• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

AVID thread

I might get a chance to look at and hear a pair of Avid 110s next week. Perhaps I missed in this thread some mention of when that model was manufactured. Any body know? I'm not sure what to expect sound-wise--earlier somebody called them something like crapboxes, but I recall that GordonW gave his pair of 110s a rather positive review. Should I expect these speakers have degraded from how they were when new, or might they still be functioning fine. I will recognize the buzzing of speakers with foam that's gone south. I'm not sure I'd recognize the need for recapping. Are 110s ones that have the slippery/greasy feeling imitation woodgrain covering? If so, what's the best way to clean or treat the surface to reduce the nastiness of that? Also, for comparison's sake, if I had a good pair of Avid 110s and a good pair of EPI 100s, how would they sound similarly or differently?
 
Last edited:
Despite the 3 tweeters per cabinet the high can be very disappointing unless properly placed, if so they really open up. A sub doesn't hurt a bit.

Interested on your opinion.
 
Donkey Karma, I assume you are responding to somebody else's post, since the 110 is a 2-way speaker with 1 tweeter and 1 -midwoof per cabinet. GordonW said 110s have better bass if they are placed closer to the wall. I don't believe in subwoofers.

Incidentally, I have a donkey. His name is Oscar.
 
Avid 102

Passed on a pair of Avid speakers over the summer I saw at garage sale. I wished I had more room, would like to listen to these speakers. They seemed well built. Wonder if I will ever see another pair?
 
Well audiobird if you were an audiokarma subscriber you could see or possibly own a pair of Avid's totl 330 speakers that I have listed in Bartertown right now:D
 
Last edited:
I bought these 102s in 1990 from one of my college professors. Been lugging all 75 lbs of them around through countless moves all over the country.

Date on the woofers is early 1979, I assume that is the year the speakers were built as well.

Over the past few years i started falling out of love with them, then realized a few months back that the woofer surrounds were shot. Got them replaced. At first I was not happy about the bass response, but over time I have changed my mind about that. Not sure if it is me, or the surround loosening up (do they do that?). I do need to run the bass setting higher than for some other speakers, but they handle it well and the bass is deep and rock solid. And they handle a loud bass very well. It sounds to me like more low end bass than upper end bass, for better of for worse.

Also replaced the caps. That did make a very slight difference in the upper end, but nothing too noteworthy.

Vinyl was getting pretty sticky, but some regular spray cleaner for kitchen counters and a lot of elbow grease took care of that.

I think my time with these may be coming to an end, though. My "new" pair of Dynaco A-25s are going to replace these in the living room, and these are really too big for any other place in the house, and they tend to sound better loud, something that only really happens in the living room.

01b450fb67cab6a51ba2f31f432958eea7f4f92679_zps755ea6f6.jpg
 
Thought I'd give this a bump after picking up a pair of 101s. These are a different animal than my Paradigms or Snells but still get thumbs up from me. I have an occasional, very faint, only at one frequency, slight crackle from one of the front tweeters that I need to investigate.

Here they are on "prototype" stands I made with a sawzall and a tape measure ...

IMG_20150207_183807533.jpg
 
Last edited:
well, here I am with some 230's that I ordered foam kits for. This is all very intriguing. $15 plus $25 for foam and glue...they came with stands!

it takes a lot of money to tool up for a custom plastic rim, let alone three of them, and a custom crossover frame and sliders. It cost even more in 70's money for a little company. I say they really believed in what they were doing. I can't wait to hear mine and I'll be looking for a set of 330's just for fun

Thanks for the great thread
 
Last edited:
Well, I finally got my Avid 230 woofers foamed up and back together. I attached them to a pioneer SA9100 that needs work, maybe I shouldn't be running it.

wow, these speakers sure do sound very nice Very present and full. all tone controls are flat and I'm playing Elvis's first record from cd. Very pleasing to listen to in a room that is full of stuff, my office. sounds and feels very accurate to this era of record. A very lively sound yet somehow uncolored. nice detail and warmth yet with all ranges represented well.

I'm fairly new to audio gear since the 80's. I'm hooked. Spring will be wasted on yard and estate sales
 
Last edited:
Avid 110

I have a chance to get a pair of Avid 110s for $50 (recently refoamed). I'm familiar with the 102 and 103, but want to know where the 110 fits in the product line and how they compare with the 102/103s. Thanks in advance for all responses.
 
Foams are 25 or so plus the time. It's like Avids for 25 because you can always expect to refoam. I say do it or try and neg a bit because most everyone loves their Avids it seems. If you don't like them you can flip them on ebay for what you paid
 
whathahell said:
picture with screens off
Click to expand...
Saw a pair of these in a pawn shop last year. I was excited until I saw the woofers had been replaced with Pyle drivers. :tears: I figured that finding replacements was going to be difficult. Coupled with the fact they wanted $200 for the pair I let them sit there.
 
I've owned a pair of 102s for about 15 yrs, paid $100 for them in a pawn shop, and never thought I got hurt on the deal. They're a pretty good match for my components in my room. I've had better sound, certainly, but never had any reason to complain about the Avids, other than the WAF. She prefers narrower towers, in the interest of my own personal safety, I got narrower towers... The 102s are on loan to a friend, and he rather likes them as well.
 
I'm late to the Avid party!

I have the 230's (just got them home today). They were my dads and used daily since new. At the time he got them I had ADS L620's. The Avids were better. I need to refoam the Avids but haven't had a chance to look for a foam kit (whathahell where'd you get the foam). I want to compare the 230's to my ADS L880's.

In addition to the 230's, 620's, and 880's, I also have ADS L1230 as well as Infinity IRS Beta's. Unfortunately, a few years ago I took a pass on B&W 801 Matrix 3 that were going very cheap but I just bought the Infinities. Next on my list is some ADS L2030's (original and not beat up / abused). Yes I'm an ADS fan.
 
Boto said:
Saw a pair of these in a pawn shop last year. I was excited until I saw the woofers had been replaced with Pyle drivers. :tears: I figured that finding replacements was going to be difficult. Coupled with the fact they wanted $200 for the pair I let them sit there.
Click to expand...

I have an automatic ebay search running for anything Avid and have only seen a woofer once. so, they would probably be impossible to find two of. maybe could have found something to put in there but I guess you'd need to know the specs to make the crossover right?

CR500, I just emailed Simply Speakers and told them the make and model and they lead me to the right product. $25 as usual and although about 1/16 different in size they were no trouble.
 
The 102's that I bought a couple of years back are doing duty in my dad's garage where he listens to his music and plays his keyboards. He was listening to an old pair of those crappy indoor/outdoor speakers that were sold everywhere for $30.00 so the Avids are a nice upgrade. It seems the very least I can do for the man who instilled a love of music in me.
 
Quick vid of my naked AVID 101's playing some streaming Clapton from Amazon Prime. Video makes the tweeters sound more harsh than they are (and also makes two of my SX-828's LED backlights disappear at times)

I hadn't listened to them in a while, but untouched they hold their own in the presence of my recapped AR-3a's and L26's. I will recap and replace the vinyl with veneer soon.

(Edit 5/6/16: I replaced the cap with a Janzen cap with a bypass cap and it sounds sublime now. Now if only I can get them to look as good as they sound!)

I hope this link works.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JplZe4bp2x_ETkgUY5DjLdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0

And a pic with the grilles on:

IMG_20150907_200801358.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom