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Where the Heck are All the ADS L8e and L9e Speakers?!

Duffinator said:
The bottom one is an L7e, the top two are L8e. I think the pics of the L8e are onepixel's. I believe the M12's are newer than the L8e's. My S700's are similar, maybe newer, vintage to the M12's. Soundmotor did I get that right?
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M12's came out around the same time as the B7/B8. The L7e/L8e/L9e came out later, the the S500/S600/S700 last. Can't believe I'd ever have a reason to recite that info either.
 
soundmotor said:
M12's came out around the same time as the B7/B8. The L7e/L8e/L9e came out later, the the S500/S600/S700 last. Can't believe I'd ever have a reason to recite that info either.
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And the Sat 5/6/7 were in between the Lxe and Sx00?
 
onepixel said:
Shoot I thought this thread was abandoned.

Those pics aren't mine. Here are mine from another post.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=32676&d=1165282433

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=32677&d=1165282433

My L8e's are near mint but still kinda funky looking.

So the "S" series came last? :scratch2:
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The tweeters in my S700's have a round plate made of aluminum which differ from the rectangular steel plates of most of the earlier models. It's not sticky either.
 
Found a pair of L9e at my favorite thrift this week. Nearly didn't stop but my gut steered me away from my errands. This find definitely made up for a lousy weekend!

Walked into the electronics dept and they had a new kid putting stuff on the shelves. Normally anything good is cherry-picked in the back room and "specially priced". Since the L9e look much like a cheap BPC speaker (to the untrained eye anyways), they snuck in under the radar. Once I saw the dome tweeter and midrange, I pounced on them! The grilles were a little bent up but no pegs were broken. No dents in any drivers but one woofer had a small tear that was easily fixed.

I never know exactly how much they will charge for speakers since it depends on who's working register and what their idea of a small or large speaker is. A large pair of Thrusters were priced at $25. Audiokarma smiled on me that day - six bucks!

I haven't had a chance to listen to them critically. Played them for a few minutes downstairs on the 700m but it was late and I couldn't crank up the horsepower.

Pics to come later next week.
 
I saw my recent acquisitions mentioned, in this thread. So I figured I'd some post pics.
 

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gonzothegreat said:
Found a pair of L9e at my favorite thrift this week. Nearly didn't stop but my gut steered me away from my errands. This find definitely made up for a lousy weekend!

Walked into the electronics dept and they had a new kid putting stuff on the shelves. Normally anything good is cherry-picked in the back room and "specially priced". Since the L9e look much like a cheap BPC speaker (to the untrained eye anyways), they snuck in under the radar. Once I saw the dome tweeter and midrange, I pounced on them! The grilles were a little bent up but no pegs were broken. No dents in any drivers but one woofer had a small tear that was easily fixed.

I never know exactly how much they will charge for speakers since it depends on who's working register and what their idea of a small or large speaker is. A large pair of Thrusters were priced at $25. Audiokarma smiled on me that day - six bucks!

I haven't had a chance to listen to them critically. Played them for a few minutes downstairs on the 700m but it was late and I couldn't crank up the horsepower.

Pics to come later next week.
Click to expand...

Hey Gonzo look forward to your thoughts on the L9e. I really like my L8es. And I agree they do look BPCish.

Cheers
 
While they may *look* like BPC from a distance (due to the black veneer), there's no mistaking them for BPC up close. Quality terminals, rubber surround woofers and a cabinet that feels as solid as a brick (and just as heavy).

Does anyone have a spec sheet for the L9e? FWIW they are labeled 4 ohms. Any idea of their sensitivity?
 
Hey guys -

It must be L9E time at the thrifts - I just picked up a set yesterday with black cabs.. I'd say mine are close to mint. I thought the $25 for the pair I paid was a steal - but I guess I got ripped off compared to gonzo's $6!!

I just hooked them up and am checking them out with a marantz 2230 - I'm thinking they may need a little more power to do them justice.

ANy thoughts on amps to drive these? I've been debating getting my hands on some of the ADS components from the era - any suggestions?

http://picasaweb.google.com/iambiglou/ADSL9E
 
soundmotor - that's just an artifact of the pic - the mids are perfect. I showed up at the thrift early in the day and asked them to set aside the speakers along with a large Vornado turbine looking fan from the 50s (it moves some serious air).

These speakers were part of a nice set of gear that had just been dropped off... there was a NAD 3140 and some fancy looking mixing board as well.. I debated getting everything but really need to pick and choose at this point.
 
my L9e's

Hello all -

I've been listening to a mint set of L9e for almost 20 years now. I bought then at of a places -- Tweeter Etc., back in 1990, and paid a lot for them ($400!!!!). But they were worth every penny, as they still sound better than most speakers I hear today. At reasonable volumes they are extreamly acurrate -- one of the best jazz and vocal speakers ever made. I would not recommend them for any type of hip-hop, insane bass heavy music -- get a set of big JBL speakers if this is what you wat to listen to.

I do not want to sell them -- I know I could never replace them, unless I spent a small fortune. They are way too nice....

I have a question -- are the cases made of walnut or mahogany? there is a red tone to the wood, which makes me think mahogany, but ADS liked to use walnut, so many they are just stained the color.

I'd like to find a copy of the spec sheet or a user manual, jst to know what they are made of, and what ADS considered them usable for.

I have a set of ADS L-710's I want to do a A-B test with the L9e's against. It will be interesting to compare them.

I will post pictures as soon as I can find my camera (dam teenagers!!!)

Scott
 
Look in dollars and sense I put a link up for some of the 8's for $130 speakers $100 shipping. AND THERE BUY IT NOW SO HURRY. I just something bought something entirely too expensive or else I'd nab 'em...

no affiliation, etc
 
Here's a score on L9E

010103011604010412200804119a6ddec4008378a8e400def4.jpg


Auction link removed. Not allowed outside Dollars and Sense. -Moderator
 
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Perhaps I have all or most of the L9e speakers: Three pairs -- 2 in black, one in gorgeous real walnut. I also have a pair of L7e speakers. My ADS collection is quite extensive including two pairs of L1290s, one pair of L1590s and one pair of 1530s. I also have many of the smaller versions. Other models that I find quite satifsying, besides those above and the L810s and L710s, are the L980s and L730s. I think the latter are greatly underrated. The single bass drivers may not be quite as tight as the twins, but sound deeper. I have only seen 3 pairs of L9e speakers on ebay over the past several years -- I bought them all. They really are great. They are the last hoorah of ADS!
 
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mes_esq said:
Perhaps I have all or most of the L9e speakers: Three pairs -- 2 in black, one in gorgeous real walnut. I also have a pair of L7e speakers. My ADS collection is quite extensive including two pairs of L1290s, one pair of L1590s and one pair of 1530s. I also have many of the smaller versions. Other models that I find quite satifsying, besides those above and the L810s and L710s, are the L980s and L730s. I think the latter are greatly underrated. The single bass drivers may not be quite as tight as the twins, but sound deeper. I have only seen 3 pairs of L9e speakers on ebay over the past several years -- I bought them all. They really are great. They are the last hoorah of ADS!
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You suck! I've been looking for L9es forever.

Oh and welcome to AK!

:D
 
I own a pair of l8e's but in black. They don't sound as nice as people have been saying to me, the highs sound completely rolled off. This could be:
1. One of the cones was dented in and I pulled it out with a vacuum cleaner
2. I'm driving them using a pretty crappy Sherwood S-9200CP
 
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