ADS HT400LCR Dual 5.25" 2 Way AudioPhile Speaker

Product Details

• ASIN: B0002DNR7I
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444,701 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Big Performance In A Small Package, December 21, 2006

By 

J. D. MCCALL "J.D. McCall" (Nevada, MO, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ADS HT400LCR Dual 5.25" 2 Way AudioPhile Speaker (Electronics)

These speakers are very unique, especially at their price level. They are truly built like the proverbial brick outhouse. Construction is primarily of high-density extruded aluminum, steel and rubber. One speaker weighs nearly 40 pounds, which is all the more amazing in light of the highly compact design.

Of course, impressive construction would be meaningless if they don't sound good. But don't worry, they sound VERY good. Again, especially in light of the low price. When I bought these, they faced the daunting task of trying to displace a pair of B&W 703's from my music room. And while I wouldn't say they sounded better than the B&W's, they did hold their own. And since they cost only about one-fifth the price of the bigger Brit speakers, the HT400's stayed, while the 703's went on the auction block.

Of course, they practically demand to be partnered with a good sub or two. Unless, that is, you are willing to utilize room boundaries to re-enforce the bass, in which case the little ADS speakers do an admirable job. You can expect good clean output down to about 50Hz. Just don't expect too much of it! After all, we are talking about a pair of 5.25" woofers. Bur within their dynamic limits, they do an amazing job of reproducing full spectrum sound, for such small, inexpensive speakers.

To try and describe the sound quality of these speakers is a bit difficult. They tend to just sound like whatever quality of recording you are listening to at the time, imparting very little sonic flavoring of their own. So I guess I would characterize them as neutral, with the only obvious concession to their low price being the performance of the tweeter, which sometimes sounds like the inexpensive driver it must be. Still, on well-recorded jazz, bluegrass or classical music, these little jewels amaze, disappearing into the acoustic about as well as anything I have heard, at least among conventional monopoles. But if loud rock or rap is your cup of tea, these may not be the best choice. They do a credible job, especially when crossed over at 100Hz to a pair of subs, which is what I do, but still, you just need more air-moving ability in that critical 100-800 Hz range to really rock the house. Just keep the volume down below 100dB and you'll be OK, though.

Over all, I would give these a B for performance, but an A for value.

9/5/2011

Hey, I'm still using these speakers; three of them actually, for my L,C and R HT speakers...and a pair of a/d/s/ HT300's which are essentially the same thing (minus one woofer in a smaller enclosure) for surrounds. No problems! Good little HT speakers. Two Velodyne subs crossed over at 50 Hz make their life easier, of course.