The Advent Loudspeaker

[markus]

You mention issues with the woofer around 1 KHz, have you considered how the cavity formed between the grille frame and front baffle might be contributing? Poly fiber or wool in that space might help reduce the effect.

Pete B.

That sure worked for the little LS3/5a's . . .around the tweeters anyway

I've always wanted to construct the 'factory sized' enclosure, but flush mount the speakers, and do the 2 -3 inch roundover on the edges for additional advantages . . . TOO MANY PROJECTS !

 

[VinylHanger]

I'm not normally a speaker tweaker, but this thread has gotten me interested. I like the LA, but with solid state gear it is bettered very easily. With a Fisher 500-c, it is a pleasure to behold.

 

[Zilch]

I'm not normally a speaker tweaker, but this thread has gotten me interested. I like the LA, but with solid state gear it is bettered very easily.

I'll be getting back on these once I wrap up the Indignia project.

I observed elsewhere here that Indignias kick OLA butt; LAs need help transcending "Pretty good ordinary speaker" status, and E'Wave is showing substantial promise in accomplishing a significant measure of that.... :yes:

 

[Robie]

I'll be getting back on these once I wrap up the Indignia project.

I observed elsewhere here that Indignias kick OLA butt; LAs need help transcending "Pretty good ordinary speaker" status, and E'Wave is showing substantial promise in accomplishing a significant measure of that.... :yes:

Them are some pretty strong fightin' words, Zilch as Advents are generally universally revered. I had them for years and remember them fondly. However, I no longer have any.

That said, I believe it's possible that the "lowly" DIY Indignias might give Advents a pretty good run for the money. They really are uber over achievers. I'm wondering when (and if) they might finally catch on.

But I digress....

 

[Zilch]

Yah I need that!

I have it, and it's shown in my OLA cab in this thread.

[Gotta be QUICK on AK.... ]

Them are some pretty strong fightin' words, Zilch as Advents are generally universally revered. I had them for years and remember them fondly. However, I no longer have any.

It's not particularly difficult to figure out why Advents are popular on AK.

I have Indignias on the test stand right next to stock Original Advent Utilities here. Indignias have played continuously for a couple of months now.

The Bauhausler is modding a pair of Advent Utilities with the standard EconoWave presently, and we should know the results soon.

As you see in this thread, I'm using an 8" square PT waveguide in my chamfered-nose Large Advents.

There's no relativism practiced here. Stuff's either good in absolute terms or it's not; then it's history.... :

I believe it's possible that the "lowly" DIY Indignias might give Advents a pretty good run for the money. They really are uber over achievers. I'm wondering when (and if) they might finally catch on.

We're still "facilitating" Indignias for AK builders. We have a crossover board now, (I'm hoping Jack'll make those available soon,) and I'm talking with Dave about him working up a cab kit.... :yes:

 

[NOHDjunkie]

I've been reading this thread with personal interest for one reason. I have 2 pair of NLAs and I absolutely cannot stand the way they sound. I thought, a while back, that it was because I had not yet recapped them. I have since recapped them and my opinion is the same. My wife even makes the same comment I have about them. They are harsh and piercing to the ear. It makes little difference, IMO, which position the switch is placed. The sound is not sibilant or Ssssy. It is uncomfortably screechy. The bass is muted and not anywhere near boomy. I am very disappointed. I recently picked up and rehabbed a pair of L36s and I like the sound from them much better although they are a bit on the boomy side. My JBL LX600s are even better than the NLAs and the LXs are far from a great speaker, though fairly pleasing to listen to.

The recap was done because I thought the harshness was a product of bad caps. I even added a bypass cap to the equation thinking it would make a difference. I can hear little no difference between the before and after. I guess I'm one of the few that just don't really like the NLAs. I'm not one to try a redesign like Zilch is doing and since I am really quite pleased with my DCM collection and my JBLs I guess the Advents are probably out the door. Any opinions about my observations and feelings about NLAs would be appreciated.

Zilch, your attention to detail is incredible and, though I am one of the masses that don't mind a speaker with a bit of a bass boost and a receiver with a loudness button, I must say I appreciate your opinions and science work.

My impressions are exactly the same as Kingbubba....

I just spent about an hour listening to a pair of bullnose NLA's Me and a friend picked up on CL. They're in perfect shape cosmetically and have been refoamed in the last 5 years or so.

With the switch at normal..."Shrill" @ 1-2 khz is the description that comes to mind. knocked down 1db - 2db with EQ at 1k & 2.5k they sound better.

In the decrease position it's like having a blanket over your head..

With the tweeter switch in the Increase position... you'd have to be deaf to enjoy the sound.

This is after only an hours listening in one room with one amp. I'll try some different sources, amps, and rooms and see if I can make them sound any better....

After the hype of the advent loudspeakers.. my first impression of the NLA is not that great. In My Opinion. :yes:

 

[Zilch]

After the hype of the advent loudspeakers.. my first impression of the NLA is not that great. In My Opinion. :yes:

Member Pete B has designed a passive line-level wide-bandwidth notch filter to tame the mids, linked at Post #79.

He calls it "BSC" (Baffle Step Compensation,) but it's substantially more than merely that.... :yes:

 

[NOHDjunkie]

You own Cerwin Vegas and you call the Advents shrill. Geez. Advents are very revealing and sound lousy with lousy electronics.

Apparently you missed the caveat that this was in one room, with one amp and one source, and that I was planning on trying other combination's. I'm not writing them off. I was expecting a laidback high end like my AR 4x's I was pleasantly surprised with the high end of the NLA's at first....

On the other hand, with the same equipment in the same room, I have liked the following speakers very much.

Klipsch heresy

AR 4x

Infinity RS5001

Athena AS F2

Boston VR30 (a little bright)

Yamaha NS 555

Quad 22 L2

Quad 11 L2

Surely the Quads would qualify as VERY revealing speakers. so I don't think my equipment is the problem I'm hearing. And once again... Just my opinion.

And sure, I have D9's. I love them. I've heard other CV speakers that I found to be horrible... the ford pinto was a POS but I'd love a 65 mustang.

 

[Zilch]

C'mon guys, let's not get my Advent thread shut down. :nono:

I've still got more to post here....

 

[epifanatic]

maybe Perverted

Lmao!!!!

 

[NOHDjunkie]

I've still got more to post here....

Looking forward to it. I'd like to adjust the NLA's.

 

[Zilch]

Looking forward to it. I'd like to adjust the NLA's.

"Adjust" is certainly a kinder, gentler characterization of what I do.

[Let's go with that.... ]

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

C'mon guys, let's not get my Advent thread shut down. :nono: I've still got more to post here....

Anyone creating problems in this thread (or others) will have their posts removed and may find themselves on vacation if they don't stop.

 

[Puma Cat]

So, how did this project turn out? What became of the walnut Advents Zilch was working on?

What were the conclusions?

 

[Zilch]

Still in process, actually.

I got interrupted by more work on Indignias, a contentious exchange with another member regarding this project, prototyping E'Wave crossovers, testing 10 versions of Wayne's Pi-Speaker HF comp filter, LE8T-H in L44, the 6" square PT waveguide, verifying the LE14A E'Wave crossover, and KLH-17, which I'm about to wrap, all of which is documented in this forum.

This tells me I'm gonna give the Advents fairly high priority, though; they're VERY close:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1934896#post1934896

I've learned some stuff in all of that which will make for a better outcome, I believe.

The OLA Utilities are still here, but as soon as I can recap the second one and A/B them with these, they're going back to their owner.

The Bauhausler's work with E'Waving Utilities may alter that; we'll see.... :yes:

 

[macaltec]

 

[mikey5967]

I have to agree with the posters up above......the Advent speaker is simply not a good sounding speaker by 2008 standards.

I restored a pair of the original advents completely......and HATED the sound. they sounded 'wooly" on the low end and harsh on the tweeters, even with new crossovers. I'm not joking, they were unlistenable compared to todays $200 bookshelf speakers.

 

[RayW]

dont bother with old speakers if youre looking for the best sound from your components.

Don't get too excited there, Mikey. What's "best" for you might not be "best" for someone else. Sometimes nostalgia plays a big part. Sometimes people want a different kind of sound. Just because a speaker is more accurate doesn't mean that everyone is going to like it. Blanket statements are generally a bad idea.

I tend to like new speakers over vintage but I know plenty of folks who love their vintage stuff and would eat their own feet to keep from having to sell them. It's all up to the end user.

Ray

 

[Fran604g]

...I know plenty of folks who love their vintage stuff and would eat their own feet to keep from having to sell them. It's all up to the end user.

Ray

Guilty as charged

 

[mikey5967]

Sure, agreed, but my assumption is that you want the best sound you can get from your HI Fi rig. I guess some people dont, but thats ok too.

Sometimes its about vintage looks, which I understand also, but my Nirvana-Advents LOOK exactly like the old Advents, they just sound much better.