Anyone compare Ascends with Monitor Audio?

[badassfajita]

The S6 can be had for the same price as 340's right now--anyone do a comparison with this model or even the newer RS line? I'd be interested in hearing your impressions.

Thanks.

[curtis]

xcjago over at AVS has:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post8323962

You may want to PM him.

[Mike^S]

Hello! I'm xcjago on avsforums. Yes I have listened to the RS6 quite a bit. They are good speakers no doubt. In fact Robert J. Reina of Stereophile went so far to say "the flawless and exceptional Silver RS6 gave me more listening pleasure than any other loudspeaker I have reviewed for Stereophile." Although, I doubt he has ever heard the Ascend 340SE.

Here's something I posted a few weeks ago:

"The MA RS6 sound good. They are good speakers and they look nice. But they just didn't do it for me. On their own they have more bass than the 340SE but that's about it. To me the lower mid-range sounded a little too prominent. The highs also seem a little muted. Overall I liked them, but I don't think they would be any improvement (except a little deeper bass) then the 340SE. They retail for $1000/pair."

To me, the Ascend 340SE sounds more neutral and natural. They are extrememly well balanced. When listening to the RS6, I played some Alice in Chains Unplugged album, Norah Jones, and A Perfect Circle.

The RS6 do have some things going for them. They have a nice wood veneer and you don't need speaker stands for them. They will also do a little better down low if you don't have a sub.

[shane55]

I know this is OT, but since you brought up Robert J. Reina...

When checking out the Ascends a while back I compared them to a system that Reina praised. Obviously I kept the Ascends and I always wondered if I had actually heard the same speakers that he heard. Now you say you prefer the Ascends over the Monitor Audios that he also praised. I have read that review (I'm a longtime Stereophile subscriber) and wondered how the Monitor's actually sound and if I would feel the same way about them as I did with the others.

Strangely enough when I posted my opinion of those 'other' speakers I complained about their over emphasis of the lower-mids. Maybe this is a real turn-on for Reina. It is not for me, and at times was a real distraction.

Thanks for posting this as it mostly answers those nagging questions as well as confirms my choice of the 340's.

cheers

shane

[badassfajita]

I guess I'll answer my own question again!

Today I spent 3 hours comparing the 340SE vs Monitor Audio RS6 vs Boston VR2 vs PSB something or another towers. The receiver was a high end Marantz and an $1000+ cd player.

I honestly was expecting major differences across the board, but instead I walked away confused!

First - Boston VR2 vs 340SE

The Bostons had a slightly noticeable edge in the highest of frequencies and in the lowest of frequencies at moderate volumes. However, when turned up, the Boston turned slightly sibilant while the Ascends maintained their composure quite well. The sound quality from both sets in general was excellent though. One thing that bothers me about the Boston line was the center channel b/c it has 3 4 1/2 woofers, which has smaller drivers than the VR2, which has 2 6 1/2" drivers. But regardless, the VR2 did not have enough of a "difference" in sound quality than the ascends--both were forward, but the Bostons had a slightly more crisp top end.

Second - Monitor RS6 vs 340SE

The vocals on the RS6 were a notch more laid back than the 340s. The 340's tended to give the impression the singer was in front of you rather than all around you...this was both good and bad dependant on the song, as sometimes it was nice to hear the vocals up front, but other songs the RS6 seemed to have an advantage with a larger soundstage. The highs were also noticeably cleaner on the RS6 and I wanted to turn the volume up more. But overall, the differences were slight and I would be happy with either of the speakers.

Third - PSB Image T45 vs 340SE

On some songs, the sound was nearly identical (realize I had been listening for 2 hours at this point, so I was already confused!). On others, the vocals on the 340SE sounded cleaner and more "live." Especially in songs with a lot going on in terms of bass and treble, the vocals sounded slightly compressed on the PSB's. Overall a good speaker, but the 340SE was the clear winner here.

So at the end of the day, I took the Monitor RS6's home to listen for a few days and see how it sounds in my room, which has terrible acoustics because of walls and huge windows. I will be using a HK 635.

I must say that the Ascends held their own even against this competition. I would have loved to hear the VR3, but the price is too high for me to consider. I don't think you can go "wrong" with the 340's, Bostons or Monitor line--all three have excellent detail and midrange quality.

Will update again in a few days.

[Mike^S]

What do you mean the highs were cleaner on the RS6? I've never heard any distortion in the highs on my 340SE even at high volume. What was your source? What music/movie were you listening to?

[badassfajita]

When I said cleaner, I didn't mean the 340's were distorting at all. I think what it was simply perception b/c the vocals on the RS6's were not as forward as the 340SE. This was very obvious and is continuing as I listen at home in my room. If you listen to the RS6's alone, they sound great. If you listen to the 340SE alone they sound great as well. If you A-B them, it is clear that the midrange on the 340SE is more pronounced (could be that the RS6 is a bit laid back in the mids too)--this notion may be making the top end seem cleaner on the RS6. Also, the RS6 has a metal tweeter, which could be playing a role too.

I can't decide at the moment whether I prefer the more forward midrange of the 340's, or the better bass extension/top end of the RS6. Also, WAF is unfortunatley going to play a factor--the RS6 at only 33 inches tall has a small footprint and takes up less space than the 340 on a stand.

[Eddie]

BAF,

sounds like you were at Sara International, that's the only place in town that carries MA and PSB that I know of, didn't know they also carried Boston. If so, what did Aaron have to say about the Ascends? I think this would make you the second person to bring Ascends in there.

[badassfajita]

Yup---Sara International--good bunch of guys who are knowledgeable. Well, we didn't talk that much with Aaron about his impressions on the Ascends--he was in and out of the room as a lot as other customers were walking in. He did also mention I was the second person to bring in Ascends. Oddly enough, I found out I know the owner of the shop for like 20 years or so.

One of the other employees was listening with me comparing the Monitors and I think he was impressed that the 340's could hang with the floorstanders, as was I. This week is gonna be rough, as I gotta decide between the two sets as my return window with the 340's is ending.

[Eddie]

hmm, they must've added new staff because the 2 times I was there (over a year ago) Aaron was the only audio sales guy from what I could see. Genuinely nice guy, very knowledgeable.

I mentioned Ascend during the first visit but he said he hadn't heard of them. However he did report that one of his customers brought in "a whole system" of Axiom speakers and after listening to SI's speakers, sent them all back.

How much are the RS6s? I wonder if they are the same MA towers I was using there during my CDP shopping, I remember those being in the $1300-1500 range and despite a crisper punchier sound, they had a veiled midrange which really obscured the huge difference I heard when I did an AB of the Marantz CDP vs. my Sony ES player at home on my 340 classics.