Soundmotor??

 

[seb9316]

Nobody?
Wow.

 

[wmgwizard]

AK member Richard So was one of the last employees at ADS and is the "go to guy" for all things ADS.

Start a conversation with him, he would know best.

 

[janikphoto]

They definitely don't look like any car audio ads I'm familiar with.

 

[jdurbin1]

I'd guess the label got put on it later and/or in error, those are definitely not the -0315 woofer. Soundmotor will probably recognize them but I do not. They do have mass added to the cones which makes them more likely a subwoofer and the magnets are on the small side for car, but possibly would have been used in a sealed enclosure like the SB10. Maybe for the PB1500 also? Those would have been -0335 originally (I haven't had my PB1500 apart so have no idea what the drivers look like yet).


John

 

[seb9316]

Thanks jdurbin- if you ever decide to take a look inside your PB-1500 let me know-- although I just can't imagine ADS at that time using subs with those thick surrounds and mass added to the cones as you observed... I still think a knockoff but it would be interesting to find out for sure...

 

[Dennis Gardner]

Every PB 1500 that I have seen has this type of driver. These have the older frame type that has the ear tabs, not the covered driver seen a couple years later.

 

[soundmotor]

Most definitely not ADS. Those are made up to look like something they made. The logos look like early foil ones so I'd bet they found a trashed set of 400s and made those.

ADS did not use vented poles nor surrounds of that width when the 206-0315 was new, ~1978. Cannot tell the diameter of those but they look bigger than the ~7.50" 400s.

 

[soundmotor]

Every PB 1500 that I have seen has this type of driver. These have the older frame type that has the ear tabs, not the covered driver seen a couple years later.

No other woofer style was ever used in the PB1500 except the ones shown in your pic. That is unequivocal.

If you saw one with different woofers they were added after the PB1500 was discontinued.

 

[jdurbin1]

Interesting... lot of effort to pass these off as ADS, who knew the brand still has so much cachet today that it would spawn counterfeits? Maybe an older deception project come to light. OP, thanks for sharing & also for the definitive bogus ID from Soundmotor.

John