Finder is very slow, particularly when using network drive

Question

I have a mid-2011 Macbook Air, OSX 10.9.4, and Finder is extremely slow, particularly when I am navigating my Time Capsule.  First, a little history.
I have tried the fixes listed in these three threads:
(1) https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3358265?searchText=finder%20slow
(2) https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1324280?searchText=Finder%20is%20slow
(3) https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5495797?start=30&tstart=0
Second, my Time Capsule is new.  I bought it to replace a WD MyBook that used to work really well, and then something changed.  Unfortunately, I assumed that it was some problem on WD's side, so after a year or two of waiting to see if either WD or Apple issued an update to fix it, I assumed it was some kind of file system incompatibility (or other interoperability problem) that wasn't likely to go away, and just sprung for the Time Capsule.  However, after getting all the files on the Time Capsule, the problem remains.  So here's a rundown of what I experience:
When I navigate the directories on my Time Capsule, if I haven't been in a particular folder, it takes a very long time to load the contents.  On average, it will be 30 seconds, but it is not uncommon for it to be over a minute.  This can happen even if a folder is empty or has just a few files in it.  In addition, adding a subfolder and trying to rename it takes a very long time.  After renaming a new folder, it can then take another full minute or more for the folder to actually show the newly assigned name and bounce into line in alphabetical order.
Here are some other observations.  First, my connection is very fast, as I'm directly connected to the Time Capsule (albeit via wireless).  Second, there is clearly something extra going on in Finder that is contributing to this issue, because I navigated to different directories using Terminal and did an "ls" command, and as you would expect, the list fired out virtually instantaneously.  Yet, right after that, if I clicked on that same folder with Finder, it would take a minute or more to display the same file names.
Could it be that the Finder is doing other things at the same time as it is giving me a list of what is in the directory?  For example, could the Finder be loading ALL metadata for each of the files into some database or index being built on the fly every time I pop into a new folder, even if I'm not using a view mode where I am asking to see those other bits of metadata?  If so, that might make sense as I generally am using the network drive to navigate directories of my photographs, and they have a lot more categories of metadata associated with them than do Word docs and PDFs (e.g., date of picture, time of picture, aperture, shutter speed, exposure, etc.).  Or, perhaps is Finder trying to load previews of ALL of the files whenever a directory request is made, so that bouncing through the previews takes less time?  I sort of doubt that, because even after a directory listing finally comes up, it seems to churn a bit on each photo before the preview comes up, which I take as an indication that it's creating each preview only after a request is made for that particular file.  Either way, I will say that in old WinXP and even in the newer Windows 7, if you want to view files in a Detailed setting where you can see other metadata (called "Attributes"), it definitely prioritizes giving you a directory listing, and then continues filling in the various selected Attributes one-by-one after that.  Thus, if you want to sort by the date a photograph was taken (as opposed to its modified or created date, which seem to be default attributes that load as quickly (or nearly as quickly) as the filename), or by the photo's dimensions, it might take a few minutes to load in those attributes for a folder of a couple thousand pictures.  But, critically, if you are not planning on using those attributes, but rather, merely want to see how many files you have in that folder, or select them all and load them into a photo viewer, you won't have to wait for the file system to load the file attributes before you get a listing of the folder's contents.  It seems to me like the Finder, however, might actually be forcing you to wait until it has loaded all of those attributes.
Does the foregoing sound like a plausible explanation of the problem to those out there with knowledge of how Finder actually works?  And if so, does that bring to mind any potential settings that could be turned off or any other work-arounds (since those I've tried have not fixed the issue)?
If anyone has other ideas, I am all ears.  I am pretty annoyed that I sunk time into switching over to a Time Capsule on the assumption that Apple couldn't have had a bug this bad, only to find out that I was wrong.  The biggest irony is that my old WinXP computer used to rip through the folder structures with ease on the MyBook, but my fully updated Air is practically crippled by the same task.

Answer 1

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.