I know that the CW around here is that you should always listen to speakers before you buy, preferably where you're going to listen to them, but what if that's not an option? There really aren't any 'good' audio stores anywhere near where I live.

I've been reading a lot about the Ascend CMT-340 SE mini-towers, and am thinking of getting a 5.1 system from them. They'd be replacing an old pair of JBL G300s, and a no-name surround set.

Is it a pretty safe bet that a $1000 speaker set will sound better than a ten-year-old unmatched one that cost maybe $300.

Thanks for any advice!

Is it possible for you to negotiate with a retailer to be able to return them if you don't like them? That way you could test them in the best way possible - in your own home using your own equipment.

No it's not a safe bet. My guess is there is no shortage of people who assumed that an older cheaper system would be worse than a more expensive system then discovered the newer system was not as good (enjoyable) then they were stuck with the new system. I'm one of those but don't care to tell the story.

You really need to listen to the speakers or at least buy from a retailer with a return policy.

Ascend has a 30 guarantee. You have to pay the shipping back, though. I bet you won't need to return them. Where'd you read about them? AVSforum? Been to Ascend's page/forum? ascendacoustics.com

I thought about that. I'd imagine it costs a pretty penny to ship a 5.1 system, but it's good insurance in case I don't like them.

I've read about them on their forums, and have done some searches for reviews. Most of them have been pretty good, but it's tough to compare given I have no idea how the speakers I currently have measure up (apart from the usual specs, which don't reveal a lot -- from what I've read here.)

A few years ago, I decided to get some better headphones than my old Koss HV-1s, because the high end seems to roll-off a bit. I went to a stereo store and listened to several more expensive headphones. I wasn't impressed at all, and that convinced me that my old headphones weren't so bad after all! (More recently, I've purchased some Grados, but the old Koss headphones are still pretty doggone good!)

Ideally, the surround speakers should be matched (mine are not). But, let's say you have 5 matched speakers and you upgrade the left & right pair. You might get better sound.

Although electronics costs continue to go down, I believe speakers are subject to normal inflation. So, a new $1000 speaker system may be no better than an old $300 set (especially if we're comparing a $300 pair to a $100 set of 6 speakers.) And, speaker designs haven't advanced that much. A 40 year-old 3-way speaker isn't that much different from a modern 3-way speaker... Except the modern speaker is probably smaller and probably has a "high tech" look... And OK, maybe some technical improvements too. (Modern software makes it easier to design a good speaker.)

Well... If you don't have a choice, you don't have a choice!

I consider this a matter of risk assessment. If I could get a pair of used "highly recommended" $1000 speakers for $100 on eBay, I would be happy to take the risk.

I built my "main" speakers. So for a few-hundred dollars, I've got something that would otherwise have cost me thousands to buy. Do they really sound as good as a few-thousand dollar speaker system? Who knows? I can't do any A/B tests.

I've also bought "computer speakers" over the Internet without listening first. I'm taking a risk, but it's not an expensive risk, and I'm not going to be that picky about the sound.

I buy speakers all the time - mostly these days for other people to listen to. I haven't listened to speakers I've purchased before buying them for at least a decade. Last time I spent any serious money on speakers, they sounded horrid in the demo. They sounded great at home.

Rule number one is have a good equalizer in the signal path so that you can clear up any minor misunderstandings right away.

I now buy speakers by vendor reputation, vendor specs, and opinions of people whose ears I trust.



G300s are IMO non-trivial speakers, and I mean that in a good way. If they are in good shape (how are the foam surrounds?) then why not keep them? Your cost/performance might be optimized ifyou spent the money on a subwoofer and some decent surrounds.

I agree with this to a point. My experience on ebay has been that every rank/condition that's listed for an item should be brought down a notch or two (hardly anything is ever "near mint" or "all functions work as they should") and that you should be willing (if you can't do it yourself) to put a little money into fixing up what you've bought. That said, you could get a $100 pair of speakers that look shot but apply a little citrus/lemon oil polisher to the wood and spend $20 on a refoaming kit and, voila, rocking speakers.

Another option that no one has suggested is Craigslist. One man's trash is truly another man's treasure and I've found many people there really don't know the value of what they have (unlike ebay where people overvalue most everything they have). Most people I've run into encourage you to look at/try before you buy. You could always take along your 5.1 receiver and some speaker wire to give a quick test.

Finally, another option that can really be hit/miss is Goodwill. They have an online auction site that will, on occasion, have some nice electronics. That, to me, is like the ebay route and a real risk/reward situation.

I don't know how critical a listener you are, but I would say that I really doubt they'll sound worse than what you currently have.

I guess you saw their 'moving sale'? http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=4000

and I think the latest (2007) review of the SE editions, http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/...se_cbm170se.htm

BTW, what would be powering them? You have a subwoofer?

My JBL's are in pretty good shape -- the foam is still good and spongy, and the individual speakers themselves look to be in decent shape. There's a little rust on the mounting screws, but apart from that...


My amp is a Sony STR-DE885. I picked that up a couple of years ago with the plan that I'd eventually upgrade my speakers. It replaced a less powerful amp that didn't have 5.1 surround capability.


The center/surround speakers are KLH. Don't know the exact model but they've got plastic cabinets and drivers that are about 4" in diameter. I'm sure I paid less than $100 for them new.


I don't have a subwoofer. I use the system probably 60% for listening to music, 20% video, 20% gaming.

I thought I'd chime in with a few comments. I've been listening to a number of speaker setups lately just because audio dealers seem to have so little business and will entertain even a person (who is obviously not buying) like me.

The differences between speakers that are designed to have a "flat" FR are not huge. People on online forums and magazine reviews have a tendency to take small differences (that you'll eventually forget about after getting used to a speaker's sound signature) and present them as much more obvious and significant than they actually are. Based on my experiences, I could blindly pick any number of speakers that look flat on a FR measurement and be content.

Oddly enough, I've found amazon.com "average joe" reviews to be far more honest about differences between equipment than reviews on online forums.

If any speaker has a deliberately skewed frequency response then you have something to worry about as the differences between the new setup and the old will be glaring.

If your current speakers measure similarly to the Ascend ones, be prepared to not be blown away when you get them. If you stamp down your expectations a bit (which I think all audio purchasers should do) then you'll be able to evaluate your purchase more fairly as opposed to mentally justifying your purchase.

According to the Ascend site the speakers measure fairly flat from 100hz+. Seems like a good bet and I imagine they'll sound good. Do you need a sub for the stuff below 100hz?

I think that that's part of the problem. Since my speakers are from '95 or '96, I'm not able to find their measurements online to be able to compare. The only specs I have are from the manual, which probably aren't too helpful. According to the specs, the Ascends are a bit more sensitive and have a slightly better frequency response.

G300 G
High Frequency Transducer 1"
Midrange Transducer 5"
Low Frequency Transducer 8"
Crossover Frequency 600 Hz/3.5 kHz
Frequency Response (–6 dB) 50 Hz – 20 kHz
Sensitivity (1 Watt /1 meter) 89 dB
Nominal Impedance 8 Ohms
Power Handling Range 10 – 80 Watts
Weight (each) 20 lbs/9.1 kg

The Ascend CMT-340 SE:
Typical In-Room Frequency Response 45Hz - 20kHz +/- 3dB
In-Room Sensitivity 92dB @ 1 watt / 1 meter
Frequency Response (Anechoic) 48Hz - 24kHz +/- 3dB
Sensitivity (Anechoic) 90dB @ 1 watt/ 1 meter
Average Impedance 8 ohms
Minimum Recommended Power 35 watts
Maximum Continuous Power* 240 watts
Maximum Short Term Peak Power* 400 watts
Weight (each) 26 lbs each
Tweeter (1) High-definition 27mm soft dome tweeter w/damping chamber and wide roll surround, ferrfofluid damped voice coil, wide dispersion faceplate, magnetically shielded
Woofer (2) proprietary 6.5” long throw polygel cone woofers w/phase plug, non-resonant polymer chassis, rubber surround, shielded


Maybe the solution is to spend more time learning about audio in general...

Have you listened to any other speakers? How did you like them in comparison to yours? If you're not all that critical a listener (you're not really picky), I'd say definitely don't be afraid of getting the Ascends. I'd recommend them even if you were... I bought my speakers (Paradigm Monitor series) without hearing them and am happy with them. I'd love to try the Ascends, especially at the 'moving sale' price.

Don't plan on getting a sub? That would add some fun.

I suspect you're thinking too much about this, which is what gadget freaks (like me) usually do. I've always been a headphone lover, but at one point I decided I wanted to spend a good chunk of money and get a nice pair of headphones. I discovered Head-Fi and ended up spending way more time "learning" than I really needed to because I wanted to make the best purchasing desire. When I finally made the decision and started actually listening to headphones I discovered the following.

1. A large number of headphones sound 90% the same. The last 10% ranges from forgettable to you'll get used to it in a few days if you don't let the hype of nostalgia overpower you. Most differences stated on web forums were exaggerations (which I should have seen earlier considering people were report huge sonic changes with cables). I suspect if people could blind test speakers (if we are comparing speakers within a certain price range that measure relatively flat) and headphones even that last 10% wouldn't seem as big as is does when we can see the equipment.

2. After hearing 20+ headphones ranging from $100 to $6000, there was only 1 ($800) which I disliked immensely and felt I could not get used to. All the rest, I felt that given time to acclimatize to the sound I would eventually conclude they were fantastic headphones, probably better than all the others.

Note that I'm not suggesting you blindly buy speakers under the assertion that you will "adjust" to the sound. But you are not blindly buying them. The Ascends have their FR graphs on their website and the reported measurements are better than your G300. Take all reviews with a grain of salt, but people seem to like them a lot. Based on that, I have a hard time believing they'll sound like rubbish. If anything, they'll sound somewhat different from your current setup and you'll have to adjust. Once you adjust, you'll probably find yourself preferring the Ascends to your existing setup.

Finally, a piece of advice. You're spending a decent chunk of change on the Ascends. Don't buy them just because they are on sale. If there is another set you are pining for, say for $1500, you're better off just saving that money and getting the set you really want. I'm not saying you should save for a $3000 rig because that's a slippery slope to a solid audiophile rip off, but don't buy something JUST because it's on sale unless you've wanted that product for a long time and the sale is just a good excuse to get them.

I really like my Ascends. You do know that they have a 30 day return policy specifically set up for people to trial them in their own home? Shipping for mine was $20 dollars and I got them in 2 days.. and if you don't like them, return them for a refund. We have a pair of JBLs in the bedroom and I like the way they sound very much, but 3 days after getting the Ascends I knew I would be keeping them.

My old speakers (in the computer room) weren't very good though and had developed an audible electrical problem and needed replacement. If your JBL speakers are still in good shape and sound good, but you still want to upgrade, you might consider just supplementing their sound with some surrounds or a sub-woofer? Perhaps move the JBLs to surround speaker duty and buy a new set of mains?

Thanks for all of the input. Very helpful!