Rank your favorite instrument through Ascend

[hhcan]

Best instrument: Acoustic guitar. Ascend really has some magic on it. It sounds so good that I don't want to turn off the system. I never heard any speaker that makes acoustic guitar sound that good.

Second best: Violin, it sound good but I'm not totally satisfied (probably I had listened to Sonus Faber in combination with tube amp and I think nothing can make the violin sound better).

Piano is alright. Again, it may not be a fair comparision. I really like the piano sound through Vandersteen speaker couple with Conrad Johnson pre/pro.

So what can I do? should I have 3 different rooms with 3 different setup :rolleyes: ?

[Jonnyozero3]

The human voice :)

[Lou-the-dog]

Compared to my "other" moniters every instrument sounds fantastic on my Ascends. OK maybe that was a little over the top but I'd have to say vocals really shine on my Ascends.

Randy

[metalaaron]

i would say acoustic guitar, but i'm biased. (i own 4 guitars and have a horrible voice) ;)

hhcan, pick up dave matthews and tim reynolds live at luther college. :)

[Jonnyozero3]

I have to 2nd that - I am a big fan of a well-recorded acoustic guitar.

And I used to play the electric bass! :eek:

[Jorge59]

Definitely acoustic guitar! Awesome! Outstanding....

Second: electric guitar

Third: bass (on the CMT 340)

Last: cymbals (on the CBM)

I'm also suspicious, since I own 3 guitars (one acoustic, one electric/acoustic, one electric - Fender Lead II, year 1983, made in USA) and one electric bass. Though I can barely play anything on them...

[hhcan]

hhcan, pick up dave matthews and tim reynolds live at luther college. :)

Nice duo. There is another very nice duo too. Try this: Strunz and Farah-Rio de Colores. This CD is awesome; you can listen to it at amazon.com.

[curtis]

I enjoy everything on my Ascends.

If I had to choose what stands out, it would be guitar, vocals, and horns.

[Kurt C.]

Another acoustic guitar fan here.
I also have a Male/Female vocal duet of "Dancing cheek to cheek" from the Pony Canyon Audiophile Test CD that I used when shopping for speakers.

[bikeman]

One more vote for acoustic guitar followed by (some) female vocals followed closely by everything else.

David

[GodsMadClown]

I like the way Bella Fleck's banjo playing sounds. and also the way it reveals the emotive "accidentals" of a artful vocal presentation. That is to say, it lets the idiosyncrasies of a singer really shine.

[S_rangeBrew]

Vocals are very good. Trumpets in Jazz recordings are something else. (I listen to the Jazz music-only channel on Directv all the time, I think the sound quality is great... ch. 840, I think)

I'm using a cheap Sony SAW-M40 subwoofer with some HTM-200s. The subwoofer, cheap as it is, really helps, in my opinion. I can't wait to set up a nice clean-sounding infinite baffle subwoofer. That should be amazing. :eek:

[Lee Bailey]

Another vote for the Acoustic Guitar.

Playing Pink Floyd's the wall, in the song Mother, it sounds like the player is right in the room. Excellent!

[Kpt_Krunch]

Anything recorded in DVD-A or SACD. Acoustic Guitar (Guitar Noir by Laurence Juber recorded in 192khz by AIX) is unbelievable.

[picasso]

I like all string instruments but favor acoustic guitar with nylon strings. All wind instruments especially the flute.

[CraigT]

I play guitar and piano so I usually listen for those instruments. Surprisingly though I am most impressed by drums in my 340s...particularly bass drums. I'm not running a sub so there's not the "thud" which is maybe why I can really pick up on the nuances the speaker is reproducing.

[jojo]

amazingly all the instruments sound so good on these speakers and now i love listen to music. right now classical music sound extremely good on this speakers and you can hear the guy breathe when his is playing a wind instrument

[tjennings]

Please, you guys are killing me... I still have 3 weeks until mine arrive! :(

I just received this Mahler SACD, sounds stunning even on my old speakers... can't wait to hear it on the 340's!

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/reviews/review.asp?reviewnumber=16280004

An exerpt from the above link:

"Telarc has been a noted audiophile company for over two decades now, but this disc is surely the finest recording they have yet produced. Dare I even say, this recording raises the bar for the whole classical recording industry."

[Lou-the-dog]

Please, you guys are killing me... I still have 3 weeks until mine arrive! :(

I just received this Mahler SACD, sounds stunning even on my old speakers... can't wait to hear it on the 340's!

Man!... THREE WEEKS??...poor soul. I'm always willing to help an 'ol (soon to be) Ascend bud in a time of need ... how about you send me the disc and I'll TELL ya how it sounds on the 340's. :D :D

Randy

[fastbike]

Man!... THREE WEEKS??...poor soul. I'm always willing to help an 'ol (soon to be) Ascend bud in a time of need ... how about you send me the disc and I'll TELL ya how it sounds on the 340's. :D :D

Randy

Now there's a generous offer :D :D :D . You guys are definitely tough on us guys that are awaiting the Ascend Experience.

[tjennings]

Such a generous offer Randy! :D Like rubbing salt in my wounds.

I'm sure the wait will be worth it... I got caught in the backorder situation that is going on currently. I think it is great that demand exceeded the supply for the 340's.

[jojo]

Such a generous offer Randy! :D Like rubbing salt in my wounds.

I'm sure the wait will be worth it... I got caught in the backorder situation that is going on currently. I think it is great that demand exceeded the supply for the 340's.

i saw your ht setup nice. i have the ksb 1.1s. back in my rookie days i though they was the speaker. then i got the 170's and those ksb are back in thier oringal box

[lei@forum]

It looks like a lot of people like acoustic guitar on ascend acoustics...any
specific albums that you recommend?

Another thing, how does piano sounds on ascends?

-lei

[bikeman]

It looks like a lot of people like acoustic guitar on ascend acoustics...any
specific albums that you recommend?
Anything by Al Di Meola.

Another thing, how does piano sounds on ascends?
Like a piano played through a really good speaker?

David

[Jonnyozero3]

Anything by Al Di Meola.

Like a piano played through a really good speaker?

David


Oh man. Thanks for the laugh. It's been a long day and I needed that :)

[pegleg]

I love my Ascends, especially my 340s upstairs. I love them for voice, guitar, violin, just about anything.
But
<<HERESY WARNING!>>
My **** 901s outdid them for piano. NOT for clarity--the Ascends are much clearer, and more enjoyable for listening to piano. But I grew up in a house with a pianist (my mom) and a Steinway baby grand (Model A) and even with a subwoofer, the **** better reproduced the "heavy power" of a live piano: the floor vibrations, when your stomach (insides) vibrated along with loud passages.
The Ascends aren't perfect, but
<<HERESY WARNING OFF>>
when I last had my ****, a few years ago, I actually thought my hearing was going. That just isn't true with Ascends. I have no doubt about my hearing any more. I rediscovered vocals and have spent a great deal of money on acappella CDs. That would not have happened with ****.

Pegleg (Don't know why but Amar's last name is spelled with asterisks)

[bikeman]

(Don't know why but Amar's last name is spelled with asterisks)

So Ascend dosen't get sued by Amar's legal department every time I discuss my 901's. :D

David