Has anyone heard Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 Montiors

You can always try it yourself in your home for 30 days and only be out shipping if you don't like them. Check out the reviews on their website www.ascendacoustics.com and their is an Ascend enthuisist run website www.ascendforum.com. They get good run on SpeakerAsylum too.

I love mine but have them with a very mid-fi HT front-end. I keep reading of them being used with high-end stuff and the owners being pleased.

This is the most recent rave review. http://www.goodsound.com/equipment.shtml

CBM-170 are a rare case where they really do live up to the hype on the internet. If they suit your taste. They are not romantic, warm, "musical" speakers like JM Reynaud, Aerial Acoustics, or Sonus Faber Cremonas. I like clarity but they were a bit too fatiguing to my ears. Pair with a warm amp like Musical Fidelty A3 integrated or maybe Uniosn Unico (haven't heard).

I purchased a pair to evaluate to compare with my other bookshelf speakers. Right out of the box the speakers sounded awfully etchy on the high end. Midrange was not as musical as I expected. I called Ascend and expressed my findings and refund. David Fabrikant was extremly helpful."Let them break-in for at least 50-75 hrs and come back to listen". Let me say, this was the trick. Imaging and soundstage really opened up. High end lost its fatigue, noteablly smoother. Midrange much warmer. Mid-bass with the Aerogel woofer much tighter now.
Compared with my B&W 303's, Polk RTi 25, and Axiom Mti3.
I found the Acsends to be my favorite. More detailed than the B&W, Polk, and Axiom. Axiom is still too fatigueing for me. B&W midrange is slighty more pleasing out of the bunch. The mid-bass is where the Ascend's shine. Very tight and fast even at higher volumes.
A winner to my ears!
Equipment used- Forte 4a, Cary 808, Sunfire Classic tube preamp, Granite 657 tube CD player
Mike