Advent/1s in a LARGE ROOM

[Pete B]

I bought a pair of Advent/1's to refoam and use the original woofers in another system - the price was right. I actually like the Advent/1 better than the old Small Advent, I think it is a better compromise.

The cabinets are a bit banged up and I've been wanting a pair of speakers for the robotics lab at work. I replaced the caps, put a not so perfectly redone pair of metal frame woofers in them and brought them into work. Our lab is large, I set them up on stands out from the wall and at one end along the long wall. There are some pictures of the lab here, sorry none yet of the speakers:

http://members.aol.com/basconsultants/BOTSFORSALE.html

A very large room obviously has longer delay that better matches what is heard in a concert hall. The LF room modes are also pushed lower and can sometimes help reinforce the low bass. The sound is impressive, the sweet reverberation is certainly helping.

This is simply for background music, not any sort of ultimate system.

Took the sound card output from a PC into a power amp.

It is obvious that the Advents provide "Hi-Fi" sound, damn good "Hi-Fi" sound, however the sound does not provide an illusion of real music as well as the best systems do. Vocals are often harsh, clapping has an unnatural quality, and the attack and decay of piano is also unnatural, a "plinky" sound on recordings that sound better on other systems.

I added the simple prototype BSC circuit and it is a significant improvement:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/dcbo...ing_type=search

[Horswispr]

I am refinishing a pair of New Advents for a local retro audiophile and really like the sound. Someone said they are similar to the Advent/1s in sound but I have not heard the 1s. These New Advents have more high frequency energy than the originals and sound remarkably neutral in my medium sized listening room. They may be a bit warmer than my beloved Dynacos. I like them more than the original Large Advents. That's about all I can say at this point.

[Guest IReilly]

My understanding is that the Advent/1 uses the same drivers as the New Advent but in a smaller cabinet.

I have a pair of Advent/1's that I'm trying to make functional, including refoaming.

A shame that the Advent/1's still show perceptable differences from The Real Thing, but, then, when you consider the price....

Another factor may be in the recording...there are such large differences between recordings that there may be one recording that perfectly compensates for anomolies in a system with the Advents in it, and the result.....perfection! Bliss!

[Guest IReilly]

Well, I got my Advent/1's re-foamed after several trials and tribulations, including a severed voice coil on one original woofer, and a vendor for good, low-cost surrounds going dead.

The verdict on them: they're quite bright. It's not a nasty, harsh brightness, but I still prefer a mellower sound, especially after listening to some live classical music, free from extensive electronic amplication (I HOPE!). I was hoping for "mellow" and got one of the brightest speakers in my motly collection.

So, what I hear seems to square with much of what Pete B has observed. The BSC circuit is therefore intriguing. It looks like it's designed to be inserted between a pre and power amp. I'd guess that it could be inserted into any line level in/out, like a tape loop. Right now, all I do is attenuate the treble by 2 to 4, or even 6 dB (with 2 kHz turnover); crude but effective.

The problem is that the BSC circuit diagram in the referenced thread is too sketchy for my level of expertise. And a photo of the little gizmo would be very nice, even though it looks like a couple capacitors and resistors soldered together.

I'm still convinced that within these little "banshees" is a really nice speaker struggling to get out.

As for the "perfect recording" I am now enthusiastic about pianist Angela Hewitt's recordings on the Hyperion label. I got the Couperin CD a while ago, and for Christmas, a recording of Bach pieces.

[Pete B]

Sorry, I missed this post.

>So, what I hear seems to square with much of what Pete B has

>observed. The BSC circuit is therefore intriguing. It looks

>like it's designed to be inserted between a pre and power amp.

> I'd guess that it could be inserted into any line level

>in/out, like a tape loop. Right now, all I do is attenuate

>the treble by 2 to 4, or even 6 dB (with 2 kHz turnover);

>crude but effective.

Yes that's right about pre-power amp, or tape/epl loop.

You'd want to choose the impedance level accordingly.

>The problem is that the BSC circuit diagram in the referenced

>thread is too sketchy for my level of expertise. And a photo

>of the little gizmo would be very nice, even though it looks

>like a couple capacitors and resistors soldered together.

Yes it is very simple, sorry I do not have pictures. Russ has kindly

helped a few people I believe, I don't know if he made any drawings.

Perhaps we should start a BSC, how to build it thread.

>I'm still convinced that within these little

>"banshees" is a really nice speaker struggling to

>get out.

Yes, I agree they have some excellent qualities that are only made better with the BSC.