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View Full Version : Another Ascend Question...help!



Mag_Neato
05-06-2004, 01:00 AM
I would say they are accurate, detailed and neutral! Compared to my old B&W 602's, they do not fatigue my ears the way those could. Movies(and music) should not tear up your ears with these.

MAG

curtis
05-06-2004, 02:05 AM
Everybody's ears are different.

That said, my Ascends do not make my ears hurt. In fact, after over a year of ownership, I still can not get enough of them.

-curtis

AgentCooper
05-06-2004, 02:28 AM
Good to know....I know everyone hears things differently. And as far as I've read I havent seen anyone saying that the Ascends are "bright" etc.

I'll probably try 'em out and go from there.

My living room is aprox 15' wide by about 25' long with a big opeing to the kitchen/dinning area...it has a vaulted ceiling that goes from about 8' to 12'....would the 170's up front with the 340 center and 170 surrounds fill that ok?

Or would I be better off with the 340's up front?

curtis
05-06-2004, 02:44 AM
that's a big room.....depending on the configuration, I think all 340's up front would be the way to go.

Give a call to Ascend to discuss.

-curtis

Lou-the-dog
05-06-2004, 10:49 AM
The 170's pack alot of punch but with a room that big I would be inclined to go with the 340 front. You could order a pair of 170's to try on for size and then if you find you need a bit more up front then order the 340's and then you've already got the 170's for the back. You're gonna like the Ascends for sure, me thinks.

Randy

JohnnyCasaba
05-07-2004, 12:56 AM
AgentCooper,

Yeah that Matrix lobby scene can be torture on some speakers, but the thing I love about the Ascends is that they seem so well balanced, no one area of the audio spectrum stands out.

Gregisme
05-08-2004, 02:53 AM
Would you guys still recommend the 340's even if he doesn't often listen at VERY high volume? I wonder about this often, as people commonly recommend the bigger speakers for the bigger room sizes.

In my current, basically non-existent system, I'm using pc speakers about 1/4 the size of the 170's in a room that sounds very similiar in dimension to AgentCooper's. These speakers get fairly loud as it is, albeit without much bottom or even mids to speak of. I would fully expect the 170s to KILL them in volume and overall presence. If so, that would be more than enough volume to play loudly even in a fairly large room dimension.

Unless, the reason for these recommendations have more to do with being able to play such bigger speakers as the 340s, and by virtue of the larger size, LESSEN THE LIKELYHOOD THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LOCALIZE WHERE THE SOUND IS COMING FROM, regardless of volume. (I'm not sure if "soundstage" is the apt term to use here, so take my capitolized description at face value, please).

Is this the more key reason for these recommendations, as opposed to the generic "they'll play louder" responses?

curtis
05-08-2004, 03:15 AM
It is not so much that the 340 can play louder, but also the fact that it has a much wider dispursion.

-curtis

Gregisme
05-08-2004, 03:57 AM
Oh, so does this have to do with having a larger "sweet spot", from which you'll have really good sound (and given the larger room dimensions, you very well may have more positions you will be listening from, thus, requiring more dispersion)?

Would that be accurate, or have I mischaracterized what you meant?

curtis
05-08-2004, 09:23 AM
For me...it was a larger/bigger soundstage.

-curtis

Gregisme
05-08-2004, 10:07 AM
ok, soundstage is what again, exactly?

Here's my understanding of the concept..

Speakers with a bigger soundstage will spread the instruments out even more from one another. As a result, it'll make it easier to localize each instrument on an imaginary stage.. is that the gist of it??

curtis
05-08-2004, 04:09 PM
Not sure about the localization of each instrument, but for me, simply put, the sound is more expansive...bigger.

-curtis

Quinn
05-09-2004, 11:54 PM
I have a 17' x 17' living room with a ceiling that slopes from 9' to 18' and is open to 200 sqft of kitchen/breakfast nook and a 6' wide 20' long "gallery" hallway. the 170s w/340 CC fill that with good clean sound w/no problem. But, I haven't heard the 340 L/R to know what the difference would be.

Remember we are audio nuts who love overkill. [:D]

Gregisme
05-10-2004, 03:30 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Quinn



Remember we are audio nuts who love overkill. [:D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

This is true. The Spinal Tap "but these go to 11!" scene comes to mind. :D

I'm encouraged by your satisfaction given your room dimensions in terms of the 170's/340CC combo getting the job done. My space is no bigger and I think I'll be fine with that combo too. I wasn't getting the kind of resolution I was hoping for from Curtis's attempts at defining the extra something that the 340's provide him. I'm still not comprehending the whole "loud enough but not as big sounding" 170 vs. 340 comparison.

Plus, I like the notion of powerful and impressive sound coming from a less obtrusive package that the smaller 170s would present in a room.

curtis
05-10-2004, 11:26 PM
....I am feeling inadequate... [:)]

-curtis