Questions about Ascend speaker build details

[Sivar]

I'm comparing between brands (Axiom, Aperion, Martin Logan, Chane, etc.) and have a few questions about Ascend speaker builds.

I've been looking at the Axiom 80-800 system for some time, but recently became concerned over possible issues with their design discussed at length in AVSForums, Audioholics, etc.

I'm comparing their competitors. Near the top of my list, if I can get over the astonishingly bad website, is Ascend -- I've read nothing but good things about Ascend speakers. A few Q's:

1) Crossover: What kind of crossover do the Sierra Towers use? e.g. are the inductors air core or iron core (or something else?) Are the capacitors standard electrolytic or something else? Are the inductors spaced decently far apart? Better, are there any photos of the crossover board available?

2) Are there any photos available of the inside of the speaker case (so I can see the bracing -- just to help me compare, since I cannot competently judge whether the bracing is "enough" or "too much")

3) What center and rears match well?

4) I notice there's a whole forum section about Rythmic subwoofers. I've been closely looking at them too. Are they made by the same company, or are they just popular enough here to warrant a whole forum section?

[Mag_Neato]

That's a whole lot of info to gather. From my experience with having owned B&W, Vandersteen, etc. and owning Ascend (Sierra-1, Nrt & now Sierra-2's) I can attest to the high quality of the component and cabinet construction. I did the Nrt and Sierra-2 upgrades so I have basically gutted the speakers.

The Rythmik subs are extremely accurate and match seamlessly with the Ascends. They are a separate company. Ascend sells them through this website to complement the speakers.

[Quinn]

The Sierra Horizon is the CC match to the towers.

Dave was looking at making an Ascend sub and started working with Brian at Rythmik due to his use of direct servo. Once Dave heard and measured Rythmik's subs for himself he decided there was no point in designing a sub with what Rythmik was doing at the price point so Ascend starting being part of Rythmics sales network instead.

[Beave]

The website isn't that bad. And considering it provides more info on the speakers - in terms of performance measurements - than just about any brand out there, well, I'll take this website over one that looks slick but is full of nothing but marketing babble any day.

Post 175 in this link shows a picture of the tower cabinet inside.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/1290568-official-ascend-acoustics-tower-thread-5.html

You can see there is a cross brace between the two woofers. There is also a divider for the midrange, making it have its own sealed enclosure within the cabinet. And remember, these cabinets are made from bamboo, not MDF, and are much less resonant.

As for the crossover, I haven't seen detailed info on it, nor a picture of it for the Towers. But you can search around this forum and see pics of the crossovers for the Sierra 1 or Sierra 2 monitors, which will give you some idea of the quality of parts used (they're high quality).

[Sivar]

Thank you for the responses and the image link. I know I asked a lot of questions, but those were some that, despite a lot of reading, I could not find on my own.