I visit vintage stereo forums quite a bit and I am always reading how people pick up mint condition gear for $10 or $20. But whenever I stop by the local thrift store or a garage sale there's never anything worth buying. I lucked out yesterday though.
There I was, driving into town on an errand and I happened to pass a garage sale in the neighborhood. On a whim I pulled over and had a look. Over in the back corner behind the old mugs, book, mirrors, and horrible artwork I saw a stack of stereo equipment. They had four B&O separates, all of which had seen better days, but underneath this stack sat two ADS L520 speakers in great condition [except for the sticky residue on the veneer]. I thought these might be worth picking up, but wasn't sure so I came home and did some Internet research.
The consensus seems to be that these are very nice two-way bookshelf speakers, so I decided to go back and see how much they were selling for. Because it was late in the day I figured I would be getting a good deal, but when the seller said $20 for the pair I paid without hesitation. That's a great deal as these regularly go for around $100 on eBay plus $50 shipping. Other than the sticky residue on the veneer these are in great shape - drivers all intact, no scratches or dings, and no rips in screens. Score!
When I got them home I went to work with Pledge furniture polish and managed to get off all of the black sticky residue. No idea what that was other than basement detritus. Now they really shine and look great. At 22 inches high these are pretty large and heavy speakers so calling them "bookshelf" is probably a stretch. I'll definitely need to invest in some speaker stands in the near future.
Sound wise, I am very impressed - and for only $20 they represent exceptional value. These are indeed nice two-way speakers with tight, controlled bass, great midrange and a sweet treble that is crisp and clear. They are a good example of the classic New England sound - neutral, relaxed and with good detail and sharp imaging. Due to the limitations of their size and design, bass is not as deep as I personally like but that really is a minor gripe. I'll definitely be adding these to my vintage speaker rotation.
Posts
