anything bad about cbm-170???

[asdf777]

So far, I haven't read a single bad comment about the speakers on any of the websites. There must be some room for improvement, though... Please don't tell me these are the best speakers money can buy. I mean I don't mind paying $300-500 more, especially if I can avoid buying a sub. Which ones would you pick under a 1000 USD?
Thanks.

[curtis]

Nothing is the "best".

For $1000....and pair of CMT-340m's and a good sub of your choice. Actually, listen to the 340's first to see if you require a sub for your music.

[Nicholas Mosher]

If you like neutral speakers there are definetly some better units... but not for the money.

[sensibull]

I agree with Curtis. If you have an extra $300-500, get the 340s. They are a wee bit warmer than the 170s, by which I mean they are a little more forgiving of poorly recorded or older source material. Not to mention the fact that they go lower and louder. At their price point, you're not going to find too many people who can justifiably fault the performance of the 170s.

[asdf777]

See, that's what I'm saying -- nobody says anything bad about ascends and it sounds like you can't do any better... Let me rephrase my question: what are the next best and cheapest speakers after the ascends? Maybe it's wrong forum to ask this question, but you guys must be upgrading to something, right?

[curtis]

well yeah...DaveF could make better bass, better mids, and better highs, nicer cabinets....but it would cost some money. I would love to see what he could cook up in the under $1K category.

the 170's have been around for more than 5 years now...and still get comparisons to whatever comes along in that price range...and higher.

[sensibull]

See, that's what I'm saying -- nobody says anything bad about ascends and it sounds like you can't do any better... Let me rephrase my question: what are the next best and cheapest speakers after the ascends? Maybe it's wrong forum to ask this question, but you guys must be upgrading to something, right?

Coming to an Ascend forum and first asking its denizens to find fault with their speakers, and then asking for a non-Ascend recommendation is either a very clever form of trolling or some kind weird zen exercise ;-)

Most Ascend owners are practical folk. If I ever upgrade, it will be to a significantly higher price bracket, simply because I believe I cannot do better for a couple hundred dollars more. That's why I went with the Ascends in the first place.

[JeffD2]

See, that's what I'm saying -- nobody says anything bad about ascends and it sounds like you can't do any better... Let me rephrase my question: what are the next best and cheapest speakers after the ascends? Maybe it's wrong forum to ask this question, but you guys must be upgrading to something, right?

Well you could do better by spending 1.5 to 5x more for the same or somewhat better performance. It's no coincidence that Ascends are frequently compared to higher priced speakers. I don't think you'll get many replies here as to "the next step up". If you can't find any bad reviews, well....

[asdf777]

I had magnepan MMGs before, read literally hundreds of reviews and comments of how great they were and that you couldn't buy anything better under a 1000 bucks and when they arrived, they weren't as impressive as their reviews and I eventually sent them back. I mean, they were exceptional speakers for jazz and classical music, but sounded worse then my radio when hooked up to a tv or if you played rock-n-roll on them. Besides, they were not the kind of speakers that would make you get up and dance -- kind of bookish and too warm.

Can somebody compare MMGs to ascends? Thanks.

[curtis]

with planar speakers...you either love them...or not.

What speakers have you heard that you like?

Where are you located? Maybe someone in your area will have you over for a listen.