Newbie question re: Advent

[Guest T Mandrekar]

Hi. I am new to forum.

I am interested to understand better how speakers work but know nothing so expect to spend time learning.

Had few basic questions:

Background:

I run 5-channel surround system for movies with Advent LegacyII FL/FR, Advent Baby RL/RR, CSM Newton MC500 C. Bought CSM MC500 because CSM has center channel derivative of Kloss acoustic suspension. Hoped was somewhat similar to my Advents. Started CSM with center stage and kept upgrading until settled on Mc500 because was the least bad dialogue reproduction. Still doesn't seem as clear sound as my Advents or particularly well matched to them.

My Advent LegacyII are having woofers refoamed. I am relying on my Advent Baby speakers for FL/FR channels now and still the CSM Newton doesn't sound very clear, spacious in comparison to these-- All CSM center sound to me muddled, less clear than the Advents.

I found guy on Craigs List who lives in SF bay area who loves speakers and sells classic speakers. He has a friend doing my refoaming. He has many classic KLH, AR, and Advents in his garage in San Jose. I am thinking seriously about trying to make a center channel speaker either by putting Advent components in new enclosure of same volume and filled with same filler material and using normal metal (like NuMetal) cage to block magnetic field or trying to find magnetically shielded woofer, tweater similar in spec to advent component and use Advent crossover, enclosure to build center channel.

Questions:

1. Is matching of FL, FR, and C channels more associated with woofer or tweater if looking at acoustic suspension including Advent and other products with Kloss's strong inputs.

2. Anybody know what material that yellow fiberglass looking stuff is inside speakers like Advent Legacy II? Where to buy? How much does this change effective volume of air spring for enclosure in acoustic suspension?

3. I am trying to decide whether to stay with my present Acoustic Suspension system or moving to a modern value system (2-way bookshelfs from BA, PSB, Paradigm, Athena, Energy, Wharfdale, Lin)+ sub from major brand+Hsu. It seems that modern designers of dome tweater+cone woofer 2-ways, 3-ways seem to be ALL base reflex. Since this trend appears to be industry-wide (even more modern CSM speakers which are derivative of Kloss speakers adopt bass-reflex as well), when was this realization made and how? Anybody know? I have seen some article on internet of dB roll off with octaves below ported frequency vs. same with acoustic suspension (sealed enclosure) but article did not say what the industry decided and why-- article was related to subwoofer design and related to tradeoffs there.

4. When A/B testing speakers with different frequency response how to adjust volume to match output and make truer comparison? How to do this when only replacing 1-2 speakers in 5 channel system.

5. If the sound from Advent Legacy II and Advent Baby sounds more lifelike, less damped (maybe less distorted) than my center channel CSW Newton MC500 is there anything I could change on CSW (woofer, tweater) that would make it sound more consistent with my Advent LegacyII FL, FR or the Advent Baby (already biwiring which made sound less bad).

6. If I want to use subwoofer along with Advent LegacyII or Baby speakers, which will be more accurate if only dealing with 80Hz+? 7. Does magnetic shielding affect appreciably the function of woofer and tweater or not? How is magnetic shielding typically achieved in commercially avaialable center channel speaker?0

Thanks for any inputs.

[Guest T Mandrekar]

Just to correct inaccurate statement before some good Samaritan chews me out. NuMetal is not a normal metal, is ferromagnetic material with high permeabiity like MuMetal?

[real1shepherd]

"Had few basic questions:

Background:

I run 5-channel surround system for movies with Advent LegacyII FL/FR, Advent Baby RL/RR, CSM Newton MC500 C. Bought CSM MC500 because CSM has center channel derivative of Kloss acoustic suspension. Hoped was somewhat similar to my Advents. Started CSM with center stage and kept upgrading until settled on Mc500 because was the least bad dialogue reproduction. Still doesn't seem as clear sound as my Advents or particularly well matched to them.

My Advent LegacyII are having woofers refoamed. I am relying on my Advent Baby speakers for FL/FR channels now and still the CSM Newton doesn't sound very clear, spacious in comparison to these-- All CSM center sound to me muddled, less clear than the Advents.

I found guy on Craigs List who lives in SF bay area who loves speakers and sells classic speakers. He has a friend doing my refoaming. He has many classic KLH, AR, and Advents in his garage in San Jose. I am thinking seriously about trying to make a center channel speaker either by putting Advent components in new enclosure of same volume and filled with same filler material and using normal metal (like NuMetal) cage to block magnetic field or trying to find magnetically shielded woofer, tweater similar in spec to advent component and use Advent crossover, enclosure to build center channel."

I don't want to speak for the other guys, but modern surround sound systems are quite a different 'animal' than basic stereo reproduction, even though some of us are using 'double' and even 'triple' speaker systems for music reproduction. There are forums just devoted to surround sound with 'center' channel' discussions/issues. It would not surprise me if some of the older acoustic suspension systems do well or better than the modern trash that's being made today for 'surround sound'. It seems like a lot of dudes are searching ebay and the thrift shops of America for older speakers to fit the bill in these modern systems. Maybe you'll have some answers show up here, but my interests lie elsewhere.