Price Paid:  $808.00 from Ascend Acoustics

Summary:
I will start off by saying that I did not purchase the entire 5.1 package. I bought the CBM-170's for the front; CMC-340C Center Channel; and a pair of HTM-200's for the rear. In addition, I did not get the recommended HSU subwoofer, instead choosing to go with an SVS 20-39PCI. In shopping for this setup, I relied on the both the professional and user reviews of these speakers, along with the recommendations of the folks from Ascend acoustics, and SVS. Anyway, I am not going to mince words here. This package (mated with the SVS subwoofer) has me grinning ear to ear every time I listen to them. I don't know which I like better, the SVS or the Ascends, but together they make a killer system. The Ascends give me everything I wanted in a home theater speaker; strings and pianos are very sweet sounding and musical. Layering of the various instruments is exceptional. The The center channel, which handles the bulk of the dialog, is very smooth and natural sounding. The SVS sub blends beautifully with these speakers, with bass notes that actually sound like the instruments they are designed to reproduce. To be honest, when I watch DVD's on my new state of the art 34XBR910, my enjoyment of the audio portion of the system actually exceeds the video portion. To explain, the audio track on your typical movie is intended to amplify the emotional impact of the experience. My idea of a great system is one that functions the best at conveying this "emotion" to the listener. This system conveys the emotion, at a killer low price $1407 for the Ascend speakers and the SVS sub. I recommend this system highly.

Strengths:
Sound quality
Customer Service
Value

Weaknesses:
Bland speaker design.

Similar Products Used:
Merlin VSM Millenium, Acoustat, Legacy,
Apogee Slant Six
Magnepan SMG TDL Studio One, Mission 70