AR9LS Speakers - a good buy at $1k

Buying new for 1000, you will not come close to the amazing sound of the AR9LS. Don't listen to these people who obviously haven't a clue.

Whoever said these speakers are ancient history and they don't sound good don't know what they are talking about. These are some of the best loudspeakers ever made and sound absolutely incredible. That is, if they ha e been kept up.

I think many of the responders here are confusing the AR9 with the AR9LSi.
 I currently have s pair of AR9LSi and I would buy another pair of Them for $1000 in a heartbeat.  And with them hooked up to my phase linear 400 amplifier, and to Amazon music HD, I get tons of chest thumping bass! I have reformed all of the woofers, and midranges, and will never part with them. In fact I have even found replacement tweeters on line to have just in case I need them.  I bought them in 1984, and I’ve had them ever since. They sound excellent.
I cannot comment about the original AR9, but from what I have heard the 9LSI was an improvement. 

Thanks @mr-mikes !!!

It was nice to hear that you still own and appreciate your AR-9LS speakers.  I own AR-90, AR-58S, and AR-92 speakers, and they all sound wonderful.  Refoamed, recapped, and restored, to bring them to like-new condition, is well worth it.  They perform much better than hinted at here, and have nothing to be ashamed about.

I have a pair and listen to them every day, music and movies. They are excellent, plain and simple. I would put them up against any $1000 pair of new high-end speakers. I.e. they blow the doors off my Revel M105s. Compared to my Revel F206s without the addition of a sub, I guess it will depend on what you are listening to, but more likely than not the ARs will make you happier as they do it all. And they do indeed shake the foundation - no question on this whatsoever. Two stories above the wife calls me to turn them down whenever I listen to bass heavy audio at comfortable in-room levels. I have owned them since new and replaced the foam surrounds myself many years ago. There are kits readily available. I would spend a grand for a decent pair in a heartbeat. They are big, heavy, robust, articulate and loud. My main listening room is all Revel Performa3 driven by Anthem and Parasound amps and a SVS PB16-Ultra (5.1). I am never disappointed when i listen to the ARs they deliver great sound at copious levels.

Edit: And I am using only a SR5013 to drive them.

Thanks @ebm !

These speakers are ancient history worth  maybe $300.00.Sound quality is not good MOVE ON ASAP!!

@yogiboy  & others, thanks for your feedback and recommendations.  It's always welcomed!

1+ yogiboy

@ 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!

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.

@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 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.

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

@yogiboy , I'm currently running a Yamaha RX-495 receiver, but plan to upgrade that too.  I'm beginning to think I would be better served by buying newer equipment after reviewing specs of speakers & receivers.

Those JBL's are nice and have an attractive price point.  It seems newer speakers are slim versus making speakers with 12" or 15" woofers?  Are you finding the 5" - 8" woofers can produce quality sound and chest thumping base like the old school 12" & 15" speakers?

TIA!

If it was a nice AR LST and you can get the drivers repaired if needed I would say OK. The AR9 was not a very popular speaker in it's day and AR loudspeakers were near their end times. There are much better loudspeakers available today. The Bose 901 is not one of them (not a Bose bash, I owned two pairs of them).  

What kind of amp are you using? This new JBL Stage A-180 and A-170 is under a grand. I’ve never listened to a Bose speaker so I can’t give you an opinion on that brand!
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_109SA180/JBL-Stage-A180.html
A review on the A-170
https://www.stereophile.com/content/jbl-stage-a170-loudspeaker

Thanks @yogiboy , what newer speakers would you recommend that would fit the $1k budget?  I'm open to new or used and was originally thinking about pairing a set of Bose 901's with 501's that would play a range of music (rock, r&b, top 40, classical, jazz, acoustic, etc.)
TIA!

Acoustic Research was a top of the line speaker. The company folded many years ago. The AR9 is a 40 year old speaker. IMO, you should save that $1K and buy a newer speaker. Here is the information on the AR9!
 https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/acoustic-research/ar-9.shtml