• Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Ascilab Owners – Ask Questions, Share Feedback

ah, that avr sounds terrible, way too much like Bakelite, and that speaker--especially without a subwoofer--sounds like corrougated cardboard slathered in a thin layer of turkey gravy. Overrated.

(see? anyone can play this dumb game!)
I understand what you meant and you're right.
So I sincerely apologize if I offended anyone.
 
C6B do not sound remotely plasticky. Maybe if he music was a recording of a plastic flute they could.
 
C6B do not sound remotely plasticky. Maybe if he music was a recording of a plastic flute they could.
C6B do not sound remotely plasticky. Maybe if he music was a recording of a plastic flute they could.
Hi Bwasslo!
No it has nothing to do with some bump at 5,6 kilohertz,up there are only higher harmonics that create certain timbar.
I too had trouble figure it out but the therm was created when polipropilen with great dumping capabilities replace paper cones.
And had much smother response in operating range, so when you listen to some qvuartet sessions with cello's, kontrabas and stuff they resonate badly,our voice also resonate just download Spectroid app and see how music change and how many harmonics has one note....
People have complained not for this speaker though but one that there isn't enough "information", like almost clinical sound in the midrange area where all the voices and fundamentals tones are.
I guess we people associates material of cones sound property based on material that are made of???
For me personally there are no bad drivers, only bad speakers...
 
people associates material of cones sound property based on material that are made of???
Many people do this and ASR exists to help disabuse them of these primitive notions, which resemble nothing more than ancient people's beliefs that they took on the qualities of the animals whose meat they consumed: Eat tiger meat? Get fierce! etc.
 
C6B do not sound remotely plasticky
To me, they slightly did, in direct comparison to 4 other speakers I tested at the time(Sierra-1 V2, Kali IN-8 V2, Sierra-LX & 2EX V2). This was of course in my particular room, with my particular amp/DAC/cables/source/files/placements, and my particular ears for what I think sounds correct/natural/realistic. But several people here can't seem to accept my impressions of the C6B sounding a bit tonally thinner/colder, a little less bassy, and a little less natural than the Sierra-1 V2, even though they are obviously both excellently performing speakers that no-one can deny, as Erin has presented. I chose those 5 particular speakers to test together(with no EQ, just basic listening), due to the high praise/scores by Erin & others at the $1000 mark, and if anyone tells you that 2 speakers that both score 9.6 sound exactly the same, they are lying. There will always be differences, and this is especially true with 2 speakers from 2 different brands, using entirely different drivers, enclosures, waveguides, and probably crossovers.
 
my particular ears
What does it mean for a speaker to sound "plasticky"? It means you have seen the speaker and it has some plastic in its build, nothing more. Sighted bias is very powerful indeed.

Because of the way our brains work, our ocularcentrism/biases/predispositions/etc are unavoidable and persistent. The only way to be sure that you are using your ears as a data point is to listen blind (under controlled conditions). If you are listening sighted, you are not really using your ears, and what feels like using your ears to you is really a combination of using your eyes, your brain, your preconceptions, and your imagination.

This is not particular to you or me or Joe or Josephine but general to all people, and being aware of these inherent biases isn't enough to defeat them.
 
Last edited:
Yes some of us do own them, along with many other well regarded speakers. No, they don’t sound or measure like plastic. They do however, push the envelope of what’s possible with state of the art measurement technology and a real understanding of psychoacoustics.
How would you rate the finish of the C6B compared to the 1723 monitors?
 
To me, they slightly did, in direct comparison to 4 other speakers I tested at the time(Sierra-1 V2, Kali IN-8 V2, Sierra-LX & 2EX V2). This was of course in my particular room, with my particular amp/DAC/cables/source/files/placements, and my particular ears for what I think sounds correct/natural/realistic. But several people here can't seem to accept my impressions of the C6B sounding a bit tonally thinner/colder, a little less bassy, and a little less natural than the Sierra-1 V2, even though they are obviously both excellently performing speakers that no-one can deny, as Erin has presented. I chose those 5 particular speakers to test together(with no EQ, just basic listening), due to the high praise/scores by Erin & others at the $1000 mark, and if anyone tells you that 2 speakers that both score 9.6 sound exactly the same, they are lying. There will always be differences, and this is especially true with 2 speakers from 2 different brands, using entirely different drivers, enclosures, waveguides, and probably crossovers.
I haven’t been able to compare to Kali or Sierra-Lx, only Sigberg’s Saranna and Manta, Dutch&Dutch’s 8C, First Audio’s Fidelia and Cadentia and in terms of tonality and timber the AsciLab models I have heard,
F6B,F6B/S,C6B and A6B have sounded extremely similar to the other fine measuring designs here.
Keith
 
ah, that avr sounds terrible, way too much like Bakelite, and that speaker--especially without a subwoofer--sounds like corrougated cardboard slathered in a thin layer of turkey gravy. Overrated.

(see? anyone can play this dumb game!)
Maybe he means Plastic Bertrand?
 
Some quick impressions after some burn in on the Ascilab C6B's (paired with a SVS PB-3000 sub, all using Isoacoustics Gaia speaker feet) and Audyssey XT32 calibration, these speakers are way, way better than the Paradigm Reference Studio 3.1 set of speakers that I acquired over a decade ago after researching on AVSforum at the time when I was way less knowledgeable and in a similar price ballpark. Bass extension is much lower allowing me to use a lower crossover frequency which I confirmed with measurements (80Hz instead of 120Hz). Highs are smooth and crisp, and there is way less of a difference in sound regardless of listening position, even when standing up and sitting down. As I expected, with the data and impressions that have been posted. I have pretty good ears and listening, not sure how this speaker sounds 'plastic-y or artificial' in any way... Although I haven't listened to the Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX for comparison.

I've since moved the left and right speakers to be surround channels now that my current living situation has more living room space for a proper 5.1 setup. I am still however wanting to replace the center channel with something from Ascilab since the Paradigm center channel does so much of heavy lifting and sounds quite different than the Ascilab C6B's. It was confirmed that there are plans for a 2-way center speaker, but no clarity on when it will arrive so I guess I will have to play the waiting game for now.

My biggest complaint has nothing to do with the sound. I wish there was a mounting hole on the bottom of the speakers so I can anchor them better to my stands. I also still want the magnetic grill covers on the mid-driver, but those are expected soon via @amirm. Super impressed and very happy with my purchase, can't wait to see what's next!
 
@Marin

As a new brand, we’re of course grateful for the praise we’ve received. But that praise isn’t hollow—it’s grounded in clear, rational reasons, and in the fact that our products align with objective standards that many brands strive toward.

That’s why I feel that labeling it as “hype” and dismissing it as “just another 2-way bookshelf” goes beyond a personal impression (especially from someone who hasn’t even heard it) and comes across more like a devaluation.

Regarding the user who compared us to Sierra: I appreciate that he actually bought our product, listened to it, and returned it because it wasn’t what he wanted. Trying something firsthand, deciding it isn’t for you, and keeping what suits you better is completely fair—there’s nothing for us to argue about there.

However, leaning on someone else’s experience to make a vague claim like “it sounds plastic,” and then concluding that “good measurements don’t reflect good sound,” is not only unfair to our brand—it’s a convenient, harmful remark that undermines decades of collective effort to reduce the “circle of confusion” and build a shared understanding in this field.

And if the criticism is simply that our product is “too expensive,” I would also say there are countless brands that would be a much more appropriate target for that complaint than ours.

Within the direction of “good sound” that we believe in, we remain confident that we offer the best performance at our price—and that within any comparable performance tier, our products are among the most affordable.

I don’t know exactly what about us didn’t sit right with you, but since criticisms that seem light on evidence keep repeating, I wanted to leave this reply.
 
There is an old saying,
‘You know you are over the target when you receive lots of flak.”
You ( AsciLab ) are manufacturing reasonably priced , state of the art designs, that is going to make many in the industry deeply unhappy.
Ignore them and carry on doing what you are doing.
Keith
 
How would you rate the finish of the C6B compared to the 1723 monitors?

The Arendal is a smooth finish, the C6B has a slight texture to it. If you wiped both with a cheap microfiber, you will have more fibers left on the Ascilabs finish.
 
Yes some of us do own them, along with many other well regarded speakers. No, they don’t sound or measure like plastic. They do however, push the envelope of what’s possible with state of the art measurement technology and a real understanding of psychoacoustics.
Nice collection man, I won't you as a friend so bad
Are you opening a store or something...
So we can enjoy in music and some AB testing :D
Can you rank this,or at least what is your favorite?
I bet it's hard to choose the winner here,every one has its characteristics,I think
 
Last edited:
And if the criticism is simply that our product is “too expensive,” I would also say there are countless brands that would be a much more appropriate target for that complaint than ours.
And you are absolutely right about that, and that is exactly why I responded like that.
Again sorry if I offend anyone that was not my intention.
 
I'm currently using my C6B laying sideways as a center channel in my little home theatre that is always changing. The waveguide and low tweeter crossover really do great things for speech intelligibility. right now it's a 3.1 system but I'll go back to 5.1 once my next set of speakers arrives =) Hopefully C8C. I have both audyssey and dirac on my receiver to play with. I'm using a 100hz high pass on my 3 lcr speakers right now. Temporary front left/right are Chane 740 horn 2 way bookshelves with a Monolith M10 v2 subwoofer for bass duties. It's already very satisfying with surprising punch and dynamics for such small speakers
rack.jpg

smaug.jpg
 
The low crossover is friggin UNREAL! This allows my bigger Ascilab C6B to sound NICER than my older Adam T5V at a similar distance. With my T5V I always felt like I heard lower frequencies lower and the higher frequencies higher, like if i closed my eyes it felt like 500-1500hz or something felt like it was at like, let's use a building's example, level 1 and upper frequencies were at level 2. But with my Ascilab C6B I didn't feel that issue much at 0.7m and it was actually GOOD at 0.8m!

If I were to use Neumann's ratings, the minimum distance would be 0.8m and the recommended distance should be 1m and beyond. Absurd piece of kit.

And the soundstage depth due to the constant radiation? My God. Everything is so consistently placed. I think I understand why people call Genelec and KEF "boring" or "clinical". It is SO perfect that it's boring.... Anyways back to the soundstage, it's kind of narrow on-axis but the good thing is you can just toe it out and get a WIDER soundstage with the same depth! Best of both worlds!?!?! Oh and despite not being a coaxial I can move my head back and forth, up and down and still get a nice sound.

Although I'd say I should give people a warning that the highs of this speaker are quite weird and disperse quite widely compared to others, as a result you might find that the sound is bright or something, i had to put in a little high shelf and everything is stupendously good now.

I first thought these speakers were slightly overpriced as they were priced the same as the KEF Q Concerto Meta where I live but face to face these look beautiful and they're built quite well imo. A decent chunk of your money goes to the design part. Although I must say that the ring around my left woofer came off when I was taking the stickers off, i just plopped it back and it's been perfect ever since, concerned me a lot initially but it's all good now.

Maybe I'm biased due to measurements which i had seen prior but they help me understand the differences I'm feeling between this, my T5V and my D3V.

IMG_20251230_140452 - Copy.jpg

If the C6B is this good at these close distances, i can't imagine how nice the F6Bs must be! Especially at 0.6-0.7m distances or something, i think that might be possible with the smaller speaker but it might be asking too much from it. I think Ascilab could take a dip into the desktop speaker space with a C5D, F5D or something like that, competing with the Adam D3V and Kanto Ora/Ora4 with 1 advantage that no one has, the constant directivity. Bigger speakers have it till 10k but that's it. Ascilab could dominate the market in different price points and managing costs and the small form factor could prove to be a fun challenge for them I think.

Whatever the case, bravo Ascilab, I'm someone who loves and respects KEF and was feeling like I might be making a mistake going for the C6B, but it was anything but. Still a bit pricey for me as I don't mind flimsier build and worse design for a lower price but I can totally understand the decision to not have something like that.

In short, these sound good, VERY good. So good that you'll find it boring as you won't have much to complain about or to "fix".
 
Back
Top Bottom