Speakers costing range of 2500-3500 per pair

audiozen has a beef with Vandersteen and it shows in your posts.  That alone makes anyone question what you say.  You have the general idea about pricing down, but not in all cases.  That's a fact. You speak in absolute terms and fail to realize that many dealers carry equipment that is much better in sound and quality than direct sell.  Not in all cases and that's why I own a bit of each in my own system.  I just want what sounds best for me like most folks seem to want.  

You can speak in absolutes all you want about cabinet materials or expensive drivers and crossovers used, but that means nothing if not implemented correctly.  Maybe the Accent guy does that, but they still won't be the right speaker for everyone.  I love Vandersteen's and Tidal and a few others right now, but that doesn't mean that everyone will or should.  This is why there are a ton of makers out there.  

If a direct buy company doesn't offer at least a 30 day 100% money back guarantee, then I personally won't purchase from them unless they bring the product to the house (yes, I'm lucky since some folks are close to CT).  Maybe that speaker company does that.  If so, good on them.

As for Vandersteen using ghost writers, I highly doubt it.  As for his temper, who knows how you were with him.  It takes two to communicate.  I know a few folks who have had negative conversations with some of the biggest gentlemen in the industry.  It's ironic as I've overheard Richard speaking with an engineer about design concepts etc...  He may not be an engineer on paper, but he surly seemed to know what he was talking about.  Not all engineers have a degree or need one.  They can be self taught too.  

I personally don't care too much about all of that as I'm more into the music and great sound.  You can get that from a variety of components and matching as you pointed out in your Denon response, is THE key thing.  No need to purchase anything if you aren't going to match it with the correct devices.  Thats' at all price points I personally believe. 

I'm not going to disparage anyone or any product in this thread as I don't have a beef, like you admitted to with anyone.  The OP needs to get out and audition as many products as they can in order to figure out what they really want.  When folks actually get to stores and listen for a bit and not let the dealer or the manufacture talk them into something, they will find out they really do like one thing over another.  So often folks don't think amps or pre amps etc, really make a big difference until the sit down and listen to a few of them adn notice that they may not want what they came in look for.  I had that happen wiht me when I thought I wanted Vandy 2 back in the late 90s and walked out with a pair of floor standing ProAc's instead.  

Clock forward to about 4 years ago and I went into the closest ProAc dealer as Richard G (former distributor) sent me to Audio Connection.  I wanted  to purchase a new pair of the newer D series monitors and I walked out with a pair of Vandersteen Treo's.  The owner forced me to listen to all the speakers in my price range, because we all hear differently.  

OP, forget all of us and go listen.lol

The name of the company is Ascend Acoustics, not Accent. I'm not a fan boy of the Audio establishment. More than anything else, I'm a music man, big time. I listen to music at least two hours a night seven days a week when my system is in place. My main interest is Classical Composers and jazz, and hard rock for dessert. Implying I'm lying regarding my stint with Richard is absurd. When I called him back in the summer of '98, it was a quick call and I was impressed he answered the phone. I was polite, easy, just calling to have a tech questioned answered, thats all. I got the impression that he was distracted, probably assembling a speaker, who knows. During the past 30+ years I have had many great phone conversations with companies regarding tech issues that were all very positive. Richard took me by surprise, thats all. My focus in my recent threads is mainly on boutique companies that stay off the radar, that make their products solely for music lovers, not Audiophiles that are just into gear. Companies that have a long term word of mouth reputation, known for making musical treasures. Such as Belles and Ascend Acoustics. These companies are not interested in becoming a large mega million establishment audio company plastering their ads all over the planet in top high end magazines. Their only focus is the music lover, and these type of companies are disappearing. Having been burned by three retail businesses since 1986, is why I only buy direct.
General idea about pricing? I worked in retail for five years selling electronics and camera equipment, and I'm very familiar with bracket buying tables on paper, displaying vertical columns for different product amounts and wholesale discount rates. Common in retail. Also, I have never bought into the false concept " we all hear differently " when we listen to music. Twenty years ago, when I attended the monthly Audio Society meetings on Mercer Island at a church in their lower floor large rec room, we would bring CD's or vinyl to listen to and evaluate. An average of thirty people would show up every month. At the end of each listening session, everyone would have the same opinion of what we heard and always pointed out the bad or good qualities in the recording,
such as poor bass, cold highs, shallow midrange, and poor sound stage.
We assume all reviewers in the top high magazines, regardless of the mag, all hear the same things, Thats why we read their reviews in the first place! For evaluation! When three thousand people are in a concert hall to hear a symphony, guess what, they all hear the same thing. What a bunch of hyperbole. 

Hearing is a sense, like taste or smell.  I doubt 30 people would all have the same impression of the same dinner entree, if they all were to sample it.  Surely, the morphology of each person's ears differs, as well as each person's neural pathways.  No, I don't see how it would even be possible for every person to hear things exactly the same. Perhaps, the overall sound could be perceived similarly, but also the fine details?

helomech..I owned a pair of Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 SE's, which I sold before Christmas. A remarkable review you can find on The Sound Apprentice website. Go to their homepage and to the right click on Ascend Acoustics on their topic and brands list. Their conclusion is correct, a benchmark product. It is the best bookshelf I have ever heard in thirty years in its price range. Had it hooked up to my Rega Mira 3 integrated.

mtrot..Then why do we assume all reviewers hear the same thing? This is nothing more than propaganda from the high end industry. Your confusing hearing with sensitivity. Comparing eating a plate of Spaghetti to listening to music is a stupid analogy. If you believe that than go eat a sub woofer.
Paper cones I "hear" are more delicious.