Long time lurker, and glad to have finally pulled the trigger in Dec 2023.
Our goal was to find an "end game" speaker setup that works for our space/needs, replacing a Polk CSi/RTi/FXi combo.
We definitely hit it on the head with Ascend.
Despite being very busy, Dave and Dina were very patient and timely with responding to my numerous emails...
The plan we adopted was:
2x ELX Horizon V2's w/ Titan's for LR
1x ELX Horizon V2's w/ RAAL for C
2x LX's for SR/SL
Espresso finish. Keep the HSU VTF-15H for the sub.
Dave had initially recommended matching Titans for the LCR tweeters, but my thought was a center RAAL would improve the horizontal dispersion, and dialog clarity, and Dave didn't disagree.
Since we always sit on vertical axis when watching movies, but may wander around while listening to music, this tweeter setup works great for us.
I would have loved to move into the ELX towers for LR, but we just couldn't justify towers in our current space.
Since the Horizons are front-ported, they still fit in our barrister bookshelves, although they are far from bookshelf speakers.
Visually, the Horizons could be somewhat imposing for smaller spaces, so you'll measure and maybe build a small model to ensure they are a match.
In our case, the plan is to eventually upgrade our 60" TV to balance the room's feng shui
Anyhow, after running REW to adjust SPL, "impulse", and EQ modes below 400Hz, it was game on.
The differences between Titan and RAAL are small, but RAAL has a more noticable crispness with cymbals, strings, lasers, high voices, shattering glass, etc.
Conversely, the improved vertical dispersion of the Titans is noticable.
Watching movies, when standing to wander off for more popcorn, I can immediately tell when moving out of the zone of the RAALs "beam", where the Titans are just fuller and broader.
Day one of the new setup, my wife was not convinced this was an upgrade, but less than a day later, she started remarking how much more detail she was picking out.
Working from home, she has been looping Nick Cave tracks for several weeks now, so she has really been digging them... except for one case.
The speakers are so much more detailed than the Polk's, it's easier to hear issues with vocals, so she would rather listen to New Order's "Blue Monday" on a muddy bluetooth speaker, to hide Bernard Sumner's pitch drifting. Bwaahaahaa!
Loreena McKennitt, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and The Pixies are now on a new level though.
We almost went with Philharmonic BMRs, but weren't upgrading speakers for aesthetics, so that was a really small part of the equation.
In the end, it was Dave's engineering blogging, his use of Klippel to iterate on development, and the open communication experience with Ascend that were key factors for us.
Overall, we are extremely pleased with the amazing detail and value of our new Ascend ELX/LX speakers.
ELX Horizon and LX Review
