Another thread about New Large Advent Loudspeakers

[Arekusu881]

I finally ordered some new resistors and capacitors for my NLA's and I've got to say, replacing them cleaned up the sound SO much. It altered the sound completely, for the better. The highs are more clear and not so rough, which I realized they were after the replacement. They are musical, have good separation, good bass. They seem to sound good with all types of music, but excel with Jazz and acoustic. I've been enjoying them for days now. These are keepers for sure.
I kept the specs the way they were intended. 13 uf caps, but since I couldn't find 13 uf caps, I soldered a 1uf and 12 if in parallel. I also replaced the 1.5 ohm and 1.0 ohm resistors with the same.

 

[Guido57]

Not surprised by comment on excelling with jazz. Felt that way myself for a while (don't listen to enough classical to have an opinion). One thing to note: even though they are considered "mid-fi" by many (they seem to draw rather polarized opinions) they are known by many by their ability to reveal differences in the components upstream from them. In other words, should you have the resources and desire to upgrade your electronics the Advents will reward you, provided you made the right upgrades. (Oh by the way: they like power)

 

[Doug G.]

Having them angled up a bit like that, in the front, is perfect.

Doug

 

[E-Stat]

Now just buy some felt furniture pads from Lowe's and minimize cabinet diffraction.

 

[Arekusu881]

Not surprised by comment on excelling with jazz. Felt that way myself for a while (don't listen to enough classical to have an opinion). One thing to note: even though they are considered "mid-fi" by many (they seem to draw rather polarized opinions) they are known by many by their ability to reveal differences in the components upstream from them. In other words, should you have the resources and desire to upgrade your electronics the Advents will reward you, provided you made the right upgrades. (Oh by the way: they like power)

What would you recommend as a good higher end sort of receiver? I've long been looking and waiting at an integrated reciever of some in sort. I know they are spendy if you want a good one. These Advents I bought for only 40$. They needed some work though. In all I put 50-60$ into them. I'm a budget minded guy for various reasons

 

[lo IQ]

You might try a Mac 1700. I’ve had two, the second with rebuilt power supply and modified to bypass the preamp if desired. When rebuilt it’s clearer than you might expect with a very pleasant overall sound. Rated at 40 watts but mine clipped at 55 and sounded a lot more powerful than the rating. I liked it better than a McIntosh 2105 I had and the tube tuner, a variation of the MR 65b, is exceptional. Prices from 8 or 9 hundred to about 2k. Looked great in the slant leg cabinet if that’s important.

 

[Guido57]

What would you recommend as a good higher end sort of receiver? I've long been looking and waiting at an integrated reciever of some in sort. I know they are spendy if you want a good one. These Advents I bought for only 40$. They needed some work though. In all I put 50-60$ into them. I'm a budget minded guy for various reasons

So many variables, it is hard to say. Budget, room particularities, desired volume, etc. Many say that 100W/C is the preffered choice for the Advents. I've driven them with a Marantz SR7007 AVR, 125 W/C two channels driven, a Carver 75W/C AVR, Sansui 5000a, Adcom 535 and NAD C 350. The last three all between 50 to 60W/C and pushed the Advents quite well. The Carver was the least capable, so gross power numbers are not an absolute. I paid less than $150 each for the Adcom and NAD, neither is old enough to be considered vintage so prices are not too insane. Mac is nice if you have the budget, I've never felt that tempted when I see their prices. Adcom 545 or 555 have more power than the 535, but are usually more than twice the price. Hafler DH 200 if you can find one in good shape.
That being said the Advents can sound good with 25W/C given a room that is close to perfect for them, you just might not want to turn the volume up too much.
Avoid most amps that can't go below 8 ohms and any amp that can't go below 6 ohms. This includes most budget AVRs,( is that an HK AVR 330 in the picture?).Find something that catches your eye, research it, then come back to AK if you need more input. Often the research will lead you back to AK anyway.

 

[allmanbros]

If you can find one, a Sony 6065 or 7065 would be the ticket......both are late 70's receivers made when Sony spared no expense in competing with Marantz, Pioneer, and Sansui........still a bit under the radar thus likely less expensive than the others......built like tanks, but have a reputable tech check it out if you can locate one.

 

[MaxP]

You might try a Mac 1700. I’ve had two, the second with rebuilt power supply and modified to bypass the preamp if desired. When rebuilt it’s clearer than you might expect with a very pleasant overall sound. Rated at 40 watts but mine clipped at 55 and sounded a lot more powerful than the rating. I liked it better than a McIntosh 2105 I had and the tube tuner, a variation of the MR 65b, is exceptional. Prices from 8 or 9 hundred to about 2k. Looked great in the slant leg cabinet if that’s important.

The OP asked for budget suggestions, LOL! Macs are typically not associated with the term budget!

 

[lo IQ]

The OP asked for budget suggestions, LOL! Macs are typically not associated with the term budget!

Well that’s true. But an awful lot of older receivers that probably ought to be budget have jumped up in price to beat the band and with fm fading….. perhaps another poster could give a good lead on more recent units priced reasonably with enough power to do the speakers justice. I have an old Marantz 2220b that would be less than a Mac but I don’t think it would have enough watts to drive the speakers. Wasn’t there an HK 330 or something that was really good? Not sure what the market price is these days.

 

[MaxP]

Well that’s true. But an awful lot of older receivers that probably ought to be budget have jumped up in price to beat the band and with fm fading….. perhaps another poster could give a good lead on more recent units priced reasonably with enough power to do the speakers justice. I have an old Marantz 2220b that would be less than a Mac but I don’t think it would have enough watts to drive the speakers. Wasn’t there an HK 330 or something that was really good? Not sure what the market price is these days.

Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m quite fond of McIntosh!

 

[lo IQ]

Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m quite fond of McIntosh!

Reply you’re right though. Macs and limited budgets generally don’t mix that well. To the OP, I don’t know the rules here very well but I never use the little Marantz and would let it go to a good home if the 20 watts would fill the bill.

 

[MaxP]

Reply you’re right though. Macs and limited budgets generally don’t mix that well. To the OP, I don’t know the rules here very well but I never use the little Marantz and would let it go to a good home if the 20 watts would fill the bill.

That’s a generous offer and a hellofa gesture!

 

[Arekusu881]

Now just buy some felt furniture pads from Lowe's and minimize cabinet diffraction.

I have to get them off the rug

So many variables, it is hard to say. Budget, room particularities, desired volume, etc. Many say that 100W/C is the preffered choice for the Advents. I've driven them with a Marantz SR7007 AVR, 125 W/C two channels driven, a Carver 75W/C AVR, Sansui 5000a, Adcom 535 and NAD C 350. The last three all between 50 to 60W/C and pushed the Advents quite well. The Carver was the least capable, so gross power numbers are not an absolute. I paid less than $150 each for the Adcom and NAD, neither is old enough to be considered vintage so prices are not too insane. Mac is nice if you have the budget, I've never felt that tempted when I see their prices. Adcom 545 or 555 have more power than the 535, but are usually more than twice the price. Hafler DH 200 if you can find one in good shape.
That being said the Advents can sound good with 25W/C given a room that is close to perfect for them, you just might not want to turn the volume up too much.
Avoid most amps that can't go below 8 ohms and any amp that can't go below 6 ohms. This includes most budget AVRs,( is that an HK AVR 330 in the picture?).Find something that catches your eye, research it, then come back to AK if you need more input. Often the research will lead you back to AK anyway.

I guess I have yet to understand power and ohms. Could you explain a little about why the Advent needs more power? Why is a lower wattage system bad for the Advents? It seems it has something to do with ohms like you mentioned, but I can't seem to grasp it quite yet.
It is an hk avr 235 I believe. I'm pretty sure it is 35 wpc.
I was looking at the Hafler you mentioned and the reviews. They seem to Garner much praise. That and being around 250$ is doable for me in the near future for sure. I'll check more into the other options you mentioned as well

 

[baeron]

I have to get them off the rug


I guess I have yet to understand power and ohms. Could you explain a little about why the Advent needs more power? Why is a lower wattage system bad for the Advents? It seems it has something to do with ohms like you mentioned, but I can't seem to grasp it quite yet.
It is an hk avr 235 I believe. I'm pretty sure it is 35 wpc.
I was looking at the Hafler you mentioned and the reviews. They seem to Garner much praise. That and being around 250$ is doable for me in the near future for sure. I'll check more into the other options you mentioned as well

I'll second the GFA-535 Adcom amp or the GFA-545.

 

[Arekusu881]

I'll second the GFA-535 Adcom amp or the GFA-545.

I just read about the 535 and it seems like just what I'm looking for. I believe I've decided, the price and sound seem where it's at

 

[Guido57]

I have to get them off the rug


I guess I have yet to understand power and ohms. Could you explain a little about why the Advent needs more power? Why is a lower wattage system bad for the Advents? It seems it has something to do with ohms like you mentioned, but I can't seem to grasp it quite yet.
It is an hk avr 235 I believe. I'm pretty sure it is 35 wpc.
I was looking at the Hafler you mentioned and the reviews. They seem to Garner much praise. That and being around 250$ is doable for me in the near future for sure. I'll check more into the other options you mentioned as well

Take the ohms and watts separately/
Ohms:
The Large Advent is more appropriately considered a 6 ohm speaker, particularly the version you have. The lower the impedance of a speaker the more current will go through the amp. In general the more current the more heat. If the amp cannot handle the current it will eventually break down. I have a 100W/C amplifier that uses STK power packs and is rated at 8 ohms minimum. It is actually a nice sounding amp with the right speakers but even with the 100W/C the Advents would eventually destroy it.
Watts:
If an amp does not have the wattage to drive a speaker the amp will clip once it is pushed past a certain level. Clipping is a type of distortion that will kill speakers. One can avoid problems by reducing the volume when one hears the distortion but:
1) You are limited in the volume you can get from your system, particularly when the room size increases.
2) Peaks in the music may not sound so good.
3) IMAHO inefficient speakers do not sound quite right with low power even at lower volumes. (Many, particularly the first watt camp, will dispute this).

If the AVR 235 is set up like my garage system AVR 330 you could use it as a preamp/DAC in the short term until you can find/afford a better preamp. Or just find an integrated.

 

[Guido57]

Note: Sometimes, if you are (very) lucky, you can find a financially secure Boomer who is downsizing and not looking to get the maximum for their equipment. Rare, but it can happen. Patience and luck required.

 

[MaxP]

I would suggest joining AudioKarma as a paying member as it will give you access to the classifieds here where a lot of good gear is offered for sale. I have purchased numerous pieces off of this site.

 

[E-Stat]

Could you explain a little about why the Advent needs more power? Why is a lower wattage system bad for the Advents?

It isn't so much a requirement as it can be a benefit to have plenty of headroom. I use an Ncore 300 watt/channel amp with my New Advents. It's not that I listen at high levels so much as I can enjoy effortless dynamics. When HP reviewed the Double Advent in '72, he used a Phase Linear 700.

Kloss might be rolling over in his grave since the official minimum was 15 watts.