"I got my pair today and am very impressed - the articulation and clarity of the midrange is astounding for a speaker of this price range, and very good by any standard! The off-axis treble response is smooth and linear, allowing for stable and sustained imaging, even at the "far end of the couch". Combined with a quality subwoofer, these speakers will please even a picky audiophile, or delight anyone looking for quality sound in a compact, low-priced package. Five of these and a sub would be the foundation of a top-notch, compact Home Theater system. Very well done!" -Glenn Strauss
                         
                         
                        March 2003, SoundStage! - 
                         
                           CBM-170
                         
                          Awarded 2003 Reviewer's Choice Award!
                       "For $328 per pair, the CBM-170 is nothing short of a steal, making it one of the giant killers you read about." -Doug Schneider
                       
                       
                        January 2003, the Sensible Sound - 
                         
                           CBM-170
                         
                          Awarded Staff Pick
                       "For a cost-effective speaker you cannot do much (if any) better than the $360 per-pair Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 systems." -Howard Ferstler, The Sensible Sound
                       
                       
                        December 2002, AudioReview - 
                         
                           CBM-170
                         
                          Awarded 2002 Choice Award
                       With so many glowing reviews, how could they not?
                       
                       
                        
September 2002, The Sensible Sound - 
                         
                           CBM-170
                         
                          Issue 92, Howard Ferstler
                       "I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they delivered some of the most attractive room curves I have ever measured in that particular room... Better yet, over the critical midrange between 250 Hz and 2.5 kHz the variation was only +/-2 dB, which would be a remarkable achievement for even a considerably more expensive speaker." -Howard Ferstler, The Sensible Sound
                         
                         
                        May 2001, CHT.com - 
                           
                             CBM-170
                           
                            Staff Pick
                       "Ascend Acoustics Surround System with the CBM-170. Try to find a more accurate speaker for the money.  This speaker is a music lover's dream and provides tremendous 2 channel music performance...  Impressive musical reproduction and good home theater sound characterize this set." -Joel White, CHT.com
                         
                       
                        April 2001, CHT.com - 
                         
                           5.1 System
                         
                          Awarded 4.5 Out of 5
                       "In the world of home theater, you usually get what you pay for.  In the case of the Ascend Acoustics 5.1 surround system, you get an incredible system, but you pay a budget system price.  We applaud Ascend for not trying to reinvent the wheel.  They found a great sub, packaged it with a great sounding speaker system and are offering it for an affordable price." -Joel White, CHT.com
                       
                       
                        February 2001, CHT.com - 
                           
                             CBM-170
                           
                            Awarded 4.5 Out of 5
                       "Ascend Acoustics has definitely built a nice looking, incredibly accurate speaker that makes music come alive... For music, we haven't found a speaker we prefer over the CBM-170s yet." -Joel White, CHT.com