ADS 1290 sound quality?

[serosmaness]

I know that this is a DIY site .
I wanted to know anyones opinion on the sound quality of the ADS 1290 or any other ADS built speaker.
It seems that there are plenty of opinions on BOSE and so I am just wondering.
Thanks Steve

[TerryO]

Hi Steve,
I own a pair of ADS 570/2 speakers and while ALL my diy speakers are fabulous, the 570's serve as a reference along with a pair of AR3a's. The ADS 570 speakers are excellent for what they are, namely a 2-way design that does most everything pretty good. The 1290's were a 3-way design and just about the top of the line, if not the top, and enjoyed an excellent reputation which was well deserved. They were very pricey when new, but can be picked up at very reasonable prices today. There are still people that consider them just about as good as it gets, but YMMV. They don't call attention to themselves and will play Classical Music to perfection, which is the ultimate test of any speaker regardless if you find it enjoyable long term. They tend to be fairly efficient (low 90's IIRC) and easily driven.

My verdict: a music lover's speaker.
Best Regards,
TerryO

[WBS]

I truly regret ever selling my rosewood ADS 1290s. The 1590s (or were they 1530s?) were their top of the line in the early 1980s. They 15XXs had more bass, but the 1290's bass was tighter. After bi-amping them with the ADS amps that tucked into the back of each speaker, they were the best speakers I've ever owned. (I currently own Maggies)

I joined this board to see if I could find a schematic for the 1290s. Even better would be to find plans for the cabinets. I'd like to drop in SEAS drivers and build some tube amps to bi-amp them.

Any thoughts?

[amp-guy]

HI out there; I just picked up a pair of ads 1290/2
in pretty good shape( except grilles are trashed).
even have the boxes and packing-but no papers so I have no specs. they seem to take a bit of power to make em sing
Iam guessing 1-watt 1m at mid or lower 80s.
I will be drawing up the crossover and will post it.
a preliminary investgation shows the caps to be

6.8uf polypropylene
18uf np
33uf np
130uf np

the woofers have diecast alu frames but really small magnets
could they be alnicos or neo probably too old to be neo

the midranges have an enormous ceramic magnet

[WBS]

Hi Amp-Guy. There is a poster over on audiokarma with the avatar Soundmotor who used to work for ads. He can answer just about any question you might have. Actually he probably already has! Just use the search button.

Fyi; my 1290s, the first version, were about 94db if memory serves me correctly. They were very efficient for thieir size.