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I think Ascend recommends 50 hours of break-in.
Positioning is very room dependent. The diagrams in the manual are guidelines.
Are your ears right up against the speaker when you hear the buzzing? This is usually caused by the receiver. How close do you have to be to hear the buzz? A buzz or a hiss? Do you have access to another receiver to test?
-curtis
Hi Chris,
Are you hearing the buzz out of both speakers? Speakers simply reproduce whatever sounds they are receiving. My guess is that this buzz is coming from your receiver and is due to some type of ground loop. Disconnect your TV and cable/satellite box from the receiver.
Is the buzz still there?
Good Sound To You!
David Fabrikant
www.ascendacoustics.com
I have played around with the receiver and I have gotten the buzz to go away. I still have to play with speaker placement though.
Just curious, what exactly happens scientifically in the break in process? Does a property of one or more of the materials change?
Chris
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Just curious, what exactly happens scientifically in the break in process?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Not sure you'll find the answer to that since I believe this is actually a matter of debate whether "break-in" even improves the sound. That being said, my Ascends seems to sound fuller to me than when i first bought them. However, that could just be in my head.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Without a sub the system still puts out a lot of bass, just not as deep. Many reviews led me to believe there was little mid bass<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I have to really disagree with this. My non-professional, impression of the 170s is this; absolutely stunningly beautiful vocals, even moreso on my 340 center. Ive had 3 people that dont know anything about speakers/ascends, and they all said the same thing (wow, those vocals!).
However, if i disable the sub, there's a distinct lack of low range, and music simply has little to no depth/richness with Ascends alone. These speakers are made to work with a sub (whether that was the original intention or not).
I will go with Chris on this one. There is definitely a difference with and without a sub, but the 170 has a enough for a lot of music on its own. A sub definite adds to the experience, but the speakers do sound pretty good on their own.
just my 2 cents.
-curtis
On the same note, I would like to invest in a decent sub, but really don't have the money to right now. I figured better speakers now, wait on the sub, but it hurts. So as it stands, I could wait and get a HSU VF-1 or 2 (Small Room), or I could shell out 100-150 right now. Any recommendations for that price range? Velodyne VX-10? Used subs?
i would wait until you can pickup an stf-1 or stf-2. you'll be glad you waited. :)
cbm-170s
How small is the room? Depending on the room size....the $299 STF-1 would be very nice. I agree....wait and get a nicer sub and don't get a cheaper one now.
-curtis
You have to be pretty liberal in sound judgement to be satisfied with a 69hz dropoff to your sound. Non-full range speakers need subs, unless they're for your sister or parents who dont know any better. Heck, i'd take a boss accoustimaster with a bass module, before i'd live with ascends sans a sub.
i just can't get over the vocal clarity and separation of sonics on these speakers. it's truly amazing. they have solid balanced bass all the way throughout. these are carefully engineered, quality speakers at an unbelievable price point. no bells and whistles to disguise faults in sound like other manufacturers. these are the real deal.
you'll be okay w/o having a sub for a while.
sometimes i turn the sub off so i can see where he's coming from i guess. there are some acoustic albums that sound better w/o a sub (or they don't use much of it to even notice). while some albums excel with a sub. so i'd save up until you can at least get something from the STF series. just my opinion at least.
cbm-170s
Ascend 170-Typical In-Room Frequency Response - 63Hz - 20kHz +/- 3dB
**** Acoustimess - "Bass" module 46hz-202Hz, satellites 280Hz-13.3K Hz
So for an extra 17Hz on the bottom end you'd take sucky **** sound, a hole between 200Hz and 280Hz, and give up the last 7K Hz of the high end? Oh and pay a whole lot more money?
azanon, it is probably our different tastes in music. The bottom end of the spectrum is more important to you than me.
I have demoed the 170's to a lot of people. Most agree they sound great without a sub, and ofcourse some believe they need a sub.
I would not be willing to give up the balance and clarity of the 170's for ****. If you are willing to take **** because of the added bass, then I can understand how important frequencies below 65hz are to you. It truly is a matter of preference.
-curtis
Yes, i'd rather have the hole in the 200-280hz range. 69-46hz is where all of the rich bass is that gives a beautiful depth to music, and makes movies very engrossing. Yes, reduced sound quality is not worse than the sound simply not being there.
Ultimately, I'm with Ascend and most every other professional reviewer on this one, and per personal experience, I have to recommend one utilize a sub with cbm-170s as they are notabily lacking in the low frequencies.
Azanon,
Where can you get a **** with a bass module for the price of a pair of 170's with a very good sub? It (****) would still be a joke of a system but I've not seen **** sold in this price range.
David
So I have decided, I am not going to spend more than $150 on a sub, period. I simply do not have enough money. So as it stands, what are your recommendations for a $150 sub, or at this price range, is it best to stay without?
Chris
I'd say wait until you can get a decent sub. Bad bass is worse than too little bass.
keep saving until you can get an STF-1
cbm-170s
Chris - I have a review sample of the STF-1 here. It was only use in a review setting, and is perfect. I could check with Hsu to see if they would give you a break, if you like.
That would be nice, but I really can't spend that kind of money right now, and I'm sure the discount wouldnt be that substantial. The 170's were a stretch for me as it is (College Student) and I am not in a place to go much further right now.
Any opinions on the Velodyne CHT-8 or VX-10?
adding on to what many here have said - best to wait and get a good one rather than get one just for keepsake.
i don't think it's critical that you get a sub right now. seriously. save up another $150. you'll be glad you did. i promise.
just trying to encourage you to yearn for the hsu. it's worth every penny. :)
cbm-170s
Chris,
You should see what Craig can come up for you. He might be able to work out a great deal.
-curtis
If Craig can work a deal for you then that is the way to go. If not then I've heard some good comments about the Dayton 10" sub from Parts Express...currently $124 but I've seen e-fliers with it as low as $90. There are better subs for sure but maybe something like this can get you by until cash is more available. I'm in my 40's now but I still vividly remember those lean college years.
On another note...Craig, how about a sub shootout in the super-budget below $175 category? Just a thought.
Randy
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Lou-the-dog
I'm in my 40's now but I still vividly remember those lean college years.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Same here! Boy, do I have some stories about pinching pennies.
The only sound system I had in college was a $50 boombox.
-curtis
College years?.....Heck, I just turned 40 and still rob Peter to pay Paul[:I] Maybe I should've gone for that piece of paper after all[:(!]
Ed
I've got the Dayton 10" and it's much better than anything else I've heard in it's price range but don't expect it to match a Hsu. Saving up is definitely the best advice. I had more money in college than I do now. I didn't have a house and a wife in college. :->
David
In the same thought, I have been thinking of a "problem" with a subwoofer purchase. Unfortunatly my reciever only has a crossover of 100 or higher, yet I have heard that the ascends work best at 80. Would it be better to use the 100 cutoff or to run the ascends through the sub? (High pass filter?) If the sub is not as high a quality as a hsu, could the sub's own crossover degrade the output quality of the ascends? Does this make sense?
Thanks again,
Chris
yeah...most like the 80hz crossover the best....but they still sound good crossed at 100hz. The best thing to do is try different settings and configurations to find out what sounds best to you.
-curtis
Randy - I just saw your post about an under $175 shootout... That could be fun. It will be Fall before I would do one, but one thing for sure, the prices would be right...
I could envision a system for my college-bound kids consisting of a pair of 170's, a decent quality entry level receiver and a reasonably musical low dollar sub. Put together properly this would be a very economical performance system that would fit well in a dorm room or small apartment and also be something they can build upon as they get their own cash flow.
On another note, as Dave F. has stated elsewhere, there seems to be alot of Ascend customers running without a sub. I wonder if some might like to add a small sub but are convinced that they need to spend at least several hundred to get desirable results...(and maybe they do.?) A sub shootout in this category might answer some questions and open the doors for some.
Randy
I will check it out... Parts Express sells a lot of inexpensive gear...
Lou!
Finally someone who understands my situation! The one frustration I have had venturing into the audio world is the constant push, even when I present myself as a college student, to spend more.
The Dayton sub, which I purchased new for $99, is acceptable for HT but I do not use it for music. I have Mission bookshelf speakers that are reasonably flat down to 60hz. There were posters on AVS who found the sub acceptable for music so as with everything else in audio, YMMV.
There's a Hsu in my near future. It's just a matter if there's five Ascend's to complete the package. I'll save money if I can order it all as a package.
David
David
Chris,
The fact that you chose Ascend CBM's puts you WAY ahead of the crowd in getting an excellent base for a killer sound system IMHO. You spent the money where it counts the most. The beauty of Ascend is that you get audiophile performance AND get to do so at relatively low cost. Congratulations on your choice...now if we can get you a decent sub within your budget. As I read your thread I was taken back to my college years...if only I had CBM's in my dorm at ISU back then... they woulda kicked the @#$% outa anything in the house!!
Randy
Im in the same sitaution as Chris, I posted on a different thread before. I just ordered my 170s, and they should be here next week. As of now im planning on going sans sub. I think i couldprobably stretch and afford an stf-1, btu im thinking it might be worth it to wait till i can get a 2 since in the longer run thats what i will want. thoughts? by the way im using these almost exclusively for music, and employing a technique described in another thread for porting large amounts of digital music to the system in addition to regualr cd audio.
Steve
smg59[at]cornell[dot]edu
Steve, I think you're making a wise decision waiting until you can get a model 2 sub (btw is that a VTF or STF?). You can still get a "package deal" price using Ascend's "extender" plan if you buy a sub within 45 days of your inital speaker purchase.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ben_Wood
Steve, I think you're making a wise decision waiting until you can get a model 2 sub (btw is that a VTF or STF?). You can still get a "package deal" price using Ascend's "extender" plan if you buy a sub within 45 days of your inital speaker purchase.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Thanks, i was thinking STF, but id be interested for peoples' input. From my reading it sounds like the stf is just as able to accurately produce bass, where as the swithces and such on the VTF allow you to get it to produce more bass (dynamically i mean) with less range if you so choose. Is that correct?
Personally i dont see myself needing the extra power anytime soon
Steve