[audiophile82]

So, I am about to get myself a new surroundsetup in my home, and it will be used for HT and music. I myself and my spouse are pretty much into music, she is a musician so the speakers performance in that area is important. I listen to all sorts of music, but jazz music with percussion/guitars is critical and I need them to be able to reproduce that kind of music really well.


My budget however is not that great so:


I have been looking all over the net and I can see that ID-companies offer a lot of performance for the money spent. My shortlist so far is:


Ascend Acoustics 340 (moving package) - however - I am a bit worried when it comes to build quality and the aestethics.


SVS STS 5.0 - I think these speakers look great, but some say they aren't that good with music because of the 60 hz roll-off. I could even look at SBS to save money on receiver also but I don't know.


Any other speaker-packages I should look at?


My room is around 1600 cu.ft. but opens into other rooms so I need a bit of sound to fill it properly.

 

[ack_bk]

What is your budget?

Are you adding a dedicated subwoofer?

 

[ccotenj]

only two comments...


- i would not be concerned about the "build quality" of the ascends...

- i would make room in my budget for a "good" sub...


other than that, both brands have devoted followers, and with good reason...

 

[Eddie Horton]

haven't heard the svs, but did own an ascend 340/170 system. build quality and sound are top notch. the owner of the company used to be a designer for m&k. he knows his stuff, and is a really nice guy, too. the 340 system with a good sub should more than meet expectations.

 

[audiophile82]

Well, with SVS I am considering dual PC12NSD's.


If Ascend makes the cut their Rythmik 12" looks nice.


My concern with Ascend is that I live in Europe so I have to import them myself. With SVS I can get them 15 miles (150 km) away with ease.


My budget is "what it takes" up to 4500$ inc. receiver and subs.

 

[audiophile82]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Eddie Horton /forum/post/16846231


haven't heard the svs, but did own an ascend 340/170 system. build quality and sound are top notch. the owner of the company used to be a designer for m&k. he knows his stuff, and is a really nice guy, too. the 340 system with a good sub should more than meet expectations.

Why did you sell them?

 

[ack_bk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by audiophile82 /forum/post/16846514


Well, with SVS I am considering dual PC12NSD's.


If Ascend makes the cut their Rythmik 12" looks nice.


My concern with Ascend is that I live in Europe so I have to import them myself. With SVS I can get them 15 miles (150 km) away with ease.


My budget is "what it takes" up to 4500$ inc. receiver and subs.

Can you go listen the SVS STS towers with the PC12NSD and see if it is sufficient for music for you? Or better yet, will the dealer let you bring them home and try them out in your room? For HT, I suspect it would stack up nicely to the Ascend's. The fact that you don't have to import (especially if you have a problem and need to ship back) is another consideration..


This is a tough call. I personally own SVS speakers and love them, but I use them about 99% of the time for home theater. I have demoed some music on them (I have the SCS-01 bookshelves not the STS towers) and I was happy with their performance but I suspect the Ascend 340's would have been a step up for sure (and they cost more). The Ascend 340's with the Rythmik sub sound like a winning combination as well.


Like I said. Tough call. I don't think you can lose either way.

 

[Grandarf]

That 1k system is surely a sweet deal, and for the money I don't think it can be beaten... (Though for UK, with shipping fees and all, that might be different than in USA...) But, going with Sierras for example would yield a definite improvement. Sonically, and I guess aesthetically too. The 340SE cabinets are definitely competent, but the Sierra's bamboo cabinet isn't really comparable... It uses thicker sheets of bamboo instead of cheap MDF (much better for cabinets!), and the finishing is again miles apart, from bit plain black veneer to fancy glossy finish (piano black, natural bamboo, cherry, espresso, etc..).


But, they'll cost you quite a bit more... What... More than double? As for performance, if like you say your wife is demanding since she's a musician, the improvement of Sierras would probably be worth it...


Never heard the SVS, and haven't heard of the STS line yet too... The MTS were supposed to be not bad...

 

[audiophile82]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/16846729


Can you go listen the SVS STS towers with the PC12NSD and see if it is sufficient for music for you? Or better yet, will the dealer let you bring them home and try them out in your room? For HT, I suspect it would stack up nicely to the Ascend's. The fact that you don't have to import (especially if you have a problem and need to ship back) is another consideration..


This is a tough call. I personally own SVS speakers and love them, but I use them about 99% of the time for home theater. I have demoed some music on them (I have the SCS-01 bookshelves not the STS towers) and I was happy with their performance but I suspect the Ascend 340's would have been a step up for sure (and they cost more). The Ascend 340's with the Rythmik sub sound like a winning combination as well.


Like I said. Tough call. I don't think you can lose either way.

Thank you for you reply.


I will also require them too pound away on the latest action-movies so maybe SVS is the best compromise. I can buy them and then have 45 days to return them without any cost, but the package with center and 2 subs will total 7 big packages and I can't say I would like to drag them back

 

[audiophile82]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Grandarf /forum/post/16846782


That 1k system is surely a sweet deal, and for the money I don't think it can be beaten... (Though for UK, with shipping fees and all, that might be different than in USA...) But, going with Sierras for example would yield a definite improvement. Sonically, and I guess aesthetically too. The 340SE cabinets are definitely competent, but the Sierra's bamboo cabinet isn't really comparable... It uses thicker sheets of bamboo instead of cheap MDF (much better for cabinets!), and the finishing is again miles apart, from bit plain black veneer to fancy glossy finish (piano black, natural bamboo, cherry, espresso, etc..).


But, they'll cost you quite a bit more... What... More than double? As for performance, if like you say your wife is demanding since she's a musician, the improvement of Sierras would probably be worth it...


Never heard the SVS, and haven't heard of the STS line yet too... The MTS were supposed to be not bad...

Yeah, I've looked at those Sierra's, but I think the "package" will be too expensive because the Sierras probably require even better electronics to perform.


Another option is to "give up" a bit of SPL and SQ and go for a cheaper package e.g.


SVS SBS 5.1 with PC12 and Onkyo 607

The speakers in that package would set me back 1650$ including sub. A pair of stands will come in addition and cost aprox. 140$.


SVS STS 5.1 with 2 PC12s will cost 3371$ and will require more power from electronics.

 

[Eddie Horton]



Quote:
Originally Posted by audiophile82 /forum/post/16846524


Why did you sell them?

the short answer - built a dedicated theater and wanted something horn loaded that would fill it with ease. would have kept them for the upstairs living room setup, but we wanted to scale back elsewhere in the house due to having a baby running around.

 

[s44]

Huh? The STS is *more* efficient than the SBS, so you don't need as much power driving it.


Similarly, the Ascend 340 is noticeably more efficient than the SVS speakers. The Sierra is less efficient than the 340, though, and specced at the same efficiency as the STS.


Beyond adequate power levels, the whole notion of needing more expensive electronics for more expensive speakers is pretty much a crock.


See a recent comparison of the Ascend and SVS here .

 

[audiophile82]

Ok, so you think STS running of Yamaha RX-V1900 is "overkill" then?


How does receivers compare SQ-wise? Isn't the 1900 e.g. a lot better than their 863?


I have decided to try out the STS, I think it will suit my needs and be good enough. 2 x Cylinders will also give plenty of bottom end, but my experience with SVS subs is that 2 cheap one beat the crap out of an Ultra so...

 

[audiophile82]

Hold the press!


I have been thinking a bit and I can see that I want to do this a bit cheaper than anticipated.


I want a setup for surround duty and I think I will look into SVS' SCS(M) speakers with one PC12NSD. What receiver would be a good match for them? Yamaha 863? Or the new 765?

 

[s44]

Why Yamaha?

 

[deepstang]



Quote:
Originally Posted by audiophile82 /forum/post/16847494

Hold the press!


I have been thinking a bit and I can see that I want to do this a bit cheaper than anticipated.


I want a setup for surround duty and I think I will look into SVS' SCS(M) speakers with one PC12NSD. What receiver would be a good match for them? Yamaha 863? Or the new 765?

Again, is there a budget for the receiver? I think that the Onkyo 607 is a great well rounded receiver.

 

[Poochymama]

Yamaha makes great receivers

There are others out there as well though, I believe someone suggested the Onkyo 607.


Also you might want to look into Denon, Harmon Kardon, or Pioneer.

 

[audiophile82]

Yamaha is in my view the best brand for HT, but Onkyo 607 is also on my shortlist.


Jan

 

[tonybradley]

Never heard the SVSs, but heard the Ascend 340s in my room. I really liked them. I then tried Elemental Design, and liked them better than the Ascends, and they were less expensive. I couldn't have been happier. I was also on a very small budget.

 

[audiophile82]

You guys aren't making this a no-brainer!

Thanks for the input.