After reading up on the Ascends, I'm quite intrigued and back to square one. A lot of the input I read came from you in other posts so, if you don't mind, maybe you could answer a few questions for me.
1. Would a jump to a 2.1 CMT 340SE/Sierra setup be a justifiable improvement over the 170's?
2. In a medium sized room would the 340's/Sierra maintain an advantage over the 170's?
3. Would I need their stands for maximum performance, or are there cheaper alternatives that do the job just as well (such as isolation pads)?
4. It looks like they dip into 4-ohms around 300Hz. Are you sure the Denon would run them sufficiently?
5. I've seen the BIC 12" mentioned a lot around here. Is it really the best bang for the buck?
Thanks!
For the price the bic 12 gives a really good value, I like the sound compared to others.... you get a lot for your money...
as for the 170s I like a flat, warm, realistic sound and the ascend se line does this very well.... Actually IMO better than almost all of the speakers I have heard... As far as 340s vs 170s I use the 340s for my surround sound, but the only real advantage I find is the center, I have used 170 fronts with a 340 center and it sounds really good, infact just as good as 340s untill you switch to music.... then the 340s have a noticable edge.... but they cost a good deal more... As far as the Sierra line goes, I prefer the 340s over them for less money...
The 340s, 170s, and 200s, are very easy to run, they are pretty efficient {the sierras are not as much} and the denon will have no trouble...
IMHO, if you watch movies, tv, and play video games more than 70% vs music, in a medium sized room the 170 front sound stage will serve you well, Keep in mind with your denon you are going to cross them at 80hz so the lows wont be eating up your power, the denon will easily power them through the mids and highs, and since you are not reproducing lows you dont need noisy huge floor standing cabinets and the tight bookshelfs will give you great sound...
I went with the 340s because I have a large room, but honestly I have had the 170s up front with the 340 center and you cant really tell the difference until you get up there in volume levels or play 2 ch music...
If you can stretch the budget go 170 and 340 center with the denon, you wont be sorry, and as for the innexpensive dayton bookshelfs for surrounds, they are a great choice to free up budget where it matters, they sound awesome and surround speakers are just for effects, mostly footsteps in the distance, or a car door shutting behind the action, they dont use a lot of power and they hardley ever play on their own...
PS -you can put them on any stands you want....
I think the ascend lline is one of the best values in home theater, they dont have the pretiest enclosures but use top quality components and have a good deal of research behind them, search other forums, you wont find anyone saying a bad word about them.... And I would definitely go 5.1 vs 5.0, that is a given, I have heard very few speakers that can stand alone with out a sub for movies and none of which are in your price range or would I power them with an AVR...
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=240-750