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Polk Audio Versus Advent

FWIW, I don't bash anybody's speakers. Everybody has different tastes and I respect that. I joined in to agree about how I also liked Polks. I owned the original Deluxe Advents and a pair of Dynaco A-25's and know how they sound. For my own taste, I preferred the Dynaco A-25's to the Advents and kept them for many years. I had to let the Dynacos go because of mold that formed in the cabinets which I was sensitive to.

I am consistently amazed by the Polk sound today and frankly I feel they are the best sounding speakers that I presently have.
 
The Legacy has a similar dome tweeter as the Prodigy/Prodigy II.
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Legacy
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Prodigy Tower
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Prodigy II
Definitely not the same as in the Maestro unless just the housing is different.
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The face plates are different between the Maestro, Legacy, and 6003. But otherwise, they are all the same tweeter. Notice the 4 screws holding on the face plate versus the 3 screws for the prodigy.

I'm not sure which one the Heritage uses. And I've misplaced all my brochures and buying guides like a moron.
 
Sir.Byrd said:
The dust cap is not vented, but it is on the Advents.
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Not all the Advents have vented dustcaps, ie 6003. Same goes for the BA.

I think the biggest difference is the weights of the cones. Baskets are different and spiders are very slightly. The voicecoils all seem to be pretty similar. I only have a few here at the house anymore, the rest is from memory from examining them in the distant past.
 
Sir.Byrd said:
Your woofer is wrong, it should look like the one on the right that Damage posted.
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I'm not convinced it is wrong. Maybe factory replacements?

How about a good picture of the spider? How thick is the cone?

The basket and magnet assembly are right.
 
Damage said:
I'm not convinced it is wrong. Maybe factory replacements?

How about a good picture of the spider? How thick is the cone?

The basket and magnet assembly are right.
Click to expand...


The cone feels as thin as the construction paper they hand out in art class at school. I can touch it and it bends real easy.

As for the spider, here's a pic.

Thank you for all the pics and info. everyone, including you Damage.:smoke:

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Damage said:
Not all the Advents have vented dustcaps, ie 6003. Same goes for the BA.

I think the biggest difference is the weights of the cones. Baskets are different and spiders are very slightly. The voicecoils all seem to be pretty similar. I only have a few here at the house anymore, the rest is from memory from examining them in the distant past.
Click to expand...

I meant that on these particular advents, the dust cap is a vented one.
 
Perhaps it was an improper recone? If they didn't know to use a vented dustcap, what else did the do incorrectly (cheaper VC?)
 
Sir.Byrd said:
Perhaps it was an improper recone? If they didn't know to use a vented dustcap, what else did the do incorrectly (cheaper VC?)
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Could be, and the worst part of it all, is that I have this memory of being at Vancouver mall in the glass room with 4 large advent speakers and Olivia Newton John on a big screen TV playing. I was 15 and I was totally wanting to jump into the TV and get her. The bass was rock solid and I could hear her crisp voice. That memory and the testimonials of other AK members prompted me to buy these. Now I feel frustrtaed that they suck worse than a Kmart special.:smoke:

P.S. Every Advent that I've heard since those days has been muddy and cheap sounding. I have not heard many though. It has been 28 years since I was 15.
 
Speakers with really good bass response alllow the listener to hear the instruments as individual notes not as a mass of bass. Speakers that go really deep often sound much less bassy than speakers that have a resonance at 60 hz or so. Good speakers don't hit you on the head with lows and highs. They are subtle and reveal the sound of music and sound right particularily with acoustic unamplifed instruments. The Advent Legacy when working correctly is an excellent system. They have bass that will go into the upper 30 hz range. Far deeper than any ported 6 inch woofer system I have ever heard.






Plitron said:
This really sounded like a good idea.

I logged off and did that.

Results:

The Polks totally Dominated

The Polks can play bass, mid bass, highs.

The advents are not only incapable of playing several lower frequencies at once. They sound a little bit good, right before they crap out completely.


The Polks prove that they are both a superior speaker, and much more capable than the Advent. Still, the recap is in order for the Advents. I will purchase new Mylar caps for the Polks while I am at it.
Then a fresh shootout. Polks -> :king: :screwy: <- Advents
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The vintage polk stock tweeters are unbeatable and irreplaceable. They most likely played a major part in this Polk/Advent comparison. They are fairly plentiful on the used market.
 
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