Comparing to Boston VR3 and CSW T500 towers

[karltsai]

Hi there,

I'm wondering have you guys compared Ascend 200/170/340 to Boston Acoustics VR3 ($1000) or Cambridge Soundworks T500 ($2000)? I understand this may not be a fair comparison but I need a frame of reference of how good the Ascend is.

Let me rewind a bit. I've owned a set of Cambridge Soundworks (CSW) original Ensemble speakers since 1990 and has been quite satisfied with it over the years. Over time, I added CSW's center channel as well as their surround speakers and a BIC Venturi 185W powered sub-woofer. We used it for both music and HT.

Things are relatively happy until 2-3 years ago and I finally found out the reason is due to CSW's satellite speakers' busted surround. Tried speaker repair kit but found out the CSW uses non-standard 4" drivers which I can't find replacement. So I'm in the market again looking for great value. I'm more interested in replacing the 3 front channels at the moment.

I bought a AR HC6 (6+1) speaker set based on some ancient reviews. That was a big mistake as it couldn't generate enough volume and sounded vastly inferior. After getting rid of it, wife and I have done some auditioning and found we liked Boston Acoustics VR3 and CSW's T500 a lot, both of which are floor standing models.
I've also done some online research and found Ascent Acoustics to have tremendous followings and praises. Since I can't audition before I order, I'd like to get some comparative information between Ascent's and aforementioned speakers.

If someone lives in Lincoln/Lexington, Massachusetts area who can give me an auditioning oppertunity, it'll be even better. CSW satellite speakers appear to be less sensitive (I think it is 86DB only) and can handle less power than even the 200. So I think I may get by with either 200 or 170. Let me know if you think otherwise.

FYI, my room is 25'(W) x 21'(D) and a slanted ceiling from 11' rises to 19'. Worse yet, it has openings (4'x10') into the kitchen on the back.

Thanks for your opinion.