Two tweaks that costs nothing bi-wire them they will have more airiness in the treble and remove the flocking behind the metal grills (place heavy towle on the. driveway and hose them and scrub with a hand scrub rush you'll be able to see the drivers behind the grills,cool!

I purchased mine new, back when I worked at an ADS dealer. These were a real step up in sound quality over the previous L series. They were quite a bit more money( to be fair, a bit pricey) then the L models, and the current ADS fans were a bit put off by the lack off the domed mid range which had captivated so many previously. However, once I got them to actually sit down, and do a side by side listen, they all agreed the M series were better. One funny story I like to recount, is an older customer who told me " The 1590's are too shouty ! " Love that term, "Shouty" ! Made me laugh then ,still makes me laugh now ! What he was trying to say was that the 1590's were too forward and strident in the upper midrange, especially at higher levels. A real problem for the L series. The domed mid had nice sound, (albeit on the brighter side) at moderate to low levels, but when pushed, they'd take your head off ! Even more so with grainy lower end electronics ! Not as bad with tubes, but still a tad too bright and forward even with valves. One other note, the M series were a little more demanding and benefitted from higher current amps. However, both L & M models benefit with using higher current amps. But then again, most speakers benefit from this as well. You can run these with smaller amps, but they really come into their own with proper amplification . I ran mine originally with a McIntosh MC2205, then switched to an Adcom GFA-5800, and now they are running with a Rotel RB-990. However, I did run these with a Rotel 100 wpc integrated when the Adcom first took a dump. (Zapped by a storm surge ! ) And the Rotel RA-980 did an admirable job. Played the speakers, for the most part, at their full potential.
If you get a chance to actually listen to these, you'll find they are as musical a speaker, and as beautifully built as anything under 3 grand today. And that's a conservative number ...
Too bad ADS left the Consumer Audio biz, but then again, at least they made what they did. I know I'll never part with mine ...

Replaced a pair of highly rated Athenas with this pair of 20yr old vintage M12s and all I can say is...aaaaaah! Wonderful range, tone, completly listenable at high levels. Just beautiful sound. Can't believe I waited this long to get a pair of true audiophile grade speakers. These are far better than anything in the price range today, even at priginal retail prices. Can't say enough about the sound. Wonderful!!!!

Paid $200. These speakers are great. I used to have AR speakers (various Ar3's, 4's, etc) when you could buy them cheap in years past. Always liked the accuracy of sealed design speakers and the ADS M-12's have that good tight bass. I use them as my main stereo speakers and as the front speakers for my HT setup. I have Advent Heritage towers for the surrounds. The Advents used to be my main speakers and are are a good match for the ADS M-12's. The ADS have two 8" drivers, a mid, and tweeter per cabinet while the Advents have two 8" and a tweeter per side. I use a Klipsch C-5 (two 6.5" and horn ) for the center channel. I rounded it out with a Infinity PS-12 subwoofer and have the sub turned way down due to the ADS and Advent combo giving nice movie bass as it is. Back to the ADS, this is my first pair and they are now my main speakers, work for me and they are beautiful to look at. I like the old speakers for real wood cabinet trim, not a big fan of the "plastic" look but then again I'm a little older. One thing though, these Advents and the ADS crave power, I'll need to upgrade receiver soon. I have a pair of behemoth sized (two 12", two 5" mids, and an Electrovoice horn per cabinet) RSL 6600h speakers that were made for large recordingor theater installations that will go SO LOUD but thw wife won't let those beasts into the living room, no way! They are relegated to my tiny little home recording space where it's a shame really, but they sound good for mixing. So in conclusion: if you have a chance to buy these ADS M-12's do so, they will be keepers for me.

Beauty, grace and awesome sounds

Grills detach too easily so kids remove grills and get to the raw speakers and push the speakers in.

I'm just a casual listener, but prefer higher end products. I bought this pair of
m-12's brand new from a local retailer (Hilo audio, in Hilo Hawaii) and it has given me over 12 years of great sounding music of all types. From local (Hawaiian) music to soft rock and jazz, these speakers are up there. Its almost as clean sounding as the higher end products from b&w. I got it also because of how beautifully constructed they are made, with gloss black lacquer. It appears to looks like it was made from a higher end piano manufactuer. I just love them period and its well worth the cost. Highly recomended.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Technics, alpine, b&w, pioneer, and clarion

Imaging, clearness, efficiency, build quality is solid.

For deeper bass or home theater you might want a powered sub to go along with these.

I was due for a change in speakers for my basement system and found these at a local shop. They sound superb, midrange is just right, highs clear but not shrill and bass is not boomy or intense but exacting, I guess would be the right description. If you need better bass, buy a powered sub. I am hearing things I never heard through my previous speakers, which were Boston Acoustic T930's. Imaging is something that still amazes me, simply fantastic. They are efficient enough for my modified Dynaco ST70, too. They have a involving feel and verve to them I rarely hear. If you find a pair, you won't be disappointed!

Similar Products Used:

Conrad Johnson PV10A Sota Sapphire Dynaco GSI modified Denon 3520 CD player

Musical, smooth

Size, Metal Grill

One of the most musical speakers I have found after 3 years searching for a speaker that meets my tastes. The soft-dome ferro-fluid tweeter is crisp but not too bright and the dual 8" woofers create nice tight mid-bass. Used without a sub for 8 years but broke down and added a velodyne fsx sub for movies. Not the best HT speakers but the soundtracks are incredibly captivating. Added spikes to raise the 5 1/2" mids to ear level. Definitely recommend all a/d/s/ products to music lovers.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Kef Dunlavy Mission Energy Vandersteen

Very musical, soulful.

None for the price I paid. Difficult to find

I found these babies for $400/pair used (score!). You don't find too many A/D/S products used - that's because they're so good! Perhaps I'll eventually move up to another pair, but I'll never let these speakers go. As the cornerstone of my system, the M-12's are great. Highly recommended, if you can find them!

Here's the rest of my system:

Cambridge Audio D500
Antique Sound Labs AQ2004 DT
Hafler DH-500
Ixos speaker cable and interconnects (price was right)

Similar Products Used:

EPI Magnums 12