Opinions Wanted - JBL L26 vs Smaller Advent

[rushfan]

Opinions Welcome - JBL L26 vs Smaller Advent

Hi gang,

If you had to choose between the L26 and the Smaller Advent, which would you go for? Which one has the sweeter high end?

Thanks!

 

[HypnoToad]

Zilch will be along shortly to say that the Advent is mass produced inarticulate rubbish.

 

[rushfan]

Zilch will be along shortly to say that the Advent is mass produced inarticulate rubbish.

I've got replacement surrounds, new binding posts and fresh crossovers caps for the JBLs but refoaming them will be a major undertaking due to the condition of one of the woofers. I have been putting it off for months. Check this thread to learn why:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=176087

 

[HypnoToad]

I see what you mean, you have to cut that mess off around the cone of the speaker with an exact o knife being careful not to cut the cone itself.

Then scrape as much off as you can then I would only try the acetone trick as a last resort.

It may not be as bad as you think particularly as it looks like the new surrounds glue on the back of the cone.

I would certainly try scraping with an exact o knife first.

I had lots of rubbery glue on my Boston woofers and it came off by scraping it.

 

[budgetaudio6]

the smaller advent is a very nice speaker. and yes im biased for it.
Bass out of it is pretty good. even down to 30 hertz, and others have attested to it on here.
But it does need to braced, Front to back.

The midrange on it is also good(i use that term because we hear differently,personally i think it has great midrange) the woofer and the tweeter mate well together here....if only they produced offspring so i could use more smaller advents....

 

[kermit z]

I have never heard an L26 but do own some Smaller Advents. I will say it produces some nice music and sounds. I always recomend them to people who are out on the hunt Regardless of the "Mass production" comments

 

[rushfan]

Strangely enough, I haven't heard either pair! They both need new surrounds.

A colleague at work is interested in building a vintage system and one of these pairs is likely to become hers. I'll keep the better of the two and will sell the other pair. I also have an original pair of Genesis Physics speakers to add to the mix.

 

[Zilch]

Zilch will be along shortly to say that the Advent is mass produced inarticulate rubbish.

Never said anything like that. Here's the facts:

http://stereophile.com/historical/506advent/

Some aspects of the Smaller Advent's measured performance were positive. For example, it reminded me of the benefits for bass performance of a well-tuned sealed box, compared with the reflex designs that are now ubiquitous. But despite its relatively even balance through the midrange and low treble, the Advent's tweeter is a total underperformer compared with modern designs, and its cabinet is way too resonant.--John Atkinson

 

[rushfan]

Interesting discussion. The Advents would be a whopping upgrade over her JVC all-in-one mini system, and likely easier to refoam given the condition of the JBLs. On the flip side, the Advents might be a little too vintage for her taste. New grille fabric would go a long way in solving that problem, I think.

This is a nice dilemma to have. :yes:

 

[GordonW]

Some aspects of the Smaller Advent's measured performance were positive. For example, it reminded me of the benefits for bass performance of a well-tuned sealed box, compared with the reflex designs that are now ubiquitous. But despite its relatively even balance through the midrange and low treble, the Advent's tweeter is a total underperformer compared with modern designs, and its cabinet is way too resonant.--John Atkinson

The same comments about the tweeter can also be applied to the L26- the LE25 is nothing to write home about, IMHO. In fact, I would think the Advent fried-egg may outperform the LE25.

Also, the bass of the Small Advent is much better damped than the L26. I like the L26 a lot, but the woofer is in too small of an enclosure. Just model it- you'll see exactly what I mean...

It'd be a hard choice for me. It boils down to the better dynamics of the L26 vs. the smoother frequency response of the Small Advent. Don't know which one I'd pick. They're both quite good, all said...

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[jlc76]

My father-in-law has a pair of L26's that are just sitting rotting away (well the surrounds are anyway). I remember when my wife and I first started hanging out in high school (15 years ago) we took them to have the woofers refoamed. He played them only a few times after that and they have been sitting in an extra room since. I looked at the surrounds a while back and they looked great, then I gently touched the foam and a split instantly appeared. I guess with these things you just have to refoam them every 10-15 years. Anyway, if I ever find a use for them I may offer to buy them from him and have them refoamed, maybe a bedroom system with an old Marantz receiver or something.

 

[titanstats]

Both are nice sounding little speakers -- you won't go wrong with either. I'm pretty sure that the L26 will take more power, if that's a consideration; made a pair of Smaller Advents bottom out once, without huge amounts of power going in.

 

[dc270]

I like the bass from the Smaller Advents- it jusr sounds more rich and believable to me, the mid range is OK as well, the highs can sound a but strained if pushed to hard. The one poor thing to me was the fair sensitivity they had at only 86db. Not really tube friendly but still a great effort from Henry Kloss. If I recall correctly he made the Smaller Advents to fund his new projection screen TV venture!

I built a mini-monster system from those same SA drivers- that took care of the effiency problem I ever had with them!!
DC

 

[70salesguy]

Jbl l26

JBL Decade L-26 : see "Advent Killer"

 

[rushfan]

I built a mini-monster system from those same SA drivers- that took care of the effiency problem I ever had with them!!
DC

Those are crazy! How do they sound?

JBL Decade L-26 : see "Advent Killer"

These are my first "real" JBLs. Snade did a nice write-up about his Decades that heavily influenced my decision to buy them. I couldn't say no to the Advents either - ten bucks for two pairs! I also own a sturdy little pair of JBL 8216AT Industrial Series speakers that I bought from a restaurant where I once worked. They've got sweet TLX tweeters but I'm missing the "lens" from one of them.

 

[Isotonic]

I have a pair of the L-36 Decades. I find them very pleasing to listen to. Hendrix sounds really good on the Decades. The mids are just right for classic rock, IMO. the Advents are more refined, despite limitations of the tweeter I think they image and soundstage very realisticly. The lows will suprise you. But I prefer the smaller Advents for recordings that you enjoy for the smaller details, i.e. jazz and classical, but also groups like Little Feat. The Decades are easier to drive.