Looking for info on Abstract Acoustics Speakers (1 Viewer)

[FrancisD]

I inherited a set of these but haven't been able to find any info on the web about them, if anyone knows anything about them, quality level, etc... please let me know.

thanks!

f.

 

[immature_co]

Hey man!
I have a Pair of Abstract Acoustic Speakers>
And i have had them for about 6 years.
And i seem to know more than Everyone i have ever talked to.
LOL
So yeah..
IF you got a question Ask me.>
As for Quality.
They are Fantastic.
Like i would buy Any of them on the spot if i saw them.

 

[Jonny K]

I have an old Abstract Acoustics subwoofer. Abstract Acoustics was made by a Toronto company called Audiosphere in the 1980s and is now out of business. They were generally lousy speakers (sorry to say).

 

[Hokkee]

They are good speakers, they won't sound as good as 600$ klipsch but for an average price of 70$ you can't go wrong.

 

[ARGuy]

I just picked up a pair of Abstract Acoustics speakers, the ASX-PRO.800 model. I grabbed them for next to nothing, the previous owner kept them in impeccable shape for such old speakers - nary a scratch on them. The drivers are all fresh and compliant, I would have thought at this point I'd need to re-foam them - but they are good as new. This set has Japanese drivers in them, thought it would be Chinese for sure. Nothing like dual 12" woofers to rumble the place. I love how gems like these are overlooked by the audio snobs,

Their audio tone is a bit bass heavy but not boomy - that's why I bought them though. I'm sort of tired of the neutral KEFs, Focals and Fluance speakers I've owned in the past. Reference speakers have a way of being a bit too vanilla for me. I want more of a colored bass tone that's warm, smooth and rolls off well but still captures those low lows - like the AR9s in my den. I'm a big fan of acoustic suspension design, but these bass reflex do a decent job regardless. Most of the higher end speakers have dual tiny 6" bass drivers and are essentially tinny sounding without their matching sub-woofers. You don't need subs with the dual 12" woofers in these ASX speakers. But they have two ports instead of the usual 1 that usually accompanies dual 12" woofer designs of this era. I may experiment and block off the second port to see if the bass can be reduced just a little.

The mids aren't muddy or muffled as I expected them to be, they are open and clean and have as much definition as my KEFs ever did. Highs are crisp and smooth - another surprise as I was expecting harsh and peaky and was all set to replace the tweeters. I was looking for resonant bass and this is where it's at. So nice not to have to use a sub as a crutch. Over the years, I've noticed that the most resonant cabinets for the average 16'x20' room needs to be about 14" in depth - these enclosures qualify and it's evident in their tone.

It took some time to find their room placement in order to have them project evenly. Once I found it, they became much more neutral but still with that bottom end that smaller drivers just don't have.

They have 2 issues: the bass is a little too directional, it changes quite a bit as one walks around the room, but that could be because I'm used to my AR9s which have dual 12" side-firing woofers. The second is they need more insulation which I plan to address soon. Overall, an excellent buy for the lunch money I spent on them.

 

[David Norman]

Is this the record for most frequently necro'd post? 5 yr, 7 year, 3 yrs When the next revivial?

 

[ARGuy]

Goes to show you the longevity & durability of some decent brands that many audio snobs just sniff at. Someone else will probably buy a set in the future and this thread will be revived 5 years from now.

 

[mpgrimes]

I just picked up a pair of Abstract Acoustics speakers, the ASX-PRO.800 model. I grabbed them for next to nothing, the previous owner kept them in impeccable shape for such old speakers - nary a scratch on them. The drivers are all fresh and compliant, I would have thought at this point I'd need to re-foam them - but they are good as new. This set has Japanese drivers in them, thought it would be Chinese for sure. Nothing like dual 12" woofers to rumble the place. I love how gems like these are overlooked by the audio snobs,

Their audio tone is a bit bass heavy but not boomy - that's why I bought them though. I'm sort of tired of the neutral KEFs, Focals and Fluance speakers I've owned in the past. Reference speakers have a way of being a bit too vanilla for me. I want more of a colored bass tone that's warm, smooth and rolls off well but still captures those low lows - like the AR9s in my den. I'm a big fan of acoustic suspension design, but these bass reflex do a decent job regardless. Most of the higher end speakers have dual tiny 6" bass drivers and are essentially tinny sounding without their matching sub-woofers. You don't need subs with the dual 12" woofers in these ASX speakers. But they have two ports instead of the usual 1 that usually accompanies dual 12" woofer designs of this era. I may experiment and block off the second port to see if the bass can be reduced just a little.

The mids aren't muddy or muffled as I expected them to be, they are open and clean and have as much definition as my KEFs ever did. Highs are crisp and smooth - another surprise as I was expecting harsh and peaky and was all set to replace the tweeters. I was looking for resonant bass and this is where it's at. So nice not to have to use a sub as a crutch. Over the years, I've noticed that the most resonant cabinets for the average 16'x20' room needs to be about 14" in depth - these enclosures qualify and it's evident in their tone.

It took some time to find their room placement in order to have them project evenly. Once I found it, they became much more neutral but still with that bottom end that smaller drivers just don't have.

They have 2 issues: the bass is a little too directional, it changes quite a bit as one walks around the room, but that could be because I'm used to my AR9s which have dual 12" side-firing woofers. The second is they need more insulation which I plan to address soon. Overall, an excellent buy for the lunch money I spent on them.

I have a set of the asx-pro 400 that I bought new about 18 years ago and still work very well. only issue I ever had was the tweeters. they blew about a week after I got them. the retailer was nice enough to pull the pair out of another set they had in stock, but they blew again shortly after. I currently have replaced them with some focal car audio tweets I had and sound even better.
same story, bass is big. the 12's pound. I disabled my sub and it's better than with.. currently powered by 2 year old onkyo receiver.

yes, it's an old post. but hey, they are still going 18 years later.

 

[ARGuy]

Funny you should post now. I just finished swapping out the stock 12s with these Faital Pro 12s. I was looking to reduce the boominess and it worked. At first I thought it was the way the bass ports were tuned, but it's just the drivers.

When I first put them in, they sounded much flatter but there was something missing - and it's because I had turned down the bass on my amplifier in an effort to reduce the boominess of the old drivers. Once I leveled the bass back to neutral, they now sound exactly like I want them to sound.

As for your comment on dual 12s, I agree. I used to drag full Marshall stacks to the studio (8x12") and my bassist used a 4x15" cabinet. How today's speakers with their puny 6" and 8" drivers plus a single 10" or 12" sub hope to duplicate that big studio sound is beyond me - it just won't. One needs at least dual 12s per speaker to make it sound like it should. And having no sub keeps the sound more cohesive. I have a 15" AR sub I occasionally use but it's really not needed when you've got four 12" woofers. I have a similar setup in my car.

 

[paulmagruder]

Is this the record for most frequently necro'd post? 5 yr, 7 year, 3 yrs When the next revivial?

I am bringing the next revival in 2021. . . Stay tuned! In

 

[paulmagruder]

This is it. This is the genesis for my love of Abstract ASX Pro 800 speakers. No matter which speakers I may own in the future, I will always have a soft-spot for these speakers as they have reinvigorated my love for audio and what it does for my enjoyment of life.

My story begins where my old subwoofer finally met its end. I had bought it as part of a set of 3 Yamaha bookshelf speakers, AVR and sub for $35. That system treated me well and gave me many years of enjoyment for such a low price. After seeing what I would need to pay for a powered sub or considering the idea of going up to 2 subs for better balance in the room I became a bit discouraged about the affordability within my budget. Continuing on in my desperate search for a solution, I had seen several speakers in passing when a set of these speakers caught my eye. Upon some quick research and technical specs they fit the budget, function and asthetics I was looking for to compliment my black theatre wall.

I've always been able to extract quality audio while working within a budget. What initially had me considering these was the fact they had a built in sub (dual woofers, in this case) as I would only need to spend money on the speakers themselves while not needing to rush into getting a separate subwoofer. This would enable me to upgrade my speakers as the space could use a fuller sound while possibly solving my need for a subwoofer for short-term. Win-win solution!

I purchased one set of these bad boys for a mere $100 CAD on Facebook marketplace. The owner was of similar age, mid 30s, enjoyed them thoroughly and took very good care of them. With a baby on the way the choice was made, sadly, to part with them. I assured him they were going to a good home and I couldn't wait to hook them up to hear their new sound fill my room. He assured me that although the brand was not as recognizable as Klipsch, JBL or Denon they work just as well and are a hidden treasure in the audio world - how exciting!

After getting the speakers home, set up and rocking using my AVR, I was blown away with the sound and quality I was getting from these things. When people speak of a transformative experience with a new speaker setup, this was it for me. The mids clear, tweeters sharp and detailed. I had expected a decent stop-gap utilizing the built-in dual woofers as previously mention. Safe to say, these things have given me a better experience than any other speaker I've had the pleasure of hearing - and they're 20 years old!

Upon enjoying the first pair so much, I continued my search onto FB Marketplace in pursuit of a center channel to compliment these beautiful towers. It occurred to me that perhaps I could use another similar tower and upon doing some research most people recommend getting 3 identical speakers to create a 'wall of sound', bringing a uniform and unified sound experience. Lucky me, there was yet ANOTHER set of the ASX Pro 800s nearby! I was quick to pick them up from a happy seller downsizing from their children's collection of old audio equipment. They told me tales of their son excitedly setting them up on their hi-fi system and 'booming' their vinyl collection for all the neighborhood to hear. She was happy with our conversation and wished me luck taking them back home to enjoyed once again.

This second set is also in immaculate shape. I now own 2 sets of the ASX Pro 800s, one used for a centre channel and another kept as a back-up. I have included a picture of them with their grills off to show their might and beauty.

I am pleased to report that coming across this very thread was the thing to convince me on the ASX Pro 800s. The decision wasn't easy as I would have to make room for these tower speakers, selling collectibles, remove shelving and various electronics to make it work. This was a bit of a lifestyle change considering collections I had amassed that occupied the space needed to fit these speakers. It would be quite the project but it became evident it was what needed to happen for me. The enthusiasm, excitement and pleasantly surprised audio quality that you all touch on encouraged me this was the right choice. I even went as far as to create an account by which I could share with you all my happy results.

Here's hoping that the end of 2021 finds you well, you are presently enjoying quality sound in your lives and the ASX Pro 800s thread continues on into the future! Who knows who else might be searching the internet for information on these beauties only to stumble upon our humble thread...

 

[AudioIsMyLifelongLove]

Dear paulmagruder, I have been looking for a set of the Abstract Acoustics ASX-PRO 800.
After years of looking I've been unable to locate a set on Kijiji or Marketplace.

A little back story, as a kid I was absolutely obsessed with stereo systems. My dad always had very impressive systems and played music every weekend.
Every time he went out I took the chance to play with his prized possession (never got caught lol).
Anyway, back to 1999 my dad had bought me a stereo system from Wacky Webster's Electronics London Ontario.
It was a Panasonic stereo system and decent for a kid.
My dad would often take me there as well as future shop to check out new audio gear. (It was our bonding time).
I was in heaven every time. One day we walked into Wacky Webster's and there they were!...Ascended from the Speaker gods! The Abstract Acoustics ASX-PRO 800 as well as the 400.

He bought them, Along with a Pioneer VSX D606S. It was a perfection match!
The sound was clear as a bell audio and the bass was incredible. The most phenomenal speakers for any type of music. Cerwin vega couldn't come close for bass response.
I was in love and have been since.

My dad passed away some time back and I really want to have a set.
What I'm hoping is that you might be located somewhere Near London Ontario and might want to sell me both sets!...or even just one set
Nothing could make me happier Audio wise.

 

[varman123]

Dear paulmagruder, I have been looking for a set of the Abstract Acoustics ASX-PRO 800.
After years of looking I've been unable to locate a set on Kijiji or Marketplace.

A little back story, as a kid I was absolutely obsessed with stereo systems. My dad always had very impressive systems and played music every weekend.
Every time he went out I took the chance to play with his prized possession (never got caught lol).
Anyway, back to 1999 my dad had bought me a stereo system from Wacky Webster's Electronics London Ontario.
It was a Panasonic stereo system and decent for a kid.
My dad would often take me there as well as future shop to check out new audio gear. (It was our bonding time).
I was in heaven every time. One day we walked into Wacky Webster's and there they were!...Ascended from the Speaker gods! The Abstract Acoustics ASX-PRO 800 as well as the 400.

He bought them, Along with a Pioneer VSX D606S. It was a perfection match!
The sound was clear as a bell audio and the bass was incredible. The most phenomenal speakers for any type of music. Cerwin vega couldn't come close for bass response.
I was in love and have been since.

My dad passed away some time back and I really want to have a set.
What I'm hoping is that you might be located somewhere Near London Ontario and might want to sell me both sets!...or even just one set
Nothing could make me happier Audio wise.

I have a pair (ASX-PRO 800) in Rochester, NY! Bought them from the original owner 2 years ago, he had the boxes too but I'm not sure if I still have them. Found this thread way back when I first bought them and have been following since.

May be open to selling for the right price.