ADS and SPUD Review

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jdhdiggs
jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
edited September 2005 in 2 Channel Audio
Sorry all for being a SEVERE slacker with regards to getting some decent impressions of items out on the board. Especially in regards to the cable swap program. Those will be coming up, but I wanted to do what I'm currently most excited about: My new office rig. This won't be organized or thought out, so bear with it...

The setup is a pair of ADS 550 which are a sealed 2-way, large bookshelf with both decent bass and efficiency. A SET SPUD amp rated at a whopping 2W/channel, homemade speaker cables and some tributary interconnects. The CDP is yet to be determined, but it is currently using the analog design CDP with the tube output section.

How does this less than $500 rig sound? Well, since Polkfest, I still haven't re-hooked up the maggies and I giddie called Russ while he was trying to get "something" on at Polkfest. How about that? :eek:

I now know what this "synergy" thing is people keep talking about. I always thought the ADS' sounded good/decent when powered by the other amps, but nothing worht keeping long term. With this amp, they glow. My wife even loves it and she poo-pooed the difference between a clock radio and the mags!!!

I thought "hey, if this amp does this well on the ADS', I'll bet the LSI7's sound glorious... Wrong, unless dog crap is glorious. Yes, I did take care of the difference in impedence, it didn't matter. The change was so great that I am now terrified to move the CDP back to the maggie setup where I might lose some of the magic...

All said and done, I've been listening to the rig for the past two weeks and I have yet to hear a system assembled for less than $2k that sounds better than this setup. Does it sound better than the maggie setup, nope but it is closer than I care to admit. It definately buries my LSI7 and SVS setup in the living room for 2 channel though. (That system is handicapped by a cheap oink in the chain as the pre/pro)

Anyway, if the knight mono's have the same affect on the mags, well, I think I'll call in sick for a few days and have the wife shove pizzas under the door

Synergy exists, if you don't belive it, you just haven't found it yet...
There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
Post edited by jdhdiggs on

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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited September 2005
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    jdhdiggs wrote:
    Synergy exists, if you don't belive it, you just haven't found it yet...


    I hear ya man. I got the ASL AV20 Monos set up last night with the ELP and Monitor 7As and after a little mishap with ICs, it was magical. So much so I didn't get my SDA fix. Had to sit there in amazement of how sweet that system sounded. Was it as good as the SRS2s, of course not, but it was different and had plenty of rich full range sound. Not lacking in any department.

    So I'm glad that you ended up with the spud, because it left me with enough $$ to get the ASLs :D And it all worked out great for everyone involved :cool: .

    RuSs,
    Here's my testimony that it doesn't take 1000 watts or even 100 watts to get fabulous sound. It just takes the right gear, meshed together correctly to achieve "THE SOUND". :)
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited September 2005
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    Removed due to content. -d
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited September 2005
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    dorokusai wrote:
    Removed due to content. -d

    Crap, I hate missing the drunk comments!
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin