Upgrade my Ascend L/R or add an amp or something else?

[Lord Nikon]

Hey all, I've got the upgrade bug and I wanted to get your opinion as to which upgrade would be best at this point. This setup is located in my living room and the usage is 70/30 HT/Music listening. Should I upgrade my L/R CMB-170's to CMT-340se's also like the center channel or should I invested in a Emotiva XPA-3 amplifier to improve dynamics and my soundstage? The XPA-3 is 3 channels rated at 200 watts RMS @ 8 ohm. Below is a list of my existing set up. Thanks for looking.

My 3.1 Setup:

Receiver:
Emotiva Fusion 8100 A/V Receiver (65 watts x 7 (into 8 ohms, all channels driven) of audiophile quality class A/B output power; 110 watts x 2 (into 8 ohms, two channels driven).

Speakers LCR:
Ascend CBM-170se L/R and Ascend CMT-340se

Subwoofer:
Outlaw Audio LFM-1 Plus 12"

[Mag_Neato]

You don't list any surround speakers, do you have any? you could add those if not.

Years ago when I still had my original CBM-170's I had the itch to upgrade. I auditioned the then-new CMT-340SE's. There was not a big enough difference in sound to make me want to pull the trigger. When the Sierra-1's came out I purchased one of the first pairs sold. That was a significant upgrade. I promptly did the NrT upgrade and again, the RAAL upgrade. The NrT provided a nice, modest upgrade in tweeter performance while bringing the mids forward a touch. The RAAL upgrade was in another level of performance altogether. After doing the RAAL upgrade, I was totally satisfied with my speaker performance, but had always considered adding a dedicated power amp. I'd sat on the fence long enough and came across a used Adcom GFA-5500 with 200watts X 2 @8 Ohms, 350watts @4 Ohms. It has nearly 2db of dynamic headroom. I thought it would make a night & day difference. I would say that it has noticeably increased the dynamics, I can turn the volume up as far as I care to without hearing any strain or loss of oomph, and the sound remains clear without any sign of grain as if the amp was beyond its limits. I am happy with the addition of the amp, HOWEVER......I would upgrade speakers before considering adding amplification. You will notice the difference much more readily than with an amp. If I were not intimately familiar with the sonic signature of my system before adding the amp, say I just played it as background music or did not really sit down and "listen" to it, I may not have noticed the benefit of it.

Another area to consider which will make a big difference is with the sub. Maybe sell the Outlaw and pick up a Rythmik.

[Lord Nikon]

You don't list any surround speakers, do you have any? you could add those if not.

Years ago when I still had my original CBM-170's I had the itch to upgrade. I auditioned the then-new CMT-340SE's. There was not a big enough difference in sound to make me want to pull the trigger. When the Sierra-1's came out I purchased one of the first pairs sold. That was a significant upgrade. I promptly did the NrT upgrade and again, the RAAL upgrade. The NrT provided a nice, modest upgrade in tweeter performance while bringing the mids forward a touch. The RAAL upgrade was in another level of performance altogether. After doing the RAAL upgrade, I was totally satisfied with my speaker performance, but had always considered adding a dedicated power amp. I'd sat on the fence long enough and came across a used Adcom GFA-5500 with 200watts X 2 @8 Ohms, 350watts @4 Ohms. It has nearly 2db of dynamic headroom. I thought it would make a night & day difference. I would say that it has noticeably increased the dynamics, I can turn the volume up as far as I care to without hearing any strain or loss of oomph, and the sound remains clear without any sign of grain as if the amp was beyond its limits. I am happy with the addition of the amp, HOWEVER......I would upgrade speakers before considering adding amplification. You will notice the difference much more readily than with an amp. If I were not intimately familiar with the sonic signature of my system before adding the amp, say I just played it as background music or did not really sit down and "listen" to it, I may not have noticed the benefit of it.

Another area to consider which will make a big difference is with the sub. Maybe sell the Outlaw and pick up a Rythmik.

I have no surrounds in this room as it's a very challenging room to deal with, hence my 3.1 setup. I've considered upgrading to Sierra-1's or high but then I'd have to replace all 3 of my speakers instead of just the pair. Then I'd have to reconsider how much I'd be willing to spend considering my ceiling was around $715 for the amp/CMT-340se's.

I just picked up this outlaw amp a few weeks ago because my HSU finally died. The outlaw amp was new and unused at the time of my purchase and I'm satisfied with it. Too much of a hassle to rebox that thing up and sell/ship it. I've had my eyes peeled on the used market just in case some Ascends went up for sale but it's slow going at this point. The only thing I've found available is a Horizon Center w/ RaaL upgrade. That definitely wouldn't fit in to my setup.

[RicardoJoa]

speakers will have bigger effect.

[Lord Nikon]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll keeping looking at the used market a little longer for Ascend products for sale and hope some Sierra-1, Sierra-2 or Sierra Towers pop up. If nothing comes up and I get impatient, I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy new. :)

[Todd WI]

Piano Black Sierra 1's are currently on sale for $763
B-stocks for other finishes are $746

Are you impatient yet? :)

[Lord Nikon]

Piano Black Sierra 1's are currently on sale for $763
B-stocks for other finishes are $746

Are you impatient yet? :)

Oh you better believe I've been eyeing that fantastic deal also! :)

[Lord Nikon]

My listening position is about 14-15 feet away from the TV/Speakers right now. Would the Sierra-1's be able to fill up the room with sound better than the CMT-340se could? I'm not sure if how far my listening position is matters in deciding between the Sierra-1's and CMT-340se's?

[davef]

My listening position is about 14-15 feet away from the TV/Speakers right now. Would the Sierra-1's be able to fill up the room with sound better than the CMT-340se could? I'm not sure if how far my listening position is matters in deciding between the Sierra-1's and CMT-340se's?

Both will be able to fill the room, while the 340's will be able to play a bit louder than the Sierra-1. Do you know at what volume levels you typically listen at?

[Lord Nikon]

Both will be able to fill the room, while the 340's will be able to play a bit louder than the Sierra-1. Do you know at what volume levels you typically listen at?

On my Emotiva the volume is at +35 DB? (is that right?) That's the normal level for TV watching / music listening and sometimes I go up to 40 or 45 if I want something loud.

[davef]

On my Emotiva the volume is at +35 DB? (is that right?) That's the normal level for TV watching / music listening and sometimes I go up to 40 or 45 if I want something loud.

I need to know the actual volume level you listen at. You will need an spl meter for this or you can try an app for your phone. Unless it is properly calibrated, the numbers on a volume control are meaningless and have no relation to what the SPL is.