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Advent Loudspeaker based stereo system

Jason Grace said:
Well, I'm sold. These things are absolutely amazing.
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They are a set of speakers with their very own signature sound that many like very much... I am one. They won't do home studio sound like big JBLs or Altecs nor, in my opinion, should they be compared... the Advents, especially stacked, have a sound all their own that is very pleasant. I am glad to hear you like them.
 
Jason Grace said:
View attachment 1961602I’m probably going to go deaf..
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Go deaf... not with those Advents, but you might find yourself just listening, if it's in the material they will draw you in. I have a pair of Infinity three way bookshelves roughly the same size... marketed and sold directly through a retail chain against the Advent at over twice the price... have them as my computer speakers through a Heathkit AA 22...22 watts per... and it makes for great audio from the computer. If I had those Advents I'd be just as happy and would keep it that way.
 
At the time of their debut, all the reviews lauded how neutral Advents were/are and how they reveal the strengths/weaknesses of any equipment before them. I agree with those reviews. Sometimes I think they sound sub-par but then I put a different record on or some other source and the sound is fantastic. It's not the Advents. It's the other stuff.

I have also read articles about how the typical audiophile tries to get all records to sound good when the goal should be to get all records to sound like they sound. Some are great, some are OK, and some are bad. The system should reveal that. Some records that sound inferior than others, on a mediocre system, are actually the better ones on a good system. I always use the Doors first album as an example here.

Doug
 
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That makes perfect sense. I have been listening to songs I know best, trying to find the settings in my system that don’t extend the ranges, instead focusing on clarity.

Using an AVR and PC creates problems in the chain I wouldn’t face as much if I had an integrated amp or sufficient receiver. Everything sounds “enhanced” but what I really wished for is an EQ.
I can hear where the midrange is getting washed and the the bottom is falling off.
Ain’t no sunshine by Bill Withers, Turn the page by Bob Seger, On the road again by the Highwaymen. The songs I’ve heard so many times I know right where each note should land. While, I have got it pretty close I still want to eliminate the problems altogether.

The balance these have is outstanding, going from heavy metal to blues, techno to country, they have a very reliable delivery. Tool quality, like a hammer. It doesn’t drill holes or have a bunch of accessories, it does what it should exquisitely.

I look forward to figuring it out.
 
Doug G. said:
I always use the Doors first album as an example here.
Doug
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Not having heard the Doors first album in decades could you indicate what category that album falls. (I think I know). For the record do you know how the CD version(s) compare to the original?
 
JoeESP9 said:
That sort of thing happening is why I'm glad Magnepan fuses the tweeters. Yes I've blown them.
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In about '78, Advent updated the original with a number of changes. One was using ferrofluid tweeters to address that problem. You may recall HP reviewed the Double Advent system in the first issue of The Absolute Sound. He ended up smoking a couple of tweeters since he was using a Phase Linear 700!

I run a pair of New Advents in the garage system. I've cranked the bejesus out of them at outdoor parties and now drive them with an Ncore amp rated at 300 watts/channel. The surrounds on one pair got shredded following one of the Halloween parties (for the neighbor's daughter) but never had trouble with the tweeters.
 
Ah well, it happens! Might be wise to fuse 'em or keep a spare tweeter handy, in case push comes to shove.

Funny how often I hear about folks frying the tweets on their Advents. I've run my KLH Model Sixes (very similar to Advents and designed by the same guy, but a good decade earlier*) pretty damn hard in my time, but I probably couldn't kill these things if I tried. Guess I'm not trying hard 'nuff.

*Yes, I KNOW the original Advents and KLH Model Six were on the market for a few years in the early/mid-70's, but the KLH Model Six came out 'round 1958, whereas the Large Advent came out around 1969.
 
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I must say that I believe this to be user error in some way. I am pretty new to this and while I am pleased with how it's coming so far I can't help but think I am missing some key ingredients. Inline fusing sounds like a smart idea, and grabbing some spare parts as well.
Originally my thought was to buy a vintage receiver and wire my pc into it, and the speakers from it. But after a few days of research, I don't know that would be the best way to go.
 
Guido57 said:
Not having heard the Doors first album in decades could you indicate what category that album falls. (I think I know). For the record do you know how the CD version(s) compare to the original?
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On a system not up to it, that album sounds sorely lacking in bass and thin. That's just how I thought it was for years until I heard it on my system with Advent speakers. Quite a revelation!

I remember reading a record review, in High Fidelity magazine back in about 1970 or 1971 (it was before I graduated because I know it was in our high school library) of a band on Elektra records and the reviewer thanked Elektra for their excellent recordings, their wonderful sonics. I thought, "Well, they certainly missed that with the Doors." I was obviously wrong.

Surprisingly, the CD version of the same album seems to be lacking a bit in deep bass as in "Back Door Man" or "Take It as It Comes ". Not by much but I was a bit surprised when I first heard it.

Doug
 
Jason Grace said:
Inline fusing sounds like a smart idea, and grabbing some spare parts as well.
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For the record the "manual" that came with my 1978 NLA's suggested a 2amp slow blow fuse. Don't know what others might recommend or the best choice for OLA's. Never blown a tweeter in my NLA's, just turned down the volume when they sounded like crap (clipping, fault of the amplification). I've only had OLA's for a couple of years now.
 
Jason Grace said:
I must say that I believe this to be user error in some way. I am pretty new to this and while I am pleased with how it's coming so far I can't help but think I am missing some key ingredients. Inline fusing sounds like a smart idea, and grabbing some spare parts as well.
Originally my thought was to buy a vintage receiver and wire my pc into it, and the speakers from it. But after a few days of research, I don't know that would be the best way to go.
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The PC into a receiver then to the speakers is a good way to go... I think so anyway. A stereo with a PC plugged into one of it's inputs as if it were a tape deck or CD player... do it in a tape loop and feed the record out from the receiver into the line in of the PC if you want. Works good for recording, etc. In line fusing was not uncommon to protect speakers... the 2 amp suggested is about right for the advents, slow blow, or not, a matter of choice with experience. We used to sell Advents and when they came in from the same customer a couple of times with open tweeters we would put a one amp 12volt car courtesy lamp in series with the tweeter and that solved the problem... at incandescence the resistance goes way high limiting the current and protecting the voice coil.... yes, it is a few ohms cold in series with the coil but honestly I couldn't hear the difference, maybe critically listening against one without the lamp, but it cured the blown tweeter issue from repeat warranty claims... Advent started to tighten up on the claims too, wanted the old tweeter back to validate the claim or you wouldn't get paid. Really though, I wouldn't worry too much about it, just don't clip the amplifier, that is, don't overdrive it. It never hurts to have a spare tweeter around, buy one if you see a good deal.
 
I am going to do that, just to be safe. Also, I think I will swap the 100wpc Pioneer AVR for something a little less and with less distortion. I will be buying extra's just in case too.
 
Doug G. said:
On a system not up to it, that album sounds sorely lacking in bass and thin. That's just how I thought it was for years until I heard it on my system with Advent speakers. Quite a revelation!

I remember reading a record review, in High Fidelity magazine back in about 1970 or 1971 (it was before I graduated because I know it was in our high school library) of a band on Elektra records and the reviewer thanked Elektra for their excellent recordings, their wonderful sonics. I thought, "Well, they certainly missed that with the Doors." I was obviously wrong.

Surprisingly, the CD version of the same album seems to be lacking a bit in deep bass as in "Back Door Man" or "Take It as It Comes ". Not by much but I was a bit surprised when I first heard it.

Doug
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I had the first two Doors albums and thought they had very good sound right from the first play on my Lab 80 Mk II with an Eico ST 70 and floor standing four speaker three way Utah speakers.... Break On Through was hot... both albums were very well done... never heard the CD. Later, those albums sounded good on a Phillips GA 212 through stacked Advents and Sony 3200f power amp with Pioneer SX 2500 as a pre. The stuff we've had and fun with through the years...
 
Jason Grace said:
I am going to do that, just to be safe. Also, I think I will swap the 100wpc Pioneer AVR for something a little less and with less distortion. I will be buying extra's just in case too.
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Read the specs but I wouldn't get too hung up on distortion measurements. Something that would sound great on those Advents is one of the higher wattage twin powered Harmon Kardon receivers... or Sherwood from the same time frame, and they fly a bit under the radar. A Sansui too but they have become rather pricey. I'm sure there are others but those are a few vintage examples I am personally aware of that compliment the Advents. Marantz too but they are even worse than Sansui about price. Pioneer too, most of them... the HK receivers from that time all sounded very good.
 
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