Next speaker upgrade advice

[Tom Gee]

Looking to upgrade from my Ascend Acoustics CBM-170s. Don’t have the space for much bigger. Also not looking for a lateral or just a little better or different. Looking for much better, price below $1k.
Any suggestions?

 

[lovinthehd]

The Sierra-1s with NrT? I think that's a much better speaker than the 170SE (I have both).

 

[Russdawg1]

I personally don’t think you’ll find MUCH better at 1k.

You could get slight improvement in aesthetics, tonality, and naming.

SQ? Hard to find a more linear speaker.

Lovinthehd brings up a good point too. There’s a reason Ascend sells the Sierra 1 and NRT for a higher cost. Whether it’s worth the extra money to you is completely up to you.

Edit: Do you have the 170SE or the 170?

 

[Pogre]

The Sierra-1s with NrT? I think that's a much better speaker than the 170SE (I have both).

Bingo! That's exactly what I was thinking. The Sierra 2s are really nice too...

 

[Tom Gee]

I personally don’t think you’ll find MUCH better at 1k.

You could get slight improvement in aesthetics, tonality, and naming.

SQ? Hard to find a more linear speaker.

Lovinthehd brings up a good point too. There’s a reason Ascend sells the Sierra 1 and NRT for a higher cost. Whether it’s worth the extra money to you is completely up to you.

Edit: Do you have the 170SE or the 170?

The 170

 

[Russdawg1]

The 170

Okay my statement changes then.

I agree with Lovinthehd at this point and think the S1 w/ or w/o NRT would be a good choice. Even going to the 170SE would provide improvement.

 

[Pogre]

The 170

My thinking is, if you're gonna upgrade, make it worthy. I think you'll hear improvements with the Sierra 1 or 2. I have Ascend Acoustic speakers too and they're among the best I've heard. I've had a fair number of speakers through my system too. I haven't heard the NrT but I've seen measurements compared to the RAAL tweeters and there isn't a huge gap between them.

I commented in another thread that I'm not certain I could pick them out in a DBT, they measure so closely. I have some hearing loss, which is why I doubt myself, but I would like to try sometime.

 

[Tom Gee]

Would you think JBL studio 530 to be an upgrade or just lateral? I see they can be had now for $300

 

[Pogre]

Would you think JBL studio 530 to be an upgrade or just lateral? I see they can be had now for $300

Those are pretty nice speakers, awesome speakers for that price, but still seems like a lateral move. You gotta bump the budget some more if you want something significant.

 

[lovinthehd]

Would you think JBL studio 530 to be an upgrade or just lateral? I see they can be had now for $300

I have some of those too but really haven't used them except as surrounds. I think the Sierra-1 is a better speaker even without direct comparo, tho think the 170SE would be likely more lateral. Now that I think about it, can you use the 590s? They're on sale for less than $1k, a few days ago at least, and that's even better.

 

[shadyJ]

To get a really substantial upgrade over the CBM-170, I would be looking at more expensive speakers than $1k. I would be looking at something like the BMR Philharmonitor or the Revel M105. If you are using a sub, check out a pair of Outlaw LCRv2s. RBH SV-61R speakers would also be extremely good. Polk L200s would be a very significant upgrade as well.

 

[Tom Gee]

Yeah I like Revel. I guess I should save my $$ for those. Used to work close to the Harmon store in manhattan. They had all the Revels and Mark Levinson stuff in the basement. Was a fun place to waste some time during lunch

 

[lovinthehd]

Harman is also inclusive of JBL like Revel (and Crown). Plus others. The tech and manufacturing traverses brands too. Revel is a great choice, especially when higher aesthetics are involved...

 

[shadyJ]

Also consider the JBL HDI-1600.

 

[lovinthehd]

Then again this is a bargain in your budget at $920 the pair https://www.jbl.com/loudspeakers/STUDIO+590.html (and yes, I also have these)

 

[Tom Gee]

Yeah I wish but just too big for my space. I’ve heard them and like em. Thanks

 

[lovinthehd]

So only bookshelf/standmount size?

 

[Tom Gee]

Yes