I've been a big fan of Ascend speakers for a long time. Fell in love with the CBM-170 (the originals, not even the "SE" versions!) a long time ago, and I've remained a fan ever since.

But I had no idea just how far Mr. Fabrikant is willing to go in order to satisfy his customers and make their speaker dreams come true! Ascend doesn't immediately present itself as a custom speaker company. They've got their lineup of speakers, and they're all tremendous performers and value!

But it just so happened that my IDEAL setup required customizations to each and every speaker that I wanted to buy! Folks, here is what's on my Ascend Acoustics sales order

(2) x Custom "Low-profile" Horizon Main speakers in a vertical orientation: 32.5" tall x 8.5" wide x 11.5" deep - front slot ported. RAAL ribbon tweeters with the mid-range drivers above the tweeters (just like the Sierra Towers). Matte Black finish.

(1) x Custom "Skinny" Horizon Center speaker: 11" tall x 40" wide () x 7.5" deep () - front slot ported. RAAL ribbon tweeter. Tweeter above the mid-range driver (just like standard Horizon). Matte Black finish.

(6) x Custom Finish Sierra-1 Surround, Surround Back & Front Height speakers. NrT tweeters in all 6. Q-Plugs in all 6. And a custom Matte Black finish for all 6.

(2) x Custom Sierra-1 Front Wide speakers. RAAL ribbon tweeters. Same mid-range drivers as the Horizon speakers! Q-Plugs for the pair. Custom Matte Black finish.

Yes, indeed, folks! Every single one of the 11 speakers I am ordering is custom in some way! The Sierra-1 NrT speakers are the most "normal". But even those are getting a custom Matte Black finish.

And honestly, check out that "skinny" Horizon Center, and the super custom RAAL ribbon and Horizon mid-range Sierra-1 bookshelf Wides! Now THAT'S some seriously customized work!

Truthfully, I never expected Dave to take on this much work. But he wasn't just open to it, he seems to genuinely get a kick out of it! As I mentioned in the Sierra Horizon sticky thread on this forum, he even worked up a CAD plan for the "skinny" Horizon that I wanted before he even knew if I would buy the darn thing!

Just tremendous.

And the price? I won't give the exact figure here out of respect, but believe me when I say that it was considerably lower than what I had imagined, what I would expect to pay anywhere else for this type of design and these types of parts, and lower than what I was prepared to pay. You can probably imagine, it's a pretty good chunk o' change. But for what I'm getting, and for all the service that Mr. Fabrikant has provided? It's a bargain. And the sound quality of these speakers all working together is going to be second to none!

Speaking of service, I'm truly just amazed at how patient, courteous, open and willing Dave and Dina have been. I've no idea where Dave finds the time to take on an order like this first hand! The money he'll be making from my order isn't nothing, but it's definitely not so much that most people would put in the time and effort that he has. Certainly no one so busy!

And I haven't been the easiest client. I wanted everything "just so". Like I say, every single one of these speakers is custom in some way, and the "skinny" is basically a one-off! And, on top of that, I'm in Canada, and I use a strictly online-only bank, which has created some rather unexpected headaches when it comes to getting the payment ready. Dina and Dave have both been unbelievably patient and considerate - wanting to make absolutely sure that I pay the minimum possible in fees, and going well out of their way to accommodate my somewhat odd banking hurdles.

To say I am excited and happy is a massive understatement. This is a genuine "dream system" I will be getting here. But what REALLY makes me happy is that I am buying it from such wonderful people. THAT turns a pleasure into a joy.