The Smaller Advent Vintage 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers, USA-Made

Designed by Advent founder Henry Kloss and voiced by future Boston Acoustics founder Andy Kostatos, this 1972 classic remains a benchmark for natural, detailed bookshelf sound.

The Smaller Advent debuted in 1972 as a more affordable version of Kloss’s original Advent Loudspeaker, aiming to bring serious audiophile performance into a smaller cabinet without sacrificing the sonic character that made the larger model famous. It quickly became one of the best-selling speakers of its era and earned wide critical praise, a reputation later reaffirmed by Stereophile’s 2006 retrospective review of a well-preserved pair. That review highlighted the speaker’s exceptional midrange detail, transient articulation, and surprisingly deep bass extension for its size, output achieved through pure acoustic-suspension design rather than any reflex porting.

Each speaker pairs a 9.5-inch paper-cone woofer with a distinctive 2-inch paper-cone dome tweeter (affectionately nicknamed the “fried-egg” tweeter by collectors), crossing over at 1,500 Hz for Kostatos’s carefully voiced blend. Built rock-solid with quality binding posts, these speakers were engineered as genuine audiophile gear at an accessible price point, a philosophy that helped define what one Stereophile writer called the “New England School” of speaker design. This pair presents in Good cosmetic condition, showing honest wear consistent with a speaker now over 50 years old, it has been thoroughly inspected and tested to confirm full functionality.

Specifications (verified via Stereophile’s 2006 specifications sidebar and a 1972 Audio equipment profile):

Design: Two-way acoustic-suspension bookshelf loudspeaker
Tweeter: 2 inch paper-cone dome tweeter
Woofer: 9.5 inch paper-cone woofer
Crossover frequency: 1,500 Hz
Frequency response: 33Hz–17kHz ±3dB (per 1975 High Fidelity Buyer’s Guide measurement)
Nominal impedance: 4 ohms
Recommended minimum power: 15 watts
Original manufacturer: Advent Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 11.625 x 20.125 x 9.375 inches (300 x 515 x 240 mm)
Weight: 27 lbs (12.2 kg) each

This American-made Smaller Advent delivers genuinely audiophile-grade vintage sound with real pedigree behind the design, a great choice for a vinyl-based system. At this Good-condition price point, it’s an easy way to bring a piece of speaker history home.

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program, you can purchase with confidence.