I know this seems like a silly question on this forum but I'm looking to upgrade my current setup and I'd like to know how people here think Ascends will compare with what I currently have.
Current setup (driven by Yamaha RX-V 757 receiver):
Speakers (all 10 years old)
Fronts: JBL TLX-181 floorstanding speakers. (About $600 pair if you can find them)
Center: JBL Center speaker
Surround: JBL Control Series.
Sub: Some massive black box, can't remember who made it, pretty good though.
I'm thinking about trying out Ascend 340's accross the front (LCR). I'll probably eventually replace the Surrounds as well, not sure about the sub.
My hesitation is about going from floorstanding to bookshelf speakers. It seems like a step down psychologically. But I'm not very impressed with my JBL fronts. The mids are muddled and there is noticable buzzing and distortion in the mids when volume is above moderate.
So the point of all this blather is:
1) Can these bookshelf speakers really put out better sound than my admitedly mediocre JBL floorstanding models?
2) Since these speakers are in the same price range, would this be a lateral move or an upgrade?
3) Does my receiver seem like a good match for these speakers? Its about 100 watts per channel. It has a pre-out for the sub which is self powered of course.
4) How stable are the stands? I need to set the fronts up on stands, they look very stable, would they be safe with a 3 and 5 year old boy running around the house? I'm a little concerned they would be top heavy and fall over easily.
5) How would these compare with comperably priced Axioms?
FYI, I use my system about 80/20 HT vs Music. I watch mostly drama and sports and my current speakers have issues with muddled dialogue. I listen to rock and light classical for music. I'm not a big boomy bass guy, more interested in clarity and soundstage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!