I still need to demo the Ascends, but I did not like the MA's at all. The mids are very laid back and distant. The RS6 took me less than 2 minutes to decide I did not like it. The RS8 was a little better, it took me a little longer to not like it. The RS8 have a little more midbass so they fool your ears a little into liking them more.
Diana Krall-Live in Paris sounded good on the RS8's but classic rock like The Who sounded kind of strange with the lead vocals in the background with an all around sound instead of center image.
I'm looking forward to listening to the Ascends soon!
My current illness includes the following symptoms:
TV: Sony 50” SXRD
Receiver: Marantz SR7500
DVD: Marantz DV7600
CD Changer: Marantz CC4300
Power: APC H15
Speakers: (JBL) Soon to change to Ascend
Sub: HSU VTF-3 MK2