New to Ascend / Speaker progession question

[PizzaTheHutt]

Hello all...have been reading about Ascend speakers for a little bit now and very excited to look into making a purchase. I was thinking of buying a couple speakers at a time, upgrading along the way. My plan is below and was wondering what you audiophiles might think :

Initially (for my 5.1, 90% HT), I'm looking at getting a 340SE for my center, and then two 170SE for my mains. For my surround I'd move my current speakers back there.

Then down the line, I'd pick up either a pair of 340SE's (or Sierras) for my mains, and shift the 170SE to the surround, and keep the 340SE as the center.

My question is does this sound like a decent plan or will future advancements affect it? And how will the speakers match up in the future since they may possible all be different series (170SE, 340SE, Sierra) in use at the same time?

Thanks much all!!

[drewface]

welcome to the forum!

your plan is pretty much exactly what i did. i started off with a pair of 170SEs for mains, and used some really crappy satellite speakers for surrounds. i then added a 340SE center, and eventually the 340SE mains took the front, moving the 170s to surround duty. it worked out extremely well.

you won't have any problems with the speakers matching, even if they are different series. if you go with 340s and 170s, especially, they match extremely well, as the drivers are more or less identical. i have absolutely no complaints about them paired together in my setup. many ascend customers are using Sierras as their mains now with 170s or the 200s as surrounds, and i haven't heard anyone say they are not happy with how they match up together. the 340/170 are a closer fit, but if you do decide to go with the sierras, i don't think you'd have any problem.

good luck, and be sure to let us know what you think once you take the dive.

[DougMac]

Welcome!

My only concern with your plan is using your current speakers as surrounds, since you state your use is 90% HT. If you view much content with pans, depending on your current speakers, you may experience a noticeable timbre change when the sound is passed off from the fronts to the surrounds.

What are your current speakers? What sub do you have? What size is your space?

I have 340 SE's front, 170 SE's side surround and classic 200's for back surround. I'm very pleased.

Doug

[PizzaTheHutt]

welcome to the forum!

your plan is pretty much exactly what i did. i started off with a pair of 170SEs for mains, and used some really crappy satellite speakers for surrounds. i then added a 340SE center, and eventually the 340SE mains took the front, moving the 170s to surround duty. it worked out extremely well.

you won't have any problems with the speakers matching, even if they are different series. if you go with 340s and 170s, especially, they match extremely well, as the drivers are more or less identical. i have absolutely no complaints about them paired together in my setup. many ascend customers are using Sierras as their mains now with 170s or the 200s as surrounds, and i haven't heard anyone say they are not happy with how they match up together. the 340/170 are a closer fit, but if you do decide to go with the sierras, i don't think you'd have any problem.

good luck, and be sure to let us know what you think once you take the dive.

Thanks drew for the welcome and the reply, good to know someone went this route also. And thank you very much for the information on the speakers matching up, that was a big concern. I am by no means a perfectionist nor complete audiophile, but I would like the speakers to match if even only for my peace of mind. I will keep you posted on what I do!



Welcome!

My only concern with your plan is using your current speakers as surrounds, since you state your use is 90% HT. If you view much content with pans, depending on your current speakers, you may experience a noticeable timbre change when the sound is passed off from the fronts to the surrounds.

What are your current speakers? What sub do you have? What size is your space?

I have 340 SE's front, 170 SE's side surround and classic 200's for back surround. I'm very pleased.

Doug

Thanks Doug also for the welcome and advice!

My current setup is all Polk, and they are from many moons ago. I have RT35i's for my mains, C245i for my center, R15's for surround, and a PSW250 for the sub. Not sure if any of these ring a bell ;)

I was looking into getting a new HSU for a sub as I've seen many good reviews from owners/publishers on that. That would be after getting any Ascend speakers.

I've also thought about getting a pair of 200's for the surround, but I figured I could get by possibly and save some $ by using current speakers.

The room is not a dedicated HT yet, maybe its around 14x14. However I would hope to use the new speakers for a future room of similar (or perhaps larger) size. Or, I could upgrade at that point to the sierra's or 340's for mains.

[quee]

Hello Pizza,

Upgrading along the way works fine, but you also have to consider that if you order all at once you can take advantage of a package deal and save a little bit of cash (and waiting :)). Regardless, it all works out in the end. Take care.