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CBM-170SE2 BOOKSHELF MONITOR PAIR

$468.00

The Rebirth Of A Legend

New Klippel NFS optimized version!

The new CBM-170SE2 is a complete reinvention of our legendary speaker. Using today’s most advanced R&D tools, including our Klippel NFS, we improved every performance aspect while staying true to the original purpose: exceptional accuracy, real-world practicality, and outstanding value.

The result is deeper bass extension, punchier midbass, greatly improved directivity, a smoother and even more accurate response, an optimized in-room presentation, and a dramatically wider, deeper, and more enveloping soundstage.

This is not a small step forward — it is the most dramatic V1-to-V2 upgrade we have ever produced!

The CBM-170SE2 once again places itself head and shoulders above anything anywhere near its price point.

New V2 Edition... Legendary performance now even better!

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CBM-170SE2 DESCRIPTION

Nearly 30 years ago, the original CBM-170 helped launch Ascend Acoustics with a simple but ambitious goal: deliver true high-performance at unconventional highly affordable pricing. It was never intended to be flashy. It was designed to perform — with flat frequency response, excellent efficiency, low distortion, high power handling, quality components, and a practical form-follows-function enclosure. The CBM-170 quickly earned a reputation for offering serious high-end performance at a genuinely affordable price, and over the years it has found its way into research facilities, recording studios, music rooms, entertainment venues, and the homes of countless thousands of customers.

The new CBM-170SE2 is a complete reinvention of our legendary speaker. Using the most advanced R&D tools available today, including our Klippel NFS, we set out to improve every meaningful aspect of performance while keeping the speaker affordable, practical, and true to its original purpose. The result is deeper bass extension, punchier midbass, greatly improved directivity, smoother and more linear on-axis response, and an optimized estimated in-room response. The woofer, cabinet, and port have been completely re-tuned, the new larger flared port greatly reduces turbulence, and the seamless cabinet is now sleeker, better looking, and significantly better braced for improved rigidity and resonance control.

Sonically, the CBM-170SE2 is not a small step forward — it is a massive upgrade. It is far more dynamic, more refined, less forward, less bright, and delivers a soundstage that is dramatically wider, deeper, and more enveloping than any previous 170. This is, without question, the most dramatic V1-to-V2 performance upgrade of any speaker we have ever produced, and one that proudly honors the speaker that started it all for us.

The CBM-170SE2 once again places itself head and shoulders above anything anywhere near its price point — a one-of-a-kind affordable reference monitor, and a legacy that proudly marches on.

CBM-170SE2 FEATURES

Hand assembled, tested, and packaged in the USA!
Seamless, fully braced enclosure featuring radiused edges to reduce negative diffraction effects.
Our 27mm double-chambered neodymium tweeter is custom manufactured for us by SEAS of Norway. This highly specialized tweeter features a ferro-fluid damped voice coil, extremely low distortion, extended response, wide dispersion and high power handling.
Real woofer phase plug (instead of dust cap) linearizes and widens dispersion, improves voice coil cooling (extending woofer life) and improves airflow thereby increasing efficiency and power handling.
Flush mounted drivers and grille mounts minimize diffraction and reduce high-frequency baffle reflections.
Proprietary 6.5" polygel woofer (composite fibers stabilized with an acrylic polymer-gel) provides exceptional stiffness yet is extremely lightweight and well damped, providing tight bass, accurate mids, extremely low stored energy and accurate transient reproduction.
Large flared rear port tube enhances bass response, increases efficiency, and lowers distortion.
5 way gold plated brass binding posts ensure a low resistance and secure connection to a wide variety of speaker cable connectors.
1/4-20 threaded insert for trouble-free and secure mounting to popular wall mount brackets.
Advanced 18-element NFS optimized crossover featuring air-core inductors and metallized polypropylene capacitors in the direct signal path.

CBM-170SE2 SPECIFICATIONS

Typical In-Room Frequency Response	43Hz - 20kHz
Typical In-Room Sensitivity	91dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms
Max Continuous Power*	200 watts
Max Short Term Peak Power*	400 watts
Cabinet Detail	internally braced 5/8" MDF, magnetically shielded, bass reflex via rear tuned port
Tweeter	(1) 27mm custom soft dome tweeter, double-chambered w/neodymium magnet, ferrofluid cooled voice coil, wide dispersion faceplate, manufactured by SEAS of Norway
Woofer	(1) proprietary 6.5” long throw woofer featuring a composite polygel cone, real phase plug, non-resonant polymer chassis, rubber surround, vented former, magnetically shielded
Connections	(2) gold plated all metal 5 way binding posts
Inserts	(1) 1/4-20 threaded insert for simple mounting to wall mount brackets

Bass Extension (-6dB)	54Hz
Anechoic Frequency Response	64Hz - 22kHz +/- 3dB
Anechoic Sensitivity	87dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter

Dimensions H x W x D**	12" x 9" x 9.5"
Speaker Weight (each)	14.5 pounds
Shipping Weight (pair)	33 pounds

Minimum Recommended Amplifier Power Rating for Speaker Distance to Listening Position
3 Feet or Less	2 watts minimum
9 Feet or Less	12 watts minimum
15 Feet or Less	33 watts minimum
21 Feet or More	65 watts minimum

*Unclipped peaks	**Grille Off

CBM-170SE2 MEASUREMENTS

* The below anechoic measurements are high-resolution full-range 360-degree scans taken with our Klippel Near Field Scanner. A minimum of 800 individual measurements are taken to generate these advanced measurements, typically requiring a minimum of 6 hours. These are unsmoothed and fully conform to CEA/CTA-2034 standards.

These measurements are as accurate as is currently technically possible.

Due to the costs, space requirements and complexity, very few manufacturers own or have access to a Klippel NFS, nor would they ever publish such detailed data on their products. Ascend Acoustics is and always has dared to be different.

For information regarding the CTA-2034 standard, please click here: CTA-2034

For information regarding the Klippel NFS, please click here: Klippel NFS Video and Technical Data

CBM-170SE2 On-Axis

CBM-170SE2 CEA-2034

CBM-170SE2 PIR

CBM-170SE2 Early Reflections

CBM-170SE2 Contour Plot Horizontal

CBM-170SE2 Beamwidth Horizontal

CBM-170SE2 Contour Plot Vertical

CBM-170SE2 Horizontal SPL

CBM-170SE2 Impedance and Phase

CBM-170SE2 Off-Axis PIR

*Note: Our exclusive Off-Axis Estimated In-Room Response measurement is a critical performance metric. It is an accurate comparison of the differences a listener should expect to hear sitting at different off-axis angles from the speaker; on-axis, +/- 10 degrees horizontally, +/- 20 degrees horizontally and +/- 30 degrees horizontally.

This is a modern and more accurate prediction of in-room speaker performance at different listening angles compared to a simple off-axis measurement graph. This measurement graph accounts for both direct sound and indirect sound and requires thousands of individual off-axis measurements that are then processed through complex algorithms to derive the results. In comparison, an off-axis measurement is just a single response measurement that does not account for the actual directivity of the speaker and is not representative of what we actually hear.

This measurement clearly shows the remarkable off-axis response of the CBM-170SE2. There is less than 1/2dB of deviation between the different off-axis positions and this is based on accepted science determining what the listener will hear from this speaker in a typical listening environment.

CBM-170SE2 SUMMARY

Not only is this the best measuring speaker at even well above its price point, the CBM-170SE2 sounds fantastic for both music and home theater.

Dialogue is natural, intelligible and lifelike. Highs are smooth, extended, detailed but never harsh or bright. Bass and midbass are quite impressive, the speakers sound dynamic, punchy and exciting but the most impressive aspect is the wide and enveloping soundstage.

It took us many years to be able to pay proper homage to our legendary speaker, but the time spent was well worth it and we delivered something truly unique, truly special and without peers.

We are excited for you to experience a level of performance that has never been seen before at anywhere near this price point!