They are wonderful speakers but you will need a good subwoofer (s) to go with them as the base is the weak spot against others; and don’t let the Ascend fan boys impress you with all of their graphs and measurements and all on that last point. They are a loyal bunch and anyone who says anything negative about this $2700 speaker is a heretic. So again, this is a good choice.
I agree that the towers benefit from a sub, but I find they’re pretty good down low. Unlike some other two way speakers, I find their bass to be honest, not boomy. Sometimes, I find speakers’ attempts to do it all results in bass that is bigger but not better. The Ascends' bass is clear, accurate. A string bass sounds pretty great with no sub. Subs add more down low and open up the soundstage a bit.
To do better than the Ascends, you went up a price class. That’s probably something I’ll do, too, in time. Logical move.
FWIW, I’m not a fanboy, though I don’t think you were calling me one. Here is what matters about the graphs -- they indicate something real about performance. The Ascends just take a lot less power and play evenly. As one real-world correlate, see this.