Anyone have exp with Ascendo System M speakers?

CAT...yes...did notice in most shows/demos Ascendo is pairing with CAT...in HK there was demonstration last yr w/ Zanden ...and against live music which I unfortunately was not able to attend....media coverage available at six moons.com

The Ascendo's sound terrific by your description. May I ask how much they cost?

Sorry, I don't remember the details! I do have a lot of experience with Sonus Fabers having lived with various models for 15years, last one being the Guarneri which I prefered to the original Amati!

thanks Lisanedan, do you remember the ancillary equipment with Anniversarios?

Yes, I have but only at the show in London. I preferred it to the original and would probably prefer it to the Strads based on what I heard....due to better micro dynamics and soundstaging.

Hi,
I am using CAT JL2 MKII and will probably upgrade to signature in the future, but only after I upgrade my SL1 to the Legend version. In relation to the amps, over the years I had tried various amps ranging from big Krells, to Audio Research to CJs etc. (I have owned ARC and CJ amps in the past...will never buy a CJ amp again in my life!). I could not be more impressed with CAT products and I think that Ascendo and CAT are a match made in heaven! I think CAT and Ascendo share a lot of qualities and I simply have no desire to even investigate other amps anymore. Music is just so involving that over X-mas holidays and weekends my wife and I have often listened to music till 4:00am!!! BTW, Ken Stevens( president and designer of CAT) has also recently purchased Ascendo System Z speakers for his house and factory listening rooms.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Happy listening!

Lisanedan,
have you heard the new Amati Anniversario (broken in right) ?

Thanks Lisanedan. Can u provide a more specific comparison to the Wilsons? Also I noticed Ascendo has been featured with CAT but have u tried anything else as well with them?

Lisanedan, what version of the CAT JL-2 are you using to drive the Ascendo M speakers? There is a "Mark II" version and a "Signature Mark II" version, as well as the original "plain" JL-2. Thanks.

Henryhk,
The Ascendo System M-S speakers sounded wonderful at CES '06, and that was under show conditions. I bought a pair but haven't taken delivery yet. From what I heard at CES, I think Lisanedan is probably on the mark, but feel free to contact me privately if you'd like a second opinion after I have the speakers.

BTW, Jurgen Scheuring was present in the Ascendo room for the entirety of CES. He shares his knowledge freely and has a sincere, "no-spin" approach with customers.

Hi,
I have recently purchased the System M after spending last 2 years extensively auditioning various models such as Sonus Faber Stradivari and Amati, Wilson 7 and MAXX2 (later at show but very well set-up in a large room and demonstrated using selected recordings by Peter McGrath of Wilson), Avalon Opus Ceramic and Kharma CRM 3.2Fe.
System M excels in terms of natural instrumental timbre (a lot better than Kharma, Wilson and Avalon models), awesome macro and micro dynamics, superb top-end (best I have heard), excellent transparency, excellent bass extension and definition, excellent soundstaging, excellent pace and timing etc. Yes, I know you are wondering what is left and I agree!! I am sure I haven't extracted the best out of them yet so other aspects of my system (see below for details) and room (custom built) would have to be upgraded first before System M would even begin to reach their limit! All of the above comments are of course underscored by IMHO!!
To give you background to my own experience and preferences, my wife and I are MUSIC Fanatics and built a dedicated listening room in our new house. The room was designed to minimize resonances and I do use a limited number of ASC tube traps. We go to live music concerts as much as possible and love Jazz, rock, classical, some country, blues etc...i.e. a wide variety including less than perfect recordings. Last one was an important issue for me. Instrumental timbres, micro and macro dynamics, transparency and pace and timing are extremely important to me. For the last 10 years I had lived with various Sonus Fabers, last one being the Guarneri...which was an amazing little speaker!! I found the Strads to lack transparency so had to turn them down...was a very tough decision to take them out of our listening room!
As for the system, I use CAT JL2 power amp and CAT SL1 preamp, Transparent Reference cables throughout, Audio Research Reference CD7 player and Roksan Xerxes 20 turntable. We have dedicated mains in our room with 3 separate spurs for power amp, source and preamp.
One very important point I would like to mention is that Ascendo and Jurgen Scheuring(their CEO)have been unbelievably helpful with everything and I really could not speak more highly of anyone. I live in Ireland and we don't have any Ascendo agent in Ireland so my wife and I travelled to Germany to listen to System Z and M. Jurgen's hospitality was simply extraordinary...including great pretzels!! BTW, I am in no way affiliated to Ascendo.
I know I have rambled on a bit but this just reflects my enthusiasm for them. I have lost a lot of sleep over the last month or so but music has never been more enjoyable than at present! We truly are rediscovering our extensive collection.
Hope the above helps a bit and feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions.