Post by monkumonku on Jan 17, 2018 0:03:18 GMT -5
My ex is remodeling their den and is cleaning house. She told our son to give me my old speakers that had been sitting there for ages - ADS L810's. I had purchased them in the late 70's and wasn't sure what condition they were in. I told my son he could have them as there was no room for them over here, but I was curious to listen to them again on my system just to see if they were as good as I remembered. Today I got them from him and hooked them up. Those things are heavy! They have to be at least 50 lbs each, probably more.
They don't have receptacles for banana jacks. They just have a regular terminal that accepts bare wire. And it isn't gold plated. The cabinets had some dings in them but the drivers, except for one woofer that had a dent in the cone, were in great shape. The surrounds on the woofers are rubber and there was no sign of deterioration. The midrange and tweeters are dome and they looked good. I wasn't sure what to expect but I queued up several tracks that I am familiar with and have excellent sound quality and gave a listen.
All I can say is wowsers. They sound GOOD. My Sierra 2's have a more forward character and the RAAL tweeters are very detailed, but the ADS speakers can hold their own with anything. The midrange was sublime. Very liquid. The speakers have a warm, yet detailed character. No trace of harshness or stridency, and they project excellent imaging and a sense of depth. Voices and instruments are natural. I can hear the wood in the piano and brass had just the right bite to it, projecting every nuance but never sounding harsh. These sounded great, period, even more so considering they are about 40 years old. The dual 8" woofers did justice to all the bass in the music and there's no need for a sub. I was impressed. I initially planned on listening to just a few tracks but I kept adding to the queue.
That said, the speakers are just too big (see below how they dwarf the Sierras). I would like to keep them but I did promise my son he could have them, plus there's no room in the house to store them.
The first time I heard them back in the 70's I thought they were the best I had heard but I couldn't afford them. Then I figured I would get the L710's since they were more affordable and had a similar sound character but instead I got the L810's when I had the money because I knew I wouldn't be happy with anything less. It has been about 25 years since I last listened so today was sort of a validation to see if they were as good as I remembered them. And yes they are.
They don't have receptacles for banana jacks. They just have a regular terminal that accepts bare wire. And it isn't gold plated. The cabinets had some dings in them but the drivers, except for one woofer that had a dent in the cone, were in great shape. The surrounds on the woofers are rubber and there was no sign of deterioration. The midrange and tweeters are dome and they looked good. I wasn't sure what to expect but I queued up several tracks that I am familiar with and have excellent sound quality and gave a listen.
All I can say is wowsers. They sound GOOD. My Sierra 2's have a more forward character and the RAAL tweeters are very detailed, but the ADS speakers can hold their own with anything. The midrange was sublime. Very liquid. The speakers have a warm, yet detailed character. No trace of harshness or stridency, and they project excellent imaging and a sense of depth. Voices and instruments are natural. I can hear the wood in the piano and brass had just the right bite to it, projecting every nuance but never sounding harsh. These sounded great, period, even more so considering they are about 40 years old. The dual 8" woofers did justice to all the bass in the music and there's no need for a sub. I was impressed. I initially planned on listening to just a few tracks but I kept adding to the queue.
That said, the speakers are just too big (see below how they dwarf the Sierras). I would like to keep them but I did promise my son he could have them, plus there's no room in the house to store them.
The first time I heard them back in the 70's I thought they were the best I had heard but I couldn't afford them. Then I figured I would get the L710's since they were more affordable and had a similar sound character but instead I got the L810's when I had the money because I knew I wouldn't be happy with anything less. It has been about 25 years since I last listened so today was sort of a validation to see if they were as good as I remembered them. And yes they are.
