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Purchase Decision..

S

sbeishline

New Member
Hi all - long time lurker, first time post.

I've just inherited my grandmother's JVC Model 5550 and my dad's Pioneer PL-518 turntable. I have the opportunity to buy a pair of ADS L710 series II speakers (pristine condition) for $1100. I'd have to travel 2.5hr to pick them up. Given the trip and expensive price tag, I was also considering going the route of new (B-stock) Wharfedale Linton 85th anniversary Heritage speakers for $1300. The amp is rated at 60W per channel at 8ohm.

Curious as to what other's would do in this situation as I've been told that the JVC 5550 may not fully drive the Linton's. Regardless, it'd be much easier to not travel and buy something on which I'll have a warranty.

Appreciate any opinions and guidance!
 
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At more than twice the going rate as you found out, looking at the Lintons is a good idea.

where are you? Some look over fbmp, cl, ou and might point you to something nice in your area.

Music choice, volume needed and room size help, too.
 
For that kind of money you can get Tekton Lore's that'll kick the butt of those 40 year old speakers. And they'll deliver them to your door.
 
My eight watt MiniMax runs my Linton's just fine, though I'm not going for volume. 50 watts is more than enough for them.
 
Blue Shadow said:
At more than twice the going rate as you found out, looking at the Lintons is a good idea.

where are you? Some look over fbmp, cl, ou and might point you to something nice in your area.

Music choice, volume needed and room size help, too.
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I'm in Charlottesville, VA. There's not much choice locally on FBMP or CL..

I listen to jazz, fusion, pop, rock, funk, hip-op, classical... the gamut. I'm not going for crazy high volume either.... mostly 3-5/10. It's in my basement, which is sort of lobulated in shape and I have them on one side that's probably 25' x 10'.

I'm getting the sense to bag the vintage and go more with the Lintons..
 
I agree the price for the ADS seems high. Plus you may be looking at the trouble and expense of replacing capacitors in the crossovers at any time.
 
sbeishline said:
Curious as to what other's would do in this situation as I've been told that the JVC 5550 may not fully drive the Linton's.
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The JVC should be able to drive the Lintons. It's rated to handle 4 to 16-ohm speakers and the Lintons are 6 ohm nominal. Do the Lintons you're looking at come with stands?
 
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jayvis said:
The JVC should be able to drive the Lintons. It's rated to handle 4 to 16-ohm speakers and the Lintons are 6 ohm nominal. Do the Lintons you're looking at come with stands?
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I was thinking of going with new B-stock to save a few coppers, but without stands.
 
sbeishline said:
I was thinking of going with new B-stock to save a few coppers, but without stands.
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If you buy the Lintons, you can experiment with placement, but I think you'll like to move those rear ported speakers away from the front and side walls of your room for their best sound. Some type of stands might be required. :thumbsup:
 
sbeishline said:
I'm in Charlottesville, VA. There's not much choice locally on FBMP or CL..

I listen to jazz, fusion, pop, rock, funk, hip-op, classical... the gamut. I'm not going for crazy high volume either.... mostly 3-5/10. It's in my basement, which is sort of lobulated in shape and I have them on one side that's probably 25' x 10'.

I'm getting the sense to bag the vintage and go more with the Lintons..
Click to expand...
If in Charlottesville, you have to do Crutchfield. Super helpful guys, though it's been a while since I stopped. Then, they didn't have many speakers hooked up, as they were using their speaker software system to simulate how the different models sounded. I hope that's changed, and you can audition real boxes. In your price range, I'd consider the Wharfedale EVO4.3. Similar to the ADS speakers with their dome mids. AMT tweeters, which should be nice.

Good luck, and nice to know someone else from C'ville is on here...!
 
Prices seem about three times too high. I would keep looking for something else used for around $300-$400 that would sound just as good. Also, is the JVC still all-original? It looks very nice with the blackface and SEAS equalizer but is also quite old. It could be made to sound better with a recap (at least) and has a very low damping factor of 20 which is going to give you a looser/ bouncier bass response with more cone excursion so keep that in mind. It's never going to have a very tight/ fast/ controlled bass response with any speakers you choose (if that is important, which probably isn't). But still, I would refresh the amp first to give you a cleaner baseline, but that's just me.
 
Anything as old as that JVC really needs a refresh.

20 DF is fine.
If an amplifier with a >20 DF has better bass it's not because it has a higher DF.
Just another marketing spec.
 
StimpyWan said:
If in Charlottesville, you have to do Crutchfield. Super helpful guys, though it's been a while since I stopped. Then, they didn't have many speakers hooked up, as they were using their speaker software system to simulate how the different models sounded. I hope that's changed, and you can audition real boxes. In your price range, I'd consider the Wharfedale EVO4.3. Similar to the ADS speakers with their dome mids. AMT tweeters, which should be nice.

Good luck, and nice to know someone else from C'ville is on here...!
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Wow! Small world. I'll def get back to Crutchfield to see if they do actual sampling of the speakers. Speaker software simulation seems pretty lame!

onanysunday said:
Prices seem about three times too high. I would keep looking for something else used for around $300-$400 that would sound just as good. Also, is the JVC still all-original? It looks very nice with the blackface and SEAS equalizer but is also quite old. It could be made to sound better with a recap (at least) and has a very low damping factor of 20 which is going to give you a looser/ bouncier bass response with more cone excursion so keep that in mind. It's never going to have a very tight/ fast/ controlled bass response with any speakers you choose (if that is important, which probably isn't). But still, I would refresh the amp first to give you a cleaner baseline, but that's just me.
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Yes - it's all original. I cleaned up the inside and put contact cleaner on the switches/pots (not the faders).

StimpyWan said:
If any of your gear does need to be serviced, there's a guy downtown that's top notch. A buddy used him, and he did great work. Now that I think about it, I have some amps that he should probably look at...! :oops:

Universal Electronic Repairs
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Man, I'll tell you. Roger at Universal Electronics is a genius. He's repaired 2 of my vintage guitar amplifiers. Recommend him without hesitation!!
 
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