Advent /2 (1973–1977)

They promised "Large Advent sound in a small box" and delivered a bright, brittle speaker with a cult following among collectors who like flawed classics.

Overview

Plug in a pair of Advent /2s and play some Ella Fitzgerald. The treble is crisp and forward, and when the volume climbs that same sparkle turns to glare. These aren't the warm, balanced bookshelves Henry Kloss designed for the original Large Advents. Marketed as a budget-friendly alternative, the /2 was supposed to squeeze that Advent sound into a smaller, cheaper cabinet. In practice, it's what happens when cost-cutting meets high expectations. The soundstage is wide, sometimes too wide, and the bass is punchy for a 10" basket with an 8.5" cone but never settles with authority. It's fair to say the /2 sounds like the Large Advent run through a slightly warped photocopier.

There are two versions of the /2. One has the familiar utility-style cabinet with vinyl woodgrain covering. The other is a plastic-and-steel enclosure that collectors often mistake for an outdoor speaker. The utility version is more common and generally preferred, not because it sounds better, but because it's actually serviceable. The plastic variant has permanently affixed grills and inaccessible drivers, so it's essentially a dead end for restoration. The /2s do have fans, particularly tinkerers who enjoy taming the aggressive highs or swapping in modern tweeters. Even at their best, they don't fool anyone into thinking they're hearing the real Large Advents. They are a record of early '70s speaker design, when manufacturers were chasing efficiency and modern aesthetics, sometimes at the expense of musicality.

Specifications

Key Features

The Dual “Flying Saucer” Tweeter Array

Look at the front of an Advent /2 and your eyes go to the twin paper-cone tweeters mounted in a shallow arc above the woofer. Advent called this the "flying saucer" array. It was supposed to widen the dispersion and mimic the spaciousness of the Large Advents' single dome tweeter. In reality, it creates a hot spot in the upper mids and lower treble, especially when the speakers sit at ear level. The paper cones age unpredictably: some stay crisp, others turn dull or even disintegrate. Replacement is tricky, since modern equivalents don't match the original dispersion pattern. Some owners replace them with single silk dome tweeters and modify the crossover, but purists argue that defeats the point of owning a /2 in the first place.

Compromised Woofer Design

The /2's woofer is a clever but flawed workaround: an 8.5" cone mounted in a 10" basket, held in place by a Masonite ring. This let Advent use existing tooling while shrinking the cabinet. But the Large Advent had a 10" cone in a 12" frame, and that gave it its bass extension. The /2's smaller cone and reduced excursion limit the low end. The rubber surrounds degrade over time, and because the /2 wasn't a high-volume seller, replacement foam kits are rare. Technicians report modifying surrounds from the Smaller Advent or even the /3 to make them fit. Once re-foamed, the woofer can sound tight and punchy, but it still lacks the weight and control of its bigger siblings.

Utility vs. Plastic Cabinet Variants

The /2 came in two distinct forms. The more common one is the utility cabinet with vinyl-laminated MDF and removable grills. The other is the futuristic-looking 2W, with injection-molded plastic and a fixed steel grille. The utility version wins on serviceability: you can pull the grill, get at the crossover, and replace drivers without destroying the cabinet. The 2W looks striking and is a restoration nightmare. The grille is riveted on, and the woofer mounts behind the front baffle, so re-coning is nearly impossible. Yellowing and UV damage are common in surviving 2W units. Their scarcity has made them slightly more valuable to collectors, despite their impracticality.

Historical Context

The Advent /2 arrived in 1973, just as the original Large Advents were cementing their reputation as one of the best-sounding bookshelf speakers of the era. Henry Kloss had left the company by then, and Advent's marketing leaned hard on his legacy, promising "Large Advent sound in a small box." That claim didn't hold up. The /2 was clearly a cost-reduced model: cheaper materials, simplified crossover, and a design that put compact size ahead of acoustic performance. Competitors like AR and KLH were also pushing smaller acoustic suspension speakers, but most stuck to single tweeters and more conservative voicing. Advent doubled down on the dual tweeter gimmick, likely hoping to stand out in crowded stereo shops. The /2 shared the market with the slightly better-regarded /3, which used a single tweeter and had deeper bass, and the /2's aggressive sound and odd dispersion made it a harder sell. By 1977, it was quietly phased out, replaced by the /4, which returned to a more conventional single-tweeter layout.

Collectibility & Value

Today, the Advent /2 is a niche collectible, not because it sounds great, but because it's a misstep from a revered brand. Complete, working pairs in utility cabinets sell for $75 to $150 on the secondary market, with plastic 2W models fetching $125 to $200 due to their rarity. Fully restored units with a recapped crossover, re-foamed woofers and cleaned grills can go for $250 or more, especially if sold as part of a matched Advent collection. The biggest red flag for buyers is the crossover: original capacitors often leak or short, and the cheap paper cones in the tweeters are prone to delamination. If you're buying untested, assume you'll need to re-foam and recap, a $100 - $150 investment. There are no factory replacement surrounds for the /2's unique woofer, so restorers must adapt parts from other Advent models. Because of this, many collectors keep /2s as display pieces rather than daily drivers. They're best suited for low-volume listening in small rooms, where careful placement can manage the brightness, ideally angled down and away from reflective surfaces.

Market Value

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ADVENT /2                                                       Aug 2026 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ High      $130                                    Latest            $130 │
│ Median    $68                                     Trend                — │
│ Low       $60                                     Volume           ~2/mo │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   $200 ┤                                                                 │
│        │                                                                 │
│        │                                                                 │
│   $136 ┤                                                                 │
│        │                                                                .│
│        │                                                                 │
│        │                                                                 │
│    $50 ┤.                  .                                             │
│        ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│    vol │█                  █                                            █│
│        └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│         2026-04                      2026-05                      2026-06│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

eBay Listings

Vintage 1970s Original THE ADVENT/2 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS

$400

Pair of ADVENT A1101 2-WAY BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS TESTED 7/11/20

$65.00

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