HSU vs. Ascend Acoustics

When you ask a question like this, it's like if I said I need a vehicle but not sure whether to get a dump truck, or a Cooper Mini.

Provide as much information as you can such as room size, primary usage (music, movies, gaming) aesthetic needs (WAF), budget, electronics driving the speakers, and any other pertinent information you can think of.

I've not heard any of the speakers you listed so my advice would be a stab in the dark. That said, I believe the Hsus probably have a higher sensitivity and thus might be better for movies in a conservatively powered system, and possibly the Ascends might be more pleasing for music.

Again, since I haven't heard any of these speakers, my opinion isn't worth too much.

Jay

In theory, two CMT-340 SE as L/R and the matching center should provide a smoother sound stage across the front for movies and gaming, in comparison to the HSUs. The CMT-340 SE center is the same speaker as the L/R configured for horizontal placement and should provide an exact timber match.

You can read the Ascend SE Owner's Thread to learn more about those Ascends.

Update: You should also consider the HTM-200 SE paired with the CMTs, too, as they may work better for surrounds in some applications (see the Ascend Owners Thread).

There are a few threads out there that (in whole or in part) address that. I've been eyeing up the same brands.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...=745240&page=4
http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showthread.php?t=3018
http://www.head-fi.org/t/427380/hsu-...-ever-heard/15
http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=2509

Plus there is the Ascend Acoustics SE Owner's Thread cel4145 linked to above.

I have no direct experience with either, however the threads seem helpful with some who apparently DO have direct experience with both. In my thread I was pretty much told I could probably be happy with wither HSU or the Ascend Acoustics, although in my particular room the HSU may be a bit more beneficial given my screwy room setup (which has no bearing on you). If nothing else, the links above give you some reading to do. Best of luck!

-Cheers

Definitely. You have a pretty big open area space. As a 10" sub, the STF-2 might not be enough. Plus, the VTF-2 MK4 reaches down lower in its frequency response. That's a big plus in blu-ray and dvd watching where there is significant <30hz content.

I'd email Pete @ HSU. He gave great advice to me for my room. I haven't ordered yet (my wife is asking why we need new speakers and I'm trying to find a way to tell her that will make sense to her since she is not really into this stuff and pregnancy has made her borderline-mean ), however he kindly went over the package(s) and speakers (including subwoofers) that would be appropriate for my room size & shape (you should include the LxWxH dimensions of the walls & ceiling), answered all of my questions, and seems very friendly. If nothing else, the customer service seems great, he obviously knows what he's talking about, and it was a non-pushy straight-out listing of options to consider. Plus, aside from the shipping costs, there's a trial period so if you don't like them you can send them back.

-Cheers

I haven't heard the Ascends but I did have the Hsu bookshelf speakers and the STF-2. The HB-1 Mk2's are very good. Even though they have horns, they are not harsh at all - very smooth sound. I sold my STF-2 and now have a VTF-2 Mk 3 and am glad I traded up. I would recommend that you get the larger sub for the room you have - it is worth it. More impact, lower reach.

Even though I did wind up selling my HB-1's back in 2010, I visited the Hsu exhibit at the 2011 Newport audio show and they sure sounded good - even though they were among the lowest priced speakers at the entire show (and the other equipment was nothing fancy - just a regular receiver and interconnects), they compared favorably with just about everything over there and sounded better than many much higher priced speakers.

The HSU's are more sensitive and will play louder with less power. If you watch movies loud I'd go HSU, no question. I also agree you should get the biggest subwoofer you can afford for that sized room.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Hsu uses a regular AVR (I think it is a Pioneer) to drive the speakers both at exhibits and in their Anaheim showroom. The speakers are very easy to drive and you don't need a ton of power. The AVR they use is nothing fancy. If you get an Onkyo or Marantz, I bet those should be fine (I use Emotiva separates - they had way more than enough power for the Hsu speakers).

Actually, they are not more sensitive. The spec is measured in half-space, so subtract 3dB. So the rated sensitivity is the same.

BTW...the Ascends are currently still on Holiday Sale. The CBM-170SE's are $298/pr.

Oops - I missed that, sorry. Thanks for the correction.

No worries. Hsu is the only one that I have seen list sensitivity that way.