stupid problem, PLEASE HELP, makes no sense!!

[bigreddog]

I have a long story but I need your help! In 1998 I bought a brand new pair of Advent Jade speakers. These were the last good speakers Advent made and they were ported in the front with a tiny port. I paid $399 a pair at HH Gregg. Years later I bought a pair of Bohlender Graebener X3 speakers and then stepped up to a pair of X7's. Never being satisfied I finally got the flagship Radia 520s. The 520's sounded terrible compared to the smaller X7's so I bought a Parasound High Current HCA-1500 amp off this site. It helped the speakers and I was happy. I then noticed my sub couldn't keep up so I bought an Elemental Designs A5-550 15" downfiring monster of a sub. Weighs over 150lbs! Well still with the new sub I could here a separation of sound from the rear of the room with the sub and my big 6 ft. tall ribbons that didn't meet up with the sub. My receiver, used only as a pre-amp is a Yamaha RX-V2700 network receiver. I love it for the features and its new networking ability. I don't love the YPAO microphone calibration. Well I couldn't get these speakers to ever fully satisfy me. I've always been a Bose hater since my old friend had a pair of 901's back in the day. But out of curiosity I purchased a pair of Bose 901's with the matching EQ and the most recent series. And yes you can use these speakers and their EQ with a new receiver IF you have an external amp. Simply use the Bose EQ as the middle man and it works and adjusts fine. I noticed the Bose speakers had more mid bass even when set to size "small" by my receiver. Yet the Bose never sounded clear and always sounded bunched up and compressed. A couple days ago I was in my spare room with my son playing Guitar Hero and I listened to my old Advents and was simply amazed at the sound. Then I went back in my living room and turned on the Bose 901s and they sounded terrible in comparison. I blamed this on the room dimensions but it got to me. So I hooked back up my BG Radia 520s and while they sound clearer and not bunched up, they don't sound near as musical. Then I did the unthinkable and hooked up my old Advents to my main system. Remember they are all running on the Parasound big external amp. Of course I disconnected the Bose EQ when using the others. I figured I'd blow the Advents on this big amp or they'd distort bad. To my amazement the Advents sounded better than the Bose 901s or the BG Radia 520s even on the big amp with a ton of power in them! So it can't be the room dimensions. Im thinking its because the BG Radias are dipole speakers and the Bose are direct reflecting speakers and both bounce sound off the wall and not right at you. So, if you all agree, what is the BEST for my money speaker that will give me knockout mids and highs, with a big stress of importance on the mids. I think its time to get a more regular speaker that shoots sound right at me. I have my powered sub for the bass. I have a $2500 budget and would just like a nice set of floor standing speakers. My problem could be that the BG Radia 520s are extremely inefficiently rated speakers as well as the Bose 901s even though they don't say that. I'm guessing my Advent speakers are more efficient and therefore fill the room better even though they are just a floor standing 2 way tower with a tweeter and an 8 inch woofer, ported up TOP by the tweeter. Also, could my problem in part be due to me using a Yamaha as a preamp? I've heard that Yamaha receivers used to sound too bright but not anymore. I've heard that Denon receivers sound better but I've had reliability problems with Denon but I'm willing to try again. I just KNOW there has to be something out there better than these Advents, but my two more expensive speakers aren't doing the job. Also whatever is recommended needs to be compatible with my Parasound HCA-1500 THX external amp because I really like it, unless that could be a problem. Sorry for the long book but I'm a music lover and this is SO FRUSTRATING!! Thanks in advance!!

[Mr Peabody]

My guess is simply the Advent is a better speaker. That's why we always recommend listening before buying. Why not just use the Advents?

If you want another speaker that sounds good I highly recommend Dynaudio if they are in your budget. Check the Excite series first which will be more affordable than other Dyn series. I also like Paradigm.

Speakers are subjective and we all have our favorites as you will see if others visit this thread.

If you want to experiment with replacing the Yamaha don't mess around with another receiver there isn't going to be that much difference. I don't know off hand what stereo preamps would offer networking and such but your next step, if you decide to go that way, should be to try a dedicated preamp. If yu are using the Yamaha for home theater as well maybe take a look at the Rotel HT preamp, I think it's a 1598. You might also look at the Marantz AV8003, retail is around $2495.00 but you may be able to find one used cheaper on Audiogon. The AV8003 definitely has networking and almost everything but the kitchen sink. If just wanting stereo Adcom preamps are very cheap used, this might even be a cheap way to experiment.

Also, take a look at www.emotiva.com They sell direct to customer and seems to offer a hefty bang for the buck.

[Poultrygeist]

Last year I bought a pair of Big Advents for $10 at a garage sale. These were not the Jenson made Advents from the 80's but the original Advents from the early 70's. The owner thought they were no good as the foam surrounds were shot. I re-foamed them and played with them for a while before selling them for $150. They were nice but not in the same league as the $300 Tektons 4.5. A T-amp or low powered SET is just amazing with the Tektons.

[blackraven]

What type of music do you prefer? What CD player do you use?

Here are a few suggestions for floor standers- Thiel CS-1.6's, PSB Imagine T's, Monitor Audio RX8's, Paradigm Studio 60's or 100's. The previous mention Dynaudio's would be at the top of my list as well.

For a pre-amp I would look at the Van Alstine preamps. They are one of the best bargains around www.avahifi.com

[LeRoy]

I have to agree with Mr. Peabody's suggestion with regard to going with Marantz amplification. I've heard the Marantz HT receiver paired with Usher X719's used for mains and it sounded fantastic.

With regard to speakers and depending on your budget...you may want to consider Paradigm, Usher, Mordaunt-Short, Dynaudio, and Focal.

Have fun shopping and Happy New Year to all.

LeRoy