I think I'm hooked, what do I get?

[leonp]

I have researched for awhile now, and think I am ready to ascend to these speakers (pun intended, please laugh histerically now). Now, which do I get?

Here's my setup: home theater in the basement with a 100" FP screen. The basement is roughly 14 x 28 with 8 foot ceilings. There is an "out" corner (opposite of a normal room corner) in the front near the screen. (The room is essentially a rectangle with one 3' corner turned in instead of out)

I am thinking about pulling the screen out 30 inches to be even with the shorter wall. I may have the speaker on this side rest against this short wall but with the front protruding slightly to prevent immediate reflections. Would resting against this side wall pose a sonic problem?

The screen would be right beside the speaker. On the other side, the speaker would also be next to the screen, about 12-18 inches from the wall. Center would sit just below the screen, angled up. The rears mounted on the side walls.

This is mostly for theater, not music. I usually listen at a moderate-to-loud (say 6 on a 1-10 scale) level, but turn it up (8) when the kids are away from home (and not asleep). I will mate these with a sub like a Hsu VTF-3 or similar.

My inclination is the 170's would be just fine for the front three. Their praises are sung by everyone. However, most say the 340's are better. QUESTION #1: for those who have truly heard both, what would I be missing if I got the 170's? Can they really not keep up at somewhat loud levels?

Now for the surrounds. I plan to mount these 170's I guess with some kind of bracket to the side wall. QUESTION 2: If these are away from the side wall 2-4 inches with a bracket, is this enough for them to function properly since they are ported? Or should I go with the 200's with this mount?

Thanks for your insight. My planned purchase date is June, once I sell my current Definitive setup.

leonp

[jojo]

well i dont have these speakers yet, i only audtion them. they all sound amazing. the timber match are unbelievble. for your size i would get all 340;s in the front and 170's in the rear. you would love this setup. i go with the 340's just incause because you have lots of headroom to fill up.

[Cargo]

I do not own these speakers...yet, but I have auditioned them in Eddie Horton's home (thanks again Eddie) and they do sound wonderful. He has 340's in the front and 170 surrounds.
If you got 170's all the way around you'd probably be happy, but would you begin to ask yourself, "what if" a couple of months and begin to wish you had the 340's? If you get the 340's, there's no doubts afterward.
Just a thought.

[Eddie Horton]

Any time, Cargo. To answer question #1, the 170's are no slouch, but the 340's have 2 mid-range drivers and a larger cabinet. They're just more dynamic than the 170's. You have a pretty big room, so I'd get the 340's for the front 3 and never look back. According to Dave F., the owner of Ascend, the 340 will play louder with less distortion than the 170. It also has a more extended high frequency response than the 170. To answer question #2, as long as you give the port a couple of inches, you should be fine.

[leonp]

Well, looks like I should drop the extra $300 or so and get the 340's across the front. Still welcoming any more opinions!

leonp

[BillS]

I, like many others here, have the 340's across the front and 170's for back surround duty. I continue to be amazed at the sound quality and would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about purchasing an ascend setup. Most assuredly, you will not be disappointed.

Bill