From Ascent to Source?

[Carletto]

Hi, I need to "refresh" my old Ascents I with new panels.
For almost the same money I could get a pair of ex-demo Source (mint conditions).
Do you think this is a real downgrade or not?
Unfortunately I have no chance to compare them before.
I use Krell Kav 500 amp and Krell HTS 7.1 preamp
Thanks.

Carlo

P.S. Sorry for my bad english

 

[Rich]

Personally, I would consider this a downgrade. The Ascents are so much bigger than the Source and the sound is going to be very different. The Source will have a cleaner, more neutral sound, but will not provide the huge soundstage and depth of tone that you get with the Ascents, or probably the same volume levels without distortion. If I were upgrading to a more modern ML from the Ascents, I would go with something like the Vantage, Spire, Montis or Ethos.

 

[TomDac]

Rich is correct. This is a massive downgrade. Source is an entry level product, great for a small room or apartment. Ascent is much bigger and can fill a much larger room.

 

[amey01]

Yep - a downgrade alright...

 

[roberto]

Same opinion here! Happy listening!

 

[Carletto]

Thank you all.
Just ordered new panels.

 

[SteveInNC]

I'm a bit late to the discussion, but may have a unique perspective in that I own both Ascent I and Source speakers - the Ascent I are in my house and the Source in a smaller condo. I think the Source are amazingly good, particularly for the price, but they don't compete directly with the capabilities of the Ascent due to the latter's larger surface area. The Source do have a surprisingly good low-end for what they are and reproduce low bass better than you would expect when broken-in. This compares favorably with my main home system which is a pair of Ascent I driven by a Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated and a pair of Depth subs. The Source don't have the sheer blow-your-hair-back power of the larger system, but serve well for normal listening. All that aside, I would repair the Ascent rather than replace them with Source. I actually like the sculptural aspect of the Ascents in my listening room; I'm sure most wives probably hate them but I don't have that particular issue to contend with.

Did you try cleaning your existing Ascent panels first?