Hello members I have a story for you. I used to manage a car audio shop and was quite fanatical about it. My passion burned even deeper leading me to home audio. So, at the time I got burned out in car audio and getting in to home audio a friend of mine suggested Paradigm speakers. He sold me exactly what I thought I wanted-a very modest home theater. For some reason I ended up buying a set of MTX floor standers as opposed to going all Paradigm. I know one big mistake after another-LOL!!!! Such is the life of an audiophile. Well, let me be the first to say I want better. So hear me out. Before buying what I did from my friend I did get the chance to do some extensive listening to the B&W 602 S3. I was amazed at the clarity and precision this speaker could produce. Nothing was harsh just very detailed and kinda laid-back. The problem is the B&W 602 S3 are $600 a pair. This is a little out of my budget. I also got to listen to the Paradigm line up including the mini v.3, monitor 3 v.3, studio 20 v.3, and the studio 40 v.3. In Particular, I really liked the studio series especially the 20's. However, they are out of my price range just like the B&W were. So, I looked at the monitor series a lil closer. The first thing I noticed was how much better the mini was with respect to the Titan. The monitor 3's were even better. Oh, I also got to listen to the monitor 7's v.3 and the monitor 11's v.3. I was not any more impressed with the towers as compared to the mini and the monitor 3's. Since my preference is a bit more on music than HT, I decided to go with the cc-170 v.3 as my center. The same day I was able to compare the the Polk rti6 against the mini v.3. It was close but did prefer the mini. However, Polks real wood veeneer was a nice touch. Then I read about the Ascend CBM-170. The reviews on this speaker are amazing and the flatness of the response curve is even more amazing. Many have said the CBM-170 is on par with the Studio 20's. At $328 a pair and offering that kind of performance has more than peaked my curiousity. I know I could just order a pair and try them but right now I just don't have that kind of money to throw around. Then the hassle and expense of sending them back if I am not satisfied is just not an option for me. The Ascend CBM-170 is in my price range. I have noticed that KEX and Woocifer have owned some of these products in the past and I am hoping they can share their experiences with the Paradigm vs Ascend products. Some people have mentioned that the Ascend CMT-340m is on par with the Paradigm Studio 40's. Just hope some members here can elaborate on that as well. I am thinking about buying a set of Studio 20's for my fronts, cc-370 since my preference is more on music than HT, and use my Titans v.3 that I already own for my rears. Do any of you feel this set-up will mesh well. Or, how about the Monitor 3's for fronts v.4, cc-370 v.4 for my center, and Titans in rear? Finally, if I go with Ascend maybe the CBM-170 for fronts, CMT-340c center, and use my Titans for my rears. Any thoughts/sugestions with respect to the Ascends. Thank you for your time. Please help if you can.
Phil