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4 Attachment(s)
And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Our CMT-340SE has long been one of our most revered products. First introduced back in late 2002, and then later upgraded to the SE version in 2006, our 340’s have remained extremely popular with a customer satisfaction rate averaging over 99%.
It has been said by many that our 340’s are one of the best bang-for-buck products in the audio industry. We agree.
Things are about to change, our 340 will no longer be considered a budget speaker, offering a level of performance that can easily compete with other manufacturer’s products at any price point.
Taking full advantage of the capabilities our Klippel NFS offers, we spent months analyzing not only the fully assembled 340SE, but deep analysis of each individual component. Our NFS was subjected to near 24/7 usage over the course of several months, logging hundreds of thousands of individual measurements. All these results were then analyzed using advanced proprietary modeling resulting in a set of parameters that would provide MAJOR performance improvements.
I am most proud to introduce our new Klippel NFS optimized CMT-340SE2
Attachment 2420
Every component of the 340SE has been optimized and redesigned for a single purpose, performance.
Woofer:
The original 340SE woofers were fully designed by me, from the unique cone material, damping treatment, motor system, to even the basket frame. These woofers served us well for 20 years, but analysis technology has greatly improved since then and we are now proudly and firmly at the forefront of this emerging science.
As good as the original 340SE woofers were, our analysis revealed areas where overall performance could be improved.
We were able to reduce moving mass resulting in +2dB higher efficiency and better transient accuracy. To compensate for the lighter mass, we went with a different damping treatment for the cone which provides better overall damping and stiffness, resulting in improved directivity, less cone resonance and lower distortion. Overall frequency response is smoother with improved directivity.
Tweeter:
To match the now higher efficiency of the woofers, it was necessary to change the motor system of the original 340SE tweeter. SEAS recommended a more powerful magnet, no ferrofluid in the gap, and a slightly shorter voice coil. The results were exceptional, the new tweeter looks the same from the front (same excellent SEAS textile dome) but this version has higher efficiency, lower distortion, a more linear frequency response and improved high frequency extension. It sounds smoother and does significantly better with complex passages compared to the previous version.
Cabinet:
To reduce cabinet resonance, we have gone with a much higher density MDF resulting in the unassembled cabinet weighing 40% more than the previous version. We have also changed the port tuning and gone with a flush mounted flared rear port tube which results in less port noise.
While not a performance improvement, we have also gone with a cleaner more modern look with a truly seamless cabinet design combined with fully magnet grilles. The visual improvements are stunning!
Crossover:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words – so here you go:
This is a massive 14 element advanced NFS optimized crossover that just barely even fits into the cabinet. You typically see crossovers of this size and complexity in large 3- or 4-way tower speakers selling for $3K and higher.
In summary, the 340SE2 now has a sensitivity of 92dB anechoic, 96dB typical in-room. This firmly places it into the category of high efficiency, but without any of the drawbacks of HE speakers. It is a rather unique entry. Excellent dynamics, very low distortion, wide horizontal dispersion and extreme accuracy and neutrality, optimized for an exceptionally accurate in-room response.
So how does it sound?
In a word, controlled and extremely dynamic – even at ear-shattering volume levels. Midbass is more pronounced and punchier, mids are warmer – lusher, smoother and less in your face compared to the 340SE. Highs are more detailed and clearer with much better control.
The overall presentation is much more spacious, easier to listen to and the overall balance from lows to highs is more natural. Vocals sound great and are not as forward, giving the 340SE2 a good sense of depth. Every performance aspect has been greatly improved aside from bass extension (which remains the same).
Did I mention the price tag?
We are in tough times, especially for manufacturing. Nearly all speaker manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce manufacturing costs while simultaneously raising retail prices in order to maintain their profit margins. We have done something most economists would consider a bad move, we have completely ignored the state of our economy and general business recommendations, and significantly increased our manufacturing costs for the 340SE2.
We designed the 340SE2 to be competitive against everything offered from our many competitors regardless of price points or category (tower, bookshelf, high efficiency, music speaker, home theater speaker etc.). This is THE EVERYTHING speaker, terrific at everything you could ever throw at it. We would likely sell a ton of these if we retailed it at $999 per pair, or even $1499/pair – but times are tough for everyone right now, so we have made a decision that is for sure to truly anger our accountant…
From now through the end of the year – we are going to offer the 340SE2 for only $698 per pair + shipping. For a Klippel NFS designed speaker that delivers this level of performance at this price point is, to be perfectly blunt, simply unheard of.
Please, DO NOT draw assumptions as to the 340SE2 performance due to its ridiculously low introductory price. The 340SE2 costs us about twice as much to manufacture compared to the 340SE and we will absolutely be raising prices very soon, possibly by a large amount. We wanted to do something special for this holiday season and here it is.
Please use the 340SE2’s excellent measurements to do any comparisons, its retail pricing is by no means a reflection of performance or component quality.
The 340SE2 is a true performance benchmark at under $1K/pair. Please get orders in quickly – 340SE2 will start shipping in an estimated 3-weeks.
Oh - did I mention low distortion?
Attachment 2421
Attachment 2422
At 96dB SPL, THD is averaging ~ 0.3% (50dB less than the fundamental), even below 100Hz. This is a remarkable achievement for any speaker at any price.
As always we thank you for your interest!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Very well done! The speakers look sexy af!!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
slip023
Very well done! The speakers look sexy af!!
Thank you - they are big, bold and badass!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Well done dave! I’m excited to receive my pair in a few weeks:). I know they sound great
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
I’m really tempted to order a trio to compare to my Horizon/ center S2EX L/R setup I have now for home theater usage.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Hi Dave,
Are you going to be offering a center channel version of the new 340SE2 at launch as well?
I currently have the original Sierra S2s for my front speakers in my main room, and then 170SEs for my surrounds. I have been more than happy with the S2s for the last 7+years, and I've recently been considering upgrading the S2s with the newer EX version 2 upgrade kits.
However, these new 340SE2s have caught my eye and I am now contemplating moving my S2s to another room, and instead putting the new340SE2s in their place in my main HT/music room. I don't see a center version available for ordering yet, so I wanted to see if this is going to be forthcoming.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Looks great! I'm assuming a center version in the works, as well? I suddenly have a desire to upgrade my front soundstage... ;)
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
New woofer, tweeter, crossover, cabinet, magnetic grills - you didn't miss a thing....beautiful!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drewface
Looks great! I'm assuming a center version in the works, as well? I suddenly have a desire to upgrade my front soundstage... ;)
Dave is a master at creating desire... or better yet, creating NEED!;)
I could be wrong but this appears to be the first upgrade that doesn't involve a kit but rather a whole new speaker.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dislocatedday
Hi Dave,
Are you going to be offering a center channel version of the new 340SE2 at launch as well?
I currently have the original Sierra S2s for my front speakers in my main room, and then 170SEs for my surrounds. I have been more than happy with the S2s for the last 7+years, and I've recently been considering upgrading the S2s with the newer EX version 2 upgrade kits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drewface
Looks great! I'm assuming a center version in the works, as well? I suddenly have a desire to upgrade my front soundstage... ;)
I would imagine the center is no different than the mains, but I am sure Dave will let us know.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
The best bang for the buck just got even more bangin'!!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
curtis
I would imagine the center is no different than the mains, but I am sure Dave will let us know.
I would have thought this as well, but in the Sierra thread over at AVS Forums Dave recently mentioned that the current 340SE center has a different crossover from the 340SE mains. I did not know this previously. It appears the crossover is different in the center to deal with the horizontal placement and different dispersion pattern, versus the mains in a vertical orientation.
I am guessing that Dave is likely doing the same here with the new versions of the 340s, and perhaps still has to do some development work for the crossover on a center version.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dislocatedday
I would have thought this as well, but in the Sierra thread over at AVS Forums Dave recently mentioned that the current 340SE center has a different crossover from the 340SE mains. I did not know this previously. It appears the crossover is different in the center to deal with the horizontal placement and different dispersion pattern, versus the mains in a vertical orientation.
I am guessing that Dave is likely doing the same here with the new versions of the 340s, and perhaps still has to do some development work for the crossover on a center version.
Yes, the difference was due to how people placed their center channels when the 340 was first introduced years ago. The situation is a bit different now.
That said, we'll see what Dave says.
Nonetheless, a great speaker. Got to briefly hear it the last time I was at Ascend.
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
curtis
Yes, the difference was due to how people placed their center channels when the 340 was first introduced years ago. The situation is a bit different now.
That said, we'll see what Dave says.
Nonetheless, a great speaker. Got to briefly hear it the last time I was at Ascend.
Perhaps it was these Curtis, that you heard:)Attachment 2423
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
merrymaid520
Hey!! How did you know?? :D
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Just a hunch! Granted our listening was limited (and factoring in what we were hearing beforehand) but they sounded great! Can’t wait for my pair to replace my garage 340se’s. I was pleased to see an even higher sensitivity, I blast mine with 200w each so I can hear them from my yard:cool:
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
merrymaid520
Just a hunch! Granted our listening was limited (and factoring in what we were hearing beforehand) but they sounded great! Can’t wait for my pair to replace my garage 340se’s. I was pleased to see an even higher sensitivity, I blast mine with 200w each so I can hear them from my yard:cool:
You fly to Cali just to hear these?
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
chas
You fly to Cali just to hear these?
Among other things, ha! We happened to have been in San Diego and Dave was kind enough to host a listening session.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
chas
You fly to Cali just to hear these?
LOL!! I'm not merrymaid, but a family vacay to California isn't complete without a visit to Ascend Acoustics!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
davef
In summary, the 340SE2 now has a sensitivity of 92dB anechoic, 96dB typical in-room.
WOW.
That's bananas. Dave the mad scientist, at it again. Very impressive indeed.
What this tells me is that we all should have chipped in and bought Dave a Klippel years ago. :p
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
@davef - just a quick note that the "New V2 Edition... Legendary performance now even better!" link text at the bottom of the store page still links to the old SE V1 announcement forum post.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dislocatedday
Hi Dave,
Are you going to be offering a center channel version of the new 340SE2 at launch as well?
I currently have the original Sierra S2s for my front speakers in my main room, and then 170SEs for my surrounds. I have been more than happy with the S2s for the last 7+years, and I've recently been considering upgrading the S2s with the newer EX version 2 upgrade kits.
However, these new 340SE2s have caught my eye and I am now contemplating moving my S2s to another room, and instead putting the new340SE2s in their place in my main HT/music room. I don't see a center version available for ordering yet, so I wanted to see if this is going to be forthcoming.
The 340SE2 center is now on the site. Couldn't get it completed yesterday, had to confirm a few measurements first.
Happy to know that you have been enjoying your Sierra-2 for so long now - I 100% recommend doing the S2 to S2EX V2 upgrade. As good as the Sierra-2 was - the latest version is significantly better
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
curtis
Yes, the difference was due to how people placed their center channels when the 340 was first introduced years ago. The situation is a bit different now.
That said, we'll see what Dave says.
Nonetheless, a great speaker. Got to briefly hear it the last time I was at Ascend.
This is correct. The 340SE2 center is exactly the same as the 340SE2 mains (other than how we orient the product labeling on the back).
I had indeed considered using similar crossover optimizations to compensate for the less than ideal placement of center speakers, as we did with the original 340 center and 340SE center. However, that was a long time ago and after much experimentation - the reality is that today's Auto-EQ systems do a much better job of this type of compensation than we could ever do passively in a crossover. Auto-EQ did not even exist back then - time sure goes by fast!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
merrymaid520
That was a great time!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drewface
@davef - just a quick note that the "New V2 Edition... Legendary performance now even better!" link text at the bottom of the store page still links to the old SE V1 announcement forum post.
Thank you! We fixed it :)
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Got 3 on order and so looking forward to them, been looking at the 340SE's for years and was super excited to see the new model. I had no idea about the new model just happened to check the website but glad I did. Now I'm considering upgrading surrounds and atmos to the htm-200se, but curious if there will be an upgraded model of those any time soon.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
I am very interested in the new 340SE2s and am giving serious consideration to buying 3 speakers to begin my HT setup. I have a few questions and hopefully someone can help answer. 1) I am constrained to placing the center channel in a credenza (or possibly in front of the credenza on a stand) but am worried about the port causing some issues in a cabinet. I could move the speaker forward and angled up within the cabinet to aim at ear level or possibly place it on a stand in front of the cabinet. 2) Also was a bit concerned about the mini-towers being at a different height vs the center, so was wondering if the speakers come with spikes for mounting on a carpeted floor vs on the stands. Thanks!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
txglock
I am very interested in the new 340SE2s and am giving serious consideration to buying 3 speakers to begin my HT setup. I have a few questions and hopefully someone can help answer. 1) I am constrained to placing the center channel in a credenza (or possibly in front of the credenza on a stand) but am worried about the port causing some issues in a cabinet. I could move the speaker forward and angled up within the cabinet to aim at ear level or possibly place it on a stand in front of the cabinet. 2) Also was a bit concerned about the mini-towers being at a different height vs the center, so was wondering if the speakers come with spikes for mounting on a carpeted floor vs on the stands. Thanks!
As long as you have some clearance (roughly equal to port diameter) between back of center speaker and back of credenza, should be ok. I ran an S2 as center for awhile - on top shelf of my entertainment center which has a back extending upwards to mount a tv. No issues with port noise. Door stops work great for angling the speaker.
As to spikes, I don't know whether or not they are included with the speakers. That said, you'll probably want them on stands anyways to get the tweeter close to ear level. Ascend has their TP24 stands.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
racrawford65
As long as you have some clearance (roughly equal to port diameter) between back of center speaker and back of credenza, should be ok. I ran an S2 as center for awhile - on top shelf of my entertainment center which has a back extending upwards to mount a tv. No issues with port noise. Door stops work great for angling the speaker.
As to spikes, I don't know whether or not they are included with the speakers. That said, you'll probably want them on stands anyways to get the tweeter close to ear level. Ascend has their TP24 stands.
Thanks, Dave also answered me via email and addressed my concerns. The doorstop suggestion is a good one, would not have thought of that.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
txglock
Thanks, Dave also answered me via email and addressed my concerns. The doorstop suggestion is a good one, would not have thought of that.
thanks for the follow-up.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
txglock
Thanks, Dave also answered me via email and addressed my concerns. The doorstop suggestion is a good one, would not have thought of that.
This is what I'm using to angle my center upwards https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Isolat...s%2C145&sr=8-4
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
natetg57
Thanks, l like that better than doorstops.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Definitely nicer looking.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
I just pre-ordered a pair of these and can't wait to hear them! I have been a member at ASR for years because I like seeing objective evidence of performance before spending my money. It's so refreshing to see a manufacturer respond to bad measurements with investigation and improvement rather than denial and misdirection. Dave seems like a very honest and straightforward guy and I commend him for continuing to produce excellent value speakers. He now has a state of the art measurement system and Ascend speakers look to be state of the art for their price class, making for an excellent value.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
txglock
Thanks, l like that better than doorstops.
+1
I use a similar brand on my Sierra Horizon center and it works great. Should be perfect for the 340SE2 center.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Wow! These look amazing! Love to see all the improvements listed and thoroughly explained. Gotta say I am really really hoping to see these trickle down to the HTM-200SE models.as well. Can't imagine a better compact speaker for the price with this next generation.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Is the vinyl wrap the same finish as before where it matches the pedestal stands?
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
What are the differences when choosing between horizontal and vertical options for the center speaker? Are port plugs included and what low end response can we expect when the port is plugged. Thank you!
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
@Davef, a question about the frequency response specification:
The Typical In-Room Frequency Response is indicated as 45Hz - 20kHz. However, the Bass Extension (-6db) is 60Hz and the Anechoic Frequency Response is shown as 71Hz - 22kHz +/- 3dB. Those three parameters do not seem to agree with one another. Typos somewhere or am I missing something?
Since the original CMT-340SE (which I own) was specified with a Typical In-Room Frequency Response of 45Hz - 20kHz +/- 3db and the CMT-340SE2 is supposed to have the same bass response and an extended high frequency response, shouldn't the latter be rated something like 45-22kHz +/-3 db In-Room?
Thanks in advance.
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Re: And here it is, the 340SE2!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MusicHead
@Davef, a question about the frequency response specification:
The Typical In-Room Frequency Response is indicated as 45Hz - 20kHz. However, the Bass Extension (-6db) is 60Hz and the Anechoic Frequency Response is shown as 71Hz - 22kHz +/- 3dB. Those three parameters do not seem to agree with one another. Typos somewhere or am I missing something?
I don't follow you - they absolutely agree with each other.
Bass extension (low frequency extension) is the point where the bass response is 6dB down. It is actually a bit lower than we published (should technically be 58Hz, i need to change this)
Anechoic frequency response has nothing to do with bass specifications, anechoic frequency response indicates the bandwidth of the speaker that falls within +/- 3dB
Typical In-room bass extension is usable bass output in a typical room, which includes typical room gain (usually a gain of ~6-10dB)
Perhaps you can clarify, what are you confused about?