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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1810 Registered: Feb-07 | Hey guys, a few months ago I started using my Ascends as my fronts for my HT system. I'm pretty happy with them in this role. The only problem (and this is a big problem based on the laws of WAF), my Monitor Audio center channel (in Rosenut finish) does not match the Ascends, or any of the other furniture in the room for that matter. How important do you guys think it is for a center channel to be timbre matched to the fronts? My thinking is that I could pick up a center with similar finish to the Ascends. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 8461 Registered: Feb-05 | Very critical...it's why I don't have a center channel at this point. I'd rather have none than one that does not match the fronts. At this point I just can't see frontin' for a Rainmaker center. |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameRichmond Hill Toronto ..., Ontario Canada Post Number: 420 Registered: Jun-08 | Dave, from all I've read and experience myself, in an HT setup it's very important to have not only the centre but the rears matched up, as close to perfectly as possible. Not only brand but line and model year if possible. The reason is timbre matching, which can't be compensated by an AVR's equalization (Audessey etc.). Where you really notice a different is when sounds pan from speaker to speaker. For example, a plane approaching dead centre and then moving to left or right, or a car moving from left to right or front to back. Without timbre match, the tone of the sound will change as it moves from speaker to speaker which is not lifelike. With everything matched, the speakers should truly dissappear and imaging should occur between speakers. To put it simply, for stereo, would you use a different model and brand for your left speaker then your right? Ofcourse not. For HT, it's just as important to get things matched up for seamless imaging. Hence, my HT system is all of the same brand and model line. Yes, a different brand may have provide a better centre channel but the loss of timbre match would be too great a sacrifice to make. Get yourself an Ascend centre channel that not only matches in colour (WAF) but also totally matches in timbre and don't wait until the models change because if they change the timbre slightly, that can blow it for you. Follow with the rear channels as well. All the best with it. |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameRichmond Hill Toronto ..., Ontario Canada Post Number: 421 Registered: Jun-08 | You need this Dave: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM1C/srm1c.html |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameRichmond Hill Toronto ..., Ontario Canada Post Number: 422 Registered: Jun-08 | Don't know what you do for rears, as it would be a little price prohibitive to fully match with the same Sierra1 in the rear. Here's where you may need to sacrifice, but I'd stay with Ascend. Your centre channel is the most important putting out about 60 to 75% of the sound in HT. You want this matched for sure. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 8463 Registered: Feb-05 | The rears aren't AS critical unless you will be listening to muti channel music. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 2190 Registered: Jun-07 | For real surround sound experience its important to have all speakers timbre matched. However, the center is the MOST critical by far. |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 2191 Registered: Jun-07 | Let me know if your even want to part with that center channel Dave. To be honest, I never liked the MA speakers for Home Theater purposes much myself. That is just me though. Great for music as you already know. Maybe a matching center is in order Dave? Its a tough one bud. |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1812 Registered: Feb-07 | Thanks for the input guys. Pretty sure I'll put in an order for the Sierra center. I absolutely LOVE the finish on the natural Sierra's. I was a little hesitant to get a center that doesn't follow the conventional woofer/tweeter/woofer configuration, but from some of the reading I've done, this configuration can actually cause "lobbing". Any thoughts on that? |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1813 Registered: Feb-07 | Hey Nick. Yeah, I'll be selling the MA center. I think you have the rosenut finish as well... interested? You're right, though. The RS6s really excel at music. |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameRichmond Hill Toronto ..., Ontario Canada Post Number: 426 Registered: Jun-08 | Dave, I think there are many approaches to centre channels. For example NHT ofter sells there Classic3 in sets of 5 and people use the bookshelf as a centre with good results and perfect timbre match. I think Ascend has done enough analysis and engineering on their product to ensure that the setup they have is a decent one. That said, I would still do some research on their centre to see if it's got good reviews, afterall, you could find out that though the Ascends are good for music their HT setups are not that desireable but if you're set on the Ascends in your HT, I think your best bet is the Ascend Sierra centre. And the big win is with the WAF...that's priceless. An underimpressed wife can take all the joy out of any system. Please the wife and it will be a happy joy joy experience. And more to the plus is that I'm sure she will back your purchase...you could have it in a week or so, eh? |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1816 Registered: Feb-07 | I've contacted Ascend to see if they have any B-stock centers in stock. My Sierras were B-stock and to me they are practically perfect. You're right about the WAF for sure George. |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameRichmond Hill Toronto ..., Ontario Canada Post Number: 428 Registered: Jun-08 | Good for you, I'm excited for you. How much of a discount do you get with B-stock...10%? |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1818 Registered: Feb-07 | I can't recall off the top of my head George. I'm trying to find the email from David Fabrikant of Ascend where he gave me the quote on the B-stock. Super nice guy I might add. He responded to my emails within 10 minutes at 9:30 at night. Very impressive customer service. Other companies should take a lesson from him. Hint hint. |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1836 Registered: Feb-07 | Just ordered my Sierra center. Boooyah. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 11307 Registered: Dec-04 | Attaboy DM! Mery christmas to Daddy! |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1837 Registered: Feb-07 | You bet Nuck. I hadn't bought myself anything yet. I deserve it (I think). |
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Gold Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 2197 Registered: Jun-07 | LOL good stuff Dave. I will think it over about the center. The only problem would be is that I may not have any use for a MA center as I have a complete, perfectly timbred theater and only use the RS6's for the two channel system. hmmmmmmm still...lol let me sleep on it buddy.Cheers |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1839 Registered: Feb-07 | Alright my friend. Let me know. I'll hang onto it till you decide either way. |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameRichmond Hill Toronto ..., Ontario Canada Post Number: 441 Registered: Jun-08 | Wicked Dave. Exciting. It's gonna give you a seamless panel of sound for HT. Let us know the progress. Did you end up buying B-stock? If so, what kinda discount do they offer on B-stock? Congrats! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 3128 Registered: May-05 | "Super nice guy I might add." He wasn't a super nice guy here a while back. He publicly embarassed a well respected member who was just getting into the speaker manufacturing business. |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1840 Registered: Feb-07 | Thanks George. Yup, I bought B-stock (just like my original Sierras). The discount is 12%. What happened Stu? I had no idea... |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1841 Registered: Feb-07 | OK, so I used the search function and went back in time a bit. Unfortunately all the posts by David F. have been removed (at his request it seems), so I can't really truly see what transpired. But if you guys say that he acted inappropriately, then I take that at face value. All I can say is that I have received excellent customer service from them and been treated exceptionally well, which is a lot more than I can say after dealing with the likes of other internet direct companies (which is a horse I've beaten to death). Anyhoo, I'm off to bed. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 11309 Registered: Dec-04 | Both parties agreed to disagree and apologies were made, but it was ugly for a while. |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1842 Registered: Feb-07 | That's the impression I got Nuck from reading some of the fallout. Some people get pretty heated over this audio stuff, huh? |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 3129 Registered: May-05 | I opened up this discussion, so I guess I'll try to close it... In a nutshell, what happened was a member who was starting his own speaker manufacturing measured some Ascend speakers. His equipment was probably miscalibrated. David Fabrikant came here and publicly embarassed him. It could have been done through PM or even in a professional way. Rather, he chose to do it publicly in a non-professional way. When called out on it, David more or less said that we were just defending a friend. He totally missed the point that a bunch of us agreeded with him in principal, but were ticked off with the way he went about it. No apologies, no tact. I'm glad most of it has been deleted. I haven't looked for it nor thought about it in a while. It really didn't have anything to do with audio. It had to do with treating members with respect. Sorry to open that back up, but that's more or less the way it went down IMO. |
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Gold Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 1843 Registered: Feb-07 | Thanks for the background Stu. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithCanada Post Number: 2195 Registered: Feb-04 | On the other hand, David may have over-reacted but he was also defending his product based on a flawed comparison. The "other guy" was basically saying that his speaker measured better than the Ascent, and David didn't believe the measurements and called him on it. That's how I recall it anyway. What bothered me about that is that "the other guy" voiced his speakers according to these flawed measurements. So in actual fact they must have had an incorrect response, right? Did he revoice them afterwards? Anyway, happy holidays! |