Q: I have a pair of Large Advent loudspeakers from the early 1970s. The woofer foam has disintegrated and needs repair. This isn't the first time this has happened. At this point do you think they are worth repairing?
A: I recently wrote about products that have "euphonic" qualities, which means they produce pleasant sound that is agreeable to the ear, though it is not necessarily the most scientifically accurate sound. Euphonic products often do not use the most modern technology. Record players and tube amplifiers are examples of this.
Your Large Advent speakers are another example. Designed by audio legend Henry Kloss, they were widely respected and still hold up quite well compared to many modern designs. Not only do the Advents sound good, but they do not really make speakers like them anymore. Your speakers are composed of a large, sealed box (called acoustic suspension) with a front-facing woofer of considerable size. Most floor-standing speakers today are narrow towers that are usually ported, which provides more bass and reduces the speaker's power requirements. Many listeners prefer the acoustic suspension design for its tight, controlled bass and refined sound. The Large Advent is still sought out on the vintage speaker market because of this.
Given the basic goodness of your Advents and their desirability in the classic marketplace, I would repair them whether you want to keep them or not. You can get a do-it-yourself refoam kit from the Speaker Exchange (www.speakerex.com) for $8 per woofer. You could fix them for $16 and resell them for $100 or more.
If you want to try something new there are some great floor-standing speakers that sell from $250 to $500. My first recommendation is the Pioneer SP-FS52-LR, which sell for $252 a pair. These are great-sounding speakers and they work well for music or home theater. Next step up would be the Arx A3c for $539 per pair (www.theaudioinsider.com). The Pioneers would probably be closest to your Advents as Pioneer's technology is more conventional. The Arx speakers use exotic leaf tweeters and special woofers that really make the music come alive. If you have the budget for the Arx I would go in that direction, but you won't be disappointed with the Pioneers.
My gut feeling is that you should repair and keep your Large Advents and buy a newer pair of speakers to supplement them. There is no rule that you can only have one pair of speakers, and classic gear has qualities that often can't be matched. If you part with them you could regret it. I speak from experience here, as I have parted with some nice stuff in the past, and looking back, I wish I hadn't!
Send questions to donlindich@gmail.com. Get more recommendations and read past columns at www.soundadviceblog.com.
