Is the 340c a great center?

[zachwhite0]

Hey guys I have been reading rave reviews of the 170 bookshelf but I have not heard anything about the center channel.

I have been hearing everywhere that the Axiom 150 center and the Onix RS200 center are fantastic but I have ehard nothing about the Ascend center.

This is mainly for movies so its pretty important to me. Any feedback or opinions would be great. Thanks guys.

[Kpt_Krunch]

Well Zach - I've been fortunate enough to hear both the Ascend Center and Big foot (the Rocket RSC200).

The Big foot is big - very big.

The Ascend Center is more a 'normal' size that will fit just about anywhere.

The "bigfoot" has a signature sound which a lot of people really like.

The Ascend doesn't really have a signature sound at all, it is very neutral and adds virtually nothing to the audio source. This can be a bad thing if you are listening to a badly recorded movie. Luckily for us, most modern movies are recorded just fine :)

Both center channels handle dialoge with aplomb.

As to which is better - it really depends on what your preferences are. You really need to match your center with your mains though if you want to create a seamless soundstage. Ascend's 340's are pretty much identical save for a minor tweaking in the crossover (as I understand it) and a 90 degree rotation of the tweeter to accommodate the Center's resting place (horizontal rather than vertical).

The RSC200 is not an identical match with the mains from other Rocket lines, but it is close enough that there is no discernable difference.

I own the Ascends, a buddy of mine owns the Rockets. I prefer my Ascends.

Hope this helps you out a bit - if you can, listen to both. There is no 'better' speaker than the one you prefer.

[bikeman]

I've posted my impressions of the 340C here. I've not auditioned either the Rocket or the Axiom so no comparisons possible. Welcome to the forum, Zach.

http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=1059&highlight=340C

David