I've auditioned them again today and decided that they match my needs of HT and music equally. They also match my price range at $650 a pair. They seem to have a lighter bottom end than RC-30's from energy, which is more of my taste as i use a sub.
and at jostenmeat;
pm me where these speakers are
Ok, to explain where I'm coming from. I can't believe I will type as much as I think I will to help you spend a few hundred dollars.
Before I forget, please call Saturday Audio and DMC electronics for pricing. Then check out Audiogon. Search functions are extremely helpful there, too. Ascend is internet direct.
I bought Bronze speakers as gifts to two of my closest friends. I've known both since high school. One has multiple degrees in classical music performance, like myself, but we went to different schools. We have a project in the works, to form a string quartet, and he wants to be performing within the next five years. My gift of MA towers to his family was as a combination of wedding (I was groomsman), baby-shower, & house-warming all rolled into one. The other recipient is an artist who has given me some wonderful works. Her last piece sold for 10k. (Though she's still a starving artist). The three of us, along with a couple of others, were involved in a pretty intense book club for a few years. My newfound and insane addiction to AV had me quit. They didn't want to continue without me, unfortunately. Can you believe it? At least they are members of my on-going movie club.
I just listened to the BR monitors at the artist's place last night, as I was there for a going away party for a mutual friend. She's got to go back to Carnegie Mellon to continue teaching philosophy. They are excellent for the money, just as I felt when auditioning for gifts. I feel they are "warmer" than the PSBs I use in my HT. Perhaps most barely more veiled, but yet possibly easier on the ears, but can't crank like PSB Images. However, they are MUCH more similar than dissimilar, IMO. Looks are a push. OTOH, none of the aforementioned, the Ascends included, have the clarity of my pricey electrostats, IMO. I am big choral lover as well, as with John Bailey. Particularly renaissance fare, a la Josquin, Ockeghem, Gesualdo, Tallis, and so forth. Newer stuff too, whether Martin or Stravinsky.
So... my musician friend asked me for advice on purchasing a pair. I gave him a HUUUUGE audition list, with my particular impressions, and if I never heard them, with particular reputations. Now, I've read of Ascend before, no doubt, but you should search WmAx's posts regarding these speakers. Intereseting stuff. Welp, my friend had said he's gonna find out on his own. Pride if you will, heck, he has great ears. When he realized how much time and research it would take, he just realized he should trust me, for better or worse.
So he pulled the trigger during a sale. Here were my preliminary impressions, post #12.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45998&page=2
The one knock I have was some lack of definition in the midbass. It could be cabinet resonances, or my friend's close placement to sidewalls with complete lack of treatments, or both.
Hope that helps, please continue listening and reading, and, well... good luck.
