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Advent model history..........


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Is anyone here knowledgeable enough about Advent to post a model history of the Cambridge years? There are a couple of smaller models in particular from the last years (models 3, 4, 2w for example, if I recall correctly) I never see mentioned or discussed.

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Guest rickcee

Hi I'll give it a try - This is NOT personal knowledge from working at Advent or anything. From a couple old magazines : 1. The original (large) Advent from about '70 -first mag. tests Mar. '70 stereo rev. and a year or two later the 'smaller' Advent - see brochure in the other section. 2. The first redesign was tested in '78 - from the "Stereo/HiFi Equipment '78 " is listed : New Advent (second gen. large-with rounded moulding instead of angled, and a revised higher output tweeter. still special Advent design. ) Also listed in this '78 review - thesmall Advent (orig. 'small.) and the "Advent/3 -16" x 10" ($54. ) and the "Advent 2 - 19" x 11" ($80. white plastic cab. ! ) Plus a version of the 'new Advent' with built in amplifier in a larger cab. From the 1982 "stereo directory & buying guide" listed :the 'powered Advent" same as '78 (28 " x14" , rounded front moulding.) and - model 5012 - ($250.) -looks like the 2nd gen. model but with a new 1" dome tweet and higher crossover (1800 ) plus the mod. 5002 wich is same as the 5012 but vinyl finish ( 'replace 'large Advent' -still 26 " x 14") plus the mod. 4002 ($170.)- which apparently replaced the orig. 'small' - 22" x 13" plus the mod. 3002 which is listed as $130. and 20" x 12" and - the mod. 2002 $110. - 18" x 11" - cone tweet with 3000 hz crossover. these were from the '82 buyers guide stereo rev. Sorry i don't think I can put this in a n easier to read form - last, from the 1988 Stereo Rev. 'equipment buying guide' listed are : Advent Maestro - a large triangular (sort of) 3 way -Advents most advanced speaker ever - 33" x 16 " $700. pr. Advent woofer, 2 " cone/dome mid (larger version of original Advent 'rolled dome' tweeter ? ) plus 1" tweet. Also - Advent Legacy - their first tower type ? 28" x 16" 10" bass, 1" dome tweet. black textured vinyl. $400. pr. and the 'baby Advent - 6" bass, 2" cone tweet, 16 " x 11" , $200. pr. This is from '88. Last 'equipment guide' I have - and there may have been models inbetween. probably not. Later was there a 'Legacy 2 ? and in mid '90's - nice looking tower speakers - the Advent Laureate ($550. pr) 32 " x9" - two 6" bass plus 1" dome, 3000 crossover pecan veneer front, black vinyl sides and the larger similar style Advent Heritage - two 8" bass, 1'' tweet. Also the 'Baby Advent III. maybe a year befor`e this - quick review in the May '93 'Stereophile" was an 'Advent 25 th anniver. model. ' which seems to be a very close copy of the Advent 5012 (3rd gen. 'large' with 1" dome tweet , rounded front moulding, good veneer. ) J&R in NYC sold them for $300. pr. ! Finally - Stereo Rev. buyers guide 1997 lists the Advent Heritage - not the previous model. this has a single 8" bass, tuned port. ($375. 37" x 10") mostly black vinyl with a small pecan decorative piece. also - the Amber - 8" bass, (tuned port) 16" x 11", $350. pr. , The Ruby - 6 " bass, 15" x 9" , $250. pr. both black with small front pecan wood accent piece. also listed are the now universal home theater models. I think that probably covers most models. given that I only saved magazines about 3 -4 years apart. again sorry about the not organized format. I doubt a chart would have transferred. ? ? Rick

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Guest rickcee

Hi the usual correction /addition - the 'powered Advent' apparently was first produced with the 'real Advent' rolled cone/ dome tweeter - the 2 nd gen. higher output version. (from a mag. test 1978) with crossover @ 1500. Built in amp was 80 watt for bass, and seperate 80 watt for tweet , tested response was +- 4 db from 30 hz -14,000 (excel. even today. or is that way better than today ?) Later the powered Advent apparently got the 1" dome tweet used in the 5012 model. probably ownership change, loss of the 'real Advent' tweeter ? ? second addition - I left out the Advent 1 model which replaced the orig. 'small Advent' but still had the real Advent rolled dome tweet. anyway

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By '79 the orange dome tweeters were already a dated design. Studio people weren't thrilled with them and they couldn't take the power off the internal amp. Advent bought a soft poly dome tweeter from a European supplier [either Peerless or Phillips, never have been able to pin down which] and used an adapter plate to fit it in the oversized stock cutout. These tweeters sounded better, and with a more modern voice coil design, were able to take the power of the built-in amp.

By the next model year...POOF...we start seeing Advent's own version of this poly dome tweeter in all their models.

As far as the frequency response, remember that you are looking at a bi-amped speaker with an electronic crossover. By tweaking the electronics you can get a "flat" response from most any reasonable driver combination. All but a few of the very best powered monitors have EQ curves built into the amps to flatten them out. This can also be done with passive crossovers, but the designs can get very complex and all the added components can easily lead to more signal loss and distortion.

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Yes, I was going to mention the omission of the Advent/1, as I own a pair myself. Does anyone know the dates of the Advent/1 model run? I've heard conflicting information. There was also the Advent/2w (wide dispersion), an odd model styled and sized like "Smaller Advents", but with a set of matched, angled tweeters (I don't have ant info on the model run, other than the fact that it was the 70's). As of today, you can view a picture of a pair on Ebay. Besides, of course, the Baby Advents 1 and 11, if anyone else can fill in any other holes, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it.

Also, I was under the impression the "New Advent" came out around 76. Maybe it was the review that came out in 78, and they hadn't gotten around to testing them till then. Could someone clarify?

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Advent One is a "New Large Advent" sans the level control switch, made from about 1978-1980, after which models were called the 4002/ 5002/ and 5012. Same woofer but the new poly tweeter, beyond that just slight cabinet and crossover changes.

The Advent 2 was an odd critter, came in two cabinet versions, one wood and one white plastic/ fiberglass. The woofer was built on the Samller Advent frame, same magnet and coil, but the cone was much smaller and higher resonance. It had to use an adapter ring like the old Large Advent woofers because the cone was too small for the frame.

Tweeters were small paper cone units, used mainly to save money [much cheaper to make than the dome tweeters]. These were only made for a few years then replaced with the "Baby" series which lasted through three versions.

The Advent 3 was a still smaller version of the 2, with a roughly 5.25" woofer and single cone tweeter, later replaced by the "Mini" series speakers.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello - I've recently tested the amp sections of the Powered Advent from the 70's. The results may be of interest to some here:

The woofer section is flat up to the 12db/oct rolloff at about 4500hz. The lower end can be boosted up to 6db at 30hz if desired. You can also throw in a 6db/oct rumble filter below 20hz if desired.

The tweeter section rolls off below about 4500 too, first at 6db/oct, then going to 12 db/oct. below about 1500. I've not yet tested the Drivers to see what they are doing acoustically, but clearly the electrical crossover is much higher than the original Advent passive crossovers.

If the woofers have a gradually falling high end (not hard to imagine with that heavy cone & a ten inch diameter!), and if the tweeter response actually rises below 5000 down to it's resonance, then the actual "acoustic" crossover could be lower than 4500, maybe even match that of the original design - or the 1500hz published. If this proves the case it could explain why this design had apparently better "highs" than the passive models with the same drivers. The tweeters would have been basically flattened electronically and boosted in amplitude....and the bass improved in depth by the added boost on the low end.

I'll test the drivers soon with the original passive xover as well, and make the curves available on this site if anyone is interested.

I had double Advents in the 70s - I loved the smooth extended bass, wide soundstage and realistic string tone. I then used the woofers as subs for years after and am going to go back now & rebuild them as triple or quad-advent systems. The powered advents were amazing with their dynamics - the crossovers could be helpful to those of us wanting to duplicate or experiment with the designs nowadays.

Happy Holidays to all!

Bill

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  • 17 years later...

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