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  1. #1
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    Last Try.............

    Ok people I have tried and tried to find an Ascend owner in my local area or a least one close to my local area but to no avail. So, if you are an Ascend owner would you please let me know and what speakers you have. Maybe even allow me a demo. It would be much appreciated. Once again I reside in the Northwestern part of Kentucky located within the 270 area code. The Southern Indiana area is just across the Ohio River from me or the 812 area code. Likewise, the Southern Illionois is not far either which is the 618 area code. The Louisville and surrounding areas may be a possibility as well and is in the 502 area code. If you are not an Ascend owner but own some other internet direct brand I would like to hear from you as well. You know brands like Axiom, Rockets, Aperion, Home Theater Direct, Hsu, SVS, Streem, Fluance, and Swanns. Thank you for your time.
    Phil
    F: MTX AAL 212B Towers
    C: Paradigm CC-170 v.3
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  2. #2
    nightflier
    Guest

    Some input

    Quote Originally Posted by oddeoowphil38
    If you are not an Ascend owner but own some other internet direct brand I would like to hear from you as well. You know brands like Axiom, Rockets, Aperion, Home Theater Direct, Hsu, SVS, Streem, Fluance, and Swanns.
    Odd,

    I haven't tried the Ascends, and I'm actually very interested in the CBM170's as I've been told they have a very flat frequency response. I am currently finding that I prefer warmer speakers that excel in the mid-bass, and so I don't want to buy another bright speaker and I just don't know where the Ascends rank in that respect.

    I have auditioned several models from Axiom: the M50, M60, M80, VP150, M3ti, M22i, QS4 and QS8. Of these I now have an all-Axiom surround setup in my TV room (M22i, VP150, QS4, M3ti), although I don't consider it a high-end setup and prefer my 2-channel system much more. The Axioms are still excellent speakers, though, and for movies they are ideal. The QS surround speakers are incredible, and there is nothing like that elsewhere. They have solid construction, good engineering, very flat response, good imaging, and Axiom provides excellent service, responding to all my nagging emails within 24 hours. I even got a nice letter from Amie Colquhoun, one time, regarding a shipping error.

    I also have an SVS 16-46 sub that looks more like a water heater than a sub. An amazing beast. A friend of mine has a comparable Hsu sub, but in my garage we put them up against each other and the SVS was much more powerful, although the Hsu might be a tad tighter (it was also a bit smaller, so SVS gives you that "size argument" you can throw at your friends, too). Bang-for-the-buck-shake-the-neighbor's-pool-water, though, the SVS can't be beat. Their cube subs are also very good according to what I've read, but I was rooting for SVS when they weren't known for their cubes and as soon as I could afford it, I bought a tube unit. Their tech support is also very responsive. I sent them a diagram of my TV room, and they walked me through how best to set everything up. If you have an old receiver or integrated sitting around, you can save yourself some money by buying one of their passive subs, too. Highly recommended.

    I also have a pair of Aperion 522D's. They are a bit warmer than the current models but still an excellent speaker. According to Aperion, they made the newer models brighter because that is what their customers asked for. The 522 is a very good speaker for the money, and while they aren't my best speakers, we always use the Aperions as the benchmark when my friends bring over something to test. Their service is also top-notch and I've actually had several ongoing email discussions with their techs. They know a heap about speaker technology and while their adds all over this web site are a pain in the rear, they do know how to make a good speaker.

    Don't know about HTD, Swan, Rocket, or Streem, but I have not heard good things about the latter, while Swan and Rocket owners rave about their speakers. I do believe Swan and Rocket are on the bright side as well, although they are known to pack quite a punch, too, especially the Rockets (hence the name?). You might also want to check out BIC America; their acoustech series looks really impressive for HT, especially if you don't have a very powerful receiver but can't afford Klipsch speakers.

    Fluance is a mystery. Those people that own them are quite vocal about them, but I wonder how many of them are audiophiles that know what to listen to. The caveat is that most audiophiles who readily spend $2-3K on a pair of bookshelves won't take the time to check these out, so there appears to be a void of info about them. I was supposed to help a friend of a friend set up a 5.1 system using Fluance's SX-HTB speakers connected to a Yamaha receiver a month or so ago, but at the last minute he opted for an Athena setup from BB, instead (they had a sale). He said he was worried about the Fluance's efficiency and he had read something about their wild frequency fluctuations. Personally I think he just wasn't comfortable buying something that he (and many others) weren't sure of. That said, I really would like to hear them and at $250, it's almost worth it, just to buy a set. You can find them on eBay every once in a while too, for a bout $50 less. If you do get them, please let us know what you think. One thing that I have noted about their speakers, though, is that they are much smaller than what they look like on the picture, and I presume this will be noticeable if the tweeters are below ear level. The back speakers are small enough to remind me of the Bose cubes, albeit their published specs are much more impressive than what I've been able to figure out about Bose. (by the way, don't even think about the Bose cubes, they are pretty sad).

    One thing I will say, though, ask people to talk about speakers they don't own. Most of us (and yes, I'm including myself), tend to hype up what we own over what we don't. I'm sure there is a juicy psychological explanation about that too, but I think you will learn more by reading why people don't have a certain speaker, or more specifically, why they had them at one time and no longer do. From my perspective, I have a whole lot more to say about those, that's for sure.

    Hope this helps.

  3. #3
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Well said Nighflier:

    I own a pair of Axiom M3Ti's and I'd put them against my old Paradigm Mini-Monitors any day...they don't have the same bass though, but they are better in the midrange and have a better soundstage IMO...not as good as my Studio 20's, not at all, but better than the Mini's were for sure IMO. Just use a sub to handle below 50 Hz.

    I also have very modified Bic America DV-62CLRS....this is to date my favorite speaker purchase - $320 for an extensively modified Bic MTM alignment speaker system. Completely different crossover, and tolerance matched drivers and crossover parts...you can't get that in $1000 speakers these days! We put these up against my cousins Monitor 5's and then my Studio 20's... well they didn't touch the 20's, but they easily held in with the Monitor line, much better bass too...not bad for $320.
    The Bic's are a real value-leader IMO...awesome imaging and a deep soundstage...just a little warm for my preference as I prefer slightly brighter speakers for that more realistic "lively" sound, but all in all they are killer for the buck. They are ugly and I had to refinish the horribly charcoal black finish to a nice cherry veneer, so now they look great! Budget another $25 and a good two afternoons for refinishing too...

  4. #4
    BooBs are elitist jerks shokhead's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by oddeoowphil38
    Ok people I have tried and tried to find an Ascend owner in my local area or a least one close to my local area but to no avail. So, if you are an Ascend owner would you please let me know and what speakers you have. Maybe even allow me a demo. It would be much appreciated. Once again I reside in the Northwestern part of Kentucky located within the 270 area code. The Southern Indiana area is just across the Ohio River from me or the 812 area code. Likewise, the Southern Illionois is not far either which is the 618 area code. The Louisville and surrounding areas may be a possibility as well and is in the 502 area code. If you are not an Ascend owner but own some other internet direct brand I would like to hear from you as well. You know brands like Axiom, Rockets, Aperion, Home Theater Direct, Hsu, SVS, Streem, Fluance, and Swanns. Thank you for your time.
    Phil
    If they are that hard to find,that could be a drag if something goes wrong with them. Maybe you should consider a 2nd choice?
    Look & Listen

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