CBM-170 SE: initial impressions of a newbie
I'll save the actual review for after the speakers have been broken in and I've spent more time listening to them critically, but I hope that some of you will find my experience interesting.
First, a little background. I've been involved in home theater for a long time, but have never owned really nice or even "decent" speakers. I've always listened to cheap junk (HTIB-type stuff), and while I had known about and auditioned much better, I could never bring myself to start on that slippery slope of constant upgrading. Perhaps I'm generally a bit turned off by how people are always waxing poetic about how their speakers sound, I don't know (no offense intended). Anyway, after seeing the Polk Audio R15 on sale for $50 a pair at frys.com, I suggested them to a friend and helped him install his new HT system. While the R15s are hardly the best, after listening to them, I considered them a steal at that price, and seriously thought about getting a set myself. To make a long story short, after going through a tortuous process of due diligence, I somehow convinced myself to spend about five times as much for CBM-170s all around, based on nothing more than testimonials to its qualities and its reputation for value (well, and a 30-day money-back guarantee).
When I set up the first two speakers as a stereo pair just last night, I foolishly decided to do a quick test with whatever was on TV (my DVD player was disconnected since I was rearranging things). I didn't know what to expect, but I guess the "hype" had really gotten to me, so I generally expected a lot from the Ascends. However, what I initially felt, unfortunately, was mild disappointment. The speakers hardly sounded bad--in fact, they were stupendously clearer and more detailed than anything I had ever owned--but they didn't sound all that great to me, either. The midrange wasn't what I had been led to expect (even on female voices), and the treble seemed brighter and more tinny than I would have preferred. I briefly wondered whether I just needed to get used to hearing something other than dull, lifeless audio reproduction, but I didn't think the CBM-170s sounded very realistic, either--much too crisp and thin as opposed to neutral and accurate. In addition, I easily detected quite a lot of sibilance and other high-frequency distortion, which rather surprised me.
Somewhat nonplussed yet hopeful, I then played a CD with which I was extremely familiar (mostly through pretty good headphones), and after picking my jaw back up from the floor, my reaction could pretty much be summed up by: OH MY GOD! :eek: I've heard some good high-end speakers (e.g. Paradigm Studio Series) under decent conditions before, but these CBM-170s are the cleanest, most articulate that I've ever heard, bar none. To my currently under-trained (but quite well preserved and physically capable) ears, they sound essentially perfect. Apparently, what I had heard earlier was what TV audio really sounds like, but I never imagined that hearing every little flaw could be so utterly effortless (and I've listened to TV on fairly decent speakers before). Strangely, rather than desiring to crank the volume up, I found myself turning it down to well below my usual listening level, while still being able to hear every detail and nuance like never before. Now I understand firsthand what all the Ascend "hype" is about, and as far as I'm concerned, it is NOT hype! :D
I think I need to calm down and take a breath at this point before I run around like a raving lunatic telling people to buy these speakers or else they will never know what it means to live! Alright, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but suffice to say that I'm very pleased with my purchase. :)
Re: CBM-170 SE: initial impressions of a newbie
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dread Pirate Robert
...
I also find the CBM-170 SE's bass response to be very honest, having none of the nearly ubiquitous mid-bass bloat that can "improve" some material but make voices (particularly male voices) sound unnatural. I'm going to have to be very careful when blending it in with my new subwoofer (more toys!).
I just ordered a pair myself over the weekend and am so excited about them that I'm lurking on the forums here, haha.
It sounds like we are of a similar mindset. I got tired of mid-bass bloat from my sound systems. I guess it's great for explosions but when it catches the bottom end of male speech it drives me insane.
When I read on the "summary" page for the CBM-170s that they specifically didn't overemphasize [mid]bass, I knew I had found the right speaker.
I've read a few complaints that the CBM-170s sound "thin." What this means to me is that people are used to speakers with poor transient response--sounds just keep on ringing. Give me accuracy any day!
