Is Ascend going to make a tower speaker?

[tdogr]

What is the word on this?

[Mag_Neato]

Keeping in mind that Dave F. used to design speakers for M&K, who never made a tower speaker, I'd suspect the answer is no.

OTOH, just as Dave suprised us with the "SE's" I would not rule out the possibility!

[bikeman]

What is the word on this?

With the recent introduction of the SE's and Ascend's history of limited intro's, I wouldn't expect anything completely new for quite some time. I do expect a modified HTM 200 this year.

David

[Lou-the-dog]

What is the word on this?

One thing for sure...if Davef has a tower in the works we won't know about it until practically first day of availability for shipment. Davef is pretty tight lipped about such things. As Bikeman said, Davef has shown some interest in those folks that have pushed for an SE upgrade of the 200's...we'll see.

Randy

[Samurai Jack]

Yes, I'm actually ready to buy...but I'm wondering about a possible upgrade to the HTM-200s. Since I'll be buying four of them for the surrounds in my 7.1 setup (340 SE's across the front), I'm hesitant.

I suppose it doesn't help that what I'd really want is 170's in surround duty (perfectly matching cones)...but my small room just can't acommodate those big, chunky, rear-ported cubes up on the walls.

The HTM-200's seem to be the way to go...but they still seem like the red-headed stepchild of the group...particularly after the CBMs/CMTs got the SE treatment.

An SE type of upgrade to the HTMs would really sell me and give me a warm fuzzy.

[GaryB]

This thread is the source of the speculation in bikeman's and Lou-the-dog's posts above. If an HTM-200 SE is introduced, I suspect its advantages over the current model will be much more apparent when used as an LCR speaker, rather than as a surround. The current model should still be a good timbre match with the SE versions of the CBM-170 and CMT-340.

[bikeman]

An SE type of upgrade to the HTMs would really sell me and give me a warm fuzzy.

If it would have made a reasonable difference, you'd already have seen the change. The change will come only because the customers want it. It won't come about because of any noticeable improvement. I'm convinced the change is coming. "Warm fuzzy" will be the major benefit.

David

[Samurai Jack]

I totally want my warm fuzzy.

I'm already trading having the exact same 6.5" woofer all the way around for the small size of the HTM...but that's not as important in a surround as the tweeter. Having the exact-matched upgraded one in there would seem to just make sense from a whole-system-perspective.

I know the 200's are fantastic. Heck, I know I might not even be able to hear the difference in an upgrade. But the perfectionist in me is bugged by the fact that it's different for no particular reason anymore...other than well, it's already "good enough." It leaves me, if nothing else, psychologically unsatisfied. Call it crazy...but it does.

That other thread is right. I'm not buyingthe HTM's because they're less expensive by a few bucks than the CBM's. I'm buying them for their size. The $300-ish HTM pairs are already overkill for the surround role...but what's audio/video without the obsession?

I'd be happier paying a few bucks extra and knowing everything that COULD match (the things not size-dependent) DO match. Ya know?

Or maybe I'll just get over it and order. But it'll nag me a little.