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Advent 350?

I've been looking for one of these since this summer and finally scored one on eBay a few days ago (the first one to appear since at least September). It arrived today and I have to agree that it is indeed an excellent looking and sounding receiver. I *love* Kloss designed tuners and have picked up an Advent 300, 400, and now the 350 all in the span of a few months. They are all excellent receivers.

The 350 that I just purchased was advertised as having a bad tuner .. I bought it anyway because they are so hard to find. After unpacking and testing earlier today, it turns out that the tuner actually works and sounds wonderful, as I expected. The problem is that it 'sticks' a little, so when you turn the tuning knob the tuner string (which I was surprised to see) slips at a few spots on the dial and doesn't actually rotate the tuning capacitor. The tuning capacitor itself operates smoothly if I rotate it by hand, so I think I just need to put a little oil the tuning knob shaft itself. I'm wondering what to use here .. any ideas? I have 3-in-1 and Technics turntable bearing oil that I could use. Would that work or should I use something else?

I'll try to post some pictures of my 350 this weekend since there are so few online.

Thanks!
-Matt
 
For a dry teflon lube, I often use McLube Sailkote (from the marine industry), after doing any requisite cleaning.

Looking forward to a few pictures.

My 350 needs another DeOxIt treatment, as some of the potentiometers and switches are getting a little flaky. Sigh.
 
Hi pvanv,

Is it just me or is it a real pain in the butt to remove the top cover the 350? Mine is super tight and it took me a while to get it off.

I'm also a little stumped on how to get to the controls .. I assume the 'button board' has to come out?

-Matt
 
pictures

Pictures .. here are some quick photos.

-Matt
 

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If there are any pulleys involved, make sure they're spinning freely as well. If that doesn't do it, look to see if the cord is just slipping on the tuning knob shaft due to getting greasy.

I need to post some pics of the model 500 surround processor I have that I think is from the same era as the 350 receiver.

John
 
Nice pix. Looks to be in the same general cosmetic condition as mine. My cover fits pretty closely, but comes apart OK. Yes, access to various sections requires a "modular" approach.
 
I think I figured it out last night. I found two issues after closer inspection:

1. The tuning string had slipped off a small pin on the large wheel connected to the tuning capacitor.

2. One of the pulleys is mounted to a slot which allows for adjustment of the string tension. This pulley had been pulled all the way forward, so I was able to easily adjust the tension by sliding this pulley back a little.

It still doesn't spin as freely at the high end of the scale, but it does work. I will check the lube situation on the pulleys - maybe one of those is a little stiff.

My case is a little bent which is why it is such a bear to get off. I need to figure out how to straighten in out.

Does your case slide off the back, or do you bend it in the middle and slide the sides out and take it off that way?

-Matt
 
sdecker, a belated THANK YOU for posting those brochures!

They're the only docs I've managed to find online. I only saw them now, probably a year since the last time I glanced at this thread. I've had my Advent 350 for around that long - running mine regularly through Smaller Advents, which the 350 drives as smoothly and happily as one might expect.

Only trouble with my 350 to date - after deOxiting - is that one speaker channel cuts out when playing records. To bring the channel back to life, I just switch the selector to Tuner and then back to Phono. Not sure whether it's a tuner problem, or speaker relays that need a jolt to cut through some crud, or something. (Now you all know exactly how technically inclined I am ;)
 
I am experiencing the same symptoms. I suspect that the daughter cards for the amplifiers need to be re-seated (and the contacts cleaned) to correct it.
 
pvanv said:
I am experiencing the same symptoms. I suspect that the daughter cards for the amplifiers need to be re-seated (and the contacts cleaned) to correct it.
Click to expand...

That was what happened w/ my 350. The boards also required some re-soldering for bad solder joints.
 
While looking for info on my Advent 350 found this forum so signed up. I just pulled mine out to setup a stereo in my office. Hooked up a pair of speakers and my old NAD 5330 cd player and it sounds great, amazing. I do get static on some of the pots so I will be cleaning them soon. I bought my unit (serial WW1126) in 1983 from Stereo Cost Cutters in Dublin, Ohio. for $299. Shortly after I bought it I had similar problems with channel cutouts. I finally isolated it to the relay that you here click about 2-3 seconds after you turn it on. I had it replace only to have it happen again a year later. I then had it removed it has worked great ever since. The unit itself was assembled in Mexico in 1981 and the main board on my unit was not soldered very well so at the same time as the relay was removed, he re-soldered the mainboard. I do have the owners manual and a “Cosmetical and Mechanical” quality control check sheet for my unit. If anyone is interested I can make a pdf of it. Well, back to listening to my new found old toy.
 
Still on the hunt for an Advent 350 receiver and any reviews or literature.. and especially an Original Advent 350 schematic...as the copies on the net are low resolution, blurry and missing some values. hifiengine.com is a good source for free copies of the service manual and owners manual for the 350. The speaker relay on the 350 commonly fails...typically leading to the loss of the left channel. I would like the mfg name and part number of an exact replacement relay. Ebay off and on has Nichicon 63 volt 6800mf (85 degree C) radial caps suitable as 350 PS filter caps.... the prices jump around from $10 a pair to $26...be patient. These are Gold FW Audio series caps, not the more expensive Muse or Gold Tune versions. Lastly, trying to locate J Staley and Fred Pinkerton who may have been involved in the development of the 350 and briefly posted on AK years ago. Thanks, James
 
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I have owned the Advent 350 receiver since the early 1980's. Bought it from Stereo Cost Cutters in Ohio who bought the remaining stock when ADVENT went belly up. I number of years ago I had it looked at by a electronics repair guy I worked with. He resoldered the connections which he said were very poorly manufactured (Mexico). In addition I had the speaker relay replace but it too began acting up so I had it removed and hard wired. I just make sure I turn the volume down when I turn it on. I have the owners manual and various promotional materials put out by Stereo Cost Cutters. When I have time, I will copy them and post them. If anyone has a copy of the schematic I would love to get a copy. That's all for now
 
Attached is an image of the bottom of the board below where the speaker relay was attached. The image shows how my electronics guy applied jumper wires after removing the speaker relay. So far this has worked well but when you turn on the amp you do get a power surge to the speaker so I always turn the volume to zero
 

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Looks like a great workaround. Not sure how to source the relay, so if mine ever quits, I'll know this mod is effective.
 
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