Hello

[JWill]

Hey,
I am new to the Acend Line of products. I have an opportunity to purchase a set of CBM-170's for $85. They are not the newer SE, so they are probably over 12 years old. My question is, are the older CBM-170 speakers worth it, or should I wait and purchase the newer SE design? I figure for $85. I can't go wrong. At a minimum ill get a chance to experience what Ascend has to offer at a very low cost.

[curtis]

Hey,
I am new to the Acend Line of products. I have an opportunity to purchase a set of CBM-170's for $85. They are not the newer SE, so they are probably over 12 years old. My question is, are the older CBM-170 speakers worth it, or should I wait and purchase the newer SE design? I figure for $85. I can't go wrong. At a minimum ill get a chance to experience what Ascend has to offer at a very low cost.

Those are the speakers that put Ascend on the map. I don't how indicative it would be of what Ascend has to offer now as a lot has changed, but they are still good speakers, especially for $85 (for the pair?).
If they are in good shape, I would snap them up.

Maybe call Ascend and see if they can be upgraded to the SE.

[JWill]

Curtis,

Thank you for the reply. I have searched, and the only difference I can find is a change to the tweeter in the SE. These will potentially replace a set of Polk s15's. After all the praise these speakers have received from reviewers and users, I have high hopes for them. Yes, $85 for the pair.

[curtis]

Curtis,

Thank you for the reply. I have searched, and the only difference I can find is a change to the tweeter in the SE. These will potentially replace a set of Polk s15's. After all the praise these speakers have received from reviewers and users, I have high hopes for them. Yes, $85 for the pair.

In the SE the woofer is also different, as is the crossover.

$85/pr and in good shape....jump on it.

[JWill]

In the SE the woofer is also different, as is the crossover.

$85/pr and in good shape....jump on it.

Well I picked them up! All I can say is WOW! Ran YPAO room calibration on my Yamaha RX-V6A. Before that they sounded very thin. Was running Polk Monitor 60 Series II before. I can say the sound field is a bit narrower but the separation is off the carts and clarity is way beyond anything I’ve ever heard on my Polk s15s or Klipsch RP-500m’s. Very happy with this find. Definitely an new Ascend Acoustics fan!

[curtis]

Well I picked them up! All I can say is WOW! Ran YPAO room calibration on my Yamaha RX-V6A. Before that they sounded very thin. Was running Polk Monitor 60 Series II before. I can say the sound field is a bit narrower but the separation is off the carts and clarity is way beyond anything I’ve ever heard on my Polk s15s or Klipsch RP-500m’s. Very happy with this find. Definitely an new Ascend Acoustics fan!

Imaging is an Ascend hallmark.
Those speakers are over 15 years old. If you send Ascend the serial numbers, they will tell you the exact age.
The SE version is a noticeable improvement over the originals you have.

[davef]

Curtis,

Thank you for the reply. I have searched, and the only difference I can find is a change to the tweeter in the SE. These will potentially replace a set of Polk s15's. After all the praise these speakers have received from reviewers and users, I have high hopes for them. Yes, $85 for the pair.

Nice find, $85/ pair is a steal! That stated, Curtis is correct - the CBM-170SE is an entirely different speaker other than the cabinet itself. It has a different tweeter, woofer and crossover.

I would say your classic pair of 170's is, at a minimum, 15 years old but I am happy to hear that you are enjoying them!