AR9LS Speakers - a good buy at $1k

I doubt you will get that chest thumping bass that you seem to want. You might be better off looking for a subwoofer to give you that kind of bass. This Klipsh might fit your budget of 1K. Your 70 watt Yamaha would be fine with any of these speakers. What speakers are you now using?
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_714RP280FE/Klipsch-Reference-Premiere-RP-280F-Ebony.html?tp=185

I personally did like the AR9's, if your room is large enough. I agree, not chest thumping if that's what you like, but very smooth sounding.

@yogiboy , understood...so it seems today's speakers require a sub to produce the low frequencies.

For this system I currently have Bose 301's paired with the small surround speakers that came with the Yamaha receiver.  They lose clarity and breadth when you turn up the volume, which is why I now want to level up to a nicer system.

Those Klipsch look sweet and are $200 off, which is a great savings!

I sold that speaker in the day.  Now as I’m in radiology, I whole heartedly recommend it as its size and mass ensure our job security.  Seriously, we used to deliver this speaker with a minimum of two people as it was a hernia generator.

If you want it, just be sure you have a solid hand truck and plenty of clueless help bought off by cheap beer and pizza.  Best of luck in your endeavor.

@ shi_fu_audio
Both those speakers that I recommended are full range and I doubt that you will need a subwoofer. If you are looking for chest thumping bass you can always add a subwoofer later on!