Advent 300 w/ Advent 3s – Complete 1980 Advent HiFi tested – Time capsule HiFi

Description

All features tested.  It sounds just like it should!  No digital harshness to be found.
The tuner will drift after a while just like new.
Released
around 1977 the Advent 300 receiver was an interesting piece of equipment. The
original cost was US $270. That would be $1,300 if adjusted for inflation.
It was
built to meet an affordable price point which meant that the build quality was not
up to high end audio standards. However, the phono preamp stage is one of the
better phono preamps in existence. It can hold its own even today. Don’t forget
to give Tomlinson Holman credit. He designed the phono preamp circuit and went
on to an influential career in cinema audio technology for THX and Lucas Film.
This
receiver includes a preamplifier section that in some ways gives some of the
costliest preamps a run for their money.
If you don’t live in a difficult receiving area or are trying to
receive long-distance FM, the tuner should satisfy any perfectionist. It is far
superior to the FM transmission quality in most US cities anyway.
Removable back-panel links permit the internal power amplifiers to be
disconnected and the preamp outputs to be drawn off for connection to an
external amplifier.
The preamp section, from phono to external outputs, is
one of the smoothest-sounding solid-state designs to come along to date. Highs
are entirely free from the edginess that has more or less characterized
previous solid-state preamps
, and the sound has a richness and ease
reminiscent of GAS’s Thaedra. In the Advent’s case, some of the richness stems
from a slight heavying of the low end, amounting to what sounds like about a
1dB boost at 100Hz and perhaps 2dB at 40Hz.
It will not make you acutely aware that some of your discs are a
bit noisy or that your cartridge is mistracking, by exaggerating the irritation
value of these problems. Neither, it should be added, will it obscure them by
more than a small amount.
Description:
Solid-state receiver.
One pair each of inputs for Tape, Phono, Aux. Switchable tuner muting. Tape
monitor. Headphone output. Speaker switches. Mono A+B. Selector,
volume/loudness (switchable), balance, bass, treble, AC, one switched AC
outlet, DC power supply outlet for Advent microphone preamplifier. Maximum
output power: 15Wpc.
Dimensions:
15.75″ (400mm) W by 3.5″ (89mm) H by 10.5″ D
(267mm), overall.
Advent Model Three speaker user
comments:
The Advent Model 3s are 16″ X
10″ X 6 1/2″ deep.
Boy can they image!!!! The tweeter looks
like an AM radio speaker, but these things sound fantastic. They are very well
balanced and can produce unexpectedly deep bass, for their size.
Without a doubt, one of the finest small
speakers I have ever heard (or owned). These are staying here.
Acoustic Research invented the acoustic
suspension (closed box) back in the late 60s. They knew that they could get a
lower bass response with an enclosed cabinet (and smaller woofer), but that
speaker had to have a very just right compliance and low mass. They found the
now famous foam surround material and the system worked very well.
Unfortunately, the ozone is not friendly to this foam and in almost all cases,
the woofer surrounds are simply gone on lots of these vintage speakers.
Other companies followed suite like KLH,
(Advent of course), EPI, and many others.
The Advent Model 3 uses a rubber
surround and it does not deteriorate over time, as the others have.