Ascend noob: KEF Q1 & Paradigm Studio 40 comparison?

[c1001]

Just discovered Ascend.

I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on a KEF Q1 and Q9 package because I find them to be the price / performance leader in San Francisco. I really liked the open sound of the Paradigm Studio 40 (Studio 20 was clean but too boxy sounding IMO).

For any Ascend owners that looked at the KEF and Paradigm before going with Ascend, I'd appreciate any feedback on your decision.

[shoboat90]

I seriously considered the Paradigm Studio 40's before purchasing my Ascend CMT-340's. Both are great sounding speakers, great highs...the lows were better with the Paradigms, but I'm using a sub so that wasn't a big concern. So, I went with the Ascends because they're half the cost of the Paradigms.

[BradJudy]

I nearly bought the KEF Q series before buying Ascends. To be honest, it was the sales person being a jerk that turned me away and toward companies like Ascend with excellent customer service track records.

I haven't heard the KEFs and Ascends in the same system/room or even within months of each other, but I did like both.

I didn't listen to the Paradigm Studio series much, but I did A/B the KEF Q series to the Paradigm Monitor series and prefered the KEF Q. If you have had a similar experience, you might also like the Ascends.

[bikeman]

I have no experience with the KEF's but the Studio 40's were high on my list while shopping for speakers. It's been awhile so I don't want to try and remember details because I might get them confused. Shoboat has covered the major issues. I would have been happy with either speaker. My wallet was only happy with one. Both my wife and I prefer the appearance of the Ascends as well. If the speakers are not going into a dedicated listening space, black has a lot going for it.

David

[Eddie Horton]

I have a friend with a full Paradigm setup. Monitor 9's up front, MiniMonitors for surrounds, and a CC. I always loved the way his setup sounded, but after purchasing my Ascends, my wife and I were blown away by the performance of the Ascends. Paired with a HSU VTF3-MkII, my 340's up front and my 170's for surrounds sound much more dynamic than the Paradigms. The midrange and highs are no contest with the Ascends delivering a more neutral, revealing sound. Plus, in contrast to what Bikeman said, the understated look of the Ascends is perfect for a light controlled, dedicated space. Factor in the cost, and it's no wonder that Ascend customers are such a happy bunch. Customer service is top notch. UPS did their best to destroy my boxes, but the guys at Ascend pack their goods in a way that probably could survive an air drop to your front porch. I've listened to a lot of other speakers in the last year since getting my Ascends and haven't found anything yet to justify an upgrade. We will be closing on a house in a couple of weeks that has a dedicated 15x28x9 theater room. I'll be doing the work myself to finish the theater and buying more equipment to fill it, but the though of a speaker upgrade just isn't necessary. The Ascends are that good. I already have 3 Outlaw M-200 Monoblocks powering my front three, and plan on getting 4 more, plus another pair of 340's to complete a 7.1 setup.

[shoboat90]

3 Outlaw M-200 Monoblocks powering my front three, and plan on getting 4 more.....

Holy Toledo!!! Nice work Eddie.

[Eddie Horton]

My HTR-5790 does a great job at moderate volumes, but with the large dedicated space we'll have I wanted to be able to fill it with clean sound. There's no replacement for displacement, as they say.