Advent Speakers... Need something decent to power them

[Hi Ho]

I am going to build a dedicated theater from scratch and that will be my main priority. However, in my living room I have a setup (my current "theater") consisting of two 1977 Advent Smaller Loudspeakers as front mains, Polk CS1 center, and Realistic Minimus-7's as surrounds. They really do sound good together especially when you consider the difference in age (1977-2004).

However, the Panasonic SA-HE100 receiver I have is simply not very good. The Advents are 4 OHM speakers and this receiver seems to have a hard time driving them along with the other speakers at the same time (duh). It just doesn't sound that great when playing at high volume levels. For music in 2 channel mode it sounds fine. The other problem with the receiver is the crossover only goes down to 100hz. That is far from ideal for this setup. My sub is a DIY unit (seen HERE, too lazy to veneer ) with an Ascendant Audio Atlas 12" driver and PartsExpress 250w plate amp tuned to 16hz.

As you can probably tell, I'm going to upgrade the receiver. Now, I need to know the best path to follow. With the 4 OHM speakers would it be best to go with just a receiver or a receiver with a 2 channel pro amp to drive the Advents? What pro amp would be good for this purpose? I would like to keep costs as low as possible. I have been eyeing the following combonation; Yamaha HTR-5860 + Crown XLS-202. Are there better values than the Crown amp? Is the sound processing and preout quality on the Yamaha decent? I would appreciate some opinions.

 

[Nick250]

IMO you will get a much better improvement in your sound by putting your money in speakers. Back in the 70's I owned both the smaller Advents and the original (big) Advents and even with my stereo 30 watt amp the big ones sounded another magitude better than the small ones, hugh. You can probably get a 10% (if that) improvement with a better amp but get a 90% improvement with better speakers even in the $300 range. Build your system around your speakers, not the other way around. IMO of course.

 

[PENG]

I agree with Nick, your Panasonic will do fine with a pair of 8 ohm $300 modern speakers.

 

[Hi Ho]

I really like the sound of these Advents. They are just great. I have always heard nothing but praise for them from others as well. This is the first time a speaker upgrade has been suggested.

What was wrong with your Smaller Advents? Mine sound excellent with very smooth highs, strong mids and bass. I really haven't heard anything that I would want to replace them with.

In my dedicated theater I will be building the speakers. I will probably use the Madisound AR.com kit. However, I don't want to give up the Advents in the living room. They really are great sounding speakers.

 

[PENG]

Like the older AR speakers, I believe those little Advents are not only 4 ohms but are acoustic suspension type. If so, they could be quite inefficient and would be difficult to drive unless you get an external amp. Since they are 1977 vintage, it may be time to upgrade to say, later Advent models.

 

[Jason Coleman]

I actually still have a pair of my Baby Advent speakers (bookshelf style) and those speakers are so inefficient and difficult to drive that I'd overheat my old AVR in 2-channel mode. They really did sound nice, until I upgraded to a pair of Paradigm Titans...same size...really nice price...very efficient and easy to drive. I totally agree with the previous posts that if you're really going to build a system, you need to do it around a very good pair of speakers. They will often outcost your AVR by 2 or 3 times, depending on your usage (music vs HD/DVD/etc), but it's really the most important link in the chain. You need to retire those Advents to the basement (because they're sleepy) and get a decent pair of modern speakers (no disrespect intended) to build a respectable system around. Check out Paradigm...they have everything from their Atoms at $189/pr to their Signature S8 at $6000/pr. Nice subwoofers, too.

J.

 

[Hi Ho]

I believe I am being misunderstood. The Advents will not be used in the dedicated theater system. There, I am building all new speakers.

The Advents will be in the living room and used for music and TV. They may be inefficient but they sound excellent. Have any of you heard these speakers driven with adequate amplification? If not, you probably don't know just how good they sound.

 

[PENG]

Have any of you heard these speakers driven with adequate amplification? If not, you probably don't know just how good they sound.

I have, cannot remember the model number but they were small book shelf type. I am pretty sure, though not 100%, they are of the inherently inefficient acoustic suspension type. They did sound good, similar to my older AR7. Which model do you have, are they acoustic (air) suspension type?

I used to think my Energy 22 Ref Connoisseur (top of the line in the 80's) must sound better than most new speakers below the $2000 mark, until I compared it side by side with a pair of cheap Polk Audio RTi38. Then I bought a pair of Energy Veritas and the improvements over the Energy is significant.

My point is, it does not hurt to find out how those 1977 speakers compare to more up to date models. If the 1977 Advent sound better to you in comparison (A/B them if possible), then go and spend your money on a 4 ohm capable amplifier. You can get a couple of Outlaw monoblocks or a used Adcom GFA 2Ch amps for a few hundred dollars.

 

[Nick250]

If you are that happy with the Advants NAD has a reputation for nicely driving 4 ohm speakers. What is your budget for your new receiver?

 

[Hi Ho]

I don't want to spend to much on a new receiver for the living room since I am focusing on the dedicated theater. I was thinking of a Yamaha HTR-5860 along with an amp such as a Crown XLS-202 or similar.

The Advents don't have a model number really. They are called the "Advent Smaller Loudspeaker". They are acoustic suspension. HERE is a picture.

When comparing them to my center speaker, a Polk Reference Series CS1, I still like the Advents better. The Polk is a bit bright. They do mix decently for movies and that is why I chose the Polk.

 

[aspaceintime]

I still have my "Large Advents" and like the sound, even after nearly 30 years of use they are still hanging in there. I still power them with the Yamaha 2500...for now. I have the itch to buy some new speakers and an amp to go with..,.

 

[BostonMark]

I have a pair of Advent Legacies (acoustic suspension 2 way with 10" woofer). They sounded fantastic when I had my old Yamaha 150 w/ch stereo integrated amp. I didn't get rid of them, but when I went to surround sound home theater, I upgraded to Polk Audio. I like the imaging a lot better on the Polks. I never did get rid of the Advents though, and they may yet find a new place somewhere. They are 20 years old too! They were the heart of my first serious hi fi.