Advent Prodigy Tower Woofer Replacement Suggestions?

[jcorreia97]

Hi,

I'm seeking suggestions for suitable woofers I might purchase to replace those in my Advent Prodigy Towers. My original woofers are beyond re-foaming I would say.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Clmrt]

http://madisound.com/retrofits.html

 

[jpdylon]

hey jcorreia97! welcome to AK!

THe rule here is never replace unless the woofers are definitely trashed. Meaning VC siezed to the magnet, bent basket, shreaded cone, trashed.

Do the Voice Coils rub when you move the cones in and out? Lay them face up and try to move the cone in and out gently with your fingers. If you don't hear noise they are worth fixing.

Layne audio has stopped carrying reproductions of AR and advent 8" woofers, and replacements suck. If they have cones, and the VCs don't rub, REFOAM THEM! its worth the 30 bucks.

 

[skibjr]

hey jcorreia97! welcome to AK!

THe rule here is never replace unless the woofers are definitely trashed. Meaning VC siezed to the magnet, bent basket, shreaded cone, trashed.

Do the Voice Coils rub when you move the cones in and out? Lay them face up and try to move the cone in and out gently with your fingers. If you don't hear noise they are worth fixing.

Layne audio has stopped carrying reproductions of AR and advent 8" woofers, and replacements suck. If they have cones, and the VCs don't rub, REFOAM THEM! its worth the 30 bucks.

I agree! You'll change the whole character of the speaker if you have to go with aftermarket woofers. The first speakers I ever reconed just happened to be a set of Prodigy Towers, and they had next to no foam left when I got them. I got it right on my first try, and I use them to this day. RACOON THE WOOGERS!! :thmbsp:

 

[wank]

On the other hand, keep an eye on e-bay, they seem to come up fairly often there - single speakers, or parted out. You could also check the Audiokarma classifieds.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Here's a source for Advent parts:
http://layneaudio.hypermart.net/Advent.htm

Original speakers no longer available new, but they do have a couple of options.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

I asked the same question on another forum and got advice that there is a Boston Accoustics A-60 8" woofer that is the closest match sonicly. I think the advice came from an Advent guru over there at AA, Bold Eagle you could tell by his answers that he was learned and well respected member. Hope this helps. Good Luck. CC

 

[jcorreia97]

Thanks to all

Thanks for your welcome and thanks to all for your input. As I mentioned, I do believe these woofers are beyond re-foaming. The voice coils do rub and I, unfortunately, continued to run these woofers well after there was any foam left. I imagine gravity is no ally to a surround-less cone. When they began throwing my receiver into protection I finally became motivated to correct the situation.

I had discovered Layne Audio on the Internet maybe two years ago and they looked like the perfect solution. I called their phone number numerous times but the phone always just kept ringing. I noticed that the web site has not been updated since 2000. Is Layne still in business?

Convinced then that re-foaming was dubious at best, I took a co-worker's advice and contacted Parts Express in Ohio. They recommended their Dayton Classic woofer so I ordered a pair. I'm happy to report I've been enjoying my renewed Prodigy Towers all weekend. Bass response is very good and they actually seem to image better than I remember. (They had been handicapped for some time, admitedly.) The Dayton Classics maybe aren't as smooth as the original woofers but perhaps after they're worked out some that will improve. All in all I'd say that for a tad under $50 I'm a happy listener again. Mission accomplished!

 

[MarkAnderson]

Is Layne still in business?

I wonder how many times that guestion has been on AK :scratch2:

I seem to recall GordonW suggesting the Dayton Classic woofer as a good replacement for an Advent or a BA or something like that. I could be dreaming though. Anyway, glad to hear the story has a happy ending. And I would suspect the sound will improve with age. - Mark