Comparison Ascend/HSU

[audibleconnoisseur]

Good morning all... happy to be the first thread of the last week in March (Excluding Sunday that is).

I will open with saying I am happy with my 340SE and HTM setup and am not going to change! That being said, here is my quesion and comments...

Did have a curiosity if any of you have tested the HSU HB-1 against either the HTM200 or CBM170 or CMT340 (SE's of course)!? I have read a few things on them about internal parts but wanted your opinion on the sound v/s Ascend sound if you could provide that. Don't bash, but an open, audible opinion would be great. I know this is a question on the HSU forum as well (there since I own a VTF-2 MK 3 also ).

Lastly, not sure if I mentiod it but my wife and I went to the Josh Groban concert here in Atlanta. Incredible sound and power in that young man's voice! If you want a good sound test for male vocals in several different languages, this man's voice is simply pure and powerful and the music is both fun and involving. So I told you this to tell you that when we got home, I was curious to see how the Ascends and HSU 2.3 could put together a reproduction of concert style performance in our family room. Popped in his new album "Awake" and led off with the concert opener and a Music setting on the Denon 1905 utilizing 5.1 with most coming from mains and like a wall of sound with proper surround acoustics, the AC estate became the Phillips Arena without the reverb - I can reproduce that later... I forgot I had that concert setting . Music was as spot on as my audible memory would allow and the dB were pushing and uncomfortable level had I remained in the room (nearing 110-120dB). We had a blast remembering what just was and got ready for bed with some final sounds from JG and his ending song. It was incredible the clarity and reproduction from these little guys! So very pleased with Dave and Ascend for their efforts . When you log on to the Ascend site, you see their logo and tagline "Reaching the Peak of Audio Purity" and they aren't just spewing forth false claims - THESE ASCENDS ARE SOME OF THE BEST SPEAKERS I HAVE EVER HEARD and certainly the best I have ever owned!

Thanks for reading and I hope all of you can acquiesce to my observations.

[MichaelG]

I have Josh's DVD Concert, Live at the Greek, and he is awesome to listen too. I also have awake and it is good to know it is just like being there!

Michael

[will95]

I recently compared the Ascend CMT-340 SE with Hsu HB-1. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison since the 340's are about twice the price of the Hsu. A more fair comparison would have been the HB-1 to the CBM-170. Unfortunately, I did not get 170's in house until after returning the Hsu. But, when looking for value I like it when I find something that is competitive against more expensive speakers.

For reference, I tend to play music and movies below what many refer to as reference levels. Volume for me tended to be in the 75-85 average SPL range. This is a comfortable listening range for me.

In brief, here are my conclusions:

- The Ascends sounded better and were worth the extra price difference to me. The introductory price on the Hsu's was great and I really wanted and expected them to work out, however, in the end I kept the Ascend and returned the Hsu.
- The Hsu HB-1s sounded very good on movies and music and handled transients very well. On two channel music, the HB-1s did not impress me as much as the Ascends. The 340s had more natural timbre and a better soundstage. When playing live concert DVDs (e.g., James Taylor Live), with the 340s it felt like you were right there in the audience at the concert. The Hsu's presentation made it sound like a recording and more "subdued" to me. It lacked the "presence" of the Ascends.
- Ascend had better bass and high frequency.
- While I did not have an Ascend 340 center channel, I did have the Hsu HC-1 center. I tried it both above and below the TV and in each location it sounded like the sound was coming from above or below the TV, not from the voices on the screen. This was disappointing. I now have a CMT-340 SE center and am much more satisfied with the result.

Net: I liked the Ascend better and kept the two that I had and ordered more. The system I finalized on was Ascend 340s for mains and center, 170s for surround and HSU VTF 3.3 for sub.

You mentioned seeing Josh Groban in concert in Atlanta. My wife and I recently went to hear him in concert in San Antonio. Great concert. Josh sound's great on the Ascends. He also sounds great on Magnepan MMGs.

[audibleconnoisseur]

Quick update... I got a chance to replay the concert sound in my family room again while my wife and I were cleaning for Easter Holiday this Sunday. Jacked the volume up to about -5 on the Denon 1905 and set the system to "Rock Stereo" mode and +/-0 setting for the sub, about 6 on the reverb setting given and just let it play. I would liken the experience to actually being there but towards the middle of the arena. Literally the closest experience to being there I have ever felt before. The Ascend setup handled the reverb and tonality with precision and poise. The sub helped throw the bass into our kitchen and other rooms and the visceral feel was not as impactful as the concert but pretty damn good. I wouldn't expect it to be as solid as the concert with my open home and only the 2.3 but will say the 2.3 certainly is a monster and every time I can I try to push it more and every single time I am more than pleased with the sound and ability from that little box! I will argue that my home is about 30,000 cuft and the 2.3 is enough to make it a fun place to be when I decide to push the dB to a crazy level! The Ascend continue to impress me and impress my friends with their power and control under extreme load all while asking for more. When we get our new home and our new basement and my new entertainment room I will be looking at the 340's all the way around and possibly a 3.3 or HO to fill out the depths I like to troll from time to time in the 12-15Hz range. Until then (years from now) I will smile and continue to maintain what the Ascend crew explains as reching the peak of audio purity.....