Advent Prodigy Tower

Compact floor-standing two-way speaker from the Recoton/Jensen era of Advent. Known for clean bass and smooth dispersion.

Overview

The Advent Prodigy Tower is a compact, floor-standing two-way speaker made by Advent Corporation in the Recoton/Jensen era of the brand, after Jensen Inc. acquired Advent in the 1980s. It is sold as the Advent Prodigy or Advent Prodigy Tower. It has an 8-inch long-excursion woofer and a 3/4-inch soft-dome tweeter in a sealed enclosure. Professional reviews called it "an outstanding value" with smooth, uncolored sound, extended clean bass, and excellent tweeter dispersion. User impressions vary. Most describe the sound as warm and mellow, though one user found the tweeter harsh. The speaker is relatively insensitive to placement and handles up to 75 watts continuous power, with a peak rating of 300 watts.

Specifications

Dimensions	28.5" H x 10.5" W x 8.875" D
Weight	25.25 lbs each
Woofer	8-inch, long-excursion cone with foam surround
Tweeter	3/4-inch soft-dome, ferrofluid cooled and damped
Enclosure type	Sealed
Nominal impedance	6 ohms
Minimum impedance	4 ohms
Sensitivity	89 dB SPL at 1 meter with a 2.8-volt input
Recommended amplifier power	Up to 75 watts continuous
Peak power handling	300 watts
Frequency response	45 Hz to 23,000 Hz ±3 dB
Useful lower limit	37 Hz (-8 dB)
Tweeter dispersion	±1 dB over a 30-degree angle
Harmonic distortion	<0.8% above 80 Hz at 1-watt input
Crossover frequency	3,000 Hz, phase corrected

Design

The cabinet is 1/2-inch-thick fiberboard with a black vinyl finish on four sides and a solid oiled pecan wood top. A matching oiled pecan trim plate sits on the bottom front. Black grille cloth covers the front baffle. The 8-inch woofer is centered approximately 16 inches from the floor, and the 3/4-inch soft-dome tweeter is mounted above it. The drivers sit in separate cutouts, with a low input location and high-mounted drivers. The crossover is mounted on the terminal cup/backplate assembly, which uses a smaller cutout than common aftermarket replacements. Input connectors are spring-loaded and recessed into the rear panel.

Context

The Advent Prodigy Tower belongs to the "Recoton/Jensen-era" of Advent products, made after Advent Corporation was sold to Jensen Inc. in the 1980s. It is listed alongside other Vintage Advent models such as the Advent Loudspeaker, New Advent, and Legacy. It is sometimes called "Prodigy II," but higher sources do not corroborate that name, and it may refer to a different model.

Market

The most common failure point is woofer foam rot, which usually means refoaming. An aftermarket repair/upgrade kit (HUMAN K-81AP) is available. Around 2020, a refoamed pair was listed for approximately $199. Individual units have sold for as little as $8 at thrift stores and as much as $60 used in various years. The original price was $350 a pair.