Confused and need help

There isn’t anything to "blame."

Consider your Parasound A21 + ARC LS17SE + 1.7s as a whole or as a unified unit.

This threesome isn’t working for you [Emphasis You, the OP].

The Parasound A21 + ARC LS17SE + Harbeth 30.2 threesome didn’t work either.

The Ayre (integrated) + Harbeth 30.2 twosome worked.

Insight: something new and different from what you currently have "worked" for you.

Bring the Ayre and Harbeth home and compare it to the Ayre + 1.7 to figure it out. You may be at a point where something new and different is what you [now] prefer.

mofimadness+1

   I strongly agree with mofi and in home auditioning of speakers. My current speakers had been out for years and were recommended by the most knowledgable people I knew. Listening to them in stores and at shows they seemed sleepy to me so I passed on them.  
   What I didn't know was a great deal. What I heard as attributes in other speakers were actually weaknesses. At home and by a one on one comparison what I heard as being sleepy turned out to be a cohesive point source and musicality. The difference was immediate and so obvious that my family heard the difference just as quickly as I did.
   I haven't made a major system purchase in years.

No surprise that the post preceding mine was deleted by our resident Deleter In Chief. Here is her post, for continuity and context purposes:

elizabeth 8,001 posts11-07-2019 11:30am

I would blame the Parasound gear as a wild guess. Agree try the Maggies with something, anything else.

I paired Maggie 1.7 with a Parasound hint Halo and the sound was phenomenal do I'm surprised that they may be your problem. Maybe an audio friend can bring an amp or pre so you can experiment.