Wow - hi Mizuno. Don't post here much, but boy am I glad I stumbled on this thread.
Lot of talk here, lot of advice from some knowledgeable people, but as the second poster stated, it's all opinion, not fact. You heard the RC-70's for instance, and liked them. Then someone mentions the Axiom 80's.... not the same speaker (not saying one is better than the other, I'm saying they're not the same type of speaker).
I also see you thought of the Totem Hawk, another very nice choice that is more inline with the the RC-70. However, the RC-70's is not as detailed as that of the Hawk. If room size is an issue (the RC-70's are quite a bit larger than the Hawks) then I'd go with the Hawk. Another choice you may like is the Energy Veritas. The 2.2i's have a tighter bass than the RC-70 (they don't go as deep though), and IMO are sweeter than the Studio's (but that was Version 3 I heard in the Studio line so keep that in mind).
The Ascends I've heard are not in the same league. Nor should they be as they are not in the price category of these speakers (you get what you pay for).
As someone already mentioned, I prefer the Hawks for Jazz and classical music. I prefer the Veritas 2.2i's for Rock and Blues (which is supplemented by an SVS PB13-U subwoofer). The RC-70's are probably just a notch below each of those (but not much) and are closer to the Hawks then they are the Veritas in terms of how they sound (not as forward as the Veritas but great imaging and sound stage).
Now, a pic is worth a thousand words as they say, so here is a pic of my family for reference (in case you or anyone else thinks I'm not speaking from experience
)
So, from left to right, you'll find the Polk RT800i, the Energy RC-10 (my surrounds), the Ascend 340, the RC-70, the Energy Veritas 2.2i, the Totem Hawk (with a beak) and the Ascend 170. Believe it or not, I use all of them (I put them all together for a family photo) in different areas of the house. The Ascends are the least musical but fine for h/t and I have them in my family room. The RC line is in my 'h/t' room and they do double duty as my multi-channel music system (with my SVS PB13-U filling in the good stuff - I have a PW-2200 (Paradigm) for a sub in the family room).
The Hawks and Veritas I switch out in my two channel tube amp system. The Hawks are harder to drive than the Veritas, and I kind of already gave you my synopsis of them. If you're a Jazz/Classical man, the Hawk is a good choice but you'll be happy with the RC-70 as well. Bear in mind the bass is bloated on the RC-70, and the highs are a bit recessed, but in a properly setup room and with the right amplification they sound terrific. The Veritas will do everything really well, but are a bit more forward (more in line with the Paradigms) and do have more detail then both the RC's and the Hawks (the detail is there too but you have to listen harder for it, it just comes out of the Veritas).
The RT800i's I use with another Tube amp in my basement when I'm grooming my Airedale. They're my least favourite as they lack detail of all of them but they still sound OK (good full range sound).
Hope this helps you out some. Best of luck with your search and feel free to ask me any questions on any of my speakers. I have enough of them