Advent Smaller Advent 4
A compact bookshelf speaker from 1977, designed to give the acoustic suspension performance of the larger Advent models in a more manageable size.
Overview
The Advent Smaller Advent 4 is a two-way bookshelf speaker introduced in 1977 as part of Advent Corporation's effort to refine their compact speaker lineup. It replaced the earlier Advent/2 and Advent/3, with better coherence and bass response in a sealed acoustic suspension enclosure. It stands 20 inches tall. The cabinet is wood, wrapped in black wood-grained vinyl, with a black steel grille. It has an 8-inch woofer and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter. Claimed sensitivity is 87 dB and nominal impedance is 8 ohms, so it works with a wide range of solid-state amplifiers of the era. Advent recommended 20 to 60 watts per channel. The crossover frequency is 1,400 Hz, set by a simple network of a capacitor and inductor, and the design calls for high-quality electrolytic capacitors.
Design
The Smaller Advent 4 uses an acoustic suspension enclosure, a design Advent helped popularize for tight, controlled bass in smaller cabinets. The 8-inch woofer has aperiodic damping and foam surrounds that are prone to deterioration over time. The 1-inch soft dome tweeter is ferrofluid-filled, which helps with heat dissipation and extended high-frequency output. The crossover board has screw terminal binding posts, which makes service and upgrades simpler. The 8-inch driver is not the one used in the earlier Advent/2, a change that reflects design improvements.
Context
The Smaller Advent 4 sits just below the flagship Larger Advent in the lineup, and it aimed to deliver much of the larger model's sonic character in a more compact form. It competed directly with other popular bookshelf speakers of the late 1970s, including the Dynaco A-25 and KLH Seventeen.
Market
The Smaller Advent 4 was originally priced at $315 per pair. It now sells for $100 to $200 per pair in good condition, with values rising but not matching those of the Larger Advent. Common problems are foam rot in the woofer surrounds, drying of the ferrofluid in the tweeter that leads to reduced output, and capacitor drift in the crossover. Refoaming kits are readily available, and recapping the crossover is straightforward. Original replacement tweeters are rare. Modern drop-in alternatives exist but may alter the original tonal balance.
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