Im in the market of looking for some new-used speakers and have read a lot of great things about the ADS line of speakers. I have never heard any of them so was wondering which ones would be recommended for 500 dollars or less. I would be using a Luxman R-117 to run them for now. I have had various Paradigm Speakers in the past the latest being the Studio 100V2 line and always found the tweeters too harsh. Whats your favorite ADS Speaker?
ADS Speakers
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nickrobotron
una bella tazza di caffe
Any of them!
The ones I'd prefer are the L710, L910, L880, L1230.
I had a very nice pair of L810's and I thought they were a little too heavy on the bass.
I had a pair of L570's. They were a magical pair of little 2-ways.
The ones I'd prefer are the L710, L910, L880, L1230.
I had a very nice pair of L810's and I thought they were a little too heavy on the bass.
I had a pair of L570's. They were a magical pair of little 2-ways.
thedelihaus
Nocturnal transmissions
Love the L1230s and L1290s, and L1090s. The L1530s and L1590s may be out of your price range.
L780s and L880s are a nice pair to own, too.
Wouldn't overlook L630s or L730s, either.
Where are you located?
L780s and L880s are a nice pair to own, too.
Wouldn't overlook L630s or L730s, either.
Where are you located?
cherryghost
New Member
Good move going with the ADS speakers - once I stumbled on them it was all over. Very sweet sounding and great bang for the buck. I have the L730's and L620's - both are awesome but I prefer the 3 way L730's.
MAXZ28
Addicted Member
I'm willing to bet there's some Akers in your area that you might want to connect with for a possible audition. Just let us know where you're at so folks who have ADS in their stable can respond if they're close to you.
I have a pair of L730's and L810's. Love both sets. Used to have some small L420 bookshelf speakers. As others have mentioned, you really can't go wrong with any model of ADS speakers. Good luck with the hunt! :thmbsp:
FWIW, I got both of my existing sets for under two bills.
I have a pair of L730's and L810's. Love both sets. Used to have some small L420 bookshelf speakers. As others have mentioned, you really can't go wrong with any model of ADS speakers. Good luck with the hunt! :thmbsp:
FWIW, I got both of my existing sets for under two bills.
JohnMichael
Super Member
I loved my ADS 570's and cannot remember why I sold them.:tears:
Can't say I was very familiar with ADS speakers either. But when helping a friend speaker shop years ago, the L1290's went home with him that day. These were by far the best speakers in the showroom, even bettering the ultra high dollar B&W's, in my opinion. Seems like you're on the right track, as never heard any bad talk, about anything in the ADS line.
How old are the L1290 speakers, it seems as though they can be had for from 200 to 500 dollars? Wonder how much they were new.
It might be hard to find a pair of L1090s or L1290s at that price but a pair of L710s or L810s would do in a pinch!
michaelhigh
mind's eye music
A/D/S are addicting, they are so sweet-sounding, and the smaller models excell in bass that shouldn't be possible from such a small box. That alone is my cup of tea, totally (I'm a bassist). I appreciate a nice well-rounded tone in a speaker, and I mainly go for Klipsch, another speaker that hits well above its weight. I have A/D/S L420 and L400, both very similar and really potent little suckers.
Have you tried any of the older (early 90's?) Paradigms from their Performance Series? To me they have a "darker" sound, and I find that a pair of 5 SE Mk II speakers match up quite nicely with my Luxman R-114 receiver.
(If I can just find a way to fix its faulty Tone defeat switch.)
(If I can just find a way to fix its faulty Tone defeat switch.)
soundoc03
Super Member
I waiting on receiving a pair of L400s, my first experience with ADS. I have the similarly sized 3-way Braun L300s which will be very tough to beat. I am anxious to see how the 2-way compare. The Brauns have ascended up my speaker chain leaving the Dyn A-35s KLH FIVEs, KEF 103.2 presently in the dust. B&W 805s remain as my best monitors but the L300s are really not too far behind. The ADS L400 definitely wins over in the looks department though.
When shopping with my buddy in the late 80's, believe he paid $950 for them new, and worth every penny.
I still have my a/d/s M12. Bought them when I got into this mess of a hobby. I love them a lot and will probably never part with them. a/d/s stuff comes around on cl and ebay all the time. If you can find some to listen to, and be patient maybe your dream set will show up local.
thedelihaus
Nocturnal transmissions
I think $450-$700 is more typical for a pair in good shape, although sometimes someone gets lucky and gets a pair for $200-$300.
I've seen the grills alone sell for well over $100.
New were $1200-$1499 I recall (hopefully correctly),and you could get them around $950 when they were going to the next model line.
SimplySound
Kent Engineering & Fondry
I'm going to audition a pair of L730's tomorrow night. I'll take my KEF 103.2's to compare. I'm thinking I'll use the ADS's as surrounds and set the KEF's up side by side on an upper shelf as centers.
Right now I'm using DCM TF700's as my mains, but hoping to have some KEF 107's in place by mid-April.
Any thoughts on matching the KEF's with the ADS's? From what I've read they seem to be a similar sound.
Right now I'm using DCM TF700's as my mains, but hoping to have some KEF 107's in place by mid-April.
Any thoughts on matching the KEF's with the ADS's? From what I've read they seem to be a similar sound.
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Poultrygeist
Lunatic Member
I had a pair of L710's with metal grills designed to be cat claw proof. As far as vintage speakers go they sounded pretty good but I sold them once I got into full range single drivers.
