Ascend Acoustics ELX Ribbon Tower speakers Review

[LeadEars]

So glad to know that you are enjoying the ELX Mark! Yes, a speaker that has been wired in opposite polarity of the other speaker will completely throw off the center imaging (as well as bass). Glad you caught this, and don't feel bad - I accidentally do this all the time

It's funny that you mention bass, Dave - while I was trying to figure out what was going on, I noticed that a few tracks with good bass sounded fine & some didn't, so I went back after finding the problem & figured out that the ones that sounded ok had the bass on one channel, the ones that didn't had the bass on both, so that makes sense, too...

The ELXs are masterfully engineered, sir - now that I own a pair, I think you should rest on your laurels.

Mark

[LeadEars]

Look forward to reading the rest of your review Mark.

Thanks - you've probably been called a "glutton for punishment" before...

I've been making some personal notes for "the sequel" - frankly, I'm astounded every time I fire the system up - I'm not making as much progress finalizing my speaker & listening positions as I normally would because I'm enjoying just listening.

Mark

[averythearchitect]

My space is approximately 26' wide by 14' 6" deep. I listen slightly off center since my living room is shared with an open concept kitchen. I have a peninsular counter that runs across the room coming out from the listening wall at about the same distance on the right as the wall on the left. The space is actually really balanced apart from some room modes in the 50hz region that I am able to balance out with my SVS sub parametric EQ. I also am lucky to have an off centered pitched ceiling which I think further improves the room acoustics.

I'm somewhat worried that the ELX ribbon towers are going to "aggravate" my nasty room mode but it's wait and see at this point. I unfortunately don't have a way to high pass the towers separately from my sub since they are both fed from my integrated amp which does not have bass management.

Also looking forward to your future listening notes Mark - I'm living vicariously though the forums at this point!

[davef]

The ELXs are masterfully engineered, sir - now that I own a pair, I think you should rest on your laurels.

Mark

Thank you Mark, but the term "rest" - in any form or function, does not exist in my vocabulary

[racrawford65]

Thank you Mark, but the term "rest" - in any form or function, does not exist in my vocabulary

LOL. Does this mean I have to start saving up for the next set of speakers that exceed the ELX Towers?

[davef]

LOL. Does this mean I have to start saving up for the next set of speakers that exceed the ELX Towers?

That's a definite no, at least until some newer technologies that presently don't even exist are released. In all honesty, from an objective standpoint - and at this point in time, it is nearly impossible to outdo our ELX models, certainly not at anywhere even close to what these sell for.

[SunByrne]

That's a definite no, at least until some newer technologies that presently don't even exist are released. In all honesty, from an objective standpoint - and at this point in time, it is nearly impossible to outdo our ELX models, certainly not at anywhere even close to what these sell for.

But I'd be willing to bet that someday you'll find something even better to put in the Sierra bookshelf cabinets, and I'll probably dutifully shell out for them. Maybe next time I will actually try to do the upgrade blindfolded.

Seriously, though, I do think the LX is pretty endgame-y for a bookshelf.

[racrawford65]

That's a definite no, at least until some newer technologies that presently don't even exist are released. In all honesty, from an objective standpoint - and at this point in time, it is nearly impossible to outdo our ELX models, certainly not at anywhere even close to what these sell for.

Yes, the ELX Towers are incredible for the price point. Regardless, my wallet and retirement funds thank you. Wife is doing enough damage to those! LOL.

[davef]

Maybe next time I will actually try to do the upgrade blindfolded..

If anyone could, it would definitely be you

[LeadEars]

Sorry I haven't followed up with additional review notes yet, but I have quite honestly been listening to music, not proceeding with my setup. I suspect only those reading this who already have ELX Towers will believe this, but I sincerely am enjoying the music so much that I haven't bothered to finish dialing everything in. I did put the Ikea chopping blocks under the speakers and managed to get the "leaning towers of Texas" close to vertical. I'm not sure what I'm going to end up doing to secure them after final placement, because the carpet is just too thick to allow any approach I've ever used before to work. I wasn't sure I wanted spikes, but i don't think anything else will be stable enough. But I digress...

As I have alluded to before, I was very much "into" audio for 30 years or so, then took a 10 year "break". So most all of my listening consists of classic rock (pre 90's), pre-"modern" jazz, classical, old-ish "country" etc. - almost the only "new" music I listen to is "new to me" music, music (mostly jazz) recorded in the last century, that I haven't heard yet. So, even though I was out of "audiophile" for 10 years or so, when I got back into it, I just picked up listening to the same stuff I've listened to for many years. Presumably, my ears are less capable than they once were, but my memory for music is still ok, I think.

I say all of that as a preamble to this: With the ELX Ribbon Towers, I keep noticing, over and over again, that I'll be listening to a song I've probably heard hundreds of times on some very expensive systems and suddenly think "Wow, I never noticed that before!" I've started playing stuff streamed from Qobuz via my Cambridge Audio AXN10 (so, what most of us snobs would say is a barely decent streamer, I guess), so I could jump quickly from song to song, just on the whim of my wife's or my random thoughts. The first thing I did was stop playing the high-res versions, because initially I started off thinking that the difference was perhaps high-res vs CD, etc. Nope. No question that high-res & most vinyl sounded even better to my ears, but it's the speakers, beyond all doubt - any media I throw at them, especially on complex passages, and the ELX speakers bring a level of resolving ability, clarity, <somebody help out with some words here>, that just keeps those "wow" moments happening. My wife joined me for an extended listening session Saturday, and she would just sit listening with her eyes closed, absorbed in the music, and when a song was over say "now let me hear....", unless she interrupted the song to remark on how much better/different in a good way the music sounded than she'd ever heard before.

Again, this keeps happening over and over - I'd say to some extent on at least half of the tracks we listen to. They're just that good. More when i come up with some better descriptions or proceed with dialing in the placements.

Mark