New Large Advents WOW.................

[bayliner1984]

I recently picked up a pair of the second generation Large Advent speakers at a local second hand shop for $20.00 bucks. They were painted gloss black and of course the foam around the woofers needed replaced. I stripped and refinished the cabinets and refoamed the woofers (pictures attatched). I just put them into service replacing the Re20 Cerwin Vegas I have been using lately which I thought sounded pretty good. I was wrong, the Advents are awesome! They are by far the best sounding speakers I have ever owned. As my wife said, it sounds like the band is right there in the room with us. I also have a couple sets of Smaller Advents which sound really good but they don't compare to the sound these Large Advents are producing. I am using a Pioneer SX3800 to drive the Advents and I am really pleased with the sound of this "old stereo system". Thanks everyone for the advice you have given during this project.

 

[kfa888]

Good on you for bringing those back to life :thmbsp:

 

[avguytx]

Beautiful job and, yes, they are great speakers. I would LOVE to find another pair for that price (of the $10 I paid for mine) so I could experiment with this stacking thing just so I can judge for myself. I hope to have a replacement tweeter for mine any day as I had one that was lower output than the other and I hope this will cure it. It will be hard to replace my Klipsch Heresy's in my office setup but I'm sure going to give them the fair shot!

Again, great job and enjoy!

 

[DaWoofer]

I wish I could hear a pair of them myself. I always read about how fantastic these things sound. Some tend to believe that they are some of the best speakers made as far as sound output. What is the freq. response of the large Advents? Are they real sensitive to placement as far as walls are concerned. Out from the wall and corners or closer to them. Cause I have some large 2-way EVs that are great sounding but really need to be placed right to get the bottom end out of them. Are yours ported or suspension type?

 

[rsfmotoman]

I can't believe someone took the time to paint those black???

:screwy:

Great job getting them back into service. I also run NLA and love 'em!

 

[Fast_Eddie]

I see a red door...

 

[Kelvin]

If you think they sound good now, wait until you put some new caps in them

 

[kfa888]

I wish I could hear a pair of them myself. I always read about how fantastic these things sound. Some tend to believe that they are some of the best speakers made as far as sound output. What is the freq. response of the large Advents? Are they real sensitive to placement as far as walls are concerned. Out from the wall and corners or closer to them. Cause I have some large 2-way EVs that are great sounding but really need to be placed right to get the bottom end out of them. Are yours ported or suspension type?

I have had several sets. While they are good sounding speakers I would not rate them super high. A very nice 2 way. Mine have all been sent down the road as I have a lot of better speakers. Very subjective i know but I think we need to keep things in perspective here. I have read many posts on this forum claiming "the best speakers", I can't buy any of it. Very subjective and literally thousands of great speakers to choose from. The large Advent, compared to other vintage speakers you can pick up for under $100 all day long stand up very well. When you start to get in the $200 and up range they are IMHO easily beat by many examples from many manufactures. These are legendary speakers for what they are and very good, let's leave it at that.

 

[SpruceMoose]

very nice refurb job there! although i kinda like the grained, black wood look. all my HT gear is sitting on a huge oak veneered plywood sub, now painted satin black. i got tired of the oak look after 25 years. and my double advents are painted black granite, but those are in home-made mdf enclosures. that said, my original large advents look great in their original walnut veneer.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Hi,

Nice work on restoring your pair. Henry Kloss really knew what he was doing designing these classics. The New version has even better tweeters than the original and a crossover change. I have a pair of 1974 original LA speakers. My pair are in utility cabinets and I feel the same way about their sound. I drive mine with a McIntosh MAC 1900 receiver. What are you using for power? They sound superb with a wide range of quality electronics.

 

[bayliner1984]

Kelvin,
Tell about the benefits of recapping these old Advents of mine. Will I really see a big improvement in sound quality? Is there a way to test the caps to see if replacement is in order? Thanks for your thoughts.
It's to bad we all can't have the resources to try all the different speakers that kfa888 has owned. The Large Advent is the best I can afford on the limited budget I have for my stereo addiction. I'm sure there are others in the same boat. I just so pleased to own speakers of this quality!

 

[kfa888]

It's to bad we all can't have the resources to try all the different speakers that kfa888 has owned. The Large Advent is the best I can afford on the limited budget I have for my stereo addiction. I'm sure there are others in the same boat. I just so pleased to own speakers of this quality!

For the record i was in no way bashing them, very good speakers and very nice job getting them back to looking / sounding great. I guess for the most part I am just getting tired of the "best speaker" comment 3-4 times a day.

As for caps, they are cheap and well worth the effort, do it. :yes:

 

[bayliner1984]

kfa888,
Sorry I didn't intend to come on so strong, I wish I could afford to try other speakers but my budget nor my wife will allow this to happen. I'll consider recapping these NLA's. Should I test my old caps first or should I assume that replacement will gain improvement? Some tips on testing and brand names for replacement would be of great assistance. Thanks!!

 

[Njord Noatun]

This is my take on the Advents: Having been manufactured for over 25 years with no more than marginal changes to the essential design, I will go out on a limb and say it may be the largest volume "vintage" quality speaker ever sold in the US - I won't even venture a guess to the accumulated production volumes, but it might be six or more figures, for all I know. It is therefore plentiful to this day, and can be had for remarkably cheap relative to its sonic qualities: In short, it delivers incredible price-performance.

When I got mine (5002 - last incarnation of the "Large" prior to Jensen) I was blown away by the sound, considering its modest valuation. In fact, I preferred its sound to my primary speaker at the time (ADS L-810), which quickly got sold. My 5002 is only my backup speaker now, but would be happy as a lark if it came down to me having to put it back into primary service.

In short, for the price, the "Large" Advents are hard to beat for a vintage setup.

EDIT: You did a remarkable job bringing this set back to it original glory. Kudos to you for doing the job despite in money terms probably not being "worth it" when taking your time into consideration. To me, that's what this hobby is all about - caretaking and maintaining the gear for future owners to enjoy: Making money has nothing to do with it.

 

[Rybeam]

The Advents are special

I have recently started using a pair of the "New" Advents too. I have been keeping an eye out for a pair for several years. Their reputation as "good as it gets" had me wanting to hear a pair.
I had a pro dismantle, refoam and test the woofers { Slice Speakers in Kansas City }, wanted to be sure they are right. I rotated out a pair of Bozak DMS5500 three way 72 pound tower speakers. 12 inch woofers, Pearless dome tweeters. The six inch Bozak mid weights almost as much as the Advents woofers. See picture. These Bozaks ran off a pair of Pioneer HPM100's.
The Advents sound just as good, maybe just a bit more crispness. Smooth, even and relaxed sound with punch only where the source demands it, just like my beloved Bozak's. I am very impressed. The Bozaks will go louder and and do thump harder up loud, but at normal to somewhat loud levels the Advents hold their own.
Next step is to get another pair and stack them next to my Bozak Symphony's. For the price very hard to beat IMO.

 

[Rybeam]

Oh the Advent is upside down because I sit my speakers on the shelf behind them in the photo. I also play the Bozak's upside down, the tweeters are then just a hair above ear level. I place three hard rubber industrial vibration blocks under them. A single 1 inch in the back and two quarter inch if front for isolation and a bit of toe in.

 

[westend]

I have The Advent Speaker and what they do best, IME, is control the cone so that the mid range and mid-bass are clear and tight. The sealed box is probably the secret to this as I've read other stories about the Advents sounding muddy or all not there and it usually comes down to the box not being totally sealed.
For the OP, regarding the crossover, many have changed the network out for a better sound. There is a lot of information here and at Classicspeakers.net.. I have the parts for the crossovers but my time is at a premium. If you're interested in a list or schematic and what can be done, shoot me a PM.

 

[Stuart Pedaso]

These speakers exemplify the genius of Kloss. They offered superbly balanced music reproduction yet were insanely affordable compared to similarly capable products.

I gave my NLAs to a dear friend, then a struggling musician, years ago. No regrets -- they went to an appreciative home. But I expect to pick up another pair eventually when the opportunity is right.

If I could have no other speakers for the rest of my days I would enjoy the music without feeling the least disadvantaged.

Congratulations on your excellent restoration!

 

[imready]

Great looking speakers and sure to out perform many speaker that cost a heck of a lot more! Lots of people seem to think just because a speaker costs alot more it is a lot better sounding. I hope they keep flushing their money down the toilet for overpriced junk so there are plenty more large Advents around for people who have more brains than money. I have been searching for a nice pair for a while and also had some last year but they were sold by the time I got to them. Congrats on your find and nice restoration!

 

[Kelvin]

Kelvin,
Tell about the benefits of recapping these old Advents of mine. Will I really see a big improvement in sound quality? Is there a way to test the caps to see if replacement is in order? Thanks for your thoughts.
It's to bad we all can't have the resources to try all the different speakers that kfa888 has owned. The Large Advent is the best I can afford on the limited budget I have for my stereo addiction. I'm sure there are others in the same boat. I just so pleased to own speakers of this quality!

I've done a lot of reading about Advents on AK and on other sites. I suggest you do the same now that you have a pair (and a nice pair they are!). Basically, the electrolytic caps you have in there are very likely dried out and out of spec. I didn't have a method of testing mine, so I just replaced them with Solen polypropylene capacitors. I think the best way to describe the effect of the upgrade is to say "there's less grain" when I turn up the volume. I thought they sounded sweet before the recap, but after the recap, the overall sound was much smoother.