ADS 910 Crossovers

[flyin1340]

I have been experiencing some driver drop out issues and was wondering if any 910 owners had any input.

I have a fair idea as to the root of the issue but some feedback on my diagnostics would be very helpfull.

1. Drivers drop out at random, sometimes the woofers, or the mid or tweeter. If I wiggle the plug going into the crossover, I can either make the driver come back on, or cause another to drop out. sometimes multiple drivers. But the scenario always seems to be the same, wiggle the plug and it improves or gets worse.

2. I have opened up the cabinets and tried to replicate the problem with a multi-meter checking to see if there is an issue with a possible open in any of the wires, or issues with the drivers and can find none.

3. I am now focusing on the plug itself. I have tried tweek (I actually still have some) and it doesn’t seem to effect the issue. But I am not sure that this would solve the problem if it were the case because, in my youthful inexperience and love of taking my system down and reconfiguring it, there may be more wear than the tweek can compensate for. I have the bi-amp and tri-amp cards and spent years playing with all the possible configurations before going back to a single amp and the card has bee brushed with tweek as well. The plugs were always the week point, which is what led my current focus here. I will never understand why Dr. Gunther put that crap in his masterpiece.

4. The most horrifying of all the possible outcomes is that the crossover is dying. If I switch the crossover between cabinets the problem moves to the other speaker. So if anyone knows where I can get the crossover repaired or find a replacement, I have been considering that possibility too. But that isn’t really a smoking gun though since the female receptacle for the plug could still be the issue, the plug wiggling altering the problem, tends to send my investigation back to the weak connection theory.

I have been chasing this around for a couple of years now. I bought a pair of 820’s to use in the meantime, but it’s just not the same. Don’t get me wrong they a phenomenal as well, but there is no substitute for me. I have loved these speakers for over 30 years, I was one of the first ADS dealers in Florida, managing a high-end store when I was in College. I bought them then, and have found nothing that can compare in all the years since.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.

[michael]

I have been experiencing some driver drop out issues and was wondering if any 910 owners had any input.

I have a fair idea as to the root of the issue but some feedback on my diagnostics would be very helpfull.

1. Drivers drop out at random, sometimes the woofers, or the mid or tweeter. If I wiggle the plug going into the crossover, I can either make the driver come back on, or cause another to drop out. sometimes multiple drivers. But the scenario always seems to be the same, wiggle the plug and it improves or gets worse.

2. I have opened up the cabinets and tried to replicate the problem with a multi-meter checking to see if there is an issue with a possible open in any of the wires, or issues with the drivers and can find none.

3. I am now focusing on the plug itself. I have tried tweek (I actually still have some) and it doesn’t seem to effect the issue. But I am not sure that this would solve the problem if it were the case because, in my youthful inexperience and love of taking my system down and reconfiguring it, there may be more wear than the tweek can compensate for. I have the bi-amp and tri-amp cards and spent years playing with all the possible configurations before going back to a single amp and the card has bee brushed with tweek as well. The plugs were always the week point, which is what led my current focus here. I will never understand why Dr. Gunther put that crap in his masterpiece.

4. The most horrifying of all the possible outcomes is that the crossover is dying. If I switch the crossover between cabinets the problem moves to the other speaker. So if anyone knows where I can get the crossover repaired or find a replacement, I have been considering that possibility too. But that isn’t really a smoking gun though since the female receptacle for the plug could still be the issue, the plug wiggling altering the problem, tends to send my investigation back to the weak connection theory.

I have been chasing this around for a couple of years now. I bought a pair of 820’s to use in the meantime, but it’s just not the same. Don’t get me wrong they a phenomenal as well, but there is no substitute for me. I have loved these speakers for over 30 years, I was one of the first ADS dealers in Florida, managing a high-end store when I was in College. I bought them then, and have found nothing that can compare in all the years since.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.

Hey Newbie, Michael here.

Misery loves company so I thought I'd give you a shout. Seems we have the same problem. I'm really an amateur when it comes to these technical issues, so when I hear of a problem that involves jiggling a plug, this is something that I feel I can hold my ground on. I've had my 910's for about 20 yrs and love them. I don't listen to music that often and experience the same problems you have with the drop out from either speaker randomly at either woofer, midrange, or tweeter. It doesn't happen often enough to make me nuts but often enough to start looking into it online. My feeling was, like yours, that the plug is the culprit and I've tried taping it tight and looking at other options for fastening it more securely. The cable seem less flexible than it should be and my guess is that sitting in that speaker and getting warm has dried it out and made it more brittle. I have all the crossover switches on normal and power the speakers with a Carver M-400a magnetic field amp. I'm afraid of moving to the next step, which would be cutting the cable and resoldering it. What's your next step? Easier to email me at zydemike@aol.com because I don't go to these sites too often. Good luck.

[dynaco_dan]

Hey Newbie, Michael here.

Misery loves company so I thought I'd give you a shout. Seems we have the same problem. I'm really an amateur when it comes to these technical issues, so when I hear of a problem that involves jiggling a plug, this is something that I feel I can hold my ground on. I've had my 910's for about 20 yrs and love them. I don't listen to music that often and experience the same problems you have with the drop out from either speaker randomly at either woofer, midrange, or tweeter. It doesn't happen often enough to make me nuts but often enough to start looking into it online. My feeling was, like yours, that the plug is the culprit and I've tried taping it tight and looking at other options for fastening it more securely. The cable seem less flexible than it should be and my guess is that sitting in that speaker and getting warm has dried it out and made it more brittle. I have all the crossover switches on normal and power the speakers with a Carver M-400a magnetic field amp. I'm afraid of moving to the next step, which would be cutting the cable and resoldering it. What's your next step? Easier to email me at zydemike@aol.com because I don't go to these sites too often. Good luck.

Hi there

Please also post here so we can all learn, otherwise it will be kept a dark secret.

[michael]

Hi there

Please also post here so we can all learn, otherwise it will be kept a dark secret.

Hello again,

Doing some more research, I came up with an old tried and true scenario: Found the phone # of an old friend that was an audio buff 30 yrs ago (facebook), and called him. He still lived nearby and thought that it could very well be the plug and by soldering directly the problem would be solved. He's also coming over to my place to examine them. Thank god, because the thought of humping around a pair of 100lb speakers for someone to give me their opinion was the main reason I let this situation linger on so long. My feeling is that it may be a bit much work losing the connector but we could lose the old wire, add a newer piece and secure the plug with a pinch of silicone to prevent it from vibrating loos. He won't get over to me until after the 4th, so I'll post what our discussion comes up with to remedy the situation.

Any opins welcome.

Have a good 4th of July weekend, ya'll!

[DON]

Hello again,

Doing some more research, I came up with an old tried and true scenario: Found the phone # of an old friend that was an audio buff 30 yrs ago (facebook), and called him. He still lived nearby and thought that it could very well be the plug and by soldering directly the problem would be solved. He's also coming over to my place to examine them. Thank god, because the thought of humping around a pair of 100lb speakers for someone to give me their opinion was the main reason I let this situation linger on so long. My feeling is that it may be a bit much work losing the connector but we could lose the old wire, add a newer piece and secure the plug with a pinch of silicone to prevent it from vibrating loos. He won't get over to me until after the 4th, so I'll post what our discussion comes up with to remedy the situation.

Any opins welcome.

Have a good 4th of July weekend, ya'll!

If you can post some photos of the plug and the wiring. Lots of knowledgeable people here that will be happy to offer suggestions. I have 810s but they're very different from your 910s.

Let us know if you solve the problem and what you did.

[flyin1340]

Hey Newbie, Michael here.

Misery loves company so I thought I'd give you a shout. Seems we have the same problem. I'm really an amateur when it comes to these technical issues, so when I hear of a problem that involves jiggling a plug, this is something that I feel I can hold my ground on. I've had my 910's for about 20 yrs and love them. I don't listen to music that often and experience the same problems you have with the drop out from either speaker randomly at either woofer, midrange, or tweeter. It doesn't happen often enough to make me nuts but often enough to start looking into it online. My feeling was, like yours, that the plug is the culprit and I've tried taping it tight and looking at other options for fastening it more securely. The cable seem less flexible than it should be and my guess is that sitting in that speaker and getting warm has dried it out and made it more brittle. I have all the crossover switches on normal and power the speakers with a Carver M-400a magnetic field amp. I'm afraid of moving to the next step, which would be cutting the cable and resoldering it. What's your next step? Easier to email me at zydemike@aol.com because I don't go to these sites too often. Good luck.

Michael

I haven't figured out the problem yet. I have been talking to a repair tech in Tampa FL who indicated he should be able to diagnose the problem. I have also been looking at the easy way out, I found another pair and have been negotiating for them. I'm not very excited about that prospect though since mine are series I and the new pair are series II.

I was a a/d/s dealer in the 70's and thought I knew all the ins and outs on these speaker. Most of the "Old School" guys that I know all seem to think it's the plug and I should hard wire. I went ahead and purchased silver wire to completely rewire the speakers, but I too am hesitant. The consolation is if I get the second pair, I wont be totally lost.

This is eating my brain. If I find anything out, I'll be sure to let you know.

[Gerry S]

I once owned two pairs. I'm pretty sure it's the connectors. The female side has lost it's spring tension. Try inserting a thin-bladed screwdriver into the socket so that the female contacts are closer together. This should yeild a more intimate connection to the "prongs" from the male plug.

A permanent fix is to hard wire/solder the cable to the crossover board. Cut off the male connector and tin the wire tips. Remove the female socket by desoldering it from the board. Solder the tinned ends into the holes where the female socket used to be. Of course, you can no longer easily and quickly remove the crossover board from the speaker cabinets. But why would you want to ?

This crossover board was designed with the possibility of future bi-amping or tri-amping in mind (thus the added complexity). I think very few ADS plug-in amplifer modules were actually produced. A single 200/watt per channel amplifier from other manufactures produced fine results.

[flyin1340]

I once owned two pairs. I'm pretty sure it's the connectors. The female side has lost it's spring tension. Try inserting a thin-bladed screwdriver into the socket so that the female contacts are closer together. This should yeild a more intimate connection to the "prongs" from the male plug.

A permanent fix is to hard wire/solder the cable to the crossover board. Cut off the male connector and tin the wire tips. Remove the female socket by desoldering it from the board. Solder the tinned ends into the holes where the female socket used to be. Of course, you can no longer easily and quickly remove the crossover board from the speaker cabinets. But why would you want to ?

This crossover board was designed with the possibility of future bi-amping or tri-amping in mind (thus the added complexity). I think very few ADS plug-in amplifer modules were actually produced. A single 200/watt per channel amplifier from other manufactures produced fine results.

Gerry

Thanks for the information. I have suspected that is my only viable repair, but must admit that the thought of doing it is what stopped me. I'm very competent working on someone elses stuff but freeze up on my own. Add the inablity to find replacement parts, and it is shear terror.

I suppose as long as I have my crutch (the L880's) I will continue to look for a safer solution such as the the guy in Tampa, I just have to get up there.

Re: the Amplifier Modules,when I was managing the store I ran in the 70's, the ADS rep actually brought in a pair of the bi-amp modules and demo'd them. They were awsome. The system was developed for Deutsche Grammophon who then used the 910's as their reference monitors. Just an aside, Dr. Guenther is still very active. He started an R&D company that has become SoundMatters, check out his current work.

[nerdorama]

Hello 910 folks. This is my first post on this forum. I just got a pair of 910's this weekend and have the same connector problem in one of them.

Have any of you resolved this issue? I unsoldered the socket from the crossover PC board this morning, removed the contacts and sprung them to add some contact pressure. After resoldering the socket into the crossover, the problem is still there. Now I'm wondering about either finding new sockets or just getting a new piece of cable and direct connecting it to the circuit board. These sockets seem a bit low grade for a speaker of this caliber.

I'm also interested in whether any component upgrades in the crossovers are worthwhile. I've done other crossovers, both for scratchbuilt speakers and in older commercial speakers, with good results most of the time.

Best,

John

[michael]

Hey folks,

Sorry for the delay but these projects always seem to take longer than expected, especially when your dependent on others for help and information.

As I spoke earlier, my problem was with my ADS 910's dropping out randomly. At first I thought the problem was with the cable connectors, as the speakers would crackle a bit when you wiggled them. I showed them to a friend of mine knowledgible in electronic stuff. He took the speaker console with him and replaced the capacitors and you know what? My speakers WORK!!! yeah.

Just wanted to pass this along. Hope this helps folks.

[luckyed]

I have been experiencing some driver drop out issues and was wondering if any 910 owners had any input.

I have a fair idea as to the root of the issue but some feedback on my diagnostics would be very helpfull.

1. Drivers drop out at random, sometimes the woofers, or the mid or tweeter. If I wiggle the plug going into the crossover, I can either make the driver come back on, or cause another to drop out. sometimes multiple drivers. But the scenario always seems to be the same, wiggle the plug and it improves or gets worse.

2. I have opened up the cabinets and tried to replicate the problem with a multi-meter checking to see if there is an issue with a possible open in any of the wires, or issues with the drivers and can find none.

3. I am now focusing on the plug itself. I have tried tweek (I actually still have some) and it doesn’t seem to effect the issue. But I am not sure that this would solve the problem if it were the case because, in my youthful inexperience and love of taking my system down and reconfiguring it, there may be more wear than the tweek can compensate for. I have the bi-amp and tri-amp cards and spent years playing with all the possible configurations before going back to a single amp and the card has bee brushed with tweek as well. The plugs were always the week point, which is what led my current focus here. I will never understand why Dr. Gunther put that crap in his masterpiece.

4. The most horrifying of all the possible outcomes is that the crossover is dying. If I switch the crossover between cabinets the problem moves to the other speaker. So if anyone knows where I can get the crossover repaired or find a replacement, I have been considering that possibility too. But that isn’t really a smoking gun though since the female receptacle for the plug could still be the issue, the plug wiggling altering the problem, tends to send my investigation back to the weak connection theory.

I have been chasing this around for a couple of years now. I bought a pair of 820’s to use in the meantime, but it’s just not the same. Don’t get me wrong they a phenomenal as well, but there is no substitute for me. I have loved these speakers for over 30 years, I was one of the first ADS dealers in Florida, managing a high-end store when I was in College. I bought them then, and have found nothing that can compare in all the years since.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.

Hey folks,

Sorry for the delay but these projects always seem to take longer than expected, especially when your dependent on others for help and information.

As I spoke earlier, my problem was with my ADS 910's dropping out randomly. At first I thought the problem was with the cable connectors, as the speakers would crackle a bit when you wiggled them. I showed them to a friend of mine knowledgible in electronic stuff. He took the speaker console with him and replaced the capacitors and you know what? My speakers WORK!!! yeah.

Just wanted to pass this along. Hope this helps folks.

Glad you got the speakers working. I have a pair of ADS 910. I am not sure if they are I or II. I had some drop out and used De-Oxit on the switches in the crossovers and that solved the problem. You said that you have a bi-amp and tri-amp card. I would be interested in seeing photos of these if you it is not too much trouble.

Thanks, Ed

[GD70]

Hi all,

Read through this thread. I got a pair of 910's several months ago from the second owner, who had them for the past 25 years.

Paid 125.00 for them, with the stands, in extremely good condition!

I also had the plug connection issue, in one speaker, but not severe. I jiggled the plug a bit and they have been fine since.

I spend a lot of time on Audiokarma and have a thread there. A poster pasted a link for replacement plugs, same as the originals. I haven't bought them yet, but plan to at some point so I have them when needed.

Incredible speakers.

Cheers, Glenn

[ra.ra]

Hey Glenn!

Welcome to CSP - - it's about time you found your way to this forum - - you've got enough New England speakers to fill a trailer!

Best to you for 2016.

[GD70]

Hey Glenn!

Welcome to CSP - - it's about time you found your way to this forum - - you've got enough New England speakers to fill a trailer!

Best to you for 2016.

Hey Robert!

I tried to register a while ago, but it didn't go through. Carl helped me and a bunch of other AKers who had the same issue.

Glad to be here!

[ra.ra]

Yeah, I saw that AK thread the other day, but I knew you'd all be OK once you got a CSP administrator involved to help with registration - - - glad to hear that things worked out, and I'll look forward to your contributions with ADS, KLH, and AR speaker products.

[GD70]

Yeah, I saw that AK thread the other day, but I knew you'd all be OK once you got a CSP administrator involved to help with registration - - - glad to hear that things worked out, and I'll look forward to your contributions with ADS, KLH, and AR speaker products.

Thanks!

You going to the winter Frankenfest at the end of February?

[stupidhead]

Hi Glenn, I wondered why you were not on here. Welcome!

[DavidDru]

Glenn's in the house!

Welcome man.

David (drugolf on AK)

[GD70]

Thanks gents! Glad to be here and looking forward to some fun projects and conversations!

Cheers!