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ADS L2030 Restoration

So here's an interesting development. While taking photos of the woofers, I noticed two of them have "ADS Replacement" stickers on the magnets. This is usually indicative of Mr. So's work, but he also usually stamps them with the date of service and "adsspeakerservice". These two woofers do not bear either of these stampings, at least that I could find in the dark by light of my phone. I'm going to have to reach out to Richard and see if it's likely these two have already been rebuilt. It would certainly save me some cash! $90 per woofer for rebuild + $45/ea for shipping = total savings of $270!

The only problem is that I know one of the four had some intermittent distortion. Which one, I don't know because I didn't mark them as I was pulling them (doh!). So I couldn't tell you if it was one of the potentially serviced woofers, or original woofers. I'll check them with a MM tomorrow and maybe run a signal through them to see if I can identify which one/s have distortion.

FYI - You all can click on the photos and view them much larger on Flickr.
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
 
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Those stickers just indicate factory replacements right? Doesn't mean they've been to Richard. He has his own stamp.
 
RE: Casters.
I didn't see the workbench retractable casters mentioned, or I'm blind. It would take a bit of imagination to extend the retraction lever for the casters toward the front of the speaker, but not impossible by any means. Obviously, you'd have to design and build a better support structure than the Presto-Log that ADS made the bases out of..
metallics-powertec-casters-17000-64_1000.jpg
 
MATT0404 said:
So here's an interesting development. While taking photos of the woofers, I noticed two of them have "ADS Replacement" stickers on the magnets. This is usually indicative of Mr. So's work, but he also usually stamps them with the date of service and "adsspeakerservice". These two woofers do not bear either of these stampings, at least that I could find in the dark by light of my phone. I'm going to have to reach out to Richard and see if it's likely these two have already been rebuilt. It would certainly save me some cash! $90 per woofer for rebuild + $45/ea for shipping = total savings of $270!

The only problem is that I know one of the four had some intermittent distortion. Which one, I don't know because I didn't mark them as I was pulling them (doh!). So I couldn't tell you if it was one of the potentially serviced woofers, or original woofers. I'll check them with a MM tomorrow and maybe run a signal through them to see if I can identify which one/s have distortion.

FYI - You all can click on the photos and view them much larger on Flickr.
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
ADS 14" Woofers from L2030 Speakers by Audio Database, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Thanks for the pics, and yes, interesting. With speakers like these, I'm not surprised there's some replacement drivers there. These are like a 1969 L-88 Corvette. With performance at this level, you're almost always going to want to blast these. With the vette, you'll throw a rod or end up with a bent valve stem, same with the 2030's!! Pushed because you can!
Regarding the distortion, connect each woofer directly to the amp and run a 30hz test tone through each woofer to figure out which one has the issue.
 
Interesting woofers. Smaller mags than I expected, maybe they’re a higher gauss rating or something. Quite a spider too, seems there’s enough suspension for a decent amount of excursion.
 
Interesting too that they are scratched up a bit on the magnets. Sitting on a shelf for some time?
 
Just came across this thread, congrats on getting your hands on one of the truly holy grail of speakers. Your going down the right path with Richard So. I'll be following your progress. Just curious, what is the db's on these. The 1530's that I once had were 95db's and sounded wonderful with a Dynaco st70.
 
GD70 said:
Thanks for the pics, and yes, interesting. With speakers like these, I'm not surprised there's some replacement drivers there. These are like a 1969 L-88 Corvette. With performance at this level, you're almost always going to want to blast these. With the vette, you'll throw a rod or end up with a bent valve stem, same with the 2030's!! Pushed because you can!
Regarding the distortion, connect each woofer directly to the amp and run a 30hz test tone through each woofer to figure out which one has the issue.
Click to expand...
I'm just finding it hard to fathom a room big enough with hearing loss drastic enough to where one could overdrive a pair of 2030's.
 
Porkloin said:
I'm just finding it hard to fathom a room big enough with hearing loss drastic enough to where one could overdrive a pair of 2030's.
Click to expand...
It was the son's fault! While dad & mom were out to dinner and the movies, the son had the girl of his dreams over, and just had to impress her with the big as speakers in his house. Cranked the crap out of them, and OOOPPPSSS, oh ****! Blew a couple woofers! Set everything back to the previous settings and when pop decided to listen to some Greatful Dead live, blasted them and he said, OH ****! Son played dumb, I don't know anything! That's how it happened and I'm sticking to it!
 
GD70 said:
It was the son's fault! While dad & mom were out to dinner and the movies, the son had the girl of his dreams over, and just had to impress her with the big as speakers in his house. Cranked the crap out of them, and OOOPPPSSS, oh ****! Blew a couple woofers! Set everything back to the previous settings and when pop decided to listen to some Greatful Dead live, blasted them and he said, OH ****! Son played dumb, I don't know anything! That's how it happened and I'm sticking to it!
Click to expand...
This is why one should never let their children watch "The Italian Job" in which Seth Green rattles off a bunch of jibberish about some system that will "blow a girl's clothes off", which he proceeds to do at the end of the movie.
Personally, I've found that cranking a stereo is counterproductive. A teriyaki tenderloin tends to make the clothes fly faster than some horrid M&M recording from the kids' collection.
 
mike0565 said:
Just came across this thread, congrats on getting your hands on one of the truly holy grail of speakers. Your going down the right path with Richard So. I'll be following your progress. Just curious, what is the db's on these. The 1530's that I once had were 95db's and sounded wonderful with a Dynaco st70.
Click to expand...
Like the 1530s, the 2030s are rated at 95db @ 2.8V rms. I also drove my old 1530s with an ST70 with great results!
 
I'm very glad I discovered this posting, as I just purchased a pair of L2030's about a week and half ago. Mine were located in Virginia, and it was about a 250 miles round trip. One speaker of mine appears to be working well, but the other has two midranges with disconnected wires. These will be going to Richard So later this week. After reading thru all the comments in this posting, I think I will be sending the tweeters as well.

Like the speakers in MATT0404 purchased, the footings on mine are also in pretty poor condition. Did these come with grills? After I get mine fully functional, I'll need to get make some sort of grill for them, and wanted to see what other have done previously.


Curt
 
cnarv said:
I'm very glad I discovered this posting, as I just purchased a pair of L2030's about a week and half ago. Mine were located in Virginia, and it was about a 250 miles round trip. One speaker of mine appears to be working well, but the other has two midranges with disconnected wires. These will be going to Richard So later this week. After reading thru all the comments in this posting, I think I will be sending the tweeters as well.

Like the speakers in MATT0404 purchased, the footings on mine are also in pretty poor condition. Did these come with grills? After I get mine fully functional, I'll need to get make some sort of grill for them, and wanted to see what other have done previously.


Curt
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Hi, Curt. I saw your thread about your 2030s. Have you tested the mids that are disconnected? Or tried reconnecting them?

I do have grills for mine, but they are in need of some repair and re-covering. That will be next on my priority list so I can protect the mids from my children's curious little fingers. The dust caps of my 1530s and a tweeter in my Tektons fell victim to my daughter's curiosity. Do you not have grills for yours at all?
 
MATT0404 said:
Hi, Curt. I saw your thread about your 2030s. Have you tested the mids that are disconnected? Or tried reconnecting them?

I do have grills for mine, but they are in need of some repair and re-covering. That will be next on my priority list so I can protect the mids from my children's curious little fingers. The dust caps of my 1530s and a tweeter in my Tektons fell victim to my daughter's curiosity. Do you not have grills for yours at all?
Click to expand...

It's the tinsel leads on the midranges that are broken. I will be sending those to Richard this week, along with both tweeters. Once I am able to sell some of the other speakers I have sitting around, I'll probably send the other midranges and woofers. Just not in the budget right now.

My speakers didn't come with grills. the person whom I purchased them from got them from a pawn/salvage company. The story is that they came from a barber shop, and somewhere along their journey, the grills got lost or thrown away. I'll need to come up with something to use as replacements, since I doubt I'd be able to purchase any actual grills.

I also wanted to ask you what you wrapped your drivers in to send them to Richard? the seem to be safely packaged, and I'd like to do something similar.
 
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