L
llm32514
Guest
1. Member Name: Lyle Marsh
2. Location: Binghamton, New York (Upstate)
3. ML Model(s): Ascent i
4. Year Purchased: 2006 (new)
5. Mods/Changes: none at this time
6. Associated Electronics:
McIntosh MC352 power amplifier
McIntosh C45 pre-amp
McIntosh MVP-861 SACD/DVD-A/CD player
Music Hall MMF-5 turntable with Shure v15vxMR cartridge
Hitachi 50" CineForm LCD projection
Toshiba SD-5970 DVD player with HDMI
Accessories:
Cardas XLR between CD player and preamp
Cobalt Cable XLR between preamp and amp
Cobalt Cable speaker cables
Cobalt Cable power cable for amp
VPI 16.5 record cleaner
MusicDirect MD150 record stand
Gingko Cloud 10 turntable platform
VTI amp stand
Sanus NF204 audio rack
Richard Gray 400-MKII amp line conditioner
AKG K501 headphones
Monster Home Theater Power Center HTS1000
7. Comments and/or stories about your ML experience:
My passion for music has led me down a treacherous (and expensive) path to finding the perfect sounding speaker! At last I think I've arrived with my new ML Ascent I's. I thought I came close with my last pair of speakers which I owned for nearly 7 years. Those were the incredible Vandersteen 3A Signatures. However, I gave them up without a fight once I heard the Ascent i's at a local audio shop. My Mac 352 drives them effortlessly with plenty of quick, deep bass for my Guns N' Roses moments. For those reviewers out there that claim this isn't a rocker's speaker I say bunk. I have very eclectic musical tastes; one minute it's Nirvana and the next Tony Bennett. Drive it with enough power and they'll rock with the best of them. The Ascent i's are simply amazing loudspeakers.
As my brief bio illustrates above I live in Binghamton, NY which you may or may not know is the home of McIntosh Laboratories. My buddy from high school is their senior mechanical engineer so I have an opportunity to see and hear all the new stuff! If you are ever passing through this neck of the woods it's a great place to stop for a tour. No fast paced assembly lines just honest to goodness hand assembly complemented with state-of-the-art tooling. Anyway, I chose the C45 because I thought it offered the best of all worlds. It's completely analog with six channel inputs. So all I have to do is add additional amplification, speakers and I have 5.1 surround sound without giving up my 2-channel sound quality. Let's face it, I like Russell Crowe beating the snot out of some barbarian as much as the next guy but 99.9% of all listening I do on my system is stereo.
I don't plan on any upgrades at this time although some day I'd like to purchase another MC352 and bi-amp my Ascent's. I welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you!
2. Location: Binghamton, New York (Upstate)
3. ML Model(s): Ascent i
4. Year Purchased: 2006 (new)
5. Mods/Changes: none at this time
6. Associated Electronics:
McIntosh MC352 power amplifier
McIntosh C45 pre-amp
McIntosh MVP-861 SACD/DVD-A/CD player
Music Hall MMF-5 turntable with Shure v15vxMR cartridge
Hitachi 50" CineForm LCD projection
Toshiba SD-5970 DVD player with HDMI
Accessories:
Cardas XLR between CD player and preamp
Cobalt Cable XLR between preamp and amp
Cobalt Cable speaker cables
Cobalt Cable power cable for amp
VPI 16.5 record cleaner
MusicDirect MD150 record stand
Gingko Cloud 10 turntable platform
VTI amp stand
Sanus NF204 audio rack
Richard Gray 400-MKII amp line conditioner
AKG K501 headphones
Monster Home Theater Power Center HTS1000
7. Comments and/or stories about your ML experience:
My passion for music has led me down a treacherous (and expensive) path to finding the perfect sounding speaker! At last I think I've arrived with my new ML Ascent I's. I thought I came close with my last pair of speakers which I owned for nearly 7 years. Those were the incredible Vandersteen 3A Signatures. However, I gave them up without a fight once I heard the Ascent i's at a local audio shop. My Mac 352 drives them effortlessly with plenty of quick, deep bass for my Guns N' Roses moments. For those reviewers out there that claim this isn't a rocker's speaker I say bunk. I have very eclectic musical tastes; one minute it's Nirvana and the next Tony Bennett. Drive it with enough power and they'll rock with the best of them. The Ascent i's are simply amazing loudspeakers.
As my brief bio illustrates above I live in Binghamton, NY which you may or may not know is the home of McIntosh Laboratories. My buddy from high school is their senior mechanical engineer so I have an opportunity to see and hear all the new stuff! If you are ever passing through this neck of the woods it's a great place to stop for a tour. No fast paced assembly lines just honest to goodness hand assembly complemented with state-of-the-art tooling. Anyway, I chose the C45 because I thought it offered the best of all worlds. It's completely analog with six channel inputs. So all I have to do is add additional amplification, speakers and I have 5.1 surround sound without giving up my 2-channel sound quality. Let's face it, I like Russell Crowe beating the snot out of some barbarian as much as the next guy but 99.9% of all listening I do on my system is stereo.
I don't plan on any upgrades at this time although some day I'd like to purchase another MC352 and bi-amp my Ascent's. I welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you!
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