[TheChairGuy]

Another stellar effort Jeff - kudos - too much to read on one session for me 

Again, hi marks to Marc Phillips/Vinyl Ananchronist for his contributions and stellar writing.

As it happens, I bought an Advent 300 from Eric Whitacre/Sound of the Wood approximately a month ago and it was just finished by modder/EE David Plummer (who has been a consummate pro with communication throughout).

The prices have risen over time on these (I suspect Marc's unit is several months old leading up to this review...and it mention of the $600 did not include the actual unit to work upon as an added cost)...and I asked for and received a few additional upgrades to my unit (which will arrive early next week for evaluation).

For your viewing audience, I may as well make disclosure of the costs and related job that was done for each here:

1. A fully-functioning Advent 300 is obtained on your behalf, rather than you supplying one. $185

Unit receives basic service: $200
2. Full electrolytic capacitor replacement with key caps Panasonic FC's.
3. Power supply is upgraded to twin 4700 uf caps (up from stock, twin 3000's).
4. Amplifier bias is checked/adjusted.
5. Tuner is aligned.

Mods:
6. All (12) rca jacks are replaced with bulkhead-mount, gold plated, teflon dielectric ones. $200
7. Solid core silver wire is used for connections to/from rca to jacks. $20
6. 4-pos cap loading switch is added for phono (none, 100, 220, 440 pf). $100
7. Pot is added for resistance loading to phono, 10 to 100k ohms, 47k marked. $50
8. Tone controls are disabled (reversible but not switchable). $40 (EDIT: raises line 
9. Replace stock voltage regulators on secondary power rails (for preamp, tuner) with modern devices for tighter voltage regulation. $50 
10. Install an IEC AC power inlet (socket) to allow use of aftermarket power cords. Delete circuit breaker and add fuse. $120. 
11. Key resistor upgrade using RN55 series Mil Spec parts $65
12. Packing and postage $35
13. Increase phono stage gain +6db - no charge (EDIT: from anemic 33db to 39db)
14. Replace output transistor rubber stand-offs with mica/thermal compound - no charge 
15. Repaint top cover - no charge

Total = $1065

http://soundofthewood.com/preamptuners.html

If it works well, sounds good - with all the flexibility it offers (Dial-a-Load, etc) I'd call that a bargain, the best I ever had....(sorry Mr. Daltrey  )

John

[TONEPUB]

Sounds good!

I think you will enjoy it tremendously...

We were all pretty impressed with what it does for the money.
Even a stock one is amazingly good!

enjoy...

[TheChairGuy]

Got it today, Jeff.

It sounds stiff...but I only have about 5 hours on new output tubes for my tube amps, too....so I don't know if the stiffness is breakin for the tubes or the Advent (likely, both).

Will find out thru the weekend...been on for about 2 hours now....nothing problematic particularly about it.

The Dial-a-Resistive-Load on the fly feature is fantastic for vinyl...don't know even if Eric's personal unit Marc tested had this 

John

[TONEPUB]

Nope, I'm sure it didn't!

[vinyl anachronist]

Got it today, Jeff.

It sounds stiff...but I only have about 5 hours on new output tubes for my tube amps, too....so I don't know if the stiffness is breakin for the tubes or the Advent (likely, both).

Will find out thru the weekend...been on for about 2 hours now....nothing problematic particularly about it.

The Dial-a-Resistive-Load on the fly feature is fantastic for vinyl...don't know even if Eric's personal unit Marc tested had this 

John

Hi, John!  Thanks for the nice words.

As you guessed, it's been a few months since I had the new unit. Eric told me that the 300s are constantly going under revisions, and that he and David Plummer are always looking for ways to improve it.  He warned me that by the time the review appeared, current stock may be slightly different from the unit I reviewed.  Sure enough, it is.

Eric is also going to try to get me one of his Sound of the Wood AR 'tables for review. The problem is that he sells them as soon as he makes them, so he doesn't have review samples lying around.  It's very much a two-man business at this point, but they're doing excellent work.  I love the AR ES-1 (I owned one from 1983 to 1993) and can't wait to hear his version of it.

[TheChairGuy]

Hey Marc!

Yeah, you write really well...conveying a good sense of what's going on in your room (and inside yer' head ) 

Reading and comprehension is such an individualized thing, but yours just regularly hits home with me (I don't, frankly, follow or pay attention to many audio-phool writers per se...they just sort of blend with me, mostly)

So, there's my gush  (lucky you, you have a 45 year old fan boy - have no fear, I shall not stalk  )

Hey, the Advent 300 is really rocking here....the Dial-a-Resistive-Load on the fly for vinyl is tragically cool.  I don't remember if the unit you tested had the tone controls bypassed - but, it's apparently a key move in vamping up the transparency of this preamp. 

When doing so, it also ups gain in the line section by 6db...fixing a bit of a glaring weakness with the unit (coupled with the original gain of the phono side at 33db...total gain without the tone control bypass is only 15db....48 db total when you use the unit as a full-functioned preamp/tuner/ ie., very skimpy. 

I had David Plummer raise the phono side gain by 6db (lowering negative feedback in the tradeoff).

It's now got a robust 21db in the line stage (a bit more than needed, frankly) and 39db in the phono stage (about right to man-handle everything from the 2mv HOMC's to 5 mv Grado's...and everything in between with fine dynamics rivaling CD).  Each (2.0 mv +) cartridge can be dialed in perfectly on-the-fly with the correct resistive load for better linearity in cartridge performance.

I had David change out a good many of the critical resisters for mil-spec Vishay metal foils - I suspect a key reason for it's vanishingly low noise floor.

Seriously, this Advent 300 is one fantastic value for $1000.00...a TRUE full-function preamp with a fine tuner thrown in.  Diminutive in size and (plainly) handsome faced, too (subjective lilt of mine - not shared with all of course).

I would think Sound of the Wood's AR re-do's would offer similarly excellent value.  I'm almost tempted to take a whack at one as I'm so pleased with his preamp/tuner recommendation.

Anyhow, sorry Jeff for pulling your 'Issue 17 now ready for download' post askew...but, at least it kicks the notice of it to the top of AC each time I open my blubbering mouth 

John



 

[TONEPUB]

No problem at all...

[vinyl anachronist]

Hey Marc!

Yeah, you write really well...conveying a good sense of what's going on in your room (and inside yer' head ) 

Reading and comprehension is such an individualized thing, but yours just regularly hits home with me (I don't, frankly, follow or pay attention to many audio-phool writers per se...they just sort of blend with me, mostly)

So, there's my gush  (lucky you, you have a 45 year old fan boy - have no fear, I shall not stalk  )

Wow...thanks!  I just turned 46, so you can look at me as a father figure! 

[Vinyl-Addict]

Wow...thanks!  I just turned 46, so you can look at me as a father figure! 

Young whippersnapper! 

Keep up the good work.