Here's my Ascend experience:

After getting my surrounds setup, I realized that the VTF-2 sub I ordered was a bit shy for my large HT (about 600 s.f. if you count the room it's open to on the right). After helping me troubleshoot via email, David basically said "no problem, just send it back and you can trade up to the VTF-3" (I'm paraphrasing).

Here's where things went wrong: I shipped it back via USPS. It arrived at Ascend's offices nearly a month later (!), and was damaged. This made for a pretty bad situation all around. This is the point where another retailer would just dump the problem back on the consumer; not so with Ascend. David allowed me to return it less a 15% restocking fee, which was more than reasonable considering the damage (some strange adhesive that wouldn't come off, and scratches on the finish).

It's what happens when things go wrong that defines customer service, and I judge Ascend excellent on this basis! My judgement for using USPS and undersizing my sub was poor, but my judgement in choosing Ascend was very good.

By the way, the four HTM170's and one C340 do an amazing job of reproducing upper bass. The only time I miss the sub is when I'm watching an action movie. It's just as well - going subless for a while will give me a break-in period for my wife.