The Large Advent Speaker is easily one of the most popular and fondly remembered speakers of the mid 70's. Many wonderful records were played lovingly through their rich tweeters and full woofers and maybe you are remembering this time nostalgically. Well, whatever the case let's talk about what exactly the Large Advent Speaker was exactly.
In 1973, the Advent Company unveiled a new version of their current speaker line dubbed the Large Advent Loudspeaker. This Large Advent Speaker was similar to the earlier Advent models however it contained higher quality - or at least different quality - drivers and crossovers. The original woofer had what was called a Masonite frame - this was replaced in the Advent Speaker with a more standard metal frame. Also, the original style woofers had their places taken by new flush mounted tweeters. The newer tweeters were designed to handle more audio power but were overall similar to their predecessors.
MASONITE
So what was all the buzz about this Large Advent Speaker?
The manuals that would have come with a Large Advent Speaker described this new speaker was created to have a higher fidelity high end response in order to service the fidelity improvements of the 70's. Overall these speakers looked very similar to early Advent speakers despite the significant improvements "under the hood". There were a few noticeable differences with the Advent Speaker however. First, the beveled front on this new speaker was more rounded than previously. The front grill was made darker in almost a burlap color instead of the traditional Advent off white. The driver cut outs on the grills were made more rectangular.
Fans of the Large Advent Loudspeaker enjoy it for its high quality vintage sound. The bass response is incredible deep compared to other similar era speakers like the Dynaco A-25's. The midrange was described as creamy and clear however this is not the strongest audio range on the Advent Speaker. The high ends are clear and uncolored. Some audiophiles claim to hear a roll off around the 4k range. When comparing the Advent Loudspeakers audio qualities to modern day systems, it is clear that this is a vintage loudspeaker, but that is precisely the point. Many vintage audio fans find the Large Vintage Speaker to be one of the musically satisfying speakers they have ever heard.
How did the Advent Speaker look and sound?
As far as the looks of this speaker, it could be described a heavy or "bookshelf" speaker. They measure about 14" wide, 26" all and about a 12" deep. They weigh 40lbs each so you might want to find a friend when it comes time to move these bad boys! The woofer size on this speaker is 10 inches with a medium sized tweeter. In terms of the rear audio connections, the Large Advent Speaker was a bit behind the other speakers of its day. For instance, the Advent Loudspeaker does not accept banana plugs. Luckily, the high quality steel terminals are easy to screw and unscrew. Also, there is a three stage switch to adjust the tweeter volume level relative to the rest of the mix.
Overall, the Advent Loudspeaker is a retro audiophiles dream. The high power bass and easily listenable midrange will bring back memories of your favorite 70's grooves. Combine that with a slick and classic enclosure, the Large Advent Loudspeaker is satisfying whether the listener is engaged or just listening to background music. If you have a chance to pick up a Large Advent Loudspeaker at low cost, I would not wait, I would run!
The Large Advent Speakers
E.M. August is the owner of the Advent Speakers blog and an avid audio enthusiast.
MASONITE
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