Upgrade of Ascent to Ascent i

[Ukswede]

Hi All

Got a pair of Ascents and wondered can they be upgraded to the Ascent i. If so any idea of cost,and if it is worth it

Patrick

 

[MOON]

The Ascent i had the new generation stator panel, the same as in my Odyssey's.You could upgrade to that panel, although I would wait until a panel change was required rather than just doing it.

If new panels are not needed now,perhaps the money is best spent on some other aspect of your system.

Cheers, Greg

 

[RedRaider]

The Ascent i also upgraded to aluminum woofers and the rear 'nac' tweeter.

I believe the electronics are also different in the Ascent i.

 

[sebrof2000]

The Ascent i also upgraded to aluminum woofers and the rear 'nac' tweeter.

I believe the electronics are also different in the Ascent i.

New stator yes, Al woofer yes, new electronics not sure, but I do not believe there is a rear tweeter. I used to own a pair.

 

[Rich]

My understanding from the folks at ML was that the upgrade from Ascent to Ascent i had more to do with esthetics than performance. This notion is supported by the fact that the specs for the two speakers are identical. I don't believe there is any big difference in the electronics and have never heard of the Ascent i having the NAC tweeter. That is generally found on the lower end speakers like the Clarity.

You would probably get a lot more bang for your buck by investing in good amps than by doing the upgrade to the i version. I have found with my Ascents that the performance upgrade from biamping them with good amps is phenomenal. A quality solid state amp for the woofers and a powerful tube amp for the panels will make these speakers sing like you wouldn't believe.

With that said, these speakers are starting to get a little long in the tooth, so a panel upgrade may be beneficial depending on the condition of your particular panels.

 

[Ukswede]

Thanks for all your replies, speakers were bought in 2003,how do I know panels are degraded I guess they will degrade slowly. Amplifier I am using is 2x Exposure IV bi-amped.

 

[babydoc]

Ascent vs Ascent-i

Thanks for all your replies, speakers were bought in 2003,how do I know panels are degraded I guess they will degrade slowly. Amplifier I am using is 2x Exposure IV bi-amped.

I had an opportunity to listen to both speakers at my dealer's before I bought the Ascent-i some years ago. The Ascent-i had better imaging possibly due to the new panel design. Bass response was definitely better although not a quantum leap. If you are thinking about upgrading to a speaker with similar footprint, you might consider the Spires. They have been around long enough to find on the used market. These speakers are surprisingly close to the Summit but considerably cheaper. It's your money but, to me, it would make more sense to upgrade to a newer designed and clearly better speaker.

 

[RedRaider]

My bad guys, I was thinking of the Aeon i's. Sorry.

New stator yes, Al woofer yes, new electronics not sure, but I do not believe there is a rear tweeter. I used to own a pair.

My understanding from the folks at ML was that the upgrade from Ascent to Ascent i had more to do with esthetics than performance. This notion is supported by the fact that the specs for the two speakers are identical. I don't believe there is any big difference in the electronics and have never heard of the Ascent i having the NAC tweeter. That is generally found on the lower end speakers like the Clarity.

You would probably get a lot more bang for your buck by investing in good amps than by doing the upgrade to the i version. I have found with my Ascents that the performance upgrade from biamping them with good amps is phenomenal. A quality solid state amp for the woofers and a powerful tube amp for the panels will make these speakers sing like you wouldn't believe.

With that said, these speakers are starting to get a little long in the tooth, so a panel upgrade may be beneficial depending on the condition of your particular panels.