Large ADVENT rated as $1000pr by Stereophile
- Thread starter ARRAY
- Start date
I'm not surprised how well Advents stack up against new models. Speaker technology was pretty mature back in the late 40's. Just try a set of vintage Jensen's or Altec's. They sound pretty good!
Also - Advent speakers were not cheap when they were new. Adjusted for inflation the large Advents I bought in 1970 cost $1000 in today's dollars !!!!!!!!!
I don't know of any big technological speaker breakthroughs since the 70's, do you? There is "computer aided design", but computers probably just speed up development more than increasing performance, IMHO.
Bobby D.
Hell yes, Advents sound good!
Also - Advent speakers were not cheap when they were new. Adjusted for inflation the large Advents I bought in 1970 cost $1000 in today's dollars !!!!!!!!!
I don't know of any big technological speaker breakthroughs since the 70's, do you? There is "computer aided design", but computers probably just speed up development more than increasing performance, IMHO.
Bobby D.
Hell yes, Advents sound good!
They are great classic speakers. Why some of you guys get off on tearing them apart and putting modern components in them is beyond me. I could see building a set of modern speakers, but why destroy something that has given so many people joy, and is clearly loved my many? I mean, when they are all gone, they are all gone.
superdog
AK Member
Thats what I'm saying.Not the final word in speakers.But for what they are I like them.So many speakers sound so different with different sources and music I don't understand the LA bashing.
aidynphoenix
Super Member
whats better?? LargeAdvent or NewLargeAdvent?
reggaenaut
Addicted Member
One man's musicality is another's fatigue. With 1k I would buy IMO much better vintage e.g JBL L96.
MWalt
Super Member
Because they sound drastically better afterwards. A selenium driver/waveguide and a custom crossover and you will be hard pressed to find a better sounding speaker under 2k. The strength of the LA is in the woofer and cabinet. What is wrong with improving them?
MWalt
Super Member
I hear you and I never would have believed it myself...until I actually listened to them. Talk to Zilch, Jackgiff, Dnagle, etc. They have run them up against most everything out there.
I've been using 2 pair of stock "stacked" OLAs for several years. To me, the soundstage is amazing, as is the deep bass. For "soft" music like acoustical, most jazz, folk, bossa nova etc, to me, the fried egg "tweeter" is fine. I especially appreciate the presentation of vocals.
When I start to throw edgier material at them, especially at higher volume, that's where, I think, they really start to show their limitations. I really like Dire Straits and play a lot of their vinyl. Most of their songs sound fine on the OLAs (at moderate volume). But sometimes the guitar leads, like on Sultans of Swing, are just too piercing to my ears. Thankfully, I have another system that is kinder to this type of material, and that's where most of my rock gets played, especially if I want to crank it up.
I do need to mention that both of my systems are in "hard" rooms with wood floors and lots of glass. The stacked Advents are being powered by an 85wpc Nikko NR-1015, phono cart is a Shure M97xE.
I haven't listened to hardly any newer speakers so can't comment on how the OAs compare.
When I start to throw edgier material at them, especially at higher volume, that's where, I think, they really start to show their limitations. I really like Dire Straits and play a lot of their vinyl. Most of their songs sound fine on the OLAs (at moderate volume). But sometimes the guitar leads, like on Sultans of Swing, are just too piercing to my ears. Thankfully, I have another system that is kinder to this type of material, and that's where most of my rock gets played, especially if I want to crank it up.
I do need to mention that both of my systems are in "hard" rooms with wood floors and lots of glass. The stacked Advents are being powered by an 85wpc Nikko NR-1015, phono cart is a Shure M97xE.
I haven't listened to hardly any newer speakers so can't comment on how the OAs compare.
Interesting article, I agree with his restored Thorens and all, he should have looked here at the Econowave project and then had a real listen. When you think about it, the E-wave is probaly more or less what the Advent built today would have sounded like (if it was acoustic suspension-not too many speakers these days are).
This modern Advent (@E-wave Advent), with the same type of cabinet construction and size, it wouldn't suprise me if it ran around $1000.
Dudley should have, at a bare minimum rebuilt the crossover as well. Perhaps his soldering skills are a bit lacking these days!:thmbsp:
This modern Advent (@E-wave Advent), with the same type of cabinet construction and size, it wouldn't suprise me if it ran around $1000.
Dudley should have, at a bare minimum rebuilt the crossover as well. Perhaps his soldering skills are a bit lacking these days!:thmbsp:
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
I just read this yesterday and it definitely raised my eyebrow. I think the claim that they're better than pretty much anything new under $1k is total bs, frankly. Especially after he went on and on about how they sound like the paper they're made out of, as well as numerous other harsh critiques - then he goes and makes a claim like that?! I have five pairs of 'new' speakers that were all under $1k, and none of them sound remotely like how he described these re-foamed Advents.
I would too, but is that what was actually said; "pretty much anything"???
I'll check it out, but I'd be shocked if he used a generalization that broad.
There's a world of difference between "some", "many" and "pretty much anything" :yes:
