Audio Salsa

I hope someone responds to this as I’d like to know what is recommended— I’ve left the original foam on there for now but it’s rotted out so I’d like to replace it to even out the frequency response

I love these kind of sporadic threads that don’t die— just get updated over time as people search around these them internets. So here’s my story— My first job after graduation from HS was working at a stereo store at the dawn of the big box movement in the late 80’s. I always loved music and my very modest system my dad bought for me as a teenager brought me immense joy. Nothing like that first time I got my Columbia Record Club shipment of LP’s to play— most of which I still have. Being able to work in a store where I could A/B gear every day on my own and for customers was a DREAM for a 17 year old kid falling in love with quality gear as the CD revolution was in full swing. At the store I discovered that I much preferred jazz and classical tracks on the Advent Legacy II set up over my normal go to JBL LX44. I discovered what the difference was between a clear and incisive presentation vs a more mellow and lush treatment a pair of speakers could produce. I bought the JBL’s but left to go to college before I could buy those Advents. Flash forward 30 years and I start getting back into hifi as a hobby as You Tube reviewers led me back in. I saw an ad for a pair of Advents for $75 ! I THOUGHT they were my longed for Legacy II ‘s but upon arrival they were not—. I thought they were a home build USING the same cabinet— but I decided to take them home anyway as a project and see how I liked them. They at least LOOKED similar. After a refoam and small cap replacement come to find out that they were NOT Frankenspeakers but a pair of little seen in these parts MAESTROS. I will admit that they did NOT sound good when I first tested them out on an AV receiver— I was disappointed and put them aside for half a year using them as stands— UNTIL I scored a Krell KAV 300i — sooooo I decide to do a demo set up as I was trying out a bunch of my speakers out with the new rig using VERASTARR speaker cables and Mogami RCA’s. out of an SMSL SU8 / Google Chromecast Audio via Toslink/ iFI power supply. Sounded GOOD using Qobuz and SACD from my Sony universal plater. After about a month moved to XLR for the very first time since the SU8 had the outs and the Krell had the ins. BOOM!!!! Now this baby kicks like I have wanted to hear! with less of that lush sound but more of that “Wall of Sound” vibe that I have liked with some of set ups I have heard at AXPONA, Capitol Audio Fest and the NY Audio Show. Not with the forward mids and crystal highs I get with my KEF LS 50’s, not with the luscious mid range warmth I get from my Sonus Faber Concertinos, and not with the full resonant timbre and smooth overall presentation I get from my B&W 802 series 80 transducers— but with better bass slam, slightly recessed mids, and a top end that tames the edge I was getting from the Krell on my REVEL M20’s. This is a speaker that needs a bit of updating if bought stock from its production run. It does not lead with clarity or warmth but is just GREAT with acoustic and well recorded music. The bass isn’t boomy and I have zero desire to add a sub. I like the projection these have as I leave the room and listen from afar— my smallish listening space does them a disservice. So while not the fastest in bass response and having more potential if I could EQ the midrange, with the minimal updating I did to my pair — I am happy with these after finally getting the power they need for the $175 all in I have invested. I’m confident with a demo I’ll get that back when it comes time to sell. While not what I had in store 30 years ago, it checks off that bucket list item I’ve had since back in the day when Hi Fi was still mainstream.