Ascilab C6B Speaker Review

[Ruediger]

You do realize you posted your comment on Audio Science Review right?

It reminded me of the case of Buckeye binding posts out of spec incident. Clear impact on measurements.

No idea if actually comparable. But materials not really prime for the task deserve to be looked at imo.

Buckeye 3 Channel Purifi Amp Review

This is review and detailed measurements of the Buckeye 3 Channel Purifi amplifier based power amp. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $1,699. As you see, the case is utilitarian. The amplifier is extremely light making you think there is nothing in the box! The back...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[eric00886]

Man, this report is pure temptation! I actually fell in love with this brand after hearing them at TAA 2026. But bringing home yet another pair of speakers? How do I even persuade my wife? She's about to go beast mode right now. Are Asian wives the only ones this scary, or are you guys suffering too?

 

[Uncola]

beware asian dragon ladies lol

 

[eric00886]

beware asian dragon ladies lol

Lol thanks for the warning, I’m definitely treadin' carefully now!

 

[djw.cloud]

C6B Owner Impressions From Someone Who Has Owned a Lot of Stand-Mount Speakers​

I've owned a lot of stand-mount speakers over the years, including:

• Merlin TSM-MM
• PMC TB2
• Dynaudio Focus 110
• Dynaudio Focus 160
• Dynaudio Special 40
• Fritz Carbon 7
• Fritz Carbon 7 Mk2
• KEF R3
• Ascend Sierra 1 (original and upgraded crossover)
• Ascend Sierra LX
• Harbeth P3ESR
• Fritz Carrera
• Genelec 8040B
• Revel Performa3 M106

One thing I've learned after all these years is that measurements tell an important part of the story, but they don't always predict which speaker you'll actually love living with.

What's especially funny is that two of Amir's most highly praised monitors ended up at opposite ends of my own rankings. The Revel M106 is probably my least favorite speaker I've owned, while the C6B may very well be my favorite.

Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not saying the Revel is a bad speaker. It clearly isn't. It measures exceptionally well and does many things right. But every time I listened to it, I found myself appreciating it more than enjoying it. It never pulled me into the music the way some other speakers have.

The C6B does.

If I had to pick the best speaker I've owned for playing music loudly while still sounding effortless, I'd probably give that honor to the Fritz Carrera. That speaker was phenomenal. Dynamic, powerful, and incredibly engaging. It never sounded strained and always made music feel alive.

The Merlin TSM-MM remains the king of imaging and speed in my experience. To this day I haven't heard another speaker disappear in quite the same way. The transient attack, focus, and holographic imaging were simply special. I've spent years chasing that sound.

The Genelec 8040B also deserves mention. The midrange was absolutely beautiful and among the best I've owned. Vocals sounded incredibly natural and realistic. My only criticism was that the bass occasionally sounded a bit hollow or artificial compared to some of the best passive speakers I've heard.

I originally ended up buying the C6B after a deal on a pair of used Merlin Black Magic monitors fell through. After reading all the praise and reviews, I figured I'd take a chance.

At first I powered them with a mid-tier Yamaha integrated amplifier.

My initial impression was that they were very clean, balanced, detailed, and easy to listen to. I was impressed, but not completely blown away. In particular, I thought the bass was a little lighter than I expected and I had already started looking at subwoofer options.

Then on a whim I bought a Fosi Audio ZA3.

Wow.

The difference was much bigger than I expected. Bass became tighter and more impactful. Dynamics improved. The entire presentation gained energy and authority. Whether it was the extra power or simply better synergy, the C6B clearly responded to it.

What surprised me most is that this is the first monitor I've owned in years that reminded me of the qualities I loved about the Merlin.

No, it doesn't quite match the Merlin's imaging. Very few speakers do. But it has that same sense of speed and transient attack that makes instruments sound startlingly real. Drums have snap. Piano notes start and stop cleanly. Everything sounds immediate and fast.

Unlike the Merlin, however, the C6B is smoother and more forgiving. Lesser recordings remain enjoyable and long listening sessions are effortless. It gives you detail without shoving it in your face.

That balance is what makes this speaker special to me.

The C6B manages to be revealing without sounding analytical. Accurate without sounding boring. Detailed without becoming fatiguing. Every time I sit down to evaluate it, I end up just listening to music instead.

Honestly, that's probably the highest compliment I can give a speaker.

At this point, my personal rankings would probably be:

1. C6B
2. Merlin TSM-MM
3. Fritz Carrera
4. Ascend Sierra LX

Those four stand above everything else I've owned, but the C6B sits at the top because it combines pieces of what I loved about all of them. It has some of the speed and excitement of the Merlin, the musical engagement of the Fritz Carrera, and the balanced presentation of the Sierra LX, while avoiding many of the weaknesses that came with each.

The strangest part of all this is that two speakers that received some of the highest praise on ASR ended up at completely opposite ends of my personal rankings. The Revel M106 ended up at the bottom, while the C6B ended up at the top. That's not a criticism of measurements. If anything, it's a reminder that measurements can tell us a lot about a speaker, but they can't completely predict individual preference.

After owning speakers from Dynaudio, KEF, Harbeth, Genelec, Ascend, PMC, Fritz, Revel, and Merlin, I can honestly say the C6B is my favorite stand-mount speaker I've owned. I wasn't expecting that when I ordered them, and that's probably why they've impressed me so much. They simply make me want to listen to music, and in the end that's what this hobby is supposed to be about.

 

[Jonazkur]

I found Genelec 8040B midrange lacking and you can also see it in 8040bs off axis responses. It has too high xo at 3khz. Revel M106 imo has issues which can be seen in polars especially horizontal, its not that uniform.

 

[Almdudler]

Has anyone listened to this speaker with big band brass or large female choirs?
The responses of this speaker read like extensive brass bite and choir shouting due to the 5-6kHz peak (waveguide?).
Can the reviewer please not narrowing speaker timbral quality against the simplified Harman room curve and use at least also the Dolby Atmos target curve for steady state in room?
IMHO the Harman trained listener as well as Dolby Atmos room curve are more relevant these days, (to the dislike of Dr. Floyd Toole (edition4).
And yes, a flat on axis / listening window is also needed especially in high frequency where the room (reflections) plays less of a role, but the baffle and waveguide and the tweeter.
While the C8C is a brilliant design, this C6B seems like a me-too. In room target curves relative to 1kHz. Brown Harman average l., red Harman trained listener, pink Dolby Atmos, black simplfied Harman.

 

[kyuu]

The responses of this speaker read like extensive brass bite and choir shouting due to the 5-6kHz peak (waveguide?).

What are you talking about? What peak?

Can the reviewer please not narrowing speaker timbral quality against the simplified Harman room curve and use at least also the Dolby Atmos target curve for steady state in room?

Is there any published research indicating we should care about room curve targets?

IMHO the Harman trained listener as well as Dolby Atmos room curve are more relevant these days, (to the dislike of Dr. Floyd Toole (edition4).

Relevant to who, based on what?

And yes, a flat on axis / listening window is also needed especially in high frequency where the room (reflections) plays less of a role, but the baffle and waveguide and the tweeter.

But the baffle and waveguide and the tweeter... what?

While the C8C is a brilliant design, this C6B seems like a me-too.

A me-too? What does this mean?

 

[dfuller]

The responses of this speaker read like extensive brass bite and choir shouting due to the 5-6kHz peak (waveguide?).

What peak? It's pretty much linear from 70hz-7khz then steps down a couple dB above that.

Can the reviewer please not narrowing speaker timbral quality against the simplified Harman room curve and use at least also the Dolby Atmos target curve for steady state in room?

The Atmos target curve is wildly more flawed, and it's not something a linear speaker will produce in-room. Nobody is designing speakers for this curve because it requires brute force EQ to get there in room.

 

[Almdudler]

What are you talking about? What peak?

Is there any published research indicating we should care about room curve targets?

Relevant to who, based on what?

But the baffle and waveguide and the tweeter... what?

A me-too? What does this mean?

The on axis/LW response is missing a few dB >6kHz because the poor acoustic engineer was asked by his marketing dept to fit in the simplified in room Harman target curve while using a close to constant directivity waveguided tweeter....So he/she ended up with a rolling off FR for LW....especially >6kHz with a hump just before the roll off. This will sound a bit dull (opposite of brilliance) and shrill....
On top the engineer had to let go of fixing the discontinuity around 6kHz in the xover, likely stemming from the waveguide, leakage or tweeter....and likely he/she was not given the budget or time to fix this (e.g. with a passive parallel LCR...on the tweeter)

The peak ~6kHz is on axis and it is a prominent feature for ER and for sound power responses.

Me too is a product that is not uniquely differentiated vs incumbent products (Neumann,KEF, Genelec..) in an established product category.

Target curves:
1.
The current number rating is mainly measuring compliance against the simplified Harman in room target curve. So the number that every speaker mfg is chasing in the ASR reviews or on spinorama.org is mainly the compliance to a "predicted" in room simplified Harman target curve.
Apparently the on-axis/LW anechoic response does not matter much anymore to get a good score, like we can see here....
2.
In essence target curves are mostly misaligned below Schroeder frequency, this is where the biggest tonal mess is these days and why everyone needs a sub to control the bass level up and down depending on the content.
3.
@dfuller: target curves are essential for music production, for headphones/earbuds. And they are correlated to speaker target curves as Sean Olive mentioned a few times.... Dolby Atmos is a valid headphone target and therefore it is relevant for speakers as the content is created for that headphone consumption. This means that modern content created for Dolby Atmos consumption might sound a bit boomy in your living room. speakers. There are ways to make speakers / rooms compliant with that target curve. It is not down with a 6" woofer and a 6" waveguide design though.

 

[boomboom]

So he/she ended up with a rolling off FR for LW....especially >6kHz with a hump just before the roll off. This will sound a bit dull (opposite of brilliance) and shrill....

I remember from erin's review that the top end roll off is intentional

 

[Thelo80]

C6B Owner Impressions From Someone Who Has Owned a Lot of Stand-Mount Speakers​

I've owned a lot of stand-mount speakers over the years, including:

• Merlin TSM-MM
• PMC TB2
• Dynaudio Focus 110
• Dynaudio Focus 160
• Dynaudio Special 40
• Fritz Carbon 7
• Fritz Carbon 7 Mk2
• KEF R3
• Ascend Sierra 1 (original and upgraded crossover)
• Ascend Sierra LX
• Harbeth P3ESR
• Fritz Carrera
• Genelec 8040B
• Revel Performa3 M106

One thing I've learned after all these years is that measurements tell an important part of the story, but they don't always predict which speaker you'll actually love living with.

What's especially funny is that two of Amir's most highly praised monitors ended up at opposite ends of my own rankings. The Revel M106 is probably my least favorite speaker I've owned, while the C6B may very well be my favorite.

Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not saying the Revel is a bad speaker. It clearly isn't. It measures exceptionally well and does many things right. But every time I listened to it, I found myself appreciating it more than enjoying it. It never pulled me into the music the way some other speakers have.

The C6B does.

If I had to pick the best speaker I've owned for playing music loudly while still sounding effortless, I'd probably give that honor to the Fritz Carrera. That speaker was phenomenal. Dynamic, powerful, and incredibly engaging. It never sounded strained and always made music feel alive.

The Merlin TSM-MM remains the king of imaging and speed in my experience. To this day I haven't heard another speaker disappear in quite the same way. The transient attack, focus, and holographic imaging were simply special. I've spent years chasing that sound.

The Genelec 8040B also deserves mention. The midrange was absolutely beautiful and among the best I've owned. Vocals sounded incredibly natural and realistic. My only criticism was that the bass occasionally sounded a bit hollow or artificial compared to some of the best passive speakers I've heard.

I originally ended up buying the C6B after a deal on a pair of used Merlin Black Magic monitors fell through. After reading all the praise and reviews, I figured I'd take a chance.

At first I powered them with a mid-tier Yamaha integrated amplifier.

My initial impression was that they were very clean, balanced, detailed, and easy to listen to. I was impressed, but not completely blown away. In particular, I thought the bass was a little lighter than I expected and I had already started looking at subwoofer options.

Then on a whim I bought a Fosi Audio ZA3.

Wow.

The difference was much bigger than I expected. Bass became tighter and more impactful. Dynamics improved. The entire presentation gained energy and authority. Whether it was the extra power or simply better synergy, the C6B clearly responded to it.

What surprised me most is that this is the first monitor I've owned in years that reminded me of the qualities I loved about the Merlin.

No, it doesn't quite match the Merlin's imaging. Very few speakers do. But it has that same sense of speed and transient attack that makes instruments sound startlingly real. Drums have snap. Piano notes start and stop cleanly. Everything sounds immediate and fast.

Unlike the Merlin, however, the C6B is smoother and more forgiving. Lesser recordings remain enjoyable and long listening sessions are effortless. It gives you detail without shoving it in your face.

That balance is what makes this speaker special to me.

The C6B manages to be revealing without sounding analytical. Accurate without sounding boring. Detailed without becoming fatiguing. Every time I sit down to evaluate it, I end up just listening to music instead.

Honestly, that's probably the highest compliment I can give a speaker.

At this point, my personal rankings would probably be:

1. C6B
2. Merlin TSM-MM
3. Fritz Carrera
4. Ascend Sierra LX

Those four stand above everything else I've owned, but the C6B sits at the top because it combines pieces of what I loved about all of them. It has some of the speed and excitement of the Merlin, the musical engagement of the Fritz Carrera, and the balanced presentation of the Sierra LX, while avoiding many of the weaknesses that came with each.

The strangest part of all this is that two speakers that received some of the highest praise on ASR ended up at completely opposite ends of my personal rankings. The Revel M106 ended up at the bottom, while the C6B ended up at the top. That's not a criticism of measurements. If anything, it's a reminder that measurements can tell us a lot about a speaker, but they can't completely predict individual preference.

After owning speakers from Dynaudio, KEF, Harbeth, Genelec, Ascend, PMC, Fritz, Revel, and Merlin, I can honestly say the C6B is my favorite stand-mount speaker I've owned. I wasn't expecting that when I ordered them, and that's probably why they've impressed me so much. They simply make me want to listen to music, and in the end that's what this hobby is supposed to be about.

Thanks for posting this, your impressions are especially interesting to me because you’ve owned both the C6B and the Sierra LX, which are the two speakers I’m currently considering.


I’d be very interested in how you would compare them in a few specific areas:

1. Scale / size of the presentation:
   Did the C6B ever sound somewhat “small but very clear and precise,” while the Sierra LX sounded bigger and more room-filling but perhaps a little less sharply focused or more diffuse?
   I’m trying to understand whether the LX gives a noticeably larger sense of scale, especially with movies and orchestral music.
2. Tonal balance / bass emphasis:
   Amir’s measurements seem to suggest that the C6B has a somewhat warmer or bass-tilted in-room balance. Did you actually hear it that way?
   Did you find the C6B warmer, fuller or darker than the Sierra LX, or were they fairly similar tonally in your room?
3. TV/movie dialogue clarity:
   This is particularly important for me. Did you notice any meaningful difference between the C6B and Sierra LX in terms of dialogue intelligibility, center-image focus, and separating voices from music/effects?
   With a phantom center, did one make dialogue seem more firmly locked to the screen than the other?
4. Imaging vs soundstage:
   Would you say the C6B gives more precise image placement while the LX gives a broader/larger soundstage, or is that too simplistic?
5. Dynamics above the bass region:
   Since I would use either speaker with a subwoofer and an ~80 Hz crossover, how much of the LX’s advantage in scale/dynamics do you think would remain once both speakers are relieved of deep bass duties?
6. Low-volume listening:
   At moderate or low listening levels, did one retain clarity, presence and dialogue intelligibility better than the other?
7. Forgiveness:
   You describe the C6B as detailed but forgiving. How would you compare it with the Sierra LX with mediocre recordings, compressed streaming content, or TV audio?
8. If you had to choose specifically for a 2.1 living-room system with subwoofer, mostly music plus movies, would the same preference for the C6B remain?

I’d really appreciate your thoughts, especially because you’ve had enough time with both speakers to compare them from actual ownership rather than short demos.

 

[djw.cloud]

Thanks for posting this, your impressions are especially interesting to me because you’ve owned both the C6B and the Sierra LX, which are the two speakers I’m currently considering.


I’d be very interested in how you would compare them in a few specific areas:

1. Scale / size of the presentation:
   Did the C6B ever sound somewhat “small but very clear and precise,” while the Sierra LX sounded bigger and more room-filling but perhaps a little less sharply focused or more diffuse?
   I’m trying to understand whether the LX gives a noticeably larger sense of scale, especially with movies and orchestral music.
2. Tonal balance / bass emphasis:
   Amir’s measurements seem to suggest that the C6B has a somewhat warmer or bass-tilted in-room balance. Did you actually hear it that way?
   Did you find the C6B warmer, fuller or darker than the Sierra LX, or were they fairly similar tonally in your room?
3. TV/movie dialogue clarity:
   This is particularly important for me. Did you notice any meaningful difference between the C6B and Sierra LX in terms of dialogue intelligibility, center-image focus, and separating voices from music/effects?
   With a phantom center, did one make dialogue seem more firmly locked to the screen than the other?
4. Imaging vs soundstage:
   Would you say the C6B gives more precise image placement while the LX gives a broader/larger soundstage, or is that too simplistic?
5. Dynamics above the bass region:
   Since I would use either speaker with a subwoofer and an ~80 Hz crossover, how much of the LX’s advantage in scale/dynamics do you think would remain once both speakers are relieved of deep bass duties?
6. Low-volume listening:
   At moderate or low listening levels, did one retain clarity, presence and dialogue intelligibility better than the other?
7. Forgiveness:
   You describe the C6B as detailed but forgiving. How would you compare it with the Sierra LX with mediocre recordings, compressed streaming content, or TV audio?
8. If you had to choose specifically for a 2.1 living-room system with subwoofer, mostly music plus movies, would the same preference for the C6B remain?

I’d really appreciate your thoughts, especially because you’ve had enough time with both speakers to compare them from actual ownership rather than short demos.

Glad to share some thoughts since having both in the room makes the trade-offs pretty clear. I won't tackle every single question right now, but I want to hit on scale/soundstage, dialogue/crossover coherence, and low-volume listening, because that’s where the biggest real-world differences show up for me.


Scale, Soundstage & Presentation


The Sierra-LX definitely throws a noticeably bigger, wider soundstage right out of the box. Its wide dispersion sprays more energy into the room, creating an expansive, room-filling "wall of sound" that feels massive and cinematic. The trade-off is that it’s a bit more diffuse—edges on instruments and vocalists are softer and less pinpoint.


I’m generally not a fan of waveguides at all, but whatever AsciLab did here simply works. The waveguide changes how those upper frequencies diffuse into the room. At lower listening levels, the presentation feels more focused and contained between the speakers, but as you turn it up, it easily takes on that larger scale without losing its composure.


Where the C6B completely pulls away is transient speed. The immediate snap and attack on acoustic instruments and percussion is out of this world. Plucked strings, rimshots, and snare hits start and stop on an absolute dime with zero overhang. Honestly, the only other speaker I’ve owned with that kind of spooky, lightning-fast speed was a pair of sealed Merlin monitors years ago.


Spoken Dialogue & Crossover Coherence


For TV/movie dialogue, the C6B is in another tier.


I love the Sierra-LX, but in my room—sitting about a foot and a half off the front wall—I can hear the crossover region working at louder levels. Where it really becomes noticeable is on soundtracks with dialogue mixed into the background rather than pinned dead-center; you can actually hear the crossover transition in the human voice, which softens intelligibility.


In my room, I’ve only ever had three speakers where my ears simply cannot detect the crossover at all: my old Merlins, the Genelecs, and now the C6B. The handover on the C6B is seamless. Phantom-center dialogue stays completely anchored to the screen, and voices remain separated and intelligible even through heavy background music and effects without needing to crank the master volume.


The only other speaker I know of that supposedly pulls off that completely seamless handover is the Joseph Audio Pulsar with its Infinite Slope crossover, which I'd love to test someday. But in this matchup, if you want a massive wraparound ambient field, the Sierra-LX has it; if you want razor-sharp vocal clarity, zero crossover seam, and ridiculous transient speed, the C6B takes it.


Low-Volume Listening


This was another area that really surprised me. The Sierra-LX had been my favorite speaker for low-level listening because its bass is so naturally tactile, deep, and fast. Most bookshelf speakers thin out and lose their punch when you turn the dial down, but the LX maintains its weight remarkably well.


That said, the C6B actually outperforms it here too.


The LX woofer is built for massive excursion, so at late-night, whisper-quiet levels, it feels like it takes just a bit more juice to fully wake up the driver. The C6B’s ceramic cone and passive radiator setup feel completely frictionless—even at very low volumes, the bass maintains an immediate, tactile snap, and the vocal clarity stays 100% intact. You never feel the urge to nudge the volume up just to understand speech or catch the bassline. It sounds fully dynamic and alive without needing to feed it wattage.

 

[djw.cloud]

Glad to share some thoughts since having both in the room makes the trade-offs pretty clear. I won't tackle every single question right now, but I want to hit on scale/soundstage, dialogue/crossover coherence, and low-volume listening, because that’s where the biggest real-world differences show up for me.


Scale, Soundstage & Presentation


The Sierra-LX definitely throws a noticeably bigger, wider soundstage right out of the box. Its wide dispersion sprays more energy into the room, creating an expansive, room-filling "wall of sound" that feels massive and cinematic. The trade-off is that it’s a bit more diffuse—edges on instruments and vocalists are softer and less pinpoint.


I’m generally not a fan of waveguides at all, but whatever AsciLab did here simply works. The waveguide changes how those upper frequencies diffuse into the room. At lower listening levels, the presentation feels more focused and contained between the speakers, but as you turn it up, it easily takes on that larger scale without losing its composure.


Where the C6B completely pulls away is transient speed. The immediate snap and attack on acoustic instruments and percussion is out of this world. Plucked strings, rimshots, and snare hits start and stop on an absolute dime with zero overhang. Honestly, the only other speaker I’ve owned with that kind of spooky, lightning-fast speed was a pair of sealed Merlin monitors years ago.


Spoken Dialogue & Crossover Coherence


For TV/movie dialogue, the C6B is in another tier.


I love the Sierra-LX, but in my room—sitting about a foot and a half off the front wall—I can hear the crossover region working at louder levels. Where it really becomes noticeable is on soundtracks with dialogue mixed into the background rather than pinned dead-center; you can actually hear the crossover transition in the human voice, which softens intelligibility.


In my room, I’ve only ever had three speakers where my ears simply cannot detect the crossover at all: my old Merlins, the Genelecs, and now the C6B. The handover on the C6B is seamless. Phantom-center dialogue stays completely anchored to the screen, and voices remain separated and intelligible even through heavy background music and effects without needing to crank the master volume.


The only other speaker I know of that supposedly pulls off that completely seamless handover is the Joseph Audio Pulsar with its Infinite Slope crossover, which I'd love to test someday. But in this matchup, if you want a massive wraparound ambient field, the Sierra-LX has it; if you want razor-sharp vocal clarity, zero crossover seam, and ridiculous transient speed, the C6B takes it.


Low-Volume Listening


This was another area that really surprised me. The Sierra-LX had been my favorite speaker for low-level listening because its bass is so naturally tactile, deep, and fast. Most bookshelf speakers thin out and lose their punch when you turn the dial down, but the LX maintains its weight remarkably well.


That said, the C6B actually outperforms it here too.


The LX woofer is built for massive excursion, so at late-night, whisper-quiet levels, it feels like it takes just a bit more juice to fully wake up the driver. The C6B’s ceramic cone and passive radiator setup feel completely frictionless—even at very low volumes, the bass maintains an immediate, tactile snap, and the vocal clarity stays 100% intact. You never feel the urge to nudge the volume up just to understand speech or catch the bassline. It sounds fully dynamic and alive without needing to feed it wattage.

Forgiveness & Tweeter Tonality


Both speakers are remarkably forgiving across a wide range of content. Because their frequency responses are exceptionally well-balanced and distortion is kept so low, neither speaker punishes you on mediocre recordings or compressed streaming mixes.


A big part of that comes down to the driver materials being very gentle on the ears. As I’ve probably commented in other posts, the Sierra-LX tweeter is genuinely the only aluminum/metal dome I’ve ever liked—there’s just something about Dave’s implementation that sits completely right without any harsh metallic bite or fatigue. Historically, I’m a dedicated silk dome fan, but after hearing the aluminum-ceramic dome in the C6B, I might have to change my tune. It has that crisp, resolving leading-edge snap you want from a stiff diaphragm, but with zero ringing or harsh glare. Both manage to stay smooth and easy on the ears without sacrificing detail.

 

[goldark]

Forgiveness & Tweeter Tonality


Both speakers are remarkably forgiving across a wide range of content. Because their frequency responses are exceptionally well-balanced and distortion is kept so low, neither speaker punishes you on mediocre recordings or compressed streaming mixes.


A big part of that comes down to the driver materials being very gentle on the ears. As I’ve probably commented in other posts, the Sierra-LX tweeter is genuinely the only aluminum/metal dome I’ve ever liked—there’s just something about Dave’s implementation that sits completely right without any harsh metallic bite or fatigue. Historically, I’m a dedicated silk dome fan, but after hearing the aluminum-ceramic dome in the C6B, I might have to change my tune. It has that crisp, resolving leading-edge snap you want from a stiff diaphragm, but with zero ringing or harsh glare. Both manage to stay smooth and easy on the ears without sacrificing detail.

These are all very interesting observations. Thank you. As a current owner of the Sierra LX, do you think the C6B is worth upgrading to, or more of a side grade? I do enjoy the massive wall of sound the LX creates so I understand what I'd been giving up if I do.

 

[Thelo80]

These are all very interesting observations. Thank you. As a current owner of the Sierra LX, do you think the C6B is worth upgrading to, or more of a side grade? I do enjoy the massive wall of sound the LX creates so I understand what I'd been giving up if I do.

are the LX connected to the TV? are the dialogues clear with a focus center?

 

[goldark]

are the LX connected to the TV? are the dialogues clear with a focus center?

I actually have 3 LX's across the front stage, all vertical, to serve as LCR. The LX as a center in vertical orientation sounds great and with its wide dispersion, presents a large image.

 

[djw.cloud]

These are all very interesting observations. Thank you. As a current owner of the Sierra LX, do you think the C6B is worth upgrading to, or more of a side grade? I do enjoy the massive wall of sound the LX creates so I understand what I'd been giving up if I do.

The Monitors: AsciLab C6B vs. Ascend Sierra-LX


Putting the C6Bs head-to-head with the Sierra-LX shows two totally different design philosophies:


AsciLab C6B: Surgical precision, razor-sharp transient snap, and seamless crossover integration between the ceramic woofer and waveguide-loaded tweeter. Vocal articulation and center imaging are pinpoint accurate, and the low end is taut, pitch-defined, and stops on a dime.


Ascend Sierra-LX: Delivers a massive, room-filling soundstage with class-leading sub-bass slam down into the mid-30s. It moves serious air without needing a subwoofer, but needs at least 2.5 to 3 feet of rear clearance to keep boundary gain from thicking up the lower midrange.


The C6Bs are ruthlessly revealing monitors—which meant they exposed every single upstream change.


The Front-End Struggle: ESS Sabre vs. Musicality


Originally, I was running the C6Bs with an AKM-based Schiit DAC feeding a mid-tier Yamaha integrated. The sound had great body, clean midrange, and natural decay.


Wanting to test room correction and sub integration, I swapped the Yamaha for a Fosi ZA3 and brought in a WiiM Ultra. The ZA3 by itself pushed tremendous clean power and dynamic punch. But once the WiiM Ultra's internal ESS Sabre (ES9038Q2M) DAC took over the conversion via analog out, the music died.


Despite verifying output voltages and running flat profiles, the sound turned thin, clinical, and completely skeletal. The bass lost its weight, and the transient decay felt abruptly clipped. I don't care how well modern ESS chips measure on a bench—to my ears, it sounded completely artificial. On an ultra-fast ceramic driver like the C6B, the presentation was hyper-etched, sterile, and fatiguing.


The Tube Hybrid Surprise


On a whim, I ordered the Fosi Audio MC331 tube hybrid integrated amp with onboard DAC.


Right out of the box, I tried rolling in a matched pair of 7-pin GE JAN 5654W tubes. Frankly, I wasn't impressed—it sounded light in the bass and had an odd distortion up top that grated on my ears. I was ready to pack the amp up and return it, but I popped the stock tubes back into the sockets before running out of time and stepped away for the day.


The next day, taking a quick break from work, I powered the system on with those stock tubes and nudged the bass EQ dial up just slightly.


Holy moly. It sounded like pure heaven instantly.


This is the exact sound my ears have been chasing since I first got into audio. That classic, liquid "old-school tube" presentation where cold digital edges simply dissolve. Everything suddenly has real weight, tactile body, and natural acoustic timbre. The even-order harmonics act like glue on the fast C6B ceramic drivers—notes bloom and decay naturally, and instruments sound like physical, vibrating objects in the room rather than dissected test tones.


If anyone has $150 and these monitors, go order one on Amazon. I guarantee you will lose half a work day. Amir, I would encourage you to fire down your measurement rig, pour a glass of scotch, and do the same with these speakers. Best $1,700 of my life spent—besides my dog.

 

[Ruediger]

Originally, I was running the C6Bs with an AKM-based Schiit DAC feeding a mid-tier Yamaha integrated. The sound had great body, clean midrange, and natural decay.
Wanting to test room correction and sub integration, I swapped the Yamaha for a Fosi ZA3 and brought in a WiiM Ultra. The ZA3 by itself pushed tremendous clean power and dynamic punch. But once the WiiM Ultra's internal ESS Sabre (ES9038Q2M) DAC took over the conversion via analog out, the music died.
Despite verifying output voltages and running flat profiles, the sound turned thin, clinical, and completely skeletal. The bass lost its weight, and the transient decay felt abruptly clipped. I don't care how well modern ESS chips measure on a bench—to my ears, it sounded completely artificial. On an ultra-fast ceramic driver like the C6B, the presentation was hyper-etched, sterile, and fatiguing.

The Tube Hybrid Surprise
On a whim, I ordered the Fosi Audio MC331 tube hybrid integrated amp with onboard DAC.
Right out of the box, I tried rolling in a matched pair of 7-pin GE JAN 5654W tubes. Frankly, I wasn't impressed—it sounded light in the bass and had an odd distortion up top that grated on my ears. I was ready to pack the amp up and return it, but I popped the stock tubes back into the sockets before running out of time and stepped away for the day.

The next day, taking a quick break from work, I powered the system on with those stock tubes and nudged the bass EQ dial up just slightly.
Holy moly. It sounded like pure heaven instantly.

This is the exact sound my ears have been chasing since I first got into audio. That classic, liquid "old-school tube" presentation where cold digital edges simply dissolve. Everything suddenly has real weight, tactile body, and natural acoustic timbre. The even-order harmonics act like glue on the fast C6B ceramic drivers—notes bloom and decay naturally, and instruments sound like physical, vibrating objects in the room rather than dissected test tones.

Sounds like a lot of subjective taste whereas the different chains before the C6B would need time to get used to.

And you being used to a rather warm, damp sound as it comes from the pre-amp stages of those Yamahas. And even more from anything with tubes.

Not that I would employ the Fosi ZA3, but some other TPA3255 amp - I think that's a pretty good match for the C6Bs. Neutral, linear, clean. This will sound strange when compared to tubes with distortion and harmonics like a radio from last century, but if you give it time, it will come out as the top competent feed for the speakers.

Just another subjective opinion.

 

[norman bates]

Thank you djw.cloud !!!!!!!

I enjoy the opinions, especially the comparison between speakers many of us have yet are thinking of trying others !!!

A guy I know, in the 80's or 90's got an amazing transparent setup.
Basically all of his music sounded wretched (bob dylan, moody blues, etc).

It can be a balancing act I think....

Do we want a system that sounds great on audiophile stuff but makes what we like sound bad ?

I was skeptical on my dynaudios. Everything sounded good and better transparency than I'd had before.
But I knew some of my stuff should sound compressed and squashed.......