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Ascend Acoustics Announces New Klippel NFS-Optimized Sierra Towers and Horizon Center

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mj30250

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I suppose I could be mistaken, but I don't believe the original towers will be offered any more, at least not once Ascend runs out of the crossovers.

The "V2" towers are now the standard offering. These use the new Klippel-optimized crossovers. You then have your choice of Titan dome or RAAL ribbon tweeter.

The "ELX" towers use the upgraded woofers and midrange, again with your choice of Titan or RAAL tweeter.

The original Horizon still shows up on the website, but I'm guessing it will also shift to the V2 as the base model, with the same tweeter options and ELX drivers available as an upgrade.
 

RMW_NJ

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I suppose I could be mistaken, but I don't believe the original towers will be offered any more, at least not once Ascend runs out of the crossovers.

The "V2" towers are now the standard offering. These use the new Klippel-optimized crossovers. You then have your choice of Titan dome or RAAL ribbon tweeter.

The "ELX" towers use the upgraded woofers and midrange, again with your choice of Titan or RAAL tweeter.

The original Horizon still shows up on the website, but I'm guessing it will also shift to the V2 as the base model, with the same tweeter options and ELX drivers available as an upgrade.
You are correct. They are now called V2. Updated for clarity.
 

aarons915

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@AscendDF Im thoroughly confused at this point..haha. What are the new towers. The V2 or the ELX. I can’t find the ELX on the website. I dont want to buy the old V2s that aaron was accidentally pointing out problems with.

It is a bit confusing but honestly if upgrading to the V2 saves a lot of money compared with buying the ELX I wouldn't be bothered by my comment. They aren't that bad and if you have EQ you can play around with taking a small chunk out of that region. Since the Early reflections are good in that area, I wouldn't completely flatten the listening window, just maybe take 1db or so out of the region.

I have to chuckle a little at comments like this because they point out how little we know about the practical importance of differing dispersion patterns (including vertical). After I posted the results of the August Arizona Audio Club speak-off, where the BMR's walked away with the voting, the most frequent comment was that the narrower-dispersion competitors were at a disadvantage because the rooms used were quite large and the BMR's 180-degree dispersion was particularly important. I agree with aarolns915 to the extent that I think peaks and dips in the far off-axis response are less audible than many people think, but based on my experience I still think the lower-level reflections still add to the spaciousness of the soundstage and help with inner detail. Just an opinion.

I don't recall if the speakers were toed in or pointed straight ahead in those comparisons but in a larger room and toed in to the listener I could see a strong 90 degree radiation pattern being beneficial but I think in the typical living room in the US without a lot of toe in, most early reflections are going to come from a speakers 30-45 degree radiation pattern and that is why I don't think 100 degree polar patterns are necessary for most.
 

Harris48

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It is a bit confusing but honestly if upgrading to the V2 saves a lot of money compared with buying the ELX I wouldn't be bothered by my comment. They aren't that bad and if you have EQ you can play around with taking a small chunk out of that region. Since the Early reflections are good in that area, I wouldn't completely flatten the listening window, just maybe take 1db or so out of the region.
Thanks. I actually don’t on the previous ones just in the market. I called and then was told to email @AscendDF. We’ll see how it goes. Maybe I’ll own them soon.
 

database

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I upgraded my LCR to ELX Ribbon Towers and ELX Ribbon Horizon this weekend. Some initial impressions - I use these for music and home theater (with a matching center channel upgrade). With their dynamics they are excellent for HT too, but I'm going to focus on stereo music here. These speakers don't just do a single genre or two well, they sounded like a perfect fit for all genres of music I tested, between folk rock, heavy rock/metal, classical, jazz. I've never heard the pluck of an acoustic guitar string sound so uncanny on any other speaker. Bass from the LX woofers is punchy and impactful, and even mids from the EX woofer have a surprising amount of slam. And the RAAL ribbon produce the most transparent highs I've ever heard, detailed and perfectly natural without a touch of harshness. These speakers put out a massive soundstage that sounds way bigger than the size of these compact towers, yet they have a focused and sharp center image. They are both extremely revealing and detailed, while also sounding warm, dynamic, and very fun and addicting to listen to.

I used Dirac Live Bass Control and integrated these speakers with 4 subs - two Rythmik FV18s and two Rythmik F12s. I crossed the speakers to the subs at 60 Hz and limited correction to 500 Hz. I went into more detail on how I decided on a target curve in another post.

These speakers do something I've never experienced before on any other system. It goes without saying that well mixed songs sound incredible on any good speaker, and with the ELX Ribbon towers those well mixed songs sound just out of this world. But with some songs that aren't mixed as well, speakers that are too revealing can make it hard to listen to those songs. With the ELX Ribbon Towers, they are extremely revealing, but even after they reveal a poor mix, it still sounds so good I can't stop listening anyway. And that's what this hobby is all about, isn't it?
 

goldark

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I upgraded my LCR to ELX Ribbon Towers and ELX Ribbon Horizon this weekend. Some initial impressions - I use these for music and home theater (with a matching center channel upgrade). With their dynamics they are excellent for HT too, but I'm going to focus on stereo music here. These speakers don't just do a single genre or two well, they sounded like a perfect fit for all genres of music I tested, between folk rock, heavy rock/metal, classical, jazz. I've never heard the pluck of an acoustic guitar string sound so uncanny on any other speaker. Bass from the LX woofers is punchy and impactful, and even mids from the EX woofer have a surprising amount of slam. And the RAAL ribbon produce the most transparent highs I've ever heard, detailed and perfectly natural without a touch of harshness. These speakers put out a massive soundstage that sounds way bigger than the size of these compact towers, yet they have a focused and sharp center image. They are both extremely revealing and detailed, while also sounding warm, dynamic, and very fun and addicting to listen to.

I used Dirac Live Bass Control and integrated these speakers with 4 subs - two Rythmik FV18s and two Rythmik F12s. I crossed the speakers to the subs at 60 Hz and limited correction to 500 Hz. I went into more detail on how I decided on a target curve in another post.

These speakers do something I've never experienced before on any other system. It goes without saying that well mixed songs sound incredible on any good speaker, and with the ELX Ribbon towers those well mixed songs sound just out of this world. But with some songs that aren't mixed as well, speakers that are too revealing can make it hard to listen to those songs. With the ELX Ribbon Towers, they are extremely revealing, but even after they reveal a poor mix, it still sounds so good I can't stop listening anyway. And that's what this hobby is all about, isn't it?

I would love to be able to audition a pair. Of course, being the owner of the company and the designer, he would prefer his own speakers, but Dave mentioning that he would put the ELX towers up against any speaker at any price point is intriguing. The fact that we had one user in this thread prefer it to the Revel 226Be is high praise indeed.
 

Harris48

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I upgraded my LCR to ELX Ribbon Towers and ELX Ribbon Horizon this weekend. Some initial impressions - I use these for music and home theater (with a matching center channel upgrade). With their dynamics they are excellent for HT too, but I'm going to focus on stereo music here. These speakers don't just do a single genre or two well, they sounded like a perfect fit for all genres of music I tested, between folk rock, heavy rock/metal, classical, jazz. I've never heard the pluck of an acoustic guitar string sound so uncanny on any other speaker. Bass from the LX woofers is punchy and impactful, and even mids from the EX woofer have a surprising amount of slam. And the RAAL ribbon produce the most transparent highs I've ever heard, detailed and perfectly natural without a touch of harshness. These speakers put out a massive soundstage that sounds way bigger than the size of these compact towers, yet they have a focused and sharp center image. They are both extremely revealing and detailed, while also sounding warm, dynamic, and very fun and addicting to listen to.

I used Dirac Live Bass Control and integrated these speakers with 4 subs - two Rythmik FV18s and two Rythmik F12s. I crossed the speakers to the subs at 60 Hz and limited correction to 500 Hz. I went into more detail on how I decided on a target curve in another post.

These speakers do something I've never experienced before on any other system. It goes without saying that well mixed songs sound incredible on any good speaker, and with the ELX Ribbon towers those well mixed songs sound just out of this world. But with some songs that aren't mixed as well, speakers that are too revealing can make it hard to listen to those songs. With the ELX Ribbon Towers, they are extremely revealing, but even after they reveal a poor mix, it still sounds so good I can't stop listening anyway. And that's what this hobby is all about, isn't it?

I agree with his review completely. That is exactly what these speakers are like.
 
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mj30250

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I upgraded my LCR to ELX Ribbon Towers and ELX Ribbon Horizon this weekend. Some initial impressions - I use these for music and home theater (with a matching center channel upgrade). With their dynamics they are excellent for HT too, but I'm going to focus on stereo music here. These speakers don't just do a single genre or two well, they sounded like a perfect fit for all genres of music I tested, between folk rock, heavy rock/metal, classical, jazz. I've never heard the pluck of an acoustic guitar string sound so uncanny on any other speaker. Bass from the LX woofers is punchy and impactful, and even mids from the EX woofer have a surprising amount of slam. And the RAAL ribbon produce the most transparent highs I've ever heard, detailed and perfectly natural without a touch of harshness. These speakers put out a massive soundstage that sounds way bigger than the size of these compact towers, yet they have a focused and sharp center image. They are both extremely revealing and detailed, while also sounding warm, dynamic, and very fun and addicting to listen to.

I used Dirac Live Bass Control and integrated these speakers with 4 subs - two Rythmik FV18s and two Rythmik F12s. I crossed the speakers to the subs at 60 Hz and limited correction to 500 Hz. I went into more detail on how I decided on a target curve in another post.

These speakers do something I've never experienced before on any other system. It goes without saying that well mixed songs sound incredible on any good speaker, and with the ELX Ribbon towers those well mixed songs sound just out of this world. But with some songs that aren't mixed as well, speakers that are too revealing can make it hard to listen to those songs. With the ELX Ribbon Towers, they are extremely revealing, but even after they reveal a poor mix, it still sounds so good I can't stop listening anyway. And that's what this hobby is all about, isn't it?
Just curious, what did you upgrade from?

I am probably a bit less enthused about poor mixes than you (although the ELXs are never unpleasant to listen to), but otherwise I agree with your impressions. I'm coming up on 10 months of ELX ownership, and these remain the only speakers I've ever owned where I simply sit, listen, and enjoy with complete contentment and without wishing I had a little more or a little less of...anything. Whatever sound I've been chasing for years, these have it. Enjoy!
 

BrokenEnglishGuy

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So the 4300 and 5000 usd speakers use the same cabinet from this? im a bit confused, in their website they are only showing the sierra v2 not the ELX things

SIERRA TOWER V2 PAIR


how much weight are these ELX
 
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mj30250

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So the 4300 and 5000 usd speakers use the same cabinet from this? im a bit confused, in their website they are only showing the sierra v2 not the ELX things

SIERRA TOWER V2 PAIR


how much weight are these ELX
The ELXs still aren't listed on the main page.

The cabinets are the same. The drivers for the ELX are a little heavier (mainly because of the larger magnets on bass woofers), but not enough that they'd add an appreciable amount of weight. If the V2s are 45lbs I doubt the ELXs would be much more than 50lbs.
 

database

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Could You name a poor mix ot two?
It may have been more appropriate to say "average" rather than "poor." A common example is those albums that sound like they were recorded in a garage or something rather than a proper studio. Albums that sound more raw rather than clean or polished. That seems typical for a band's first album, like the album Final Destination by coldrain (their most recent albums are much better mixed). I've always liked this album but I've never enjoyed listening to it on my hifi system. Now, while the ELX reveal the album's every flaw, I feel they also bring out all of its strengths to the max. I can appreciate how huge it sounds, there is a surprising amount of impact even though a better mix would have even more impact, and there is more going on with the stereo imaging than I realized. I like the tone of the guitar and the way it floats in space sometimes, with the speakers often seeming to disappear. It helps that I already liked the music of the album of course, but now I find it fun to listen to this album despite the flaws, whereas before, I'd have to turn it off and say "I wish it was mixed better."

Just curious, what did you upgrade from?

I am probably a bit less enthused about poor mixes than you (although the ELXs are never unpleasant to listen to), but otherwise I agree with your impressions. I'm coming up on 10 months of ELX ownership, and these remain the only speakers I've ever owned where I simply sit, listen, and enjoy with complete contentment and without wishing I had a little more or a little less of...anything. Whatever sound I've been chasing for years, these have it. Enjoy!
I started with Ascend's V1 Sierra RAAL towers, then switched to the LX last year when they released for a while. I liked the V1 RAAL towers better in mono compared to the LX, probably thanks to the RAAL tweeter and dedicated midrange, but I preferred the LX in stereo. Amazing coherence and stereo imaging that just seemed to fall apart on the V1 towers when doing A/B comparisons. So I stuck with the LX and kept my V1 towers in storage until the upgrade kits were available. The ELX gave me the best of both worlds, and then some.
 
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MarkS

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I liked the V1 RAAL towers better in mono compared to the LX, ... but I preferred the LX in stereo.
Hmmm ... according to Toole, Olive, Amir, etc, that's just unpossible ... o_O
 

Harris48

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Hmmm ... according to Toole, Olive, Amir, etc, that's just unpossible ... o_O
I’d like to get @Dennis Murphy opinion on that. I think I’ve heard him say that he doesn’t believe mono testing is the proper way compare speakers.

I think we are just scratching the surface with about our understanding of small room acoustic. I think Floyd did amazing work but my guess would be that even he would say it’s far from comprehensive and the stuff taken as gospel on forums is often incorrect.
 

MarkS

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Read Floyd Toole's book, Sound Reproduction The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms

He's not as dogmatic about this as I imply with "unpossible", and you should read the book for more detail (see especially chapter 8). Key concluding quote from that chapter:

"A loudspeaker that sounds good in a monophonic comparison is likely to sound good in a stereo comparison, but the reverse is not necessarily true. Evaluate your loudspeakers in monophonic comparisons (to find out what you really have). Demonstrate your loudspeakers in stereo or, presumably, multichannel (to impress everybody)."
 
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fineMen

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Albums that sound more raw rather than clean or polished. That seems typical for a band's first album, like the album Final Destination by coldrain (their most recent albums are much better mixed). I've always liked this album but I've never enjoyed listening to it on my hifi system. Now, while the ELX reveal the album's every flaw, I feel they also bring out all of its strengths to the max.

I see it the same way. A good speaker rather reveals the meaning of a recording. It makes it intelligible. If everything sounds polished, there's something wrong. In other words, with good speakers the infamous "bad recordings" rarify. 'Bad music' becomes more common, though.
 

Narek

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I can't say that I've ever found the uppermids / highs of the LXs to be too much in my room, but there is a "leanness" to the speakers in some aspects that I attach to the simple fact (perhaps incorrectly) that they are 2-ways. I don't know how one can discern this from measurements, either. The LX spins are nearly textbook perfect in many ways (on-axis, early reflections, directivity, PIR, etc). That's not to say that they aren't still wonderful speakers, they work extremely well in a space that's not conducive to anything much larger.

I can say with full confidence that the 3-way ELX towers do not present this trait. I find them to be completely balanced top-to-bottom, nothing seems missing or overdone whatsoever to my hearing. In looking at the spins for both speakers, I don't know what else to ascribe this to beyond the dedicated midrange. I doubt it's much to do with the additional woofer, distortion, or the larger cabinet.
I recently went to their facility in San Clemente California and auditioned the ELX. They are probably the best speakers I've heard for only $4400. Very detailed and accurate, but also very warm and forgiving with bad source material. The bass is incredible, goes down to 20hz, audibly. Those 6 inch woofers are no slouch, they produce thumping bass like I've never heard of before in a floorstander of that price, or even up to 10k. Imo for $4400, the ELX Titan is a steal. Meanwhile the ELX RAAL Ribbon is even more detailed for slow and mod tempo music, but with fast tempo music, there is hardly a difference between the two, and I actually prefer the Titan Dome for Rock/Metal.
 
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