Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 Review

[metalaaron]

i keep having an itch to get a DVD-A / SACD player. actually, ever since the announcement of MetallicA (black album) DVD-A.
quick story...
first band i ever fell in love with was MetallicA. i have approximately 25 MetallicA CDs from throughout the years. during my senior year of high school we went to Disney World for a senior trip. we were specifically told not to go to Pleasure Island. it's also important to note that this is a private (christian) high school. :0 I researched Pleasure Island and found out that they didn't card you if you went in before 7pm. SWEET! --- A bunch of seniors in high school with a good taste of defiance and the college years yet to come. Later that night we ended up at a place that allowed you to perform a music video with the help of several props and a blue screen. We were in heaven. We picked MetallicA's Enter Sandman. It was an absolute blast and the video was amazing! I think we had three guitar players, a bass player, and two people sharing the drums. hehe Your's truly took the liberty of claiming and dishing out the air guitar solo. We had a blast. On our way back to Tennessee we popped the video in the VCR on the bus. The screen immediately displayed, "PLEASURE ISLAND" Eeeek! My heart stopped, a couple of friends said a few "oh-NOs" and we were stuck in lingo of either acceptance or detention. The teacher just laughed out loud. In fact, he enjoyed the video so much that he played it for an entire week in his history and economics classes. What a relief! I won recognition from classmates as the best air guitar player in the world, and my best friend received accolades for his amazing impression of james hetfield.

I'm blessed with the memory of this story every time I play the black album through my speakers. Enjoy the music, live it, and love it. Just remember to always play a mean air guitar.

[Nicholas Mosher]

Nice story metalaaron! Metallica's black album is definetly on my to-buy list. I originally had it on cassette in 7th grade...

Just received two of my new SACDs (Pink Floyd DSOTM, and Telarc Sampler 2). There was a 2 month back order on Telarc Sampler 1 so I cancled the order. Just spent the last two hours listening. I must say this... Telarc is absolutely fantastic at mixing multichannel audio! This is what I've been looking for in terms of soundstage, spaciousness, depth, and clarity. When you listen at 75dB-85dB, you can really hear the resonance of the environments. The bells in the end theme of Sleepy Hollow are crisp and sound like they are 30ft off to the left hand side, which would be outside of my apartment. The harp in track 5 was breathtaking. The gentle strum of the bass chords cleanly mingling with the razor-sharp plucks of the higher notes gave me the goose-bumps. And I don't even have my sub yet!

Floyd, DSOTM had some positives and negatives for me. The intro to "Time" was definetly in the top 5 for best 5.1 mixes I've ever heard in music or movies. The grandfather clock imaged between the front left and surround left was so accurate I played it atleast 10 times over and over. Unfortunately after about 2 minutes the intro ended, the soundstage collapsed, and the mix became 2nd rate, almost like a glorified 2ch stereo mix. The registers/coin/receipts during the intro to "Money" were fun, but not even in the same class as the clocks in "Time". I did like the mix for Money though. "Us and Them" and "Brain Damage" were mixed great. Very psychodelic and involving. Reminds me of driving down a desert road at sunset. Overall very well done.

I plan to invest some serious cash into Telarc titles after I get my sub... a new display for my home theater can wait...

EDIT: Oh! And whats with the cheap regular 'ole CD case that DSOTM came in? I like the thick plastic juggernaut cases my other titles were protected in.

[Nicholas Mosher]

Sold my convertible that was slowly becoming a headache to maintain. Paid my bills ahead a couple months, and I have $750 for a sub.

I'm really unsure about what to go with. I keep switching back and forth between the HSU VTF3-MKII ($750 Shipped) and the SVS PCi 16-46 ($675 Shipped). Originally the PC-Ultra was at the top of my list, but I don't think I need that much sub for my room. I'm looking for clean bass at moderate SPLs (75-85dB) as deep as my money can afford (budget is around $750). I need it to blend with 5 bookshelves in an 18'x11' room. My room is a half-octogon so the volume is actually only around 1400ft^3.

Then I read the review of the little PB10-ISD ($470 Shipped) at Secrets and gawked at their readings of +/- 1dB from 19Hz-100Hz (I realize my room will distort this). Even with a steep low-frequency roll-off, SVS claims it can produce effective in-room response down to ~17Hz! I also like the looks of the driver...



I'm really starting to wonder what I actually need, and what my eyes see and want. In a toss-up here. By the way, here is an ad I spotted on SVS' site thats kinda funny...
http://www.svsubwoofers.com/animation.htm

EDIT: Here is the review of the SVS PB10-ISD at Secrets...
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...r-10-2004.html

[Lee Bailey]

Sold my convertible that was slowly becoming a headache to maintain. Paid my bills ahead a couple months, and I have $750 for a sub.

I'm really unsure about what to go with. I keep switching back and forth between the HSU VTF3-MKII ($750 Shipped) and the SVS PCi 16-46 ($675 Shipped). Originally the PC-Ultra was at the top of my list, but I don't think I need that much sub for my room. I'm looking for clean bass at moderate SPLs (75-85dB) as deep as my money can afford (budget is around $750). I need it to blend with 5 bookshelves in an 18'x11' room. My room is a half-octogon so the volume is actually only around 1400ft^3.

Then I read the review of the little PB10-ISD ($470 Shipped) at Secrets and gawked at their readings of +/- 1dB from 19Hz-100Hz (I realize my room will distort this). Even with a steep low-frequency roll-off, SVS claims it can produce effective in-room response down to ~17Hz! I also like the looks of the driver...



I'm really starting to wonder what I actually need, and what my eyes see and want. In a toss-up here. By the way, here is an ad I spotted on SVS' site thats kinda funny...
http://www.svsubwoofers.com/animation.htm

EDIT: Here is the review of the SVS PB10-ISD at Secrets...
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...r-10-2004.html

The PB10-ISD is a steal for the price. Though I've never listened to an HSU sub, I simply love my 25-31PC. It is serial number 10 ( I was an early adopter). It has had both its driver and amp upgraded from swap outs with SVS. (The ISD driver, and the 300 Watt Bash AMP). I can shake the crap out of my house now, I can't see the need for more bass. Our living room is 16Wx24L with a vaulted ceiling varying in height from 8 to about 12 ft. Of course, if you don't like it, you can return it, though at your expense. I don't think many SVS buyers return their products! Just like I don't think many Ascend buyers return theirs either..

[curtis]

I have heard subs from each company.

Without saying which is better....I will say that there is a definite difference in how the subs I heard sound...especially in the upper bass.

It is something, that I feel, many do not understand until they actually hear it.

On top of that, their marketing styles differ greatly.

[Nicholas Mosher]

I've pretty much given up on the discussion forums for getting info on these subs...

I'm attracted to the Hsu VTF3-MKII because of its depth of frequency response and reported clarity. Ideally I would listen to it, but I'm kind of swinging at a pinata blindfolded here with a million people telling me "Left!" and others screaming "Right!". Keeping with my price/performance guidelines I've been building my HT with, the PB10-ISD appears to have a similar depth to its response capability along with extraordinary distortion numbers and flat response curve tested by "Secrets". I know right off the bat that it can't fill a huge room like the VTF3-MKII, and it's maximum SPL level will be lower, but I'm not trying to fill a stadium with my 1400ft^3 enclosed room, and I'm in an apartment so it will probably be kept around 75-85dB anyhow. My hopes are to touch infrasonic pipe organ notes and have clean tight bass up to the crossover point with my CBM-170s at reasonable SPLs. The VTF3-MKII seems like the only sub by HSU that can play in the infrasonic range but is $275 more than the PB10-ISD shipped. I think I'm going to give the PB10-ISD a try. If it's loose in the 30-70Hz range or heavily distorted in the 17-25Hz range I'll kick it back to 'em. I'm confident the HSU would do the job, but I'd hate to find that the SVS could do what I was looking for at almost $300 less.

Just a summation of my recent thoughts...

[jimsiff]

I don't think you'll be dissapointed with the SVS. I have a VTF3-Mk II myself and love it, but I have a much larger room to fill. I view the SVS vs. Hsu debate similar to the Rocket vs. Ascend debate. There's passionate followers of both sides, and really no wrong answer as long as your ears do the decision making. Based on how well you researched your present setup, I'm sure you'll make the best decision for you.

[jermy4]

The VTF3-MKII seems like the only sub by HSU that can play in the infrasonic range but is $275 more than the PB10-ISD shipped.

Have you talked to Ascend about this? Because they sell these and also give package discounts. I know that you recently purchased your Ascends. I'm not sure what the discount is, but it might make a difference.

[Quinn]

Dave F. has designed subs before. You might get his advise.

[Kpt_Krunch]

Nicholas - my buddy who has Rockets also bought a PB-10 whatever SVS sub. I'm not impressed with it though to be fair it is currently sitting in a room that that is very big (he's currently working on the planning stage of his home theatre so I don't want to pass any real judgement on it until it is in a smaller, dedicated room). For your room size my guess would be that the PB-10 would be fine. However, it is not what I would call 'tight'. From reading your reviews on the various SACD's and DVD-A's you have, you obviously have a very keen ear and appreciate the subtleties of what music and movies have to offer.

Though I've never met him personally, I have grown to really respect Curtis Chang's opinions on various components. If he gives you detail of how a speaker or sub sounds, he's not blowing smoke up your 'arse' for a higher purpose. Everything I've ever listened to that Curtis has and posted about both publically and privately with pm's has been bang on. I've never heard the HSU, but if Curtis says it is an accurate (for subs) subwoofer that's good enough for me. When I decide on upgrading my sub down the road (have no plans to right now but who know's what the future may hold) the HSU will be right at the top of the list.

I know what you mean about trying to decipher all the 'hype' found on all the forums for these subs. I find that SVS is #1 in my books in terms of 'turn-offs' from all the 'owners' who decry all other sub's if it's not an SVS. I'm not saying SVS is a 'bad' sub - I just don't take people who say "SVS rocks and all other subs are crap" very seriously.

Bottom line is there are a lot of crappy subs out there, and a lot of good ones. My guess is Dr. Hsu and his subs fall into the latter category, and I'm looking forward to the day I order mine

Good luck with your purchase Nicholas - I would be very interested to read your review on the SVS sub, you're very thorough and pull no punches, which I find very refreshing!