b1daly

Very interesting discussion here. I thought I would pipe up with a comment on the old tweeters/ferrofluid issue. I’ve had Richard So rebuild multiple pairs, and the improvement is palpable. I’m a firm believer in home audio that if it sounds good it is good. In my case I was trying to bring my Dads old L1290 back to life, and I was hearing them as sharper, almost brittle, spitty tweeters than I remembered them from 35 years ago. I have 4 pairs of ADS speakers, and so far all of the tweeters were problematic. They weren’t quieter, but instead had a “spikier” sound with certain frequencies disto

FOllowing up for anyone interested. I had the tweeters and midrange for the 1290s rebuilt by Richard So. The result was a vastly improved sound. The harshness is gone from tweeters, and some from midrange too. They sound “smoother” than I ever remember them. I have listed to a range of music and it’s very enjoyable.

It’s been a while since I posted this, just wanted follow up and thank the helpful commenters! i haven’t done anything with these speakers, but I just won a bid on that auction site for another pair of L1290s that also come with a complete set of extra drivers. (Haven’t told my wife yet, ha ha.) So at least if I decide to do the Richard So route, or experiment with replacing the ferrofluid I will have a reference. Ill post some results if I have anything to report.

Hi All, this is my first post here! I've inherited my Dad's old L1290s (which I loved back in the day). They still sound pretty great, but I'm questioning the high frequencies. They seem a little "harsher" than I remember them being, from 30 years ago! I do remember they were quite bright when they were new, though. What I'm noticing, is that on recordings with any kind of hyped, exaggerated highs, the tweeter can almost sound distorted...not quite distorted, but it's like I can hear it ringing out, on its own, as if is not integrated with other drivers, or is too loud or something.