Ascent vs Ascent i

[Paul Pohopien]

I just picked up a pair of mint Ascent i's for $1,600.....and can say I'm totally pleased with the sound. I may, after experimentation, try a sub but overall....the sound is liquid smooth.

My question is, the seller was telling me how much better, and what a deal this was, considering they were the "i" version. Can anyone tell me, did the aluminum woofer make that much of a difference?

thanks.

 

[SteveInNC]

It did tighten the bass some, and the newer panels also help. I wouldn't say it was a huge difference, just a refinement.

FWIW, a sub will make a difference. It gives the punch that the Ascent i s are missing (I have some). I initially got mine without a sub and they sounded fine. The addition of a Depth got them right where I wanted them. I eventually added another Depth when they were on closeout. I use the subs for both AV and music. You do have to experiment with the sub placement and controls to get things set the way you want as far as levels and phase. Going from 0 to 90 degrees in my case tightened the sound up substantially. I have a fairly live room.

In my case, going to a higher-quality amp also made a difference as far as rendering high frequency material, which tends to tax regular amps due to the very low impedance that the speakers present there (around 1 ohm). My mains are powered through a Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated, which can push about 70 amps p-p per channel and deals well with the electrostatic panel load characteristics.

FWIW, new, the Ascent i s were about $4500 before they were discontinued.

 

[User211]

I run the original Ascent, like you, and have a Descent too. The Descent adds a lot more body to the sound, and on some material, can really take you by surprise!

However, it's only good with non-LP based sources. Most LP presses have minor warps in them which causes large low frequency cone excursions. This can be quite audible. There seems to be a lot less need to use a sub with vinyl, as the sound is generally tamer at the top end, so it doesn't need the bass boost to balance it.

$1600 is quite frankly an amazing deal for the performance you have on tap. Enjoy.

 

[sebrof2000]

I paid $1700 for my Ascent i pair about a year ago. At that time it was a good deal because they were going for between $2000 - $2300 or so (my research), depending on condition, seller, etc.
Now that the newer models (Vantages, Vistas, et al) are hitting the used market, the prices of Ascent i, Aerius, etc seem to be dropping.
If I were to sell mine (2nd owner, local pickup/no ship) I'd expect to get about what I paid for them.
They are a great speaker, no doubt. It took me a while to get them set up.

Mike