Hello from Indy.

[curtis]

Did you buy B stock?

The "scratch" down the middle on both speakers, are you sure that just isn't the seam in the finish?

[paulphoosreal]

Hi Curtis.I'm not the buyer of the 170's-Dark Ranger is.I bought a pair of Sierra 1Nrt's in September.I've been a Cedia installer since the beginning of Cedia.
As you probably know,our headquarters are here in Indy.Carmel to be exact.
I've had the pleasure of hearing many systems from the ultra high-end money wise to budget and IMO,Ascend Sierra 1Nrt's are the the most natural,definitive speakers I've ever heard in the 3-5k range.They grab hold of me and don't let go.I've relistened to more tunes since I've had them and never cease to be delighted with all that I hear.Yes,I've heard what the "reviewers" call awesome and most of the time I disagree.For me,Ascend offers to us purveyors of realism-lol,more speaker than anything else out there.No,I don't work for Ascend!Just my opinion again.And the electronics don't have to be in the extreme high end.I run an Yamaha Aventage 800,Marantz BD 7004 through my HDMI and I'm quite content.Till I get the Towers.Then I will be really content.Again,on the fence with what tweeter to go with.Yes,I do get the bug to see if I can upgrade with the least financial pain.I also run all my equip't through an APC H-10 conditioner.Have other stuff,but that's my main rig for now.Glad to talk with anyone on the forum at any time.I really enjoy this hobby of ours and helping others out whenever I can.Hope that's enough info for everyone,if not ask any question.As Dave so correctly says,good listening.
I'm getting a house in Indy and rest assured,Towers are on the must buy list after I'm moved in.Right now,still deciding on how you improve on perfection,but those Ribbons have me intrgued.

[Dark Ranger]

Hi Curtis.I'm not the buyer of the 170's-Dark Ranger is.

...or rather, darkpoet25 is the buyer.

Nevertheless, you wouldn't have to twist my arm too much for me to purchase some 170s. Too bad I don't have a need for 'em right now.

Alright, I just pulled the trigger and ordered a pair of B-Stock 170's. Now to play the waiting game.

As for a blemish there was a scratch going down the middle of both CBM-170's on the bottom of the speakers. Other than that they looked perfectly fine.

B-Stocks might have imperfections, but at least the scratch is on the bottom. curtis did have an interesting point, though. I just checked my pair of 200 SE in the bedroom (closest thing to 170 I have right now), and there are two seams on the underside, but they go from side to side, not front to back.

[curtis]

B-Stocks might have imperfections, but at least the scratch is on the bottom. curtis did have an interesting point, though. I just checked my pair of 200 SE in the bedroom (closest thing to 170 I have right now), and there are two seams on the underside, but they go from side to side, not front to back.

I know darkpoet is the buyer...

and I am almost certain was he is seeing are the seams on the bottom of the speaker.

[paulphoosreal]

Hey guys,what can I say,but oops! Sorry about that Dark Poet.I wouldn't worry about those seams. Ascend is all about quality and they wouldn't send anything out that wasn't to spec.I've seen the same versions of certain brands that do vary in their construction and one thing I do know for sure is that Ascend only sends quality product.You only have to talk to Dina or Dave to realize that.I also base that on my Sierra's build and performance.Whether A or B stock.As I've said before,listen,enjoy and relax knowing you have speakers that make for good listening.

[darkpoet25]

I know darkpoet is the buyer...

and I am almost certain was he is seeing are the seams on the bottom of the speaker.

Oops, didn't know the speakers had seams on the bottoms. Well in that case then, there isn't a thing wrong with them at all.

[darkpoet25]

The more time I spend listening to them the more I fall in love with them. I was playing Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd last night. I normally listen with the volume at -55db to -60db. I decided to to turn up the volume to -40db, and I was floored with how clean they sound. No break-ups, not overly shrill or harsh, just open beautiful sound. When I get a chance I will definetly be ordering the CMT-340C and a pair of HTM-200's. I finally found the speakers I will be upgrading to.

[Dark Ranger]

The more time I spend listening to them the more I fall in love with them. I was playing Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd last night. I normally listen with the volume at -55db to -60db. I decided to to turn up the volume to -40db, and I was floored with how clean they sound. No break-ups, not overly shrill or harsh, just open beautiful sound. When I get a chance I will definetly be ordering the CMT-340C and a pair of HTM-200's. I finally found the speakers I will be upgrading to.

Thanks for sharing! I'm always excited to read about someone's first experience with Ascend products. No Kool-Aid necessary, just great performance and value.

Enjoy.

[darkpoet25]

I'm still amazed at the level of accuracy the 170's have. I was watching 27 Weeks Later on Blu Ray. There is a scene where they are in the house sitting down about to eat, when there is a knock on the door that came from the front right 170. I actually turned around to see if someone was knocking on my door before I realised it was the movie.
I have a CD by an industrial band called Download, a side project of Cevin Key from Skinny Puppy. The stereo seperation on the CD is great and the 170's did a wonderful job of creating a phantom center channel. Hopefully I will be placing an order for the CMT-340SEC pretty soon, although I'm not sure as to how long that will be. I'm hoping in the next few weeks, I recently had to replace the timing belt, water pump, spark plugs and wires and valve cover gasket in my car, so the wallet took a bit of a hit.
Paul, sorry for not getting back to your question as to my placement of the 170's sooner. I have them on two audio towers that are placed about 5 feet apart, with the speakers centered on both towers and the ports are about a foot from the back wall.

[paulphoosreal]

Hi Dark Poet,
Sounds like you're getting optimal sound from the speakers.I'm curious as to what distance the side walls are from them.If you can, you might try expanding the distance to 6 feet between your speakers.One foot from back wall is how I have my 1Nrt's and that works well for me.I have 1 foot on the right speaker and the left opens into a large area.Because of that,I had to experiment on degree of axis I presented to my speakers so imaging was at it's best.Sounds like you're really close on optimal sound.Ascend is quite impressive in all it's variations! Again,just a little change in location can make major changes in sound.Till you try a a few changes you'll never be sure as to what those puppies can really do. Make sure you mark the spots you're happy with.If you don't like or get any change in sound,back to their old spots.Hope that gives a little insight to you.Glad you're happy with them and enjoy them to the max!