Ascend Acoustics Gap

With the CMT-340s selling at $568.00pr, and the Sierra-1 going for $798.00pr, my personal desire would be to see the next Ascend loudspeaker to be priced somewhere between these two. As I understand what has been said by Dave is after this initial Sierra production run the selling price of the Sierras may have to
go up. If this were to happen the the gap between these two speakers would be just short of $300.00.

I would love to see at least 1 and if possible 2 additional new loudspeakers offered before the $1,000 barrier is broken.

This is just my opinion and am not in any hurry at all.

If I may add to not short the 170SEs this price gap could possibly be filled by improvements to the 170s and 340s.

These are just some thoughts I'm having today.:)

i personally think the gap in prices is fine and not doing any harm... the gap i'd like to see filled is that huge emptiness on the subwoofer page :D

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Originally Posted by drewface

the gap i'd like to see filled is that huge emptiness on the subwoofer page :D

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AMEN! :D

David

I second that !

A floorstanding speaker based on the 340SE would fit nicely in that price bracket. I've grown fond of bookshelves, but there are many out there that prefer the looks and lower extension of the big cabinets.

IMO, when you get into larger speakers, the shipping costs really bite into the ID value model.

What would be fun to me would be to see, a front ported, high efficiency, high power, bamboo mini satalite loudspeaker.

I feel quite certain now that a subwoofer is on the way, and may very well be Daves next offering.

Really at this point I'm open to just about anything.

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IMO, when you get into larger speakers, the shipping costs really bite into the ID value model.

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Sure Curtis...take the wind out of my sails.:)

Actually that's a very good point. Ascend has done a good job of keeping shipping costs relatively low.

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What would be fun to me would be to see, a front ported, high efficiency, high power, bamboo mini satalite loudspeaker.

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Hmmm...a Sierra-ized HTM-200 could be an interesting little speaker.

I'd have to say I don't see the price gap as a glaring one. I think something bigger in the Sierra line, and a sub, would be two killer next moves.

Now, updates to the other three models (200, 170, 340) with bamboo cabinets, or just the option of the cabinet upgrade (if the measurements and ears back up the benefit for the cost on those models) could be interesting as well. That said, my selfish self would say that keeping the bamboo a higher end option (Sierra only) has a draw to it as well for branding purposes...but that's the latent materialist in me speaking... :p

I really, really, really want to see a "full range" offering from Ascend. I put that in quotes because down to the mid 30's would be fine with me, as long as it could do it with dedicated theater sized output. I'm thinking about picking up a pair of Swan 6.1's to try out in the still under construction theater. I want something with big output, lots of mid-bass slam, and I would prefer not to take out a second mortgage to get it.

If I may extend my thought on my earlier comment. A mini bamboo loudspeaker with limited bass response, and an extended high end response and output,designed to be used with a dedicated or subwoofer of your choice.

I really don't see a gap there. You'd be hard pressed to find any company that has speakers at $570, $800 and somewhere in between, let alone one that tries to stay focused and have a limited number of products.

While I often have expressed interest in a full-range Ascend offering, I don't expect one to happen since Dave generally falls into the sub/sat design approach (not a bad thing) much like Mike at ACI (he had a write-up on their website about why he thinks it's a better approach). Of course, I expect he's played with designing one if only for curiosity or back-of-the-napkin entertainment.

I agree that a sub seems like the clear next item coming form Ascend. I also agree that a more wall-mount friendly Sierra seems like a logical product (perhaps a smaller sealed bamboo item with mounting holes).

If true that there are very limited offerings available in the $570-$800. Than I would see an Ascend loudspeaker within this price range as filling a need.

Though I am also aware that Dave has stated that he never designs loudspeakers to target any price point. The likely hood of a loudspeaker to fit within this price range is small.

The Sierra is a good example. The only constraint on the Sierra was size.

I'm not saying there aren't speakers between $570 and $800. I'm saying that if a company makes speakers at both of those price points then it has no reason to make one in between. It doesn't make good product line sense.

There are several offerings within that range from companies who have a line more like $500/$700/$1000. For those companies, $700 fills a gap between $500 and $1000.