Would I really need a sub...

[curtis]

The 340's are more placement picky only because of the larger rear port and need more space behind them.

On the HK's, as far as I know, the A-Bus port will not act as an ethernet port.

I am not sure which media players support FLAC, but for MP3's, I use the Linksys Wireless Media adapter to stream music from my PC to my audio system. Works great.

No need to leave us in peace....stick around and keep asking questions.

-curtis

[Lou-the-dog]

Actually IMHO the 170's would work great for you too... now. With a 12' room width, by the time you place the speakers slightly forward of your screen and sit in the listening position you might be as close as 9'. Justifying the 340s really come down to your future situation. A possibility might be to utilize 170's for the mains, 340 center and 200's for surround. Then eventually (when room configuration changes) buy 340's for the mains and move the 170's to L/R surround duty and move the 200's to rear surround. Just a thought. I'm not trying to talk you out of the 340's...you can't go wrong with them...just offering up another option.

Randy

[sensibull]

You're probably right, Randy, that the 170s would suffice in my current situation. I'm still somewhat on the fence, though I'm leaning towards the 340s, just so I don't have to upgrade again anytime soon and I can forego a sub for the time being (they're not as easy to place, aesthetically speaking). I'm also undecided about what to choose for the surrounds. At present, Ascend does not offer a true surround, though I read mention that they might be working on one for future release. Does anyone have any specific info about that, like possible availability date?

[curtis]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by sensibull

At present, Ascend does not offer a true surround.....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Actually, it is debateable on what a "true surround" is or should be.

-curtis

[sensibull]

My bad [] All I meant was Ascend does not make a dipole, and I was leaning towards those for my surrounds...

As I don't seem to have annoyed anyone yet with my newbie questions, perhaps I can slip another one in, in regards to choise of surrounds.

For financial and living space reasons, I have been using a Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble II sat & (passive) sub setup for a couple years now (with **** bookshelf for surrounds, but the less said about them, the better). I've never really been wowed by the system (particularly the lack of any real bass) but it does provide decent sound for such a small footprint. Because I'm looking at purchasing new main and center speakers, a new television, and a HT receiver, I'm going to be really pushing my budget and I was wondering about the feasibility of putting the sub/sat system in the rear or possibly removing the sub altogether and just using the sats as small surrounds (I've also toyed with the notion of getting a middling 2-channel amp or old receiver on eBay and driving the passive sub with it). My question is, just how important is matching the fronts and rears? I'm guessing the simple answer is: more important on multi-channel music, less so for HT, especially movies that don't incorporate many surround effects. But I'm wondering whether anyone has experience with pairing the Ascends with another brand in a 5 or 5.1 setup.

[metalaaron]

sensibull,

just build your system slowly. go ahead and get what you feel is most important (the front soundstage) and work on the surrounds later.

you could do what i've done? i got 170s to start. if you get the 340s in the future, simply put the 170s as surrounds.

i would also recommend that you stick with direct firing speakers instead of dipoles. IMHO dipoles are 'outdated' with the latest digital soundtracks. i really feel that direct firing speakers perform best in a 5.1 setup. digital tracks are designed to be positional and the direct firing speakers will present you with a much more directional soundfield.
IMHO and in the simplest sense...direct firing speakers will make you think, "that bullet just whizzed by my head" and dipoles will make you think, "a bullet was shot somewhere on the left"

surround speakers are usually heavily debated (subjective) though and some still think dipoles are the only way to go. to each his/her own. they're your speakers afterall.

[sensibull]

Forgive me for overthinking everything guys, but after finally catching up on the budget speaker comparison thread over on AVS, in which the 340s L/R tested (albeit right out of the box) left a bit to be desired, I'm left wondering whether hidden in all these suggestions to start with the 170s is a lesser confidence in the 340s. Obviously the 170s have been around longer and garnered more raves and reviews... Is it simply a matter of break in?

Curtis, I know you said your parents are very happy with their 340s, but what about the pair you used for the shootout? Is that what you're using now and did they mellow with age?

Thanks, yet again, for fielding my queries. It says alot about the passion generated by a speaker and a company that you guys are willing to hang around and deal with newbies. Frankly, this stuff is so head-spinning that once I find a speaker I like I think I'll drop off the boards and just listen to 'em []

[sensibull]

Ah, forget it Curtis. I went back and re-read this thread and you clearly think highly of the 340s. No need to repeat yourself. I'm just running myself in circles here (I started with Axioms, was ready to buy, then talked myself out of it... moved on to Onix, and ultimately the wife nixed them as completely unmatching our decor. Now I'm running the same cycle with Ascends.)

[curtis]

That pair, at least one of the speakers had a problem in the crossover. Something probably happenned when I was transporting them to the shootout. I had four pairs of speakers, and a center channel in my car that day.

-curtis

[metalaaron]

sensibull,

we have traveled down the same road. i tried axioms and rockets. they weren't for me and now i have ascends.

i think nothing could be more satisfying than someone showing up, asking questions, finding what they want, and never second guessing their choice. certainly not a problem if you want to retire from the boards. definitely not a problem if you and your wife find what you're looking for.

340s are still pretty new. as mentioned on ascendacoustics.com - they've worked on the design for 2 years. they just finished all the hard work. some reviews are beginning to pop up...

http://www.audioreview.com/Center,Ch...1_2743crx.aspx