Let's say that I want to buy two speakers for a 10X20 room sound system. I've heard all the hype on the 170's but very little on the 340's. Are the 340's twice as good for the money spent? If not, what is it that they do different (other than deeper bass) than the 170's? If I bypass the 170's for the 340's is the "bang for buck" factor still there, or do I need to look at other brands in the $500-$700 price range? Also, has anyone used the 340's with the stands? How do they sound unfilled vs filled with sand? Need to make a decision before Christmas, thanks!
The 340s do give you a fuller sound at low and moderate volumes plus an extra 20Hz of bass, though the 170s' tweeter will stay flatter at high volumes.
However with the new 340 SE and 170 SE series coming out in mid-January, all bets are off since they will have completely different drivers, both models will offer an extra 10Hz of bass and even better tweeters. Go to the Ascend website forum for more details on that.
This means that they will probably start to discount the older models at some point too.
The 340s in my opinion compare well to speakers in the $1000-1500 range.
Let me add my two cents to this. I have 170 fronts and 340 center and I'm happy with them. Initially, I found them a little strange, but after a few months I "educated" my ears to hear them (or they broke in and became softer...).
Probably, the audiophiles and sound engineers will prefer the 170, after testing it with dB meters and oscyloscopes, analysing the response graphs along the frequence range and so on. It's probably the masterpiece of technicians (at the price level). But it might not thrill you. It is "science".
The 340, on the other hand, will impress you without any measurement instrument. It has its own spice, personality, energy, soul. It is "poetry".
It's hard to tell if it's worth twice the price. For two-channel, if budget permits, I'd stay with the 340, which DaveF (Ascend owner) defines as "our very best".
I thought Jorge's analysis was pretty spot on. I love my 170s and I've got the 340c center and it's just a different sound, a little fuller and broader range. Yet, the 170s for HT with a sub are fantastic. If you're doing mostly 2 channel music listening, I'd go with the 340s but if you're doing HT, the 170s around with a 340c is a great system at its price point, especially if you can get the new SE editions.
I haven't tried it although Dave F certainly suggested that it would work. However, he suggested that if I could afford the 340c, it was a much better option, especially in HT and with dialogue. He proved to be right on in his recommendation. Incredible improvement over my previous center channel.
You are probably right in this instance. heres where I am going with this; Many speaker manufacturers dont offer what I would call a decent center channel option. Ascend of course does. But I am thinking that one could use a biwire to two desirable bookshelfs from the center channel output. This would create two challenges; first, it will present a 4 OHM load to the amp section of the receiver through that center channel, so this means in amnay instances only an efficeint speaker line would qualify. And numner two, there could be challenges with dispersion in a room. However, I think its an interesting option for some.