Sweet spacious sound, Butt-kicking bass.

Nondescript design style.

Before I found these speakers, I went to every Audio store in the area to listen to HT audio systems under $2K. I was generally dissapointed. It looked like I was going to have to pay about $4K to get a 5.1 HT audio system that I could live with. I looked on this site to discover the great reviews given to the Ascend Acoustic speakers. I called them up, and they were very helpful in suggesting which speakers and other components would meet my objectives. With a 30 day in home trial period, I did not see how I could go wrong. The speakers arrived well packaged, in perfect condition. The fit and finish was perfect. They do not look space age or like fine furnature, just small heavy rectangular black boxes. Fairly invisible actually. I put together a 5.1 system with CBM-170 L,C,R speakers, HTM-200 LR,RR speakers and the Hsu VF-2 MK2 subwoofer. I hooked them to a Marantz 5300 tuner/Amp. I also put in a Sony 50 inch LCD projection TV. (One note about the specific part number here: I believe that Ascend's new website uses more of an a la carte selection process for picking the individual home theatre speakers now, so this specific part number may not be a package anymore, but all the parts are still available.) I can't even imagine a better sounding set of speakers. Put on a good CD of chamber music, close your eyes, and you are there in the middle of the group. The first time I tried out these speakers with a CD, I sat back in my chair and told my wife, "this is what music is supposed to sound like". But that is just the 2.1 part of the system! It took a while longer to finish building my dedicated home theatre room. When it was ready, I put on my 'Finding Nemo' DVD and went to the movies! Talk about base! During the explosions and shark attack sequences, it felt like I was not going to make it out of there alive! It has to be experienced! I don't go to the movies any more, I just wait for the DVD. The audio at the theaters just can't compare. I had a friend of mine who sets up sound systems professionally for bands come over to listen to the system. I could not get him away from it. He just sat there saying, "This is amazing! and this is the best sounding setup I have ever heard!" Another friend of mine who wears double hearing aids came over and I hesitantly ask if he wanted to listen to the system. He said he did, but he would have to turn off his hearing aids, because they always squeal when he listens to any kind of speaker system. Before he could get them off, I had the music on. His jaw dropped. "That is pure music", he exclaimed, "that is beautiful!" That was the first time he could listen with his hearing aids on or off! My mother came for a visit and fell in love with a New Age CD I had. When she returned home she got a copy for herself. She called to complain, "How come it doesn't sound like it did at your house?" It's the speakers, I told her. "Well", she said, "I am going to have to get a pair of those speakers so I can enjoy my CD". I am planning on purchasing more of the speakers for other rooms in my new house. I just can't contemplate using any other product.