Phil Jones' AAD 2003; any information?


Hi. I am a recent purchaser of a MINTY :) pair of AAD 2003 tower loudspeakers. I heard them at a friend's house & just had to have them. I traded my trusty pair of Von Schweikert VR4 (only a tad bit of trader's regret) plus a little cash. Overall I love these speakers. Part of the allure is the sonic "trick" they perform; impressive bass response from just two 5-1/4" mid/bass drivers. I actually get slightly more bass from them than I did from my VR4s in my particular listening room. Anyone have any info on these speakers? I have learned from snippets online that they were designed by bassist/speaker genius Phil Jones and that they retailed for around $4,800.00. I know AAD was located in Raleigh, NC, and I think it may have been related to Soliloquy (also now defunct). They are impressively constructed, and weigh in at a hefty 140 lbs each, despite being only a mid-size 2-1/2 way floorstander. I don't know anything about the maker of the drive units, although visually they appear to be of very high quality. Also no info on whether these use a transmission-line design or just how they produce such impressive bass. They are ported in the rear via two smallish ports located on the brass connection plate. Any info on these speakers would be greatly appreciated!
klipschking
phil jones designed the original acoustic energy ae1 and boston lynnfield before moving to soliloquy, platinum audio and aad--i think he's now doing a line called phil jones sound. (he does move around a bit). he's a jazz bassist of some note, which is reflected in the the low-end bias of his designs. i've owned various iterations of platinum audio and raod-tested the aad--the big constant is they're all very inefficient and powerhungry and you need megawattage to do 'em justice.
I've owned 2 pair of 2001s, and seriously considered the 2003. I enjoyed them greatly. I found the highs to be a bit elevated; I put a 1 ohm resistor in series w/ the tweeter, which worked well.
As with the Platinum Reference series, Phil Jones was extreme in his attacks on resonances. The cabinet walls are veneered inside with 1/8" lead sheet; tweeter horns are machined from solid moly steel slabs. Woofer and tweeter magnets are also clad in lead. Inductors were wound in house. These methods would be impossible to produce at an reasonable price but for the Chinese connection, when China really was a low cost country. The AAD silver series was also very good for the price. Classic stuff!
Well that explains the cabinet weight!! Very helpful information. Thank you Jmbatkh!
I used to have the AAD E-48s, they were incredbile for 650.00. I always wanted to try some of his stuff higher up the line but never go the chance.
Kclone: Keep your eyes open & you may still have the chance. There is a pair of 2003 towers on eBay right now for $2,799.00. For me these are keepers.
Phil Jones is chief designer for Pioneer now. He is responsible for the new low cost line that is getting a lot of buzz.