Happy Holidays!!

[bikeman]

Thanks for the offer Dave but I don't think anyone is interested.

Hey, I was only kidden. You can post those measurements any time now.

David

[merrymaid520]

Merry Christmas to Dave F. and everyone else. At least the SE measurements might tide some of us over that are on the waiting list until mid-January With the new 340's being able to be run full range, is it still better practice to run them set as small if you have a good dedicated sub so the mains can concentrate more on the mids & highs rather than the LFE. That is the way I have the current 340's setup, but the new SE's offer more bass so thats why I ask. (if anything run them as small for movies and maybe large for music?)


Anyway,
Happy Holidays

Brandon

[curtis]

Hey, I was only kidden. You can post those measurements any time now.

I'm blaming this delay on you bikeman.....now it looks like I have to go to my relative's for Christmas Eve without seeing the graphs!

[davef]

Sorry guys...

Wouldn't you know it... I took the data files home with me (Friday) on a floppy disk.. yes, a floppy disk (for those of you who even remember what those are). And, well, being the speaker guy that I am.. I probably placed the floppy to close to a loudspeaker and zap... no more data files

I picked up one of those Lexar USB jump drive thingys yesterday and now have the files *safely* stored (I think)...

Stay tuned... coming soon.. (I promise )

Hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday.

[davef]

With the new 340's being able to be run full range, is it still better practice to run them set as small if you have a good dedicated sub so the mains can concentrate more on the mids & highs rather than the LFE.

No matter what your main speakers are, if you are running a subwoofer you should be setting the speakers to "small".. It is best to avoid having overlapping frequency ranges being reproduced from different locations and different sources.

The 340 SE can better handle lower frequency energy with less compromise to the delicate mids than its predecessor... while at the same time reproducing more of this energy. However, if you are going to use a sub, it is best to high-pass the speakers regardless whether music or movies.

[shane55]

Ok Dave...

That all makes good sense. So... would-should-could one drop the x-over to 60hz instead of the standard 80hz? I would assume this would take advantage of the 340SE's ability to reproduce those frequencies with more accuracy and transience than the sub.

Misguided?

Thanks

shane

[FirstReflect]

Hello Dave F.! I anxiously await the SE measurements! I thought I'd ask you here though since I know you'll be returning to this thread:

Are there any plans to introduce the multi-polar surround speaker that was mentioned last year and then seemingly scrapped due to lack of interest?

I've been told that interest has increased this past fall and I'd certainly like to voice my own strong personal interest in a diffuse surround speaker from Ascend!

Thanks for any info...I'm basically just trying to decide whether to get 7 CBM-170SE's or just get 5 for now and wait for the diffuse speaker if it's coming out in the next year or so

Thanks again!

Jon

[davef]

Hi Jon,

Happy Holidays!

Are there any plans to introduce the multi-polar surround speaker that was mentioned last year and then seemingly scrapped due to lack of interest?

I've been told that interest has increased this past fall and I'd certainly like to voice my own strong personal interest in a diffuse surround speaker from Ascend!

To be perfectly honest, this project is completely on hold... We used to receive perhaps 1-2 inquiries per day regarding a multi-polar surround speaker, enough for me to start the planning phase.. We are now receiving at least twice as many emails as then and we probably only receive 1-2 inquiries on this per week. It is a rather dramatic decline in interest which I believe is due in part to the popularity of Dolby Digital and DTS. Many consumers now want precise directionality in the surround channels, which is exactly what DD 5.1/7.1 and DTS is designed for. Much of that precise directionality is lost with multi-polar surrounds...

Believe me; if the interest was there I would be working on it... But as I have said for many, many years now, these types of surrounds do not deliver an accurate response. Diffused surrounds somewhat defeat the purpose of discrete surround channels.

If interest does increase, you can be sure my plans will resurface once again.

[FirstReflect]

It's too bad others haven't shown as much interest. Any chance you'd make a speaker just for me?

To be honest, in my own experience, I haven't liked di-pole surrounds all that much. As you say, they are too diffuse to create the directional sounds sometimes needed. But I have found bi-pole and quad-pole speakers very much to my liking.

In using monopole speakers, the enveloping diffuse sounds are too distinct and don't remind me of the sound in a movie theater. With a bi or especially a quad-pole speaker, I get a sound that is much closer to a movie theater. More diffuse than a mono-pole, but localizable enough that direct sounds aren't just a fuzz that's "over there somewhere".

I've come to really like the THX recommended setup with bi-pole (rather than di-pole) speakers on the side and mono-pole speakers close together at the back. I get the nice wide sound on the sides and the more direct sound right at the back.

I just wonder if maybe people who wrote before moved on to other brands in the mean time. They may still be out there and very interested in Ascend speakers, but just figure that you're not going to make them and have move on to another brand that offers diffuse surround speakers.

I genuinely think a bi or quad pole speaker would be a great and profitable addition to the Ascend speaker lineup. I also think that there are customers out there who have had some interest in Ascend, but turned to another brand when they found out that there were no dedicated surround speakers available.

Perhaps you could put some feelers out there. You've got good reviews all over the net and the SoundStage network and Audioreview in particular have given Ascend a great online name. I think if Ascend were to ask at various websites, you'd find a lot of interest in a dedicated surround speaker.

In any case, I'll certainly let you know of my personal interest and hope that it helps to convince you to put the diffuse speaker back into production!

Jon

[tjennings]

I agree with Dave on this one... it seems to be a step backwards to the days of Dolby Surround / 'mono' surround. Diffusing it defeats the purpose of directionality that came with DTS / DD. Perhaps you need a 6.1 or 7.1 receiver to give you more of the multi-surround / movie theater experience (sorry if I didn't read all of your posts regarding this and you already have one)?

Also, have you tried hi-rez multi-channel music? SACD / DVD-A is incredible sounding... and you definitely don't want a diffused surround sound for it. My quest is for the exact same speaker all the way around so the soundstage is completely seamless. That is what led me to Ascend in the first place... the ability to have five 340's (now SE's) around the room.