CBM-170s vs. Energy Connoiseur C-1s?

[KojiroTakenashi]

I have the opportunity to get C-1s at or under $150 dollars a pair...I could buy two sets and have Two mains, one center, and one rear-center.

Also, some people are offering their 170's for around $250...

In order to get those, I would have to sell my mains and center. The selling off of my mains and center could, however, get me the C-1s and a full-blown 6.1 system that way. It could also get me the 170's but at the cost of a meager 4 channel system.

I enjoy stereo only sometimes compared to the amount of surround sound I use for movies and games (but I don't let movies and games act as an excuse for lower quality sound. There is NO such thing as "game/movie" and "music" speakers IMO)...so, my dillemma.

I only have enough money for either/or at the moment...which also leads me to question:

Even though they would be second hand, would these Ascends still qualify for an SE upgrade later on down the line?

I really don't like the speakers I'm using but I'm stuck with them right now, so just not upgrading is absolutely out of the question...

[Asliang]

Kojiro,

I think this depends on your tastes. I think going the Ascends are more future proof because by the time you upgrade, you will be upgrading for the finish more than for the sound. If you go with the Energy's, you might just go "What if?"

Also, the second part is, to maximize your utility. If you spend the majority of your time listening to 2-channel music, this should be a no-brainer. If you spend more time watching movies in surround sound, then you might find more utility going with the Energy's, which can get you a full surround system earlier.

Also, if you are referring to the set on Audiogon, well its a good deal if you can get it now, but can you really get multiple sets for $150 each? That's the question...

[KojiroTakenashi]

Right now my speakers are a set of Acoustic Energy Aegis Ones...

That particular person on Audiogon selling the Energies also sells them on eBay quite often, so I'm certain I can get more than one set,and can possibly get myself a discount in the process.

Thing is, a good, properly imaging pair of speakers should be able to fill in center 'space' and what-not in a four channel configuration...

I want to know if the C-1s are good enough for the price in comparison to the extra mile that the Ascends would offer. With the Ascends, upgrading would pretty much be to SEs and a center channel...

As a side-note, I need someone who's knowledgeable with crossovers - I think I'm going to go ahead and build new ones for my AEs, since it seems my problems with the speakers are crossover-related...