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View Full Version : Well, I finally pulled the trigger



dae3dae3
04-23-2005, 08:45 AM
I just put in my order for 340's across the front. :) I also put in an order for a SVS 25-31PC-Plus that I plan to run in 20 Hz mode.

Unfortunately I blew my whole budget on speakers and am now going to figure out how to get a decent receiver to hook them all up to for $200. :eek:

Now the waiting begins. I will post some high resolution photos when I get the speakers. I was frustrated with the lack of high-res photos while I was shopping so I will try to help out others with that particular problem. :p One of the advantages of having my own web server. :cool: As long as I keep my site smaller than 120 GB I don't have to worry about storage space. :D

Darren

bikeman
04-23-2005, 09:38 AM
I just put in my order for 340's across the front. :) I also put in an order for a SVS 25-31PC-Plus that I plan to run in 20 Hz mode.
Unfortunately I blew my whole budget on speakers and am now going to figure out how to get a decent receiver to hook them all up to for $200. :eek:
Darren

Congrats. As I urge everyone. Don't smile too much and don't miss too much work.

I believe SVS offers a 22hz native tune as an option on the 25-31. Wouldn't that be a better alternative if it's offered?

For a budget receiver:

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/detail~dpno~757310.asp

http://www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?Nao=0&N=10946

Or get on the pre-order list for this one.

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4032232

David

dae3dae3
04-23-2005, 01:21 PM
Thanks for the links. :D I was hoping someone would point me in the right direction.

Is the Denon AVR685S that you linked to the same as the Denon AVR1705? The specs look the same but I didn't see the 685 on Denon's website.

I did not see an option on the SVS website for a 22Hz native tune. Maybe I'll fire them a quick e-mail and check.

Thanks,

Darren

JohnnyCasaba
04-23-2005, 01:45 PM
It is probably to late now, but my local CompUSA had a few older open box AVR's for sale pretty cheap. Saw an Onkyo 601 for 130.00, might be worth a look.

dae3dae3
04-23-2005, 02:07 PM
I figured my wife was going to mad at me anyways ;) so I went ahead and blew the budget and ordered a PIONEER VSX-1015TXK THX Select AV Receiver from JR.com. If you call in you get a better price than they list on their website.

I didn't want to settle and be upset with myself later. :rolleyes:

curtis
04-23-2005, 02:10 PM
Darren....congrats on your new setup. You have been doing a lot of research, I have seen you post on many forums. :D

bikeman
04-23-2005, 02:35 PM
I figured my wife was going to mad at me anyways ;) so I went ahead and blew the budget and ordered a PIONEER VSX-1015TXK THX Select AV Receiver from JR.com. If you call in you get a better price than they list on their website.
I didn't want to settle and be upset with myself later. :rolleyes:

Just for reference, J and R is an authorized dealer for Pioneer. Any discount is a real bonus when you throw in the factory warranty and good MSRP. Way to go, Darren. Sleepin on the couch ain't so bad for a few nights. :D

David

dae3dae3
04-23-2005, 02:40 PM
Sleepin on the couch ain't so bad for a few nights. :D

David

Well, I'd be right out where I could listen to my new setup. :D

dae3dae3
04-24-2005, 01:35 PM
I believe SVS offers a 22hz native tune as an option on the 25-31. Wouldn't that be a better alternative if it's offered?
David

I sent an e-mail to SVS with this question and it took Ron 13 whole minutes to get back to me. :p

The 22 Hz tune is only available on the 25-31PCi. (no plus) The Plus series is end-user adjustable. He also stated:

"A 25-31PC+ in 20hz mode (one port plugged and the 20hz filter selected) is still quite powerful and has two free flowing 3” ports open and thus is still more powerful than a 20-39PCi."

I can't wait for everything to get here. :D :D :D

dae3dae3
04-25-2005, 07:08 PM
Well, I have tracking #'s for everything but the Ascends. I did get an e-mail from Dave saying they would be sent out soon. :)

I looked up the UPS center my sub is currently in on google maps and was looking at satellite pictures of the building. I couldn't quite see my sub though. :D Maybe I should have bought a bigger one. :eek:

dae3dae3
04-26-2005, 12:16 PM
Oooooh!!!!!!

My sub is in the State and the receiver is one State over.!!!!!!! :D

dae3dae3
04-26-2005, 04:00 PM
The good news is that I got part of my order. :D

The bad news is that is just the cables. :o

Lou-the-dog
04-26-2005, 06:26 PM
Oooohhh man! I feel your pain! Good things are worth waiting for tho!

Randy

dae3dae3
04-27-2005, 04:53 AM
The sub and the receiver are out on the truck for delivery. :D No word yet on my 340's.

I called UPS yesterday and asked if the packages could be held at the UPS distribution center which is just down the street from where I work so I could pick them up over lunch and not risk nobody being at my house when they try to deliver. They said they wouldn't hold them until they had tried to deliver first, even if nobody was going to be there. Guess they gotta keep the drivers union happy. :confused:

I always love it when the last thing considered is the customer. That's why I am ordering more and more things from small companies over the internet. It seems this is the last bastion of decent customer service unless you go to some super high-end shops that most people (including me) can't afford.

dae3dae3
04-27-2005, 02:34 PM
I just received an e-mail confirmation that my 340's have shipped. :D :D :D

I'm sitting here impatiently waiting for the arrival of my sub and receiver. :(

dae3dae3
04-27-2005, 07:08 PM
I got the receiver and sub setup and listened to a few things. I am not wowed by the sub yet. :rolleyes: No pants flapping. I will have to configure it tomorrow. I can't do anymore tonight because the baby is going to bed now.

dae3dae3
04-28-2005, 06:28 AM
I started an new thread down in the "other" category to post my observations on the sub since this is the Ascend speakers part of the forum.

dae3dae3
05-02-2005, 04:54 AM
My 340's are one state over now. :)

I should get them tomorrow. :D :D :D

bikeman
05-02-2005, 05:41 AM
My 340's are one state over now. :)
I should get them tomorrow. :D :D :D

It was just posted on CNN that Time has entered a continuem. The next 24 to 36 hours will take approximately forever. Sorry. :( :rolleyes:

David

dae3dae3
05-02-2005, 04:26 PM
My speakers have been sitting in the Chicago UPS depot for 16 hours now. I don't see how I can get them tomorrow if they don't move soon. :mad:

I hope the Chicago UPS depot isn't like the Chicago Post Office. I might not see them for a couple weeks if it is. :rolleyes:

curtis
05-02-2005, 04:37 PM
What is the delivery date that UPS is giving you?

dae3dae3
05-02-2005, 04:55 PM
May 3, 2005

curtis
05-02-2005, 06:15 PM
Well...I have had UPS miss a scan before, so hopefully that has happenned in this instance.

dae3dae3
05-02-2005, 07:38 PM
Well, 19 hours and counting on the Chicago UPS depot. This was my last check before heading off to sleep. Maybe they'll go into turbo mode and get their act together and get them to me tomorrow. I will hope that it was just a missed scan. Man this stinks, it's like someone told you on Christmas eve that they decided to move it back today. If I don't get them tomorrow I won't be able to set them up properly until Friday. :(

Nicholas Mosher
05-02-2005, 07:58 PM
It was just posted on CNN that Time has entered a continuem. The next 24 to 36 hours will take approximately forever. Sorry. http://mysite.verizon.net/nicholasmosher/roflmao.gif

dae3dae3
05-03-2005, 04:49 AM
After sitting in the Chicago UPS depot for 21.5 hours they finally put my speakers on a rocket sled and shot them across the entire state of Indiana and got them out on a delivery truck to be delivered today. :) I think they must have been trying to see how late they could send out the truck and still get it to the next stop to go out. I've never seen a package sit in one place for so long with UPS.

jojo
05-03-2005, 06:07 AM
After sitting in the Chicago UPS depot for 21.5 hours they finally put my speakers on a rocket sled and shot them across the entire state of Indiana and got them out on a delivery truck to be delivered today. :) I think they must have been trying to see how late they could send out the truck and still get it to the next stop to go out. I've never seen a package sit in one place for so long with UPS.

i feel your pain. i know when i pull the trigger to get my ascend setup, im going to go through hell, because of customs.

bikeman
05-03-2005, 08:01 AM
i feel your pain. i know when i pull the trigger to get my ascend setup, im going to go through hell, because of customs.

Had a run-in with UPS with a shipment from Canada four or five years ago. They forgot to gouge us an additional $50. for a 44lb package which was actually a nine poung package. They harrassed and threatened both the shipper and myself for a few months but we stuck to our guns and told them to f*** off. I try not to use UPS unless absolutely necessary but I'll never under any circumstance use them to ship to or from Canada again. If your a bussiness person with a rep assigned to you, it's not so bad. If you're an individual, they'll try every trick in the book to extort more money. Brown is not my favorite color. They even destroyed one of my original 340's. Had to wait for a new one to be shipped which of course was done immeaditately.

David

metalaaron
05-03-2005, 09:54 AM
fed ex damaged an acoustic guitar i had and it took just over 6 months to settle. as with any insurance, the only way to win is to stay on them. fedex sent me an extra $200 for the amount of time it took. that was pretty honorable of them so i still use them. :)

i was rear-ended at a red light just before that happened. the guy got out of his car and i thought i had found billy ray cyrus' lost cousin from north georgia. he wanted to settle outside of insurance, etc. i asked to see his insurance card and he didn't have any insurance. i said so you want to A) not report the accident and B) you're driving in TN w/o insurance ... can you think of another illegal thing we can do today? i called the police and i gave him the crazy eye when it looked like he was going to take off. he didn't run. thank goodness i have uninsured motorist coverage. the insurance company finally found him with a collection agent and i received a few bucks for all of the trouble. i hope he went to jail, or at least learned a lesson.

the last package i received from fed ex ground had some funny tracking on it. it arrived in memphis on one day and left for delivery on a route truck ... then 30 min. later it arrived in chattanooga and if i remember correctly it went back to memphis an hour later. then, onto a delivery truck here in chattanooga. memphis is 6 hours from chattanooga. :)

GaryB
05-03-2005, 09:58 AM
i feel your pain. i know when i pull the trigger to get my ascend setup, im going to go through hell, because of customs.Customs was not an issue for me, jojo. My speakers were delivered to my house the day after they arrived in town, exactly 7 days after they left the factory, so customs processing took no more than a few hours. I knew in advance I would have to pay the infamous UPS brokerage fee (I think it was about $50), plus GST and PST, so be prepared for that. Otherwise the whole shipping and delivery process was problem-free, and everything arrived undamaged.

Oh, I forgot... no PST for you in Alberta. ;)


Brown is not my favorite color.I agree with you completely, bikeman, but often it's just not worth the time and trouble to arrange alternate shipping when so many vendors are set up to use UPS.

dae3dae3
05-03-2005, 01:07 PM
My speakers were delivered to my house about 25 minutes ago and I get off work in 25 minutes. :D :D :D

I shouldn't have told everyone I was getting them today. It would be too obvious if I suddenly came down with a case of Brown truck fever. :p

curtis
05-03-2005, 01:37 PM
I shouldn't have told everyone I was getting them today. It would be too obvious if I suddenly came down with a case of Brown truck fever. :p
Don't worry.......the pain of waiting will make you remember the next time. :)

dae3dae3
05-03-2005, 07:01 PM
I will write up details when I have more time but I will give some initial impressions for now.

My L and R speakers are on TV trays right now because the stands haven't come in yet and I need to get the center up above the TV instead of almost all the way to the floor in the tv stand. Got some real "Hilbilly audio" goin here until I get the stands and a center channel mount. :o

The clarity of these speakers IMO completely outclasses anything I have heard in this price range. These aren't the best speakers that I have ever heard but the better speakers I heard started at about four times the price. I was concerned that a set of $600 speakers would not be an upgrade to my current speakers which also cost $600 but the Ascends truly provide a much better sound. I also found that I could play these speakers much louder than my previous speakers without the sound becoming strained. I can listen to music again. I stopped listening to music because my old speakers annoyed me but I was very impressed with the Ascends in the short time that I played music this evening. :D

More details to come as time permits.

Lou-the-dog
05-03-2005, 08:26 PM
Just wait until you get things properly set up and add some break in time...they'll really shine!!

Randy

dae3dae3
05-05-2005, 07:01 AM
Something that I can comment on without getting my placement all straightened out is the appearance and construction.

The overall look of the speakers is very nice. Although the finish is not wood veneer it is much better than a fake wood grain finish IMO. They have a nice almost pro-audio look to them. The texture of the finish is very uniform and there are no noticeable imperfections.

The construction is very solid and they have a nice heft to them that gives them a solid, substantial feel. The binding posts on the back are obviously of high quality and the banana plugs go in with a snug "thunk" that lets you know everything is securely attached.

If it is sunny when I get off work tonight I will take them out on my patio and get pictures in natural sunlight and post a link.

dae3dae3
05-05-2005, 06:37 PM
I took some pictures this evening but they didn't turn out very well so I will take another shot at it this weekend.

LampCord
05-05-2005, 07:26 PM
Congrats dae3dae3!

You and I are in the same boat, I just ordered 340 front and center as well. Only my boat is about a week behind your boat! :(

Can't wait to see the pics.

shane55
05-05-2005, 11:54 PM
Same boat here too...

Ordered the 170-340c-170 combo on Tuesday. They will be here tomorrow :D

Today I ordered a pair of 340 mains. :D
Not sure when they will be shipped out or delivered, but I figure by Wednesday I should be swimming in speakers!

We are all very lucky!

cheers and congrats to all in this boat.

shane

dae3dae3
05-06-2005, 05:14 AM
I found last night that when listening to music in stereo I get a better sense of imaging when I put the receiver in Direct mode that does not use the center channel than when I put it in one of the Dolby digital modes where it actually uses the center channel.

It is amazing how well the 340M's image. :D

My advice, turn off all those electronic modes and let the speakers sing. :cool:

My experience so far has been that every time I have been a little disapointed in the sound of something out of the speakers I have found that I had something screwed up in the receiver and when I got it fixed the speakers went back to sounding great. It is kind of like comuter programming; you put garbage in, you get garbage out.