Note: This review is of the ORIGINAL Large Advent Loudspeaker that came out in 1969. In 1973, Advent released a new loudspeaker called simply the New Large Advent Loudspeaker. I will post my comments about THAT speaker at the bottom of this review. The picture and model number shown above have nothing to do with the speaker reviewed here. A glitch at Epinions's website has caused this review to be "mis-categorized." Good pictures of the Original Large Advent Loudspeaker can be found by searching "Advent Loudspeaker" on Google Images.

The Review.

The Large Advents were among the most respected loudspeakers of the 1970s. Relatively large acoustic suspension speakers, they were known for their flat frequency response and remarkable bass response.

Advent Corporation was founded by Henry Kloss (the "K" in "KLH"), a well-known speaker designer who had worked for AR and KLH, and was later to help found Cambridge Soundworks, a company that is still thriving, so far as I know.

The Large Advents rivaled such classics as the AR-3as, AR-2 axs, and Dynaco A-25s, and received good reviews from respected publications like Stereophile.

A friend of mine had Small Advents back in high school days, and they sounded comparable in overall quality to my beloved Dynaco A-25s. But I didn't get to hear that many Large Advents.

Recently, I acquired a pair of Large Advents in need of cosmetic repair and new woofers. I got to work sanding down the hideous black paint someone had covered the veneer with and came up with a pair of re-foamed woofers within a couple of weeks.

Once I dropped in a new pair of woofers, I decided to give my Large Advents a listen.

I should mention that these are some large and heavy "bookshelf" speakers. They are about 26" high, 14" wide, and 12" deep, and they must weigh about 40 lbs each. I couldn't carry them around on one arm as I could my Dynaco A-25s.

The Advents do not have the convenient hook up terminals of the Dynaco A-25s that allow you to use banana plugs, but they do have high quality metal terminals that screw in and out easily with thumb and index finger. They also have a three position toggle switch to adjust relative tweeter level.

My first impression of the sound of the Advents (on stands, two feet into the room, tweeter controls set in the middle position) was that they sounded...like Dynaco A-25s! The sound was smooth overall and well-balanced, without any noticeable peaks or suckouts.

As I listened more, I realized that these things have unbelievable bass response. Even with my subwoofer turned off, these things can crank out bass that is both tight and deep. Very impressive. The Dynaco A-25s were relatively tight in the mid-bass, but they did not go nearly as deep as the Advents.

Continued listening confirmed my initial impressions: above 150 hz or so, the overall balance of the Large Advents was similar to my A-25s, with a smooth midrange and lower treble and a roll-off in the extreme trebles. The overall sound errs in the direction of the relaxed and mellow, not "in your face."

Once my initial impressions were formed, I started listening more closely using my "standard" material.

On Bach organ recordings, the Advents were fantastic. They go much deeper than Klipsch Heresys or my Dynaco A-25s (and perhaps deeper than my reference Cambridge Soundworks Towers with the sub- turned off), and the relatively mellow high frequency presentation, coupled with the tremendous deep bass, provided a wonderful experience.

On rock music, the tight and deep bass response of the Advents was again a plus, as was their good dynamic range. The Bare Naked Ladies's Stunt CD sounded effortless and the Advents' excellent bass provided a solid foundation to the music.

On Miles Davis's jazz classic, Kind of Blue, the sound was relaxed and realistic, but the music was not "in the room" quite as much as it had been with Klipsch Heresys or even my Dynaco A-25s, which share the Advents' laid-back presentation. The bass was prominent, but it did not intrude on the music. Miles's horn was pleasant but a tad lacking in bite. I found myself slightly preferring both the Klipsch Heresys and the Dynacos A-25s on this classic jazz CD.

On classical music (other than organ) from my local radio station, the Advents sounded good, but I sometimes did not find the music quite as emotionally involving as I had with Dynaco A-25s or the Klipsch Heresys. Deep bass tones and tympani were presented with tremendous visceral impact, but something was missing. It wasn't imaging--the Advents did a good job of presenting the music behind the plane of the speakers--it was just one of those intangibles. The voice of the announcer was also noticeably bass-heavy--more so than with the Klipsch Heresys, Dynaco A-25s (or A-35s) or my (also Henry Kloss-designed) Cambridge Soundworks Towers.

On bluegrass music (Alison Krauss with Union Station, King Wilke, Dixie Chicks, James King) the Advents sounded good, but I'd have to give the nod to my Cambridge Soundworks Towers and the Klipsch Heresys over both the Advents and my Dynaco A-25s. Although the Klipsches and my Towers differ in their presentation (the Klipsches are forward and "in the room"; the Cambridge Soundworks Towers are relaxed and laid back, sometimes too much so), both provided a bit more treble detail than the Large Advents. The Dynaco A-25s were comparable to the Large Advents, providing a fairly relaxed and neutral presentation, but robbing acoustic instruments of that last degree of realism and presence.

On Govi's New Age guitar CD, Seventh Heaven, the Advents sounded good, but their warmth and bass-heaviness seemed to detract a bit from the guitar's delicacy, and the music was a bit less involving than it had been with the Klipsches or the Dynaco A-25s.

On Gordon Lightfoot's Summer Side of Life, the Large Advents sounded really nice. Lightfoot's voice was full and manly, as I like it, and the bass guitar notes provided a nice foundation to the music. Guitars didn't have the last degree of air or realism, but they sounded smooth and well-integrated with the rest of the music. Some might say that Lightfoot's voice sounds a bit too "chesty" through Advents (it sounded fuller than with the Klipsches, Dynacos or Cambridges), but the effect was pleasing. Some audiophile speakers (I think of the Meadowlark Kestrels as I write) make male vocals sound too "wimpy," and I can't tolerate that. If the Advents err it's in the opposite direction, and on male vocals, that's OK with me.

Overall, the Large Advents are excellent speakers. Remember that the speakers I'm comparing them with for this review, the Klipsch Heresys, the Dynaco A-25s, and the Cambridge Soundworks Towers, are among the best out there in their respective price ranges.

I find it interesting that different speakers sounded best with different kids of music. The Large Advents sounded best on music with a lot of deep bass or music with a need for good dynamic range. But their (to me) exaggerated bass response sometimes detracted my enjoyment of music where delicacy is called for.

Conversely, the Dynacos seemed to fare better on smaller scale music like acoustic guitar or small scale jazz. The Klipsch Heresys were good on many different kinds of music, but their presentation is more "in your face," and they have NO deep bass to speak of. My references, Cambridge Soundworks Towers, sound good on a wide variety of music, but their bi-polar radiation pattern and mellow overall balance means that the music is sometimes a bit TOO relaxed and distant.

Overall, I'd say the Large Advents are worth a listen if you're looking to build a high quality retro system, or if you're just looking for something you can hook up to a decent receiver or amplifier and not worry about for years.

What got me into all of these retro speakers was the fact that I love working with wood. Large Advents came in two different models in the early 1970s (prior to the introduction of the New Large Advent): the real wood version with rounded front corners, and the vinyl-wood version with squared front corners. The real wood Advents have really nice quality wood veneer (probably walnut), and look like Acoustic Research or Dynaco speakers when restored. If you appreciate nice wood, check out a pair of well-restored real wood Large Advents. They can be quite beautiful.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the woofer surrounds of Large Advents were made of foam which deteriorates over time. Many of the Large Advents available on Ebay will need a woofer "refoam job." If you're considering buying on Ebay, I'd try to buy from someone like "gkentsmithjr," an Ebayer who knows Advents and does his own refoams on the Advents he sells (if they need it).

A final note: all of my listening was done with the Advents' three-position tweeter controls in the "neutral" position. An Advent-lover friend of mine tells me that the Advents actually sound best with these controls in the "plus" position. So the possibility exists that the Advents can sound even better (more open and airy) than what I heard. If I get a chance to listen more, I'll let you know what I find.

To conclude, Large Advents were among the best large acoustic suspension speakers of the 1970s. If you want speakers with excellent bass, good dynamic range, and a warmish tonal balance, see what's out there on Ebay or Craigslist in your area.

Well worth a listen.

Addendum: The New Large Advent.

In 1973, citing improvements in the state of the art in record sound quality, Advent released a newer version of the Large Advent Loudspeaker. Called simply the New Large Advent Loudspeaker, it was similar to the original, but with slightly different drivers and a different crossover.

High frequencies were said to be more extended, and the bass, while still strong, was not quite as overbearing as with the earlier version.

I recently had a chance to restore and listen to a pair of New Large Advents and my impressions were extremely favorable. In fact, I think I'm going to find myself a pair.

The most obvious difference between the New Large Advent and the Original Large Advent was that the highs were more extended with the newer version. The speaker sounded generally more alive, with better imaging and presence.

The second most obvious difference was that the bass of the newer model was less boomy. Deep bass was still fantastic, but radio announcers and male vocalists sounded more realistic and less "chesty."

Finally, for me at least, the emotion of the music came through better with the newer version. I found myself getting into the music itself, and not really noticing the loudspeakers. That may be the best compliment of all.

How can you tell the new version from the old visually? If you remove the grilles, the woofers of the newer version are mounted closer to the tweeter. Also, the frames that hold the woofers of newer version into the front baffle look more like metal. On the older version, they look like particle board, though I gather they are some kind of strong material. The tweeters of the new version are flush-mounted, not raised up as on the older version. The cabinets of the real wood versions are also different. On the older version, there is a beveled front which resolves into a flat surface, maybe 3 mm wide, before the front meets each of the sides (and the top and bottom). On the newer version, there is a more gradual rounding where the front meets the sides (and the top and bottom).

Happy Listening!

New Large Advent Review (with picture):

http://www99.epinions.com/content_411298795140

Original Large Advent Picture:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/storage/9/605456/Grills_off.JPG

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 200