PDA

View Full Version : Just Placed My order



bri1270
03-09-2005, 06:31 AM
I just ordered the 340M's and a 340C. Can't wait to get them.

bikeman
03-09-2005, 08:39 AM
I just ordered the 340M's and a 340C. Can't wait to get them.

After you've had an opportunity to listen, post your thoughts. And don't start with, " I can't wipe the smile off my face." We all say that. http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

David

bri1270
03-09-2005, 10:18 AM
I'll see if I can come up with something a little more creative than that.

I don't think I'll end up receiving them until next week.

Eddie Horton
03-09-2005, 10:47 AM
Congrats. You'll love 'em.

S_rangeBrew
03-09-2005, 12:01 PM
I :heart: my HTM-200s. The little "Assembled in the USA" sticker on the back is pretty sweet. The quality of fit and finish is obvious, and the sound is incredibly pure. These things are worth a lot more to me in a speaker than some "real wood veneer", but maybe that's just me. ;)

These are great little speakers.

I'm sure you are going to love your little bit bigger speakers. :)

I *have* written a review, but it's all in that old thread. I'll have to sit down tonight and get it all put together in one coherent part. Then I'll post it on multiple sites. I think the fact I compared them head to head with a couple of other speakers makes it more useful.

bri1270
03-09-2005, 02:42 PM
I am definitely going to do some A/B testing with my Paradigm LCR 350's, which are probably most comparable to the Monitor 5's of today. I have a feeling it won't even be close. (but don't quote me on that because I haven't compared their respective spec sheets yet.)

I was thinking about selling my B&K AV5125 for 3 Outlaw M200's to power the 340's, any thoughts?

Lou-the-dog
03-09-2005, 03:05 PM
I think Eddie Horton has a trio of M-200's. I'm sure he'll chime in.

Randy

bri1270
03-15-2005, 01:33 PM
Okay, the speakers are at the UPS distibution facility in Massachusetts. They arrived there at 1:30 this afternoon. That means I should have them by tomorrow. I was really hoping they would come today, but I don't think so at this point. I'm starting to get very anxious now.

gman8691
03-15-2005, 01:51 PM
Well I ordered mine yesterday and I am on the east coast as well so I guess I'll be seeing mine next Monday or Tuesday...wish I was u tho!

Eddie Horton
03-15-2005, 01:54 PM
Speak of the devil and the devil appears. I went from a Yamaha HTR-5790 running 340's across the front and 170's for surrounds to the M-200's for my front 3. Now my Yamaha handles processing and surround duty only. I love my Outlaws. At high volumes my 340's sing like they never could with the Yamaha. It's not that it's a bad receiver, but just the fact that a mid-fi receiver can't supply the demands of 5 speakers running at full tilt in most cases. I plan on getting a couple more and a processor at some point. It's a great way to move into separates because you don't have to shell out a couple to several grand all at once like you would with a multi-channel amp.

bri1270
03-15-2005, 02:04 PM
gman - you may see them Friday. It depends on when they ship. I ordered mine last week. I think they left California on Thursday. So that's not too bad. I would have been nice to get them today though.

Eddie,

I have a B&K AV5125 right now, which powers all but my two little side surrounds. I'd like the M200's for the added head room in the front, but Outlaw was going to charge me $90 in freight. They ship from the same damn state, and they weigh like 10 pound each. I payed less than $50 to have my 340's ship across the country. I'm going to keep my eyes open for some B stock or some used one's. I'm not in a huge rush. The 5125 plays my Paradigms louder than I can even listen to them anyway, so I'm sure it will be fine for the Ascends (about the same sensitivity and impedence). Thanks for the input though, they seem like a decent little mono block.

dae3dae3
03-15-2005, 02:29 PM
Sorry about the nitpicking. ;)

The Outlaw Model 200's weigh 18 pounds each. :D

Still pretty expensive shipping though.

bri1270
03-15-2005, 02:32 PM
Sorry about the nitpicking. ;)

The Outlaw Model 200's weigh 18 pounds each. :D

Still pretty expensive shipping though.


I was too lazy to go to their site and confirm, but I did know that they were less than 20 pounds. How much does a 340 weigh...25 pounds...I thought their shipping was crazy money.

curtis
03-15-2005, 02:36 PM
I don't think Ascend charges the full actual shipping fee......$22 to ship a pair of 340's is pretty cheap.

bri1270
03-15-2005, 02:51 PM
I disagree. I think what Ascend doesn't do is try to jack up their revenue with obscene shipping charges, which so many other places do. I would be willing to bet that Ascend has a pretty nice contract with UPS, especially since they're a "ship only" company. What Outlaw is doing, should be criminal. I bet it would only cost them $10-15 max, (and that's if they're negotiator stinks) to ship those to me. I don't mind paying a little extra, but let's be serious. I've worked on some global shipping contracts with companies like UPS and Fedex et. al, and let me tell you, when you lock in with those guys on a large scale, you can be talking some serious savings on freight, not to mention that it's a cut throat business, so they're always trying to unseat an incumbent carrier with price savings to the customers.

I equate Outlaw's trick with one I saw on ebay - Buy it Now for $2.00, but there's a $35 shipping charge...and it's a friggin postcard.

Again, this is just my opinion. But if you look at any of my audiogon listings, I'll ship everything for free or split it, because I can do it from work and take advantage of the discounts which means I am shipping for close to nothing.

bri1270
03-15-2005, 02:56 PM
Sorry, I should have read that more closely...I agree with your comments about Ascend. Sorry about that.

curtis
03-15-2005, 02:59 PM
Oh...I think you are partly right.

I used my company's shipping discounts to ship a pair of speakers I demo'd from California to Nevada....roughly the same weight as 340's.....the cost was close to $50 with insurance.

I think DaveF even mentioned once that what Ascend charges amounts to a "handling" charge rather than full blown shipping.

bri1270
03-15-2005, 03:07 PM
When dealing with companies like Ascend (open, honest etc.) I have no problem paying a handling fee, because there's some legitimacy there, not to mention that their product is top notch. It's only when the freight associated fees are obnoxious that it really bothers me.

davef
03-16-2005, 12:16 AM
Hi guys,

Good discussion here.... and I will address some minor points.

Yes.. We do have a contract with UPS. However, the discount we receive is minimal. I hate thinking about it because it is truly frustrating; the discount we receive is less than 10%. We have a horrible contract with them but I would rather spend my time and energy elsewhere ;)

The flat rate shipping charges we charge are considerably less than what we are charged for shipping the items. I determine the freight cost by calculating the average shipping cost of an item + insurance (throughout the US), and then basically cutting that amount in half. These rates apply to our loudspeakers and subs. Accessory shipping charges are not cut in half.

Why don’t I charge “real” shipping rates? Well, you probably won’t believe this, but I feel that since my customers are taking a risk in purchasing an unheard loudspeaker, we should absorb half the shipping charges. It is not something I advertise as a selling point (and I never will), just something that allows me to offer a small thank you for auditioning our products, in turn allowing me to sleep better at night knowing that I am not price gauging my own customers…. :p

bri1270
03-16-2005, 03:13 AM
Dave, just another part of your business model that makes me feel good about my purchase. There's nothing worse than thinking you got a fantastic product at a great price, then realizing that with shipping costs, you're right back at the level you would have been if you had mde a purchase locally. Granted, Ascend is unique with it's offering, in that it can't be had at a local dealer, making your decision to not charge full price for shipping even more admirable. Thank you for not taking advantage - something not many businesses do these days. Like I said before, I have no problem paying for the product with reasonable shipping and handling charges. Personally, if the costs of doing business increases, I would prefer to pay more for the product itself, as opposed to fees. For example, if Ascend decided they needed more cash flow for R&D in order to expand their product portfolio, then I would prefer an increase in the cost of the products, not the shipping and handling. But that's just me. In any case, I definitely appreciate and support Ascends approach to customer care, as well as the concern you show towards your patrons. A novel trait these days.

bri1270
03-16-2005, 03:16 AM
oh yeah, one more thing...12 more hours and my speaker will be in my hands and probably set up (depends on when I get home from work today).

bikeman
03-16-2005, 04:36 AM
You're not coming home early to greet your new housemates? You are dedicated. http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

David

bri1270
03-16-2005, 05:11 AM
Well...I actually realized that I have to visit with a customer at 1:00 EST, and they just so happen to be down the street from where I live, which is about 35 minutes from the office...looks like I'll work from home for the rest of the afternoon...

bri1270
03-16-2005, 10:33 AM
okay, I'm at work, and they've been delivered...I have to get out of here.

bri1270
03-16-2005, 02:43 PM
okay, I got home, and my house was full. My mother, two sisters, my aunt and my mother-in-law were all here. I was not all that happy, especially considering that I had to walk past my speakers on the way into the house. (they were in the mud room)

Okay - first impressions - Nice packaging, no damage to the boxes, and the speakers were very neatly wrapped as I am sure all of you know. A little smaller than I thought they'd be, I measured my old speakers (Paradigm LCR 350's x 3) and I thought they'd be about the same size. The 340's are close, but not as wide or as deep. Not huge deal, just an observation. Nice solid build. I actually quite like the black finish. I prefer it over the fake black wood look. Everything seems very solid from the enclosure to the binding posts. Grill cloth feels nice, but seems a but flimsy - again, not a huge deal. So I set them up, got them all positioned, and I was ready to EQ them when...In walks my 1 1/2 year old saying, "Daddy, Mesame...," over and over again. I hate to say this, but both my wife and I got a huge laugh out of it. The very first thing played on my new set of 340's was Sesame Street. I'm sure you other father's know how hard it can be to say no, Daddy's playing with his new toys, and you need to leave. So I sucked it up and let her watch her video - which coincidentally just ended. I will EQ, have a listen, do some A/B-ing with the Paradigms, and I will report back either tonight or tomorrow morning.

bri1270
03-16-2005, 05:21 PM
I honestly don't even know what to say. I'm utterly stunned. Even with all of the hype on this site, I was not fully prepared for how good these speakers were going to sound. This is the best purchases I have ever made for my home audio/video set up. Let me start with this: My daughter finally let me have the room back, so I auto - EQ'd the speakers with my Pioneer Elite receiver's MCACC. I know some of you don't care for auto set ups, but this one nails it every time. I go in and make a couple of preferential tweaks, but nothing major at all. As a matter of fact, I could leave it alone and it would be fine. I just like to mess with stuff.

I haven't watched anything yet, so I can't comment on the movie preformance, but let me tell you, right out of the box these things are phenomenal. I can't believe how the soudstage totally blends and completely disappears. I had my wife come in and sit in my seat (the best spot of course). I asked her where she thought Dave Matthew's voice was coming from and she pointed to the center channel speaker. I'm listening to 2 channel stereo with a sub. I am in total awe. So I've been listening to everything from Danzig to Bob Dylan, to Kay's Choice...on and on. I like to think I have a pretty diverse taste in music. Anyway, like I said before, I won't do a technical review, because I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, but I do know good sound, and I know what I like. Earlier I mentioned doing some A/B testing with my Paradigm LCR 350's; I'm not going to bother, it's not even close. The Ascend 340's completely blow them away. The mids and highs are absolutely crystal clear. The Paradigms were much more muddy sounding by comparison. As a matter of fact, the Paradigms sounded like crap by comparison. At one point I turned the volume up to a level where the Paradigms distorted and were obviously struggling to keep up, and the Acends were flawless, I mean perfection. And I'm talking about a volume that almost makes your eyes water. It was very loud, way beyond normal listening, and these things were absolutely vivid. I can't even believe it. I'm literally sitting here shaking my head. I am very glad that I went for the 340's instead of the 170's. Not that I think the 170's are bad, I've never heard them, but I won't ever wonder what if. I definitely made the right choice. I don't ever remeber being this satisfied with a purchase, best money I've spent in a long, long, time. So my kudos to Dave and everyone else at Ascend. Thank you for making a great product and selling it at an unbelievable price. One of the professional reviews I read was dead nuts on, when it said that these speakers could sell for $800-$1000 and still be a good value.

Did I mention that I am completely awestruck. I bet by the look on my face you would have though that (insert your opinion of the hottest woman on earth) had just asked me out. Of course to me, that's my wife (in case she ever reads this).

One Word - Awesome!!!

dae3dae3
03-16-2005, 05:53 PM
Cool.

I think I'm starting to get an itchy trigger finger. ;)

Must......put......credit.........card.........awa y :eek:

I'm still saving up. :o

curtis
03-16-2005, 06:16 PM
Even with all of the hype on this site, I was not fully prepared for how good these speakers were going to sound.
That's because it's not hype. :D The Ascend crowd is pretty understated and knows what they have.

Atleast you did say, " I can't wipe the smile off my face." ....hehehe

bri1270
03-16-2005, 06:47 PM
I can't help it Curtis, I am natural born skeptic. You know..."if it sounds too goo to be true..." Of course I was pleasantly mistaken, which doesn't happen very often.

Oh, I'm still smiling I just didn't mention it because you asked me not to.

curtis
03-16-2005, 07:43 PM
I don't care if you say how much your smiling. It was bikeman that ask for something more. :)

Glad you are happy with them.

Kpt_Krunch
03-16-2005, 08:55 PM
That's because it's not hype. :D The Ascend crowd is pretty understated and knows what they have.

Atleast you did say, " I can't wipe the smile off my face." ....hehehe

Hi Bri - just read your review and it brought a lot of memories and a big smile to my face. I did 'almost' the same thing as you with my Polk RT800i floorstanders, except I did A/B them. That lasted all of 5 minutes - the 340's were far far superior in everything except bass extension - the 800's do go lower, but that's not necessarily a good thing when (compared to the Ascend) it was all muddy.

Among the many factors that steered me towards Ascend, Curtis's quote above was one of the main factors. You won't read a of stuff about Ascend at other forums other than "why don't you try Ascend". I'm doing my best on other forums to follow this rather unwritten law, as I don't want to be seen as a 'shill' for Ascend. This is what you see with some other on-line companies - when their speaker gets run down, a bunch of them 'freak out', when (I can't really remember a real 'negative' review on the Ascends though to be hones) Ascend is brought up in a negative light, 95% of the time the owners of the product just kinda shrug, we know what we have and we don't have to justify the product or our purchasing decision to anyone.

The worst part is - it only gets better. If you don't have one - get a universal player and play some DVD-A's or SACD's, it will blow you away!

Congrats Bri!!!!

Nicholas Mosher
03-16-2005, 09:13 PM
Definetly check out some dvd-a/sacd but be fore-warned, once you do, 2ch redbooks will never be the same!

Glad to hear you're enjoying your setup! :cool:

bri1270
03-17-2005, 02:50 AM
Sorry Curtis, I thought you said it, but again I was mistaken.

As for Universal players, I just don't think it's in the cards right now. I have been upgrading for about 6 or 7 months now with a new amp/receiver - subwoofers, speakers. If I get a new universal player, it means a ton of new material as well, because I have none. I am definitely intrigued, but I think I might have to put that off until next year when I upgrade the video portion of my setup. The damn money tree in the backyard won't produce. And besides that, the wife factor is starting to come into play. "Aren't you ever going to be done upgrading...?" She just doesn't understand...try and try as I may.

Thanks guys for your comments. Appreciate them.

curtis
03-17-2005, 08:40 AM
You can get into the DVD-A/SACD game relatively inexpensively.

I got a nice taste of SACD's and DVD-A's with the relative inexpensive Pioneer 563a (now replaced by the 578a)....they can be had on eBay for as little as $50....I paid $179 for mine.

In the last month, I upgraded to a refurbed Denon 2900. Before, I used the 563a and the DACs on my pre/pro(redbook).....sounded great. Now, I slightly prefer the DACs in the 2900. For DVD-A and SACD, the change was more noticeable.

The purchase of the 2900 was more due the fact that I got a new TV and wanted to upgrade the video side. Then I thought, "why not upgrade audio too?".....so that is what sent me in 2900 direction.

OK...that was off topic a bit. :D

gman8691
03-21-2005, 09:38 AM
Well, my acsends have now made it to New Jersey and should be here by tomorrow and, of course, I have an appointment so I will not be here when they arrive. Guess I will be up very late tomorrow night (till the wife starts screamin anyways) auditioning them and will give my very humble and poorly educated review shortly there after. Hoping to start it with " I just can't wipe the smile off my face" heh heh just kiddin!

bri1270
03-21-2005, 12:36 PM
Good luck G...I'm sure you're gonig to like them.

curtis
03-21-2005, 12:49 PM
Guess you can't cancel the appointment?

You know, you don't look like you are feeling very well...... :D

gman8691
03-21-2005, 01:02 PM
Cough, cough...ya know..achoo..sniff...I think yur rite!

Borismaster
03-24-2005, 10:24 PM
Hi guys, great site.

I work at night time and have spent the last 3 or 4 nights reading about ascend speakers as much as possible. This many people cant be wrong! Great reviews everywhere I look. I can't wait to have these in my setup. I'm going to order the cmt 370m's tomorrow. I've been saving up to get them. I will also order the cmt 370c before the 45 days are up and who knows what else I'll order after I hear them.

I have a Yamaha Rx-v630 75w X 6, with 12 gauge monster cables with bannana plugs. Are these cables good enough? or should I invest in others?

My room is currently 13 X 14. I hope that the cmt 370's aren't overkill.

I will post what I think of them once I set them up.

Thanks.

Kpt_Krunch
03-24-2005, 11:03 PM
Hi guys, great site.

I work at night time and have spent the last 3 or 4 nights reading about ascend speakers as much as possible. This many people cant be wrong! Great reviews everywhere I look. I can't wait to have these in my setup. I'm going to order the cmt 370m's tomorrow. I've been saving up to get them. I will also order the cmt 370c before the 45 days are up and who knows what else I'll order after I hear them.

I have a Yamaha Rx-v630 75w X 6, with 12 gauge monster cables with bannana plugs. Are these cables good enough? or should I invest in others?

My room is currently 13 X 14. I hope that the cmt 370's aren't overkill.

I will post what I think of them once I set them up.

Thanks.

Hi Borismaster - welcome to the forum!

Your cables will be just fine. A lot of people run 16 gauge lamp cord from Home Depot - as long as the runs are under 30 feet you'll be fine.

With your comments on the CMT 370's', I'm assuming you mean the '340s' (It's alright, I've done that more than once myself :)). For your size room, they are not necessarily 'overkill' per say, but I'm not sure if you would get any more out of them then you could the CBM 170's at a much cheaper cost. Nicholas Mosher recently purchased 5 CBM 170's and his room (I believe) is about the same size as yours he loves them.

I guess the main difference is that the 340's have a bit of peak in the upper frequencies to help fill in a larger space, and with the extra driver they'll go a bit lower as well. The 170's are very flat across the whole spectrum that they cover (65hz to 20 khz). I have both, the 340's across the front, and 170's doing side channel duty. I have a 12 x 25 x 7.5 room. The 170's would have been good enough, but I like 340's just fine, just fine indeed. We're currently thinking of moving to a bigger house, we may even build if we can't find a suitable place. I want a bigger H/T, I also want bigger amps and a new processor. I'll need a new sub (nothing wrong with my current one, but if I get a bigger room, I have to get a bigger sub). As for speakers, I'm done. If anything, I'd order another pair of the CBM170's for rear channel duty, and perhaps another pair of the 340's for stereo listening somewhere else (Exercise room?), oh, but then I'll need another pair for my poker room (Texas Hold 'em anyone?). Needless to say, I plan on making David a busy guy once I move :)

You won't be disappointed with either. But to be honest, if I were on a tight budget and looking at Ascend for a 13 x 14 room, I'd go with the 170's.

Lou-the-dog
03-25-2005, 05:08 AM
I've got the 340 L/C/R in a 13X14 room and love it. I agree with the Kpt tho...the 170's would do just fine in a room this size. The 340's offer a bit of flexibility if you plan to move to a larger room someday.

The monster cables will be just fine.

Randy