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Anyone ever built new double (stacked) Advent cabinets?


Guest NewVintageNut

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Guest NewVintageNut

I have two sets of Advents, one set of New Large in the walnut and a set of Advent/1's in walnut vinyl. I have stacked these together and they sound great but don't look very good. The real walnut ones were treated very poorly by the previous owner, scratches and chips out of the veneer and water marks on the tops. The Advent/1's are in much better shape but not perfect by any strech.

I'm wondering if anyone has built a single cabinet to house two sets of drivers, as if in a stacked configuration? Plans or suggestions? Materials to use? Originals were particle board but I wonder if MDF wouldn't give better results? Can I make new crossovers that combine the drivers inside the cabinet? One input on the back and one crossover network that feeds both woofers and both tweeters. How to duplicate the effect of the double layer cloth grill too but with new material?

Lots of questions I know but if I am going to keep them they have to look better than they do now. The wife sure doesn't like the look of them the way they are now.

TIA,

Bryan

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Guest rickcee

Yep someone in a previous Advent post or two had pics of his . . . the 'double advent' was , when they were in production, a sort of low cost, high end system. Review and sales brochure in other section . . .

just one technical point - the Advent one has a (i think. atleast the original small advent did) 4 ohm speaker while large advents were 8 ohm. I don't have a clue how they'd be combined as far as one crossover . . .and bass modified for smaller cabinet. Rick

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Guest russwollman

...is one possibility. It's surprising what even a rough old cabinet can look like after a little work.

You can cement wood veneer directly over the vinyl cladding of the Advent/1. Juts rough the surface up with sandpaper and spread contact cement evenly on the veneer and the speaker itself. I did this with some Smaller Advents using white birch and finished them with Watco Danish Oil finish in neutral, which has no color of its own and only slightly darkens the veneer, as most clear finishes do. Then I went to a fabric store and bought some new goods to recover the fronts.They're beautiful, different and more elegant than the factory's offering, and they may be the most beautiful Smaller Advents on this planet.

If you want more information about the process, let me know.

You can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I've been doing it for years.

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Guest rickcee

Hi two points

Possible correction - I went back and read mag. test of Advent 1 - apparently 8 ohms, with same actuall speakers as the second gen.'large'. This is different than the original 'small' which had modifed parts. so probably ( if mag. test was accurate) mix and max and combine would be no problem.

2. veneer - totally sounds like great idea. I hate vinyl cabs - elitist that I am, I won't have vinyl coffee table, bookshelves, OR speakers. How do you get good, tight, non peeling/ splintering corners ? ?

not that I'm actually going to do anything myself. all my spks have real veneer. Well, the Dynas need help. And the AR 302 are only a few years old, but the veneer (Cherry ?) finish is super bland. no grain at all. I'd sorta like to put nice veneer on them. is real walnut now an endangered species ? would not want to do that, if so. another similar type? teak ?

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Guest russwollman

Rick, I veneered my Small Advents with white birch, far less costly than walnut. But there are others available. Pecan is nice and well-priced, at least at the local lumber yard.

I veneered the large exterior surfaces first, then the inner edge within which the grille rests, saving the very outer edge of the box for last, like a cap. Doing it this way, the seams are not so noticeable in front view since the "cap" covers the other edges.

It takes some very careful measuring, however, to mitre the "caps" so the work looks authentic.

I trimmed all the edges with a regular utility knife with plenty of sharp blades as I needed them. So where two pieces of veneer meet, the look is not perfect. One has to overlap the other. I don't know how to get a mitre cut on veneer and how the factories do it, I don't know. But you can smooth the look of the edges with some fine sandpaper used carefully.

Remember this: the modern eye has been relatively spoiled by the precise and uniform results only mass production can deliver. Enjoy the process of creating your own one-of-a-kind result.

If you want to know more from me, I'll be happy to help you.

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