Trek,

You might wanna try a/bing your old speakers, and make sure and use a challenging CD for comparison; that way the switch is almost instant, instead of having to go on memory. My upgrade was from Advents, with the total set including sub, at a value of $400 dollars purchased 12 years ago.

Some great Vocals from Josh Groban would be a great idea! The first CD i tried when i hooked up my Ascends was Groban's "Closer" album. Honest to god, I cried a little at the end when Josh belted the end vocals through that 340, from the song "Remember when it rained". BTW, that album is #1 now, and Josh is performing at the pregame of the Superbowl this Feb 1!

Ok where was I......

I have tried the 170s with the sub off, and i'll admit I feel they're lacking under that scenario as well. Perhaps im a hard judge like you, but i'm being quite frank when i say i'd be dissatisfied with 170s minus a sub. So from that standpoint, I have to agree with your assessment. However, I am surprised they are not beating a complete set of 100 dollar value jensens!

On regular TV shows, i often can't tell the difference either. I sometimes notice the quality of them on some well done commercials however, and i always notice the difference on Dolby Digital movies from HBO.