I'm in with this even though most people on this forum were probably not even out of grade school when I bought a pair of Advent 5012 speakers in the early 1980s, shortly before the change of ownership to Jensen. The 5012 was the last iteration of the "large Advent" prior to the change of ownership (Jensen bought the Advent speaker business right around that same time, in the early '80s). I don't recall exactly what I paid for them, but I don't think it was more than $300 for the pair. I loved them and kept them for more than 25 years. I wish I hadn't sold them. Other people had issues with foam rot, but even after twenty-five years of daily, rigorous use, there was no evidence of foam rot on the pair that I had. I sometimes wonder if this was related to my not being a smoker. (This hypothesis was motivated partly by observing that in the pair of HD414 headphones that I got for my Dad, the foam would rot away and have to be replaced every few years.) Anyhow, I can't imagine how there could be a better speaker bargain, or any bargain in audio. They weren't audiophile speakers for sure, but the bass was strong and clean and didn't have the "single note" bass exaggeration that most all ported speakers had back in those days.
In the mid-80s I also bought a stereo, audio-only Carver receiver, and I don't recall what it cost, and I do recall that hiss was audible a foot or so from the speaker, but even with the hiss, I loved that receiver and I wish that I still had it. The FM receiver section developed a problem, and eventually one of the main amplifier channels developed a problem, and at that time I wanted an A/V receiver so I sold the Carver for a few cents on eBay. I'll admit that I loved it partly for the visual style, which was seriously '80s, but it was lovely. And the loudness control seemed to perfectly complement the slow bass rolloff of the big Advent speakers.
In the mid-80s I also bought a stereo, audio-only Carver receiver, and I don't recall what it cost, and I do recall that hiss was audible a foot or so from the speaker, but even with the hiss, I loved that receiver and I wish that I still had it. The FM receiver section developed a problem, and eventually one of the main amplifier channels developed a problem, and at that time I wanted an A/V receiver so I sold the Carver for a few cents on eBay. I'll admit that I loved it partly for the visual style, which was seriously '80s, but it was lovely. And the loudness control seemed to perfectly complement the slow bass rolloff of the big Advent speakers.