ADC 18 (1962–1965+)

Name: ADC 18
Brand: ADC

The ADC 18 was a two-way loudspeaker system from Audio Dynamics Corporation, the company better known for its phono cartridges and the Pritchard tone arm. It was one of three speakers - the ADC-14, ADC-16, and ADC-18 - that differed mostly in bass extension and cabinet size. The 18 was the biggest of the three.

The cabinet was walnut, 40 inches high, 17 inches wide, and 12½ inches deep. Inside were a rectangular woofer, a novel design feature at the time, and a tweeter. High Fidelity (April 1963, p.54) described the ADC 18’s reproduction as “extremely clean and smooth throughout its range.” It estimated the response at below 30 Hz to beyond audibility, and called the ADC 18 “a very smooth, natural-sounding speaker system.” The same review said the speaker did not favor one type of music over another, calling it “impartial, honest, transparent.” Electronics World measured its tone-burst performance and found “excellent transient response and freedom from breakup and ringing of both drivers.”

By late 1965, ADC was advertising the ADC 18 as “newly styled,” with a price reduction of $65 from the original. The ads reused the earlier High Fidelity and Electronics World praise, which suggests the design stayed essentially the same. No original price or production years have been confirmed beyond the 1962-1965 period covered by period advertisements and reviews.