I bought my Axioms partly because they are plain. I had a pair of old (I have no idea what brand they were because the nameplates fell off years ago) speakers that I used for 17 years. They had been in my living space for all of that time and I never realized how battered, bruised, and just butt ugly they looked until I was hauling them out to the curb. I killed those things over the years. It was then that I realized how little consideration I would put into appearance when looking for their replacements.
I agree with someone on who who said that they didn't even consider the Ascends because of their proportions. I had the same thoughts, and did not consider them based solely on appearance. I apparently have the same tastes in speakers that I have in women - taller / slender vs. shorter / squat(ter?)
Jordan - Make sure that your delay setting for the VP100 matches the actual distance from the listening position to the 100. If you have a sub, and it is calibrated to be in phase with your main speakers, then you may need to adjust the delay setting or physical position of the VP100 to get it in phase with the rest of the system. Being out of phase with the sub (and mains) will make it sound thin due to cancellation. This procedure from
a post by Guy Kuo of Avia on the Spot is a bit of a pain to do, but it describes how to get the center channel in phase. It will make 1 spot in your room THE place to sit - soundstage and imaging not to be believed. Try it before giving up on the VP100. Let me know if it works for you.
