[NapalmK]

 

I was helping my cousin move today and she gave me these speakers. They look to be in pretty good condition except for a few scratches on the wood. I don't know much about them or speakers in general for that matter. Are they any good? Any recommended setups? Thanks in advance.
 
 

 

[NapalmK]

Bump!? Anybody?

 

[High_Q]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ADS+L620

 

[NapalmK]

Naturally that was what I did first. I was really wanting relative comparisons to other well known speakers. I've read they are good but I'm not sure how good they are. I was just hoping someone here could comment on a  good setup for the set of speakers I have as I've heard they are not the easiest to power and want to get their full potential. I figured between here and audiokarma I'd find what I was looking for.

 

[Retromotion]

 
ADS L620's are exceptional speakers and some of the best 2 way "bookshelf" speakers that were available at any price from any manufacturer during the late 1970's - early 1980's.  There were two generations of L620's; the first generation introduced in 1978 had cloth grills - the second generation introduced in 1980 had metal grills and featured a number of enhancements including improved drivers, crossovers and speaker terminals.  No matter what generation you have, you'll find that the woofer surrounds are made of butyl rubber, which won't rot over time like the foam that was used by most other manufacturers of the era.
 
To get the best sound out of your L620's, be sure to use speaker stands.  ADS sold optional stands for most of their 2 and 3 way speakers that elevated / angled them to the proper listening height.  You'll find the sound to be much improved when you get them off the floor.
 
For detailed information on ADS L620 speakers, see page 12 of the 1980 ADS brochure that can be found here ...
 
http://www.sportsbil.com/ads/
 
Enjoy!

 

[NapalmK]

 
Sweet! That’s what I was looking for. Thanks! I didn’t know there were differences in the 70s and 80s models. That’s good to know. I have the early 80s model with the metal grills so that’s a plus and I’ll definitely make sure to get them off the floor. That covers my questions about the speakers.
 
Do you know of any recommended setups? From the brochure you linked, it says that the amplifier power is a minimum of 15W and a max of 150W. I’d really like to see the full potential of these. I don’t have any other audio gear besides headphones and amp/dac so anything you know of would be great. I’d like to get these up and running for around $150-200 if that’s possible. Thanks again!

 

[mrarroyo]

Get a vintage amp which you can pick up for little money off eBay. For example an old receiver by Marantz, Technics, Pioneer, Yamaha, etc.

 

[NapalmK]

Thanks! Looks like I've got some reading to do.
 
I was able to go to a friends today and test these out. They are in good working order and deliver a really nice sound. Better than what I had them pegged for.

 

[plantsman]

If you possibly can I suggest that you try to stretch for the $250 - $300 range of integrated amps.  My first choice in that range would be a Rega Brio I or II.  These are great little 30wpc English integrated amps from the 1990s.  They tend to be more refined sounding and perhaps a little warmer than the Japanese/Chinese amps.  The 60 wpc Rega Mira is also very good but you'd be lucky to find one for <$300.  My second choice would be one of the Rotel integrated amps from the early to mid 1990s like the 60 wpc RA-970BX or the 100wpc RA-985BX.  The Rotel amps have more power and are punchier but also a but cooler and drier sounding. The slightly newer 50wpc NAD C320BEE is another fine choice.
 
Amps from the 1970s and 1980s are very likely to be starting to see parts problems especially with the electrolytic caps.

 

[scrapser]

I have a pair of L620's.  I'm the original owner and have had them since 1984.  I put them on flat stands that elevated them about 24" off the floor.  They are very good speakers in my opinion.  Unfortunately I have not had the need to use them for the past 10 years or so and now with my Klipsch home theater system I probably never will.