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So what speaker is better than ADS in a same price range?

Krosya

Krosya

Well-Known Member
Hi,
As much as many of us love and prefer ADS speakers, me being one in the ADS fan club, I wonder if there is anything better in the same price range - new or vintage? I know many people here were lucky enough to be able to compare multiple speakers, so I hope to get some opinions. I know, for some kinds of music there may be some obvious choices, but what about speakers that do well or better with most any type of music?
 
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Define 'better'.

There are a lot of speakers in the same price range that are voiced differently. What might sound better to me might not sound better to you. The only way to answer your question is for you to do some listening.

You also give no idea of how far up or down in the ADS lineup you're batting, or what vintage.

ADS made a lot of great speakers, and my experience with them is that they have done very well with many types of music. So I'm really not sure that you'll find much that are 'better', but you might find some that are different, and pleasing to your ears.

bs
 
Yes, I understand that "better" means different things to different people. And in a way thats what I am asking - whats better for you guys? And in what respect. I have 2 pairs of ADS speakers, L10 and L710. Like them both a lot and find them to be a near perfect speakers as they sound great with any receiver and any music that I tried. While I have and like many other speakers, I cant think of any that would be as versatile as the ADS ones.
In many ADS threads people state why they like these speakers and why they chose to keep them over some others. So, what I wonder is - what if anything that people found that beats ADS for them, while staying in a same price range? Hope this makes things more clear.
 
In my case only my Polk 1.2tl's have been able to keep my ADS 1530's out of my main rig. But I don't believe the Polks would win that contest in the much smaller room that the 1530's are in. Pretty tough to find speakers that beats the bigger ADS offerings (without spending big$$$$) as to me they seem to do everything correctly.
 
A few years back, I brought home a pair of L-1230's fully expecting to bump the ESS AMT3's out of the living room. I wasn't all that happy with the sound of the Rock Monitors at the time. I also introduced a different amplifier to A/B with - the 1230's sounded fantastic, but a flip of the selector switch pretty much revealed that my beef was not with the AMT3's , but with my former amplification.
As much as I evangelize the sticky dome midrange, it doesn't float a front man out there in the ether like a dipole air motion transformer.
Both of the speakers cost the same to buy, were the same height, put out (pretty much) the same volume for the watt and would've cost the same to overhaul.
I sold the 1230's to a fellow AK'r who occasionally deems them the best speaker of his already impressive ADS collection and thinks I'm a fool for letting them go.
I've still got a pair of L-780 /2's in another room, but I always return to my reference speakers in the living room.

IMG_0313.JPG 846184-ads-ads-l1230-speakers.jpg
 
I recently picked up a pair of Braun l710's. They are very nice sounding speakers and think I like them for rock music especially. However, they don't do enough to supplant any of my Yamaha's...I think price/value wise they are similar to the Yamaha ns-670's. I think if you were to take a pole most responders would pick ADS/Braun over Yamaha based on reputation alone. Although Yamaha has its loyal followers, myself included, I think Yamaha as a whole is underrated as a bass reflex speaker system.
So , to answer your highly subjective question, I prefer Yamaha in a similarly priced/valued speaker.
 
botrytis said:
WOW - this question is like asking a herd of cats to play follow the leader.

To me, it is non-sensical. ADS lovers will say none, and people who find them mediocre will say anything. There is your answer.
Click to expand...
Strict adherence to "audio relativism" would render too may AK threads null and void. Think of it as a bit of (subjective) fun, and perhaps, to those with the ability to differentiate reflexive spouting from learned, articulate observation, informative.
The angel is in the details.
Speaking of, my bias toward the AMT involves a relatively small part of the overall picture that may be a bigger deal to me than it should be. Hence the regard for my input as a bit of data to be fit into @Krosya 's mental database per his subjective criteria. Although the 1230's were better at pinpoint placement of the various performers ("imaging," I believe is the term), the overall tone of the AMT strikes me as more "organic", less mechanical, than the sticky domes. The sax player or the vocalist is floating in a cloud between the two speakers, but the nuance projected by the AMT is more compelling than the more accurate placement effect from the domes. The same phenomena translates across several genres , but you'd have to ask my kid about that knuckle-dragging rap nonesense.
I might add that a pre-amp upgrade made a big difference in the overall picture and I would like to revisit the old 1230's with my present electronics.

Obvious bad Photoshoppery, but I couldn't locate the photos of when both sets were playing simultaneously in the living room.
ListeningSpace.gif
 
I was shocked by how good my L710 are, and all I did was refoam, and recap one cap on each crossover. I think their main strength is their smooth frequency response.The highs are detailed, without ever approaching harsh. That said, I think they lose to my Kef Q90 in imaging and sound stage. Also, I think my BG radia z1 bookshelf speakers have more natural highs than my ADS. I would love to find a pair of the larger BG radia speakers, those tweeters are really something special. The ADS have pushed aside my polk sda-2b in my 2 channel setup though.
 
As stated, it is impossible to say "better" given the different voicing characteristics for each brand and how it appeals to the individual. ADS has developed a good following and most all of their speakers are well regarded. I would suggest some other brands of similar reputation might be good to keep in your radar, such as, Vandersteen and Acoustic Research. As with any, the other components paired with them and the room acoustics are all factors. In the end, the best solution is for you to try as many as possible. Join the madness!
 
Personally, I like Gifford's Camp Coffee. It's a bit edgier than Brigham's yet not as sweet as Ben & Jerry's.

campcoffee.jpg
 
MY favorite is Haagen-Dazs Rocky Road!! A well balanced mix of chocolate, marshmellow and nuts, it does it all.

Safari 4.jpg
 
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Krosya said:
Hi,
As much as many of us love and prefer ADS speakers, me being one in the ADS fan club, I wonder if there is anything better in the same price range - new or vintage? I know many people here were lucky enough to be able to compare multiple speakers, so I hope to get some opinions. I know, for some kinds of music there may be some obvious choices, but what about speakers that do well or better with most any type of music?
Click to expand...
I used to sell them forty some years ago and owned a pair of Braun LV1020s for a while and think highly of them. The 710s and 810s were quite popular and we bundled them with Harman-Kardon receivers.

Having said that, cabinet and crossover design has surely advanced over that period of time. There are numerous speaker brands available today with improved resolution and reduced audible "boxiness". I have a pair of Polk LSi9s previously used in the HT that fit the bill. Thinking outside the box, there are also alternatives like Magneplanars - which is what replaced the Braun's for me back in '76 before moving to electrostats.
 
x2 on the Polk LSi, even RTi. They can rival ADS at the same price point.

Focals, etc.

I'm sticking to ADS though. I don't want plastic tweeters held together with hot glue.
 
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