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Ascension Audio (Adelaide Speakers) Owners & Discussion Thread


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Andy, this entire forum is filled with people talking about their products of choice and there are lots of places any one can go to get different advice on many different products.

This thread just happens to be about a product that you obviously don't care for. That's OK, that is your choice, I have no problem with that, and by all means offer advice to anyone about any product that you see fit.

But why do you have to continually make snide, belittling and sarcastic comments?

By all means, openly declare that you don't like the products or trust the man who makes them, we don't mind that, but please, stop with the under handed tactics.

A person of your obvious knowledge and standing in the SNA community should know better than that, and you should treat the others here on this thread, the ones who have made purchases of this product, with a little more respect.

I just don't see why you can't accept that this is a place where people discuss their purchase of a budget priced product without the need for sarcasm.

There are better products out their available, we all know that, but if like many people, your budget is limited, these are a great product FOR THE PRICE.

They aren't the be all and end all, but I just wish though, you could accept that maybe some other people cant afford Tannoys and the like, and just leave the sarcasm out of it.

Here's a challenge for you Andy.

If you can find a better product on the market or an equal product at the price, please share your thoughts with us and discuss them openly and honestly. I would love to know what else is available to the budget concious consumer.

i think your getting a little excited....i have not noticed any unreasonable comments or sarcastic ones?? don't know maybe i missed them....

but this i am sure.. Andy has meant to down grade Edward or his speakers...i think your reading too much into the comments, tis a problem with forums that sometimes putting into writing your thoughts can come across differently in other peoples minds.

so far i think this is a great thread......Please don't ruin it:cool:

Cheers GG

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i think your getting a little excited....i have not noticed any unreasonable comments or sarcastic ones?? don't know maybe i missed them....

but this i am sure.. Andy has meant to down grade Edward or his speakers...i think your reading too much into the comments, tis a problem with forums that sometimes putting into writing your thoughts can come across differently in other peoples minds.

so far i think this is a great thread......Please don't ruin it:cool:

Cheers GG

That's cool mate, but if you read his comments going right back, you will realise his latest comments are being very sarcastic. Interestingly I've had many PM's of support agreeing entirely. Each to their own.

Never mind, time to move on..... again

Cheers

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would you consider secondhand?

__________________

Yes, would consider secondhand.

you have a fairly large room to fill with sound and floorstanders for the front make sense. For HT you MAY even need a Sub.

Buying secondhand opens up your choices however the downside is you may not be able to audition.

Some other Australian brands to consider are Richter, Sonique, Aaron, VAF, Krix, ASLAN, Osborn, Legend ... and I'm sure there are a few others.

Happy shopping :cool:

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NGM I do appreciate your concerns and I do have to take some responsibility for my own actions.

I think reading your last post we seem to agree with each other far more than you realise.

For instance I prbably can say that I agree with your statement;

"There are better products out their available, we all know that, but if like many people, your budget is limited, these are a great product FOR THE PRICE."

I would however add that there are other speakers available in the same "great product for the price" category and Edwards speakers are not the only ones that should be considered.

I agree that this probably needs a different thread to be fair to all the Adeliade speakers users - so could you suggest a "value range" you would like to put on the thread from Edwards selection and we can start a thread on speakers in that price range worthy of consideration. We should be clear if we are talking about a a stereo or HT focus as im sure you agree this does impact what might be considered.

Further while I'll acknowledge i have been unconstructive I think a fair reading back of this thread shows i have made some remarks in this vein several times and simply suggested when people enquire about the value for money proposition that they are encouraged to research and try others - if they end up still buying Edwrads then thats more recognition of your views and many others on his products worth.

I think its pretty obvious that there have been many statments on this thread and others claiming Edwards speakers to be the best in Australia, saying they are better than speakers 3 times the value, SNA members who seem to mainly post here saying other high end speakers and naming the brands and saying Edwards are signifiucantly better.

Surely all these statements also degrade other speaker owners and manufacturers.

I think I am not alone in having perhaops made some "unconstructive" contributions to SNA.

NGM I don't think it can be claimed I am snobby or elitist in my view on stereo gear. I collect my gear from a DUMP. I am a tight arse and am trying hard to get a good system on "relatively" little expense.

I love having a wide range of both older and new equipment and spekers.

I judge them on the range of qualities and attributes and not just on on their name, i own old Bose, JVC, Technics, Marantz, Krix, Vaf, Sony, Sharp, Realistic, B&O etc etc and enjoy listeing to all.

I have met Edward and spoken to him on his product and approcah. I have listened to Edwards products on many occaisions.

As far as I am aware this is not a sponsired or advertising thread - its is a thread about Edwards speakers where we can share perspectives.

Someone asked about these and I offrede my opionion - I did not say dont buy them I suggested they should try some other products before making your choice and check some of the important facts as I see them.

One fact i think is important is to ask about the drivers that are used in a speaker. I have done this when I was researching for my own HT speakers. I would like to think NGM that you would agree that if you ask that question you should get an honest answer.

If you did not that for me is something to take acoount of when making your decsion to spend your hard earned cash.

As a newbie (and I still am very new to all this) I have been given some great advice on SNA - I always make up my own mind and am the sort of person who in most cases checks the facts before deciding.

Is it not a good thing in the SNA community that we share our diferent views, experiences and opions.

I hope I am merely returning the favours many have done for me in given my unbiased, honest opions and good advice omn things to check and howw to go about making good decsions on audio purchases.

I may have not done it as well as I could and I may have it wrong.

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I missed all the stuff in the middle of this thread:o goes to show how observant i am.....im a little guilty of AS bashing myself.

i should get round to doing a balanced review which i did promise some time ago......english was never my strong subject:hiccup

will i get some other speakers in the future.......yep absolutely....some time

Cheers GG

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That's cool Andy, but if you are open and honest, we both know you were using lots of sarcasm again in your previous posts.

I love the product, I think they are a bargain, you don't, and that is OK, our opinions are allowed to differ.

Offer as much positive advice as you want about any product you want, but can you just please stop the sarcastic remarks about Ascension Speakers, I find them offensive because your publicly disrespecting a product of my choice. To me, it feels like your publicly saying I must be a goose for buying them because Andy reckons there crap.

Lots of people want a reasonable quality new product at a budget price, and they fill that niche for a lot of people.

Please don't publicly belittle my choice of product is all I'm saying Andy, even if in your eyes my choice was the wrong one. I think that's fair and reasonable and in the spirit of the forum, than there is no argument or problem from me. Now let's move on shall we.

Cheers

NGM

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I missed all the stuff in the middle of this thread:o goes to show how observant i am.....im a little guilty of AS bashing myself.

i should get round to doing a balanced review which i did promise some time ago......english was never my strong subject:hiccup

will i get some other speakers in the future.......yep absolutely....some time

Cheers GG

Sounds like your not happy with your speakers GG?

That's fair enough, I'd love to hear why, please share.

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Agreed NGM - and yes I do tend to rub people the wrong way with some "subtle" sarcasm - probably not a good thing on my part - you are correct I should be more direct and will try to be in future.

Regards

Andy

Edited by andythiing
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I missed all the stuff in the middle of this thread:o goes to show how observant i am.....im a little guilty of AS bashing myself.

i should get round to doing a balanced review which i did promise some time ago......english was never my strong subject:hiccup

will i get some other speakers in the future.......yep absolutely....some time

Cheers GG

You may want to re word that one GG, ... a bit guilty of AS bashing..!!!??? LOL. :cool:

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You may want to re word that one GG, ... a bit guilty of AS bashing..!!!??? LOL. :cool:

yeah i have on a few occasions been a bit on the heavy side with my compliments.... without any real balanced review......i am a little susceptible to hyperbole:o

my comment about buying new speakers had nothing to do with me not liking these speakers......there are just others out there id rather own:rolleyes: they are just a lot more expensive......so hopefully i will in the future:cool:......the ascensions are still great.

I should have written something long ago but i don't really feel im qualified.....I have little experience with other speakers that would be comparable........plus my ears have not been trained well enough to do a fair assessment.

but i would absolutely welcome anyone into my home who is qualified to do a decent write up......trouble is im in Tassie which aint exactly close to anywhere really:rolleyes: where's Keith been lately i know he likes to do reviews:popcorn

Cheers GG

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Guest The Fresh Prince

I've recently moved to Oz and have always been keen on "low food miles", so I figured I'd go for "low hifi miles" as well. Hence deciding to buy Oz speakers. I've been following this thread and to be honest I couldn't believe that Ascension are as as good as people made out, it seemed like religion rather than objectivity.

Well, today I took my one box Linn unit from my second system with me and auditioned a range of speakers with the same music and approx same volume levels in similar rooms (although not the same).

I auditioned Krix Neuphonix, Krix Phoenix, Elac 207 anniversary and Ascension 863PRTL (Peerless drivers, Fountek ribbon, transmission line). My very brief thoughts

Firstly, I felt the Phoenix was not in the same class as these other speakers.

The Neuphonix was a good set- deep and well controlled. The Elac was excellent and in my opinion superior to the Neuphonix- not as deep bass, but so tight and well controlled with great mid and upper. The Ascensions were also very good- not as well finished cosmetically as the others, but really had comparable sound qualities to the Neuphonix and Elac although a little sensitive to listener position. Not as deep as the Neuphonix, not quite as tight as the Elac- but nonetheless very good with good soundstage and a very "airy sound".

I have also listened to VAF DC7, the small signature series model and the flagship signature model in the past week, but not in comparable surroundings or with comparable equipment. I wasn't blown away by the DC7. The small signatures were so refined and beautiful to listen to. The flagships were simply awesome.

Anyway, I have opted for the Ascension model but with SB acoustics drivers, Fountek ribbon and Jantzen coils. Note: I have paid a premium for these options. I have been told these will make for a better speaker

The reasons I chose this speaker....

Firstly, one-to-one contact with the guy who makes them- he has all the time to discuss whatever you want to ask.

Secondly, quirkiness of being able to go down to someone's house and see exactly what the maker gets up to. It certainly is a humble (no disrepect intended) set up.

Thirdly, value. These are fantastic sounding for the money and for my requirements. I don't think I could get something as good for the price or even a bit more.

Fourthly, intrigue at the use of ribbon and transmission line design at this price point, and the fact that he makes speakers in a shed rather than lab. (I know most speakers aren't made in labs- but I certainly don't think most are made in sheds).

Fifth, the fact that I can take my new speakers home, listen to them for an extended period and then take them back to Ascension for modification if required.

Note, 3 of the 5 reasons require you to live in Adelaide.

I, however, think the suggestion that Ascension's top model is the best (?definition) speaker in Australia is a bit bold and I'm sure untrue. They are not the most beautiful things in the world, in my opinion

If I had more money to spend and was looking for the "best speaker in Australia" I be looking at VAF top model and others from Aslan, Duntech or Orpheus. I would also expect the best speaker to look pretty damn good too.

All my lowly opinion only....

The music I used: Orbital ("Doctor"), Metallica with the San Fran Philharmonic ("nothing else matters"), Lamb (can't remember the track name), Ryuichi Sakamoto ("Forbidden Colours"), Antonio Forcione (Naim recording, "Acoustic Revenge")

Edited by teddyboy
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Guest The Fresh Prince

By the way, I think it would really useful to have Ascension on here to explain some of the designs and thoughts behind them. (I don't think that is likely though). One man show, building/auditioning speakers 'til midnight and the impression of being somewhat reculsive/private.

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Agreed NGM - and yes I do tend to rub people the wrong way with some "subtle" sarcasm - probably not a good thing on my part - you are correct I should be more direct and will try to be in future.

Regards

Andy

Cheers mate.

awwwwwwwwwww GROUP HUG EVERYBOODDYYY :)

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By the way, I think it would really useful to have Ascension on here to explain some of the designs and thoughts behind them. (I don't think that is likely though). One man show, building/auditioning speakers 'til midnight and the impression of being somewhat reculsive/private.
He doesn't have the internet, or even a mobile phone AFAIK, his son looks after the website.

Anyways it's high time I post pics of my setup, had it for a few months, and very happy with it. Which is more than I can say for my photography. ;)

Note: They're hosted on another forum but you can click on thumbs for larger pics.

image.php?id=p8bg3&f=1%27 image.php?id=bfc4r&f=1%27image.php?id=ispt0&f=1%27

I'll also repeat what I posted on that forum:

Details:

TV: Samsung LA46A750

Blu-ray: PS3

Receiver: Denon AVR-2809

Speakers: Adelaide Speakers Timberwolf 8883PRTL, Centre 252PR, Firesprite 502RV

Cat: Felicity - ticked tabby w/ residual markings from the Animal Welfare League.

The mains had their transmission line altered so the exit is at the rear-top (instead of bottom) so they'd perform better closer to walls/corners. The Centre 252 had the drivers changed to match the mains and was put in a slim-line (442) cabinet. Setup has no sub, and not missing it IMO, the 4x 8" Peerless HDS drivers have plenty of thump! Oh and I know the centre placement is pretty ordinary but it's the only possible location with that entertainment unit.

Currently playing some Apocalyptica, the Worlds Collide album, through them. The combination of classical cello and metal really shows of their range and clarity. If you can accurately reproduce those haunting strings and a fast double-kick bassline I reckon you're doing pretty well. :)

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Hi Oosh, looks good. Is Felicity the cat a custom upgrade? In which case, I expect you will need a matching one for the other speaker. :)
The cheeky bugger thinks they're wonderful, coz she can use them as to get on top of the unit and bookcase, so my lovely speakers are nothing more than very expensive step-ladders in her eyes.

Domokun is the closest thing we've got to a matching one and they don't get along.

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Great read Teddyboy, balanced, informative and credible.

Thank you for your unbiased opinions, and welcome to SNA.

Cheers

NGM

Welcome from me, too, Teddyboy. With all the things that have been said on this thread over time, one thing I've been hoping to see is an objective comparison between Adelaide Speakers and the other local manufacturers, so your comments are most welcome, and very interesting.

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Anyways it's high time I post pics of my setup, had it for a few months, and very happy with it. Which is more than I can say for my photography. ;)

Currently playing some Apocalyptica, the Worlds Collide album, through them. The combination of classical cello and metal really shows of their range and clarity. If you can accurately reproduce those haunting strings and a fast double-kick bassline I reckon you're doing pretty well. :)

Nice pickup there Oosh. A couple of questions for you though. I have a centre speaker with a similar layout to yours in a wide box but using parts identical to my summoner mains. Does the high mounting of a ribbon tweeter affect the sound in your listening area? Do you have it angled down at all?

I admit that one reason I chose summoners over the timberwolf was for the single woofer and dome tweeter because of my small listening/watching area and the chance of of axis listening and wanting no base issues from listening close to the speakers with 2 woofers. Of course now I'm considering a bigger house with bigger theatre room and all those issues go away!

Anyway, just curious if you felt there were any issues with mounting your centre so high in the HT setup.

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Nice pickup there Oosh. A couple of questions for you though. I have a centre speaker with a similar layout to yours in a wide box but using parts identical to my summoner mains. Does the high mounting of a ribbon tweeter affect the sound in your listening area? Do you have it angled down at all?

I admit that one reason I chose summoners over the timberwolf was for the single woofer and dome tweeter because of my small listening/watching area and the chance of of axis listening and wanting no base issues from listening close to the speakers with 2 woofers. Of course now I'm considering a bigger house with bigger theatre room and all those issues go away!

Anyway, just curious if you felt there were any issues with mounting your centre so high in the HT setup.

Thanks. There's no denying that it's a long way from ideal up there, I have indeed aimed it down at the listening position as best I can by eyeball, but have been meaning to get my hands on a laser pointer to verify it. But the plan is to change to a more accommodating unit in the longer-term.

Not having, nor particularly wanting (given I live in a townhouse), a subwoofer I felt the double 8" was a necessity, but I'm not suffering from boomyness even with the tight corner placement of the right channel.

I do find the sweetspot for a great (and it is great) soundstage is quite narrow, I put that down to not being able to put the speakers wide enough apart and sitting too close to them. The room is far and away the biggest limiting factor of my rig.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all, long time lurker on here, I am finally getting around to biting the bullet and buying some nice musical speakers and a receiver.

Am curious to find out if anyone is driving the Summoner 863/1093 range with the Harmon Kardon 255/355 receivers and if they have come up as a good match?

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Hi all, long time lurker on here, I am finally getting around to biting the bullet and buying some nice musical speakers and a receiver.

Am curious to find out if anyone is driving the Summoner 863/1093 range with the Harmon Kardon 255/355 receivers and if they have come up as a good match?

Hi Kaj

I have a pair of 1093's, a pair of 502 firesprites and can't recall the centre model off the top of my head. It has the same 5" kevlars and higher spec dome tweeter as the 1093's though. Oh and a 12' sub with unusual (1 off as far as I know) Peerless XXL driver and 225 watt amp.

Yes I am using a HK 355. This is my first ever surround sound system and I am quite happy with it. While it did come in over budget for me (all up cost around $4,200) I think it was money well spent. While I was looking around I soon realised I was never going to get anything close to what I wanted for less than about $5,500 and perhaps more. I am very happy with the surround performance of the system. Not sure the old folks next door share my happiness lol. I primarily use it for music listening in either 2 ch or surround and it can still bring a smile to my dial some 3 to 4 months down the track.

I find that dance type music sounds absolutely fantastic. Probably my only gripe is that with some rock music it can sound a little top end heavy or light in the bottom end and I find myself turning the treble down 1 to 2 notches from flat. I generally leave the bass setting flat. My electronics may play a part here as my disc spinner is a PS3 at the moment. I mainly stream music wirelessly from the PC for convenience so it is in no way a high end set up! One thing I am very pleased about is the system as a whole is not fatiguing to listen to at high sound levels. This is very important to me as I like to wind the wick up regularly.:D

A few notes regarding the HK 355. It is a sexy looking beast imho. At first I was concerned at it's modest 65 x 7 wpc rating however it's not really an issue at all. I think it's a satisfactory match for the surround and centre channels as they have a nominal rating of about the same from memory with a max of about 100ish. The 1093's are still well cabable of shaking the windows when run in stereo without the sub although I am still on the lookout for a higher powered 2 ch power amp as the 1093's would really benefit from something with at least double the HK output. The HK has preouts for all channels to make this happen. Now for some negative press on the HK. If you allready own one you may be aware of it's documented issues. Probably the most annoying problem would be a clicking/popping when changing channels on TV or when it changes surround modes. While it's not real loud as to cause damage to speakers it does take the shine off an otherwise great system. Another thing is if you leave the reciever to auto select the best surround mode it will select Logic7 (Harmans own surround effect afaik) for all 2ch sourced material. I prefer prologicII so that means changing settings often when changing TV stations etc. I think the popping issue can be eliminated or at lest made better by a firmware update. I will hopefully upgrade this next week as I need to do it at work on a pc with a serial port. I will report back if you want to know what difference this makes. If and when I get this place cleaned up and I get some time off I will offer a demo. I owe Mitcon a demo as I have had the pleasure of auditioning his theatre. Just be patient with me guys.

Have you ordered your sub Mitcon? Should be an absolute cracker. I guess it would need to be to keep up with the rest.

Some general stuff for you there Kaj, if you have any specific questions fire away and I will do my best to answer them.

I can achieve a SPL around 90-95db very comfortably but probably not much more left in the tank if that's of any benefit. I think that's quite good for the modest output level of the HK.

Edited by 68premier
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