The Ascendo Experience
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An experience. That’s what this is. I can’t believe what an immersive and impressive experience this is. We have of course already reported how good Ascendo is during our visit to the factory in Germany. But that was a gigantic setup with six subwoofers, atmos-deluxe… it’s just an endless pool of power. This is a relatively simple 7.1 setup with by far not the largest subwoofer. Though it’s a ‘refrigerator’ model … so we quickly renamed the SMS21 “The Fridge”. Luckily, it does sound tighter than a fridge.
Same experience…
But back to the experience. The experience in Germany was overwhelming. Now a 7.1 system in scale might be a little less overwhelming. But make no mistake: this experience is still very impressive. The punch, tightness and scale that this set manages to put down is beyond the level of Pathé. At least the Pathe’s we visited. First of all, it’s often too loud and not nearly as detailed as this Ascendo subwoofer.
The vocal qualities of the CCRM12 are impressive too. Voices sound particularly uncoloured and beautifully open. As a result, we are immediately drawn into the film. We just can’t get away… we’ll have to look further. And so your author and colleague spend an afternoon Netflixing… and blu-ray’ing… And streaming… Time Flies…
Also music!
We’ve watched a lot of movies and series. Alone, with family, friends, colleagues… we estimate we’ve rarely shared a set as much as this Ascendo. What also stands out is how much fun it is to watch concerts on this system. Steven Wilson at the Royal Albert Hall, Kraftwerk, Muse live in Rome… It’s awesome! This 7.1 set-up – depending on the quality of the recording of course – flawlessly sets down the atmosphere and acoustics of the concert. And we haven’t seen it like that very often. We know enough surround systems that are good in movies. But music? No. …that often sounds stiff, loud… rough. Not with this German creation. It just makes real music. In short: this is the ‘real deal’. Next level cinema.
Alpha Approved.
Conclusion
Are you looking for the ultimate cinema experience? Look no further... this is it. Period. Ascendo really delivers a next-level movie experience. The CCRM12 fonts deliver a delightfully complete soundstage with extremely audible voices. The CCRM6 surrounds complete the picture. Finally, the SMS21 subwoofer - AKA The Fridge - finishes it off with an extremely punchy, tight and deep bass.Now 50,000 euros is just a lot of money. And Ascendo clearly serves a niche... but this level for 50,000 is just special. After all, everything is active. So in fact, you are already done with a few xlr cables, a processor and a source. Let that sink in. No doubt about it. Alpha Approved.