Suggestions for the right receiver for 2 pair Advents

[62vauxhall]

My first pair of Advents, I bought in 1973(?). The dealer also had on hand Small Advents which I think were recently introduced. As were powered Advents that were on display at the time. I was shown a bulletin that Advent Corp.sent to it's dealers. On it were some amplifiers Advent recommended to power their speakers. Large Advents not Small Advents.

One of the recommended amps on the list was a Sony TA-1150 at 30 or 35 WPC. I got one of those Sony amps to fo go with the Large Advents and happily used that amp for some years before needing to upgrade. Upgrading was necessary because I bought a second pair of Large Advents (used) in order to have a Double Advent system.

Large Advents were rated at 8 ohms but actually closer to 6. Since best performace was stated to be with speakers in parallel, the amp would see 3 ohms or even less. Too low for the Sony. A friend's HK Citation 12 (60 WPC) could not handle impedance that low either. Neither could a few other power amps I was able to try, except some that were too expensive. I finally settled on a Kenwood Model 600 integrated at 135 WPC. I had to take out a bank loan to buy it but it remained my one and only amplifier for twenty-five years.

Likely room size is a contributing factor but in the smallish living rooms I had while using that TA-1150, it's 30 or 35 watts were plenty for a single pair of Large Advents and I played my system loud.

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[coonmanx]

SA-202 is probably series A+B so you won't be in trouble driving both, but at 30 W/C or so it's short on power for Advents.

Check the wiring if you removed the woofers, it's easy to swap the leads if they are not unequal size connectors. Verify the connections on your speaker cables, reversing them results in very low bass as the woofers cancel each other.

It's actually probably parallel A+B since it came out in 1980. Technics didn't go to a series arrangement until mid 80s when the BPC stuff came out.

 

[coonmanx]

Yes, the SA-202 definitely has speakers wired in parallel as this photo shows... So it is rated to a 4 ohm load. However, if the impedance of the Large Advents is actually closer to 6 ohms then that could present an issue. But there is only one way to find out and that is to try it out and see...

 

[Adamo0926]

You need more power. A lot more for driving 2 pairs of OLAs.

I'd go with something 100+ WPC. I have a single pair of Advent 5012s (basically the final version of the large Advent) and while I got away with a 38 watt receiver without pushing them too much, they are much happier with 80+ watt stuff.

I think an increase in good quality power is always a good thing, especially for certain speakers. I have 2 pairs of Original Large Advents that are stacked and wired in parallel.
I have driven them with the following 4 receivers. Marantz 2252B (52 wpc), Sansui Eight (60 wpc), Pioneer SX-850 (65 wpc) and a Yamaha CR-2020 (100 wpc). They sound great
with all 4 receivers but particularly good with the Yamaha and the Marantz.....so go figure, the two receivers on the opposite ends when it comes to power. Now I live in a condo
so I don't listen at prodigious levels.

There really is something magical about "stacked" Advents.....I never realized it until I got my 2nd pair of OLAs. I'm always on the lookout for great speakers. Have always
had a lusting for Martin Logan and Thiel. But I love the sound of these Advents so much (140.00 for one pair and 150.00 for the other) that I have this fear I could spend
2K on a pair of speakers and not like them more than my Advents.

 

[Taketheflame]

I have this fear I could spend
2K on a pair of speakers and not like them more than my Advents.

I have the same fear with phono cartridges, lol. Always impressed by what an upper range MM/MI cartridge from the vinyl heday can do for the investment required.

The only OLA pair I've heard were in dire need of a crossover recap and woofer refoam, but I really enjoy the 5012s I have - they're keepers for sure.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Greetings...I'm new here. Grateful for all of the wisdom. Thanks to your encouragement I just refoamed a pair of New Large Advents. I'm using a Technics SA - 202 with these and a pair of small Advents in the next room over from the same receiver. The small ones sound good but the New Large Advents don't seem quite right. The highs and mids are nice and clear but the bass is a little lacking. Maybe the receiver doesn't have enough power to get everything where it needs to be? It's not that it's bad but it just doesn't feel full and alive the way I wished it would....I'm open to all suggestions. And I'm trying not to spend a lot of dough...thank you!

Big issues. A 3 something ohm load. And Advents like power, and reasonably high current power. In receivers, you're looking at something in the vintage monster class to do this reasonably well, as in Pioneer SX 1050-1280 class, Sansui 9090 class, etc, and the prices accordingly. Actually separates would be a better option. If this was one pair of Advents you could do fine with 40-50 Watts/channel.

 

[Bodyblue]

Big issues. A 3 something ohm load. And Advents like power, and reasonably high current power. In receivers, you're looking at something in the vintage monster class to do this reasonably well, as in Pioneer SX 1050-1280 class, Sansui 9090 class, etc, and the prices accordingly. Actually separates would be a better option. If this was one pair of Advents you could do fine with 40-50 Watts/channel.

Bingo. My set of recapped and refoamed/rebuilt Advents sound so much better with higher power receiver/amps. The lowest I run mine with is my Sansui G 5700 with its 75wpc. I also use my Marantz 16 or Sony 330ES. I started off a few years ago using 30 to 40 wpc receivers and they sounded fine. But the day I ran them with my Kenwood KR 8010 it was eye and ear opening. They can absorb a lot more power than I thought they could. More power really brings out that deep dark Advent sound that I love so much.....especially at lower volumes. I think they sound best with the Sony amp.

Modern power with vintage speakers in like new condition is really interesting.

 

[Adamo0926]

Big issues. A 3 something ohm load. And Advents like power, and reasonably high current power. In receivers, you're looking at something in the vintage monster class to do this reasonably well, as in Pioneer SX 1050-1280 class, Sansui 9090 class, etc, and the prices accordingly. Actually separates would be a better option. If this was one pair of Advents you could do fine with 40-50 Watts/channel.

I find that my 2 pairs of OLAs sound just as good (at least at lower to moderate levels) with my Marantz 2252B (52 wpc) as they do with my Yamaha CR-2020 (100 wpc) and maybe
even a slightly bit better. Now maybe if I listened at higher levels that would change significantly and I'm inclined to think it would.

They also sound great with my 65 wpc Pioneer SX-850, though almost everyone agrees that the power spec for the SX-850 is VERY conservatively rated.

And as I write this I am listening to them with my 60 WPC Sansui Eight, which many techs have said usually bench test at closer to 80 WPC. And they sound
sweet with this receiver as well

 

[Adamo0926]

Bingo. My set of recapped and refoamed/rebuilt Advents sound so much better with higher power recemps. The lowest I run mine with is my Sansui G 5700 with its 75wpc. I also use my Marantz 16 or Sony 330ES. I started off a few years ago using 30 to 40 wpc receivers and they sounded fine. But the day I ran them with my Kenwood KR 8010 it was eye and ear opening. They can absorb a lot more power than I thought they could. More power really brings out that deep dark Advent sound that I love so much.....especially at lower volumes. I think they sound best with the Sony amp.

Modern power with vintage speakers in like new condition is really interesting.

The two things I really like about my Advents are how open and airy the tweeters are. And then how deep the bass can sound but still remain tight and controlled.
Now if the Advents had the smoothness and detail in the mid-range like my ADS L730s or any of the ADS speakers......I would never have to listen to another pair of
speakers again.....

When you consider the price those speakers were back in the 70s, and you can still get them for not a lot of wampum, I think they represent the best dollar for dollar
value of any vintage speaker out there.

 

[Bodyblue]

The two things I really like about my Advents are how open and airy the tweeters are. And then how deep the bass can sound but still remain tight and controlled.
Now if the Advents had the smoothness and detail in the mid-range like my ADS L730s or any of the ADS speakers......I would never have to listen to another pair of
speakers again.....

When you consider the price those speakers were back in the 70s, and you can still get them for not a lot of wampum, I think they represent the best dollar for dollar
value of any vintage speaker out there.

Hard to argue too much with that.....there are some Realistic models out there like the Nova 7Bs and 8Bs that are incredible bang for the buck as well.....but prices are rising on them as well.

 

[Doug G.]

Hmm, much earlier on, I meant to suggest to the OP, but then, you know, didn't, that he feed the signal from his receiver's tape out jacks to a separate amp to power the Smaller Advents. Then he would always have the same program to both sets of speakers, only having to adjust volume levels.

Doug

 

[RTally]

Hmm, much earlier on, I meant to suggest to the OP, but then, you know, didn't, that he feed the signal from his receiver's tape out jacks to a separate amp to power the Smaller Advents. Then he would always have the same program to both sets of speakers, only having to adjust volume levels.

Doug

That is kinda how I have my garage system set up. I run a pair of OLA and Legacy II at the same time, each powered by their own amplifier.

I have a ChromeCast Audio feeding a Yamaha receiver that powers one pair of Advents.The receiver's preamp output is connected to an Adcom amp that powers the second pair of Advents. Fortunately, the Receiver and amp, in combination with the connected Advents, results in a good level match. I use the receiver to control volume and it works well for me.

 

[Phase700b]

I've run stacked pairs of Original Large Advents for quite a few years and still have them, but awaiting refoaming. The cabinets and grilles are next to new. I should do something with them or sell them.
Short story. . .I bought the first pair in 1972 and the second in 1974. I ran the single 1st pair on a SWTP UT-Mk2 (80 to 100 WPC) with a Dynaco PAT-4 preamp. Great combo.
When I got the 2nd pair in 1974, I also had my Phase Linear 400 and 2000 preamp combo. . . . so +225WPC capable. The Advents would sing on that set up. Later got my Phase Linear 700b and used also with a 2000 preamp.

I did drive the stacked Advents with smaller powered receivers like an old Kenwood, Marantz 2052b, and even an MCS 3237 receiver just to try. They also worked fine at low to moderate sound levels . . . although, I did not push them and more to just try and see how they would sound.

For a 2 pair of stacked Advent Large. . . . I think an amp or receiver capable of at least 80 to 150 WPC RMS ( capable of at least 2 to 4 ohms ) would be the minimum I would feel safe in using IMHO.
You could get by with less of an amp or receiver, but great care would be needed to keep supplied power levels low and insure things were not being stressed. YMMV.

 

[Phase700b]

I think an increase in good quality power is always a good thing, especially for certain speakers. I have 2 pairs of Original Large Advents that are stacked and wired in parallel.
I have driven them with the following 4 receivers. Marantz 2252B (52 wpc), Sansui Eight (60 wpc), Pioneer SX-850 (65 wpc) and a Yamaha CR-2020 (100 wpc). They sound great
with all 4 receivers but particularly good with the Yamaha and the Marantz.....so go figure, the two receivers on the opposite ends when it comes to power. Now I live in a condo
so I don't listen at prodigious levels.

There really is something magical about "stacked" Advents.....
- - - I never realized it until I got my 2nd pair of OLAs. I'm always on the lookout for great speakers. Have always
had a lusting for Martin Logan and Thiel. But I love the sound of these Advents so much (140.00 for one pair and 150.00 for the other) that I have this fear I could spend
2K on a pair of speakers and not like them more than my Advents.

+2 here on that. I loved the first pair of OLAs i got in 1972 and when I decided to get a 2nd set in 1974 for use on my Phase Linear 2000/400 preamp/power amp combo . . . . it was stunning. Playing a well recorded live or studio jazz or rock LP through them was like being there.
I would still be using them if they didn't need refoaming and also had more room. Now they are in the closet. Sometimes i would just like to bring them out to look at the cabinets !

 

[Adamo0926]

+2 here on that. I loved the first pair of OLAs i got in 1972 and when I decided to get a 2nd set in 1974 for use on my Phase Linear 2000/400 preamp/power amp combo . . . . it was stunning. Playing a well recorded live or studio jazz or rock LP through them was like being there.
I would still be using them if they didn't need refoaming and also had more room. Now they are in the closet. Sometimes i would just like to bring them out to look at the cabinets !

Here are a couple of pics of my stacked OLA setup.....

 

[Phase700b]

Here are a couple of pics of my stacked OLA setup.....View attachment 2347567 View attachment 2347568 View attachment 2347569

Now you quit that. .. just quit LOL.

I am envious. Man. . those are beauties. I would put them up as good or better than the B&W DM 603 S2 or DM640s I also have. . Actually, the stacked pair is like having a subwoofer system IMO. And with CLEAN bass.

Have you ever had anyone over to hear them and be intrigued and astounded at the sound delivered?
They can not only play loud, with with proper amp headroom they just are such a pleasure to listen to. Clean . . . smooth and natural, yet can also just deliver that clean low bass even at low listening levels. It's like you hear it and sometimes look around and wonder.. . .. " Is that coming from the Advents? ! "

Do you have them flipped. . so the tweeters are in the center? That sounded best as I recall.

 

[teal'c]

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/advent-nla-input-impedance-warning.830276/

 

[Adamo0926]

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/advent-nla-input-impedance-warning.830276/

All speakers dip to very very low impedances......the nominal impedance is the important measurement. The dip to very low impedance last only for literally milliseconds, not
enough to fry any amp rated for nominal impedances of 4 ohms.

 

[Adamo0926]

Now you quit that. .. just quit LOL.

I am envious. Man. . those are beauties. I would put them up as good or better than the B&W DM 603 S2 or DM640s I also have. . Actually, the stacked pair is like having a subwoofer system IMO. And with CLEAN bass.

Have you ever had anyone over to hear them and be intrigued and astounded at the sound delivered?
They can not only play loud, with with proper amp headroom they just are such a pleasure to listen to. Clean . . . smooth and natural, yet can also just deliver that clean low bass even at low listening levels. It's like you hear it and sometimes look around and wonder.. . .. " Is that coming from the Advents? ! "

Do you have them flipped. . so the tweeters are in the center? That sounded best as I recall.

Yes indeed.....the top OLAs are flipped upside down. I just moved the badges for a cleaner look. I had the speaker cloth redone on both pairs and used Howards Restor A Finish and Howards Feed N Wax on all four cabinets as well.

 

[Bodyblue]

Yes indeed.....the top OLAs are flipped upside down. I just moved the badges for a cleaner look. I had the speaker cloth redone on both pairs and used Howards Restor A Finish and Howards Feed N Wax on all four cabinets as well.

I recovered my grills with guitar amp cloth last year.