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View Full Version : Sierra Towers with RAAL vs Focal Aria 936



freesole
03-08-2016, 02:10 PM
I just started to build out my system after doing my research here. I wanted to build a 2.1 system that would be used about 75% for music and 25% for HT. Most of my listening would be for jazz and classical but I listen to just about anything that sounds good to my ears. Originally, I started out with Epos Epic 5 towers which sounded great for a pair of $750 towers. But then, because of this forum, I began to wonder if I could do better if I set a budget of $2,500 or so for a pair of tower speakers (seriously dangerous hobby :p). It turned out that there were so many options to choose from in this price range but I settled on two:

Focal Aria 936 & Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers with RAAL

Now, I purchased the Focal Aria 936 from MusicDirect for $2,499 (on sale from approximately $4,000). I have had these speakers for about 3 weeks. Since MusicDirect have a 60 day return policy, I had to try the Ascend Sierra Towers because everyone had amazing things to say about them (literally have not read a single negative review). Now, the Ascend Sierra Towers in Satin Espresso with RAAL costs approximately $2,800 so there is an approximate $300 difference in pricing here to take into account. Ascend allows a 30 day return policy.

Now, keep in mind with the following review that I am a newbie in this space. I don't know the technical terms and have relied solely on my own ears to assess the differences between the two speakers. I won't be referring to frequency or any technical charts because to me, that is not what I cared about. I hope this helps some others out there as you guys have helped me.

Powered By: Anthem MRX 510 AVR, Marantz 5007

Appearance and Quality of Build:

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda12b8dde5a0d8c3e5d/1455750562114/_MG_7363.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda02b8dde5a0d8c3e59/1455750561803/_MG_7364.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda02b8dde5a0d8c3e3f/1455750561303/Sierra936.jpg
The Aria are taller and bulkier (both width and depth wise) than the Sierra towers.

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fd9e2b8dde5a0d8c3e0b/1455750560428/Sierra936v2.jpg
A glimpse of some of the details of the Aria and the Sierra side by side. The Sierra's RAAL tweeters versus the Aria's.

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fd9e20c64742ae072c78/1455750560410/_MG_7378.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda020c64742ae072ca5/1455750578697/_MG_7375.jpg
Both speakers are beautifully constructed. The Aria appears more high end due to its walnut siding, glass black top, and leather face/backing. The Aria's are constructed in France and in terms of materials used, the Aria certainly exudes quality. The Sierra is no slouch either though. From my perspective, the Sierra's may look simple but to me, they look incredibly sleek. The black on dark espresso works well together it just looks so well put together.

However, from a pure looks perspective, I would probably give the nudge to the Aria simply because it has a WAF in my case :)

Sound Quality: As soon as I got the speakers up and running, I ran a few tests and switched between speakers frequently to try and hear any audible differences. I also made my better half do blind listening tests to get her opinion as she used to play in an orchestra. Since she has a much sharper ear than me, I figured it would be best to get her impartial thoughts. They carry more weight than mine at the end of the day ;)

Miles Davis - Autumn Leaves - I love this track. This was used as my benchmark song when I first started this hobby. The mixture of instruments and high and low pitches make this a good song for me to test the dynamic range of a speaker. In this case, the performance of the Sierra and the Aria was not very noticeable. Both played the song very well. The sax and trumpet reproduction was fantastic - you really hear each note being played at a pitch that would have been representative of the live performance. The detail in both speakers were fantastic and there was no harshness in the high's at any point (I was listening at a fairly high volume). The trumpet in the Sierra was so good that it felt like you were sitting right in the audience. The piano in this recording is a little recessed to me but that is the recording and not the speaker's fault. My wife couldn't tell the speakers apart in this one.

Nils Lofgren - Keith Don't Go - A very high quality recording so this sounds good on a lot of speakers but the high end speakers should accentuate the details (good and bad). Let's just say that both speakers sound amazing with this track on. The individual strings being plucked is very audible for both. However, when the vocals started, the Sierra hit me hard. The vocal reproduction from the Sierra sounded different - almost a little more airy but so clear. The experience with the Sierra is such that you feel like you're in the crowd sitting right in the middle of it all. The reverberations of the strings and vocals (especially when I closed my eyes), seemed to completely immerse you in the Sierra's. I would say that the Sierra's presented more details and nuances that I may not have heard before came to light. The Aria's are no slouch when it comes to the vocals either but the Sierra's just sounded different in a pleasant way. With the Aria's, the term I would use is that they are smooth. Just so smooth and not overly bright or warm.

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - This is a great track to test the piano reproduction. Again, I had to close my eyes but me and my wife both commented on how you could hear the pitch of each individual key being struck. She commented that this is exactly how I would have thought the piano would have sounded like in the performance. Because she had no idea which speaker was playing, she was actually convinced that the Focal's were the one that she was listening to. When I told her that it was the Sierra's she thought I had tricked her haha. Both speakers played this track really well but to us, the Sierra's were more clear, more detailed and more life like.

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me - Me and my wife sat down and listened to this on Tidal the other night. I have to say that this is where I noticed the Sierra's because of how natural they sounded. In the Focal's, while the sound was still very good, you could really hear the brushing of the drums. Almost to a point where I would describe the sound of the track... "grainy". Not sure if that makes sense. The Sierra's seem to smooth that out and bring out the vocals of Norah's voice in a more forward and clear way. I would have to say that I enjoyed the Sierra's version of this song more in all honesty. My wife didn't hear a huge difference but agreed overall.

Anne Bisson - September in Montreal - The Sierra's presented the background detail of this track clearly. Another audible difference was that the Sierra's could pick up the little nuances in the vocalist's voice towards the end of the song that were not as prominent in the Focal's. Now, that's not to say that both speaker's didn't sound great because they really did but the Sierra's showed that they were slightly more transparent and neutral in this one.

TV (Netflix/Oscars on HD/Bluray) - What can I say? Both speakers were excellent in this regard. I did not turn on the center speaker so that I could focus on the towers but in both, the dialogue was clearly audible in either case. For movies such as Captain America - Winter Soldier, I thought that the dialogue during louder scenes were somewhat clearer with the Sierra towers but that the lower end was more prominent in the Focals. A bit of a trade off but if you have a sub, the lower end compromise shouldn't be a problem.

Conclusion: After much consideration, I've decided to keep the Sierra's and go for the Horizon center. It was close between the two but the thought of having a center sound as good as the towers in my system was too much to pass up. This should be a setup that can last for a good long time so it will satisfy that itch and get rid of that "what if" thought

Additionally, the Sierra's themselves sound the way I prefer them to - natural and supremely detailed. I have been looking forward to sitting back every night, listening to music as I chill out after a day of work. This was just the way I wanted my speakers to influence me.

The Focals are fantastic speakers in their own right and it's hard to pin this decision on anything they did wrong. At the end it came down to the transparency that the Sierra's were able to produce and the center speaker preference. The Sierra's also have the aesthetics that mesh better with our current furniture and they also have a smaller foot print compared to the Focals.

Thanks for everyone's help and tips! I hope to be enjoying these speakers for a long time

MusicHead
03-31-2016, 05:57 PM
Great review and fantastic pictures. Enjoy your Sierras.

Jaybeez
03-31-2016, 08:31 PM
The Sierra towers are incredible! Enjoy them.

sludgeogre
04-01-2016, 02:37 PM
Additionally, the Sierra's themselves sound the way I prefer them to - natural and supremely detailed. I have been looking forward to sitting back every night, listening to music as I chill out after a day of work. This was just the way I wanted my speakers to influence me.

The Focals are fantastic speakers in their own right and it's hard to pin this decision on anything they did wrong. At the end it came down to the transparency that the Sierra's were able to produce and the center speaker preference. The Sierra's also have the aesthetics that mesh better with our current furniture and they also have a smaller foot print compared to the Focals.

Finally took the time to read your review and it was very interesting and well thought out. I totally agree that the natural and detailed attributes of the Sierra Tower are true bliss. They really blow everything else away in terms of sound and value.

My Dad has a Triad setup and I've also found that the transparency of the Ascend speakers is leagues above the Triads. The center channel is also far more detailed and capable, but part of that might be positioning because I sit closer to my center and it's right at ear level.

Hope you are as thrilled with the Horizon Center as I am. Please post your impressions when you get it in, and I suggest that you buy a couple of 5.1 concerts as well, even if you don't have surrounds. It'll really blow you away. My Steven Wilson and Katatonia concerts in particular sound incredible. Perhaps even better than seeing them live in a great venue, which is really saying something. Can't wait to get my setup into a dedicated theater room.

freesole
04-04-2016, 09:34 AM
Finally took the time to read your review and it was very interesting and well thought out. I totally agree that the natural and detailed attributes of the Sierra Tower are true bliss. They really blow everything else away in terms of sound and value.

My Dad has a Triad setup and I've also found that the transparency of the Ascend speakers is leagues above the Triads. The center channel is also far more detailed and capable, but part of that might be positioning because I sit closer to my center and it's right at ear level.

Hope you are as thrilled with the Horizon Center as I am. Please post your impressions when you get it in, and I suggest that you buy a couple of 5.1 concerts as well, even if you don't have surrounds. It'll really blow you away. My Steven Wilson and Katatonia concerts in particular sound incredible. Perhaps even better than seeing them live in a great venue, which is really saying something. Can't wait to get my setup into a dedicated theater room.

Certainly will! I'm really looking forward to getting the Horizon - I've already placed my order. Just need to wait for the cabinets to be back in stock again...

sludgeogre
04-04-2016, 10:44 AM
Certainly will! I'm really looking forward to getting the Horizon - I've already placed my order. Just need to wait for the cabinets to be back in stock again...

Ouch, hope they get in soon. I know I snagged one of the last few they had when I got mine. I'm Glad that Ascend is doing well and moving so many units, but it sucks that you have to wait!

vikspeed
04-26-2016, 10:20 PM
I just started to build out my system after doing my research here. I wanted to build a 2.1 system that would be used about 75% for music and 25% for HT. Most of my listening would be for jazz and classical but I listen to just about anything that sounds good to my ears. Originally, I started out with Epos Epic 5 towers which sounded great for a pair of $750 towers. But then, because of this forum, I began to wonder if I could do better if I set a budget of $2,500 or so for a pair of tower speakers (seriously dangerous hobby :p). It turned out that there were so many options to choose from in this price range but I settled on two:

Focal Aria 936 & Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers with RAAL

Now, I purchased the Focal Aria 936 from MusicDirect for $2,499 (on sale from approximately $4,000). I have had these speakers for about 3 weeks. Since MusicDirect have a 60 day return policy, I had to try the Ascend Sierra Towers because everyone had amazing things to say about them (literally have not read a single negative review). Now, the Ascend Sierra Towers in Satin Espresso with RAAL costs approximately $2,800 so there is an approximate $300 difference in pricing here to take into account. Ascend allows a 30 day return policy.

Now, keep in mind with the following review that I am a newbie in this space. I don't know the technical terms and have relied solely on my own ears to assess the differences between the two speakers. I won't be referring to frequency or any technical charts because to me, that is not what I cared about. I hope this helps some others out there as you guys have helped me.

Powered By: Anthem MRX 510 AVR, Marantz 5007

Appearance and Quality of Build:

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda12b8dde5a0d8c3e5d/1455750562114/_MG_7363.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda02b8dde5a0d8c3e59/1455750561803/_MG_7364.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda02b8dde5a0d8c3e3f/1455750561303/Sierra936.jpg
The Aria are taller and bulkier (both width and depth wise) than the Sierra towers.

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fd9e2b8dde5a0d8c3e0b/1455750560428/Sierra936v2.jpg
A glimpse of some of the details of the Aria and the Sierra side by side. The Sierra's RAAL tweeters versus the Aria's.

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fd9e20c64742ae072c78/1455750560410/_MG_7378.jpg
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/56c4fda020c64742ae072ca5/1455750578697/_MG_7375.jpg
Both speakers are beautifully constructed. The Aria appears more high end due to its walnut siding, glass black top, and leather face/backing. The Aria's are constructed in France and in terms of materials used, the Aria certainly exudes quality. The Sierra is no slouch either though. From my perspective, the Sierra's may look simple but to me, they look incredibly sleek. The black on dark espresso works well together it just looks so well put together.

However, from a pure looks perspective, I would probably give the nudge to the Aria simply because it has a WAF in my case :)

Sound Quality: As soon as I got the speakers up and running, I ran a few tests and switched between speakers frequently to try and hear any audible differences. I also made my better half do blind listening tests to get her opinion as she used to play in an orchestra. Since she has a much sharper ear than me, I figured it would be best to get her impartial thoughts. They carry more weight than mine at the end of the day ;)

Miles Davis - Autumn Leaves - I love this track. This was used as my benchmark song when I first started this hobby. The mixture of instruments and high and low pitches make this a good song for me to test the dynamic range of a speaker. In this case, the performance of the Sierra and the Aria was not very noticeable. Both played the song very well. The sax and trumpet reproduction was fantastic - you really hear each note being played at a pitch that would have been representative of the live performance. The detail in both speakers were fantastic and there was no harshness in the high's at any point (I was listening at a fairly high volume). The trumpet in the Sierra was so good that it felt like you were sitting right in the audience. The piano in this recording is a little recessed to me but that is the recording and not the speaker's fault. My wife couldn't tell the speakers apart in this one.

Nils Lofgren - Keith Don't Go - A very high quality recording so this sounds good on a lot of speakers but the high end speakers should accentuate the details (good and bad). Let's just say that both speakers sound amazing with this track on. The individual strings being plucked is very audible for both. However, when the vocals started, the Sierra hit me hard. The vocal reproduction from the Sierra sounded different - almost a little more airy but so clear. The experience with the Sierra is such that you feel like you're in the crowd sitting right in the middle of it all. The reverberations of the strings and vocals (especially when I closed my eyes), seemed to completely immerse you in the Sierra's. I would say that the Sierra's presented more details and nuances that I may not have heard before came to light. The Aria's are no slouch when it comes to the vocals either but the Sierra's just sounded different in a pleasant way. With the Aria's, the term I would use is that they are smooth. Just so smooth and not overly bright or warm.

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - This is a great track to test the piano reproduction. Again, I had to close my eyes but me and my wife both commented on how you could hear the pitch of each individual key being struck. She commented that this is exactly how I would have thought the piano would have sounded like in the performance. Because she had no idea which speaker was playing, she was actually convinced that the Focal's were the one that she was listening to. When I told her that it was the Sierra's she thought I had tricked her haha. Both speakers played this track really well but to us, the Sierra's were more clear, more detailed and more life like.

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me - Me and my wife sat down and listened to this on Tidal the other night. I have to say that this is where I noticed the Sierra's because of how natural they sounded. In the Focal's, while the sound was still very good, you could really hear the brushing of the drums. Almost to a point where I would describe the sound of the track... "grainy". Not sure if that makes sense. The Sierra's seem to smooth that out and bring out the vocals of Norah's voice in a more forward and clear way. I would have to say that I enjoyed the Sierra's version of this song more in all honesty. My wife didn't hear a huge difference but agreed overall.

Anne Bisson - September in Montreal - The Sierra's presented the background detail of this track clearly. Another audible difference was that the Sierra's could pick up the little nuances in the vocalist's voice towards the end of the song that were not as prominent in the Focal's. Now, that's not to say that both speaker's didn't sound great because they really did but the Sierra's showed that they were slightly more transparent and neutral in this one.

TV (Netflix/Oscars on HD/Bluray) - What can I say? Both speakers were excellent in this regard. I did not turn on the center speaker so that I could focus on the towers but in both, the dialogue was clearly audible in either case. For movies such as Captain America - Winter Soldier, I thought that the dialogue during louder scenes were somewhat clearer with the Sierra towers but that the lower end was more prominent in the Focals. A bit of a trade off but if you have a sub, the lower end compromise shouldn't be a problem.

Conclusion: After much consideration, I've decided to keep the Sierra's and go for the Horizon center. It was close between the two but the thought of having a center sound as good as the towers in my system was too much to pass up. This should be a setup that can last for a good long time so it will satisfy that itch and get rid of that "what if" thought

Additionally, the Sierra's themselves sound the way I prefer them to - natural and supremely detailed. I have been looking forward to sitting back every night, listening to music as I chill out after a day of work. This was just the way I wanted my speakers to influence me.

The Focals are fantastic speakers in their own right and it's hard to pin this decision on anything they did wrong. At the end it came down to the transparency that the Sierra's were able to produce and the center speaker preference. The Sierra's also have the aesthetics that mesh better with our current furniture and they also have a smaller foot print compared to the Focals.

Thanks for everyone's help and tips! I hope to be enjoying these speakers for a long time

As someone who is looking at ordering the Sierra Towers with RAAL and Horizon Center, I was curious if you had received your center yet? Even if you have not, could you elaborate more on TV/Movie watching? I want something that has very clear dialogue but dynamic performance for home theater. My current speakers require me to adjust the center really high and sometimes turn the volume down during loud scenes. I hate having to do that. I have also looked at Revel F208s with C208 center as an option, but I'd love to hear what you have to say about the Ascend speakers.

freesole
04-26-2016, 11:27 PM
Which speakers do you currently have? I am still waiting on my Horizon center as they are still backlogged but I will say that my RAAL towers have such good clarity right now that I rarely ever feel like I have to turn my center on. The RAAL tweeters really do excel at expressing sound in as clear and detailed yet neutral way. I love listening to music on them and I use these speakers the majority of the time for music. When I do use them for HT though, they do a fantastic job as well.

I haven't heard the Revel F208's but I hear great things about them. In terms of clarity though, I think you would be hard pressed to find many options better than the Ascend RAAL towers at this price point.

vikspeed
04-27-2016, 06:59 AM
Which speakers do you currently have? I am still waiting on my Horizon center as they are still backlogged but I will say that my RAAL towers have such good clarity right now that I rarely ever feel like I have to turn my center on. The RAAL tweeters really do excel at expressing sound in as clear and detailed yet neutral way. I love listening to music on them and I use these speakers the majority of the time for music. When I do use them for HT though, they do a fantastic job as well.

I haven't heard the Revel F208's but I hear great things about them. In terms of clarity though, I think you would be hard pressed to find many options better than the Ascend RAAL towers at this price point.

I currently have pretty lower end speakers: 2 Polk TSi400 towers, 1 CS20 center, and 2 TSi100 surround bookshelf speakers. I am also currently using an Onkyo 608 to power them.

My planned setup is either: 2 Ascend Sierra Towers with RAAL, 1 Horizon center, and 4 HTM200se for surround with 2 Revel in-ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos;

OR

2 Revel F208s, 1 Revel C208 center, and 4 HTM200se for surround with 2 Revel in-ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos.

I am nearly all home theater--about 80%. Price of the Ascends versus the Revels is almost the same.

Also, I would be powering my new setup with a Marantz SR7010.

freesole
04-27-2016, 09:52 AM
From the times that I have used my Ascend's for HT work, it has performed really well. I don't feel like I'm missing out really. The Horizon center has been touted by some as the very best speaker in Ascend's lineup - that is really saying something when the RAAL towers are already that good. My personal thought is that it would be hard to be better than the Horizon when comparing against other centers on the market. Since HT performance is impacted so heavily by the performance of the center speaker, I really think Ascend is a very strong choice.

I haven't heard the Revels like I said but would love to. I always thought the F208 was closer to $3,700 or more? Must be getting a nice deal if the price for you is relatively the same :)

vikspeed
04-27-2016, 11:45 AM
From the times that I have used my Ascend's for HT work, it has performed really well. I don't feel like I'm missing out really. The Horizon center has been touted by some as the very best speaker in Ascend's lineup - that is really saying something when the RAAL towers are already that good. My personal thought is that it would be hard to be better than the Horizon when comparing against other centers on the market. Since HT performance is impacted so heavily by the performance of the center speaker, I really think Ascend is a very strong choice.

I haven't heard the Revels like I said but would love to. I always thought the F208 was closer to $3,700 or more? Must be getting a nice deal if the price for you is relatively the same :)

Yes, I have been offered a really good deal. That's what makes the decision difficult for me--and particularly since I have only heard the Revels and cannot audition the Ascends. Yet, everything I read tells me that the Ascends will be even better than the Revels.

freesole
04-27-2016, 03:49 PM
Yes, I have been offered a really good deal. That's what makes the decision difficult for me--and particularly since I have only heard the Revels and cannot audition the Ascends. Yet, everything I read tells me that the Ascends will be even better than the Revels.

Unfortunately it will be impossible to know until you try it out at your home :) I don't think anyone has done the comparison between the two before! As you can see from this thread, I have tried the Ascend's against a $4K speaker in the Focal Aria 936's and I liked the Ascend's more (though by a fairly slim margin at the time). Everyone will have a different impression I think!

davef
04-27-2016, 05:17 PM
Yes, I have been offered a really good deal. That's what makes the decision difficult for me--and particularly since I have only heard the Revels and cannot audition the Ascends. Yet, everything I read tells me that the Ascends will be even better than the Revels.

I have heard the F208's several times. It has deeper bass than our ribbon towers but if you are looking for clarity and detail, you would need to step up to the Ultima series for a fairer comparison in my professional opinion. So much depends on what you expect out of the speakers and your intended usage. Feel free to contact me directly...

moovtune
04-29-2016, 11:16 AM
I've been enjoying my Sierra ribbon towers and Horizon center for several weeks now and finally have a system that meets my preferences - full, rich, but highly detailed sound. I had a pair of PSB T2 towers ($3500 a pair) and a pair of PSB Image T6 towers as wides ($1300) a pair - all nice speakers. But after trying the Sierra Ribbon Towers I sold the T2's to a friend and the T6's on Ebay. I replaced the T6's with Sierra 2 bookshelves as wides and it's the best sound I've had in my music/home theater room. The front sound stage is all the same timbre now, 5 across the front.

freesole
05-28-2016, 11:11 PM
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/574a83c58a65e20cc749e968/1464501192421/3E2A3181.jpg?format=1500w
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/574a83c586db431f093f8428/1464501192825/3E2A3179.jpg?format=1500w

Got my RAAL Horizon speaker a few weeks ago now. I think I'm set for the next decade or more. The center really rounds out the setup and replaces an already very good Aperion Verus Grand Center. I know it might sound like bragging but I really do think this setup sounds better than most setups I've heard in demo rooms at my local dealers (including those with high end B&W, Magnepan, Golden Ear setups). They truly blow me away.

Thank you Dave and Dina! We'll be in touch again I'm sure but hopefully just to see how things are going on your end and not me itching to buy more ;)

Jaybeez
06-02-2016, 09:05 PM
Yes, I have been offered a really good deal. That's what makes the decision difficult for me--and particularly since I have only heard the Revels and cannot audition the Ascends. Yet, everything I read tells me that the Ascends will be even better than the Revels.

I haven't compared Revel towers to Ascend towers. I've heard Ascend RAAL towers live in San Clemente, and have done critical listening of Revel Ultima Gems (1) and M20's.

In my view Sierra 2's (which I bought) compare well vs. Ultima Gems and Sierra 1's similar to M20's.

Frankly, I think Sierra 1's are noticeably better than M20's (can't speak to 22's) and Sierra 2's on par with the Ultima Gems.

Based on this, and my very very favorable impression of the RAAL towers, I'd say the Ascend models overall punch well above their weight class, and can stand their own vs. comparable Revels, which will likely cost way more used than Ascend's new offerings.

If you're missing a bit of bass vs. the Revel towers, you should have $$ left over for a quality Rhythmik sub.

sludgeogre
06-03-2016, 07:04 AM
There is a long post over on AVS from way back in 2008 where a guy bought Sierra 1's and was unhappy with them as he was used to B&W sound for the last decade. He learned that he preferred that "smile" shape of their frequency response, and seemed to really prefer metal domes, which is just weird. He wanted subtle details to be really accentuated, and he wanted deeper bass. After weeks and weeks of playing with the S1 and still not being happy, he went with B&W Diamond 805's, and he STILL said that the Sierra 1 sounded better in a couple of ways, but the Diamonds had deeper bass (duh) and he preferred the metallic tweeter sound (wha?!). So in the end, he spent a few times more what the S1 cost, and ended up getting a maybe slightly better in some areas and slightly worse in other areas speaker. I was dumbfounded.

Jaybeez
06-03-2016, 08:39 AM
There is a long post over on AVS from way back in 2008 where a guy bought Sierra 1's and was unhappy with them as he was used to B&W sound for the last decade. He learned that he preferred that "smile" shape of their frequency response, and seemed to really prefer metal domes, which is just weird. He wanted subtle details to be really accentuated, and he wanted deeper bass. After weeks and weeks of playing with the S1 and still not being happy, he went with B&W Diamond 805's, and he STILL said that the Sierra 1 sounded better in a couple of ways, but the Diamonds had deeper bass (duh) and he preferred the metallic tweeter sound (wha?!). So in the end, he spent a few times more what the S1 cost, and ended up getting a maybe slightly better in some areas and slightly worse in other areas speaker. I was dumbfounded.

I read that thread all the way through and noted that Dave weighed in a couple of times in a very objective way. Felt the OP just couldn't get past the adjustment to flat, accurate sound. I grew up with the "smile" but learned to go flat when recording / mixing music. Everything I listen to now (iPhone, car, etc.) is set to flat and I couldn't be happier. Even my amp is set to Pure Direct mode.
Ultimately, in my view, a switch to S2s probably would have more than satisfied him for far less $$.

sludgeogre
06-03-2016, 10:22 AM
I read that thread all the way through and noted that Dave weighed in a couple of times in a very objective way. Felt the OP just couldn't get past the adjustment to flat, accurate sound. I grew up with the "smile" but learned to go flat when recording / mixing music. Everything I listen to now (iPhone, car, etc.) is set to flat and I couldn't be happier. Even my amp is set to Pure Direct mode.
Ultimately, in my view, a switch to S2s probably would have more than satisfied him for far less $$.

Yeah I had to read the whole thread as well, and Dave was a real class act the whole way through. He really spent a lot of time responding to his issues. I even loved when he told that Gus guy to stop calling people fanboys and being a dick, it was great.

I totally agree that if he had just gone with the S2's (which I don't even know if they were being made in 2008) and/or a subwoofer, he would have been much happier. If he was in a small, sealed room instead of that giant open room it would have had much better bass performance as well. Oh well, his loss.

Jaybeez
06-03-2016, 08:15 PM
Yeah I had to read the whole thread as well, and Dave was a real class act the whole way through. He really spent a lot of time responding to his issues. I even loved when he told that Gus guy to stop calling people fanboys and being a dick, it was great.

I totally agree that if he had just gone with the S2's (which I don't even know if they were being made in 2008) and/or a subwoofer, he would have been much happier. If he was in a small, sealed room instead of that giant open room it would have had much better bass performance as well. Oh well, his loss.

Yup. And now he spent $$ he didn't have to. Dave is always great on these boards and provides sound objective advise with virtually no bias toward his gear.

Funny, I met him when I demo'd my Sierras with my twins, and didn't even know he was "The" Dave. He's just that cool and unassuming. And he makes darn nice speakers!

enricoclaudio
10-21-2016, 08:26 PM
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/574a83c58a65e20cc749e968/1464501192421/3E2A3181.jpg?format=1500w
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ea41d3e4b0ca62de561903/56c4fd8620c64742ae072ba1/574a83c586db431f093f8428/1464501192825/3E2A3179.jpg?format=1500w

Got my RAAL Horizon speaker a few weeks ago now. I think I'm set for the next decade or more. The center really rounds out the setup and replaces an already very good Aperion Verus Grand Center. I know it might sound like bragging but I really do think this setup sounds better than most setups I've heard in demo rooms at my local dealers (including those with high end B&W, Magnepan, Golden Ear setups). They truly blow me away.

Thank you Dave and Dina! We'll be in touch again I'm sure but hopefully just to see how things are going on your end and not me itching to buy more ;)

This photo has me sold on the Sierra Towers with RAAL in Satin Espresso. Now it's time to sell my Polk Audio LSiM speakers setup and save some extra money to get my Sierra with RAAL setup :)

davidwb
12-25-2016, 07:37 AM
I'm going to be making the same decision (at least in part...I hope to also compare the Ascend Towers to similar KEF, Revel, and Ryan speakers). I've already eliminated B&W and Golden Ear (in comparison with the Focal 936). I'm hoping to order my Towers this week, and I will keep everyone informed with my speaker comparisons. It will be exciting!

davidwb
12-30-2016, 06:28 AM
RAAL Towers are ordered and hopefully will be delivered next Friday...can't wait to set them up and listen!

enricoclaudio
12-31-2016, 08:08 AM
My Satin Expresso RAAL Sierra Towers + Horizon RAAL + Sierra 2s were ordered on Thursday. Hopefully I'll get them by mid January. Thanks Dave and Dina for your help :) Happy New Year!!!

davidwb
01-08-2017, 10:00 AM
This is what I've been doing all weekend:

1415

davidwb
01-08-2017, 10:00 AM
Hmmm...I have NOT been standing on my head

davidwb
01-08-2017, 05:59 PM
still trying to get the photo right

curtis
01-08-2017, 05:59 PM
This is what I've been doing all weekend:
The weekend is just about over. So what did you think? :)

davidwb
01-08-2017, 06:02 PM
I can't get it right side up

curtis
01-08-2017, 07:51 PM
I can't get it right side upInteresting...on my phone, the first one is right side up...but on my computer and ipad, they are all upside-down.

davidwb
01-09-2017, 03:09 PM
Anyway...Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers (RAAL tweeter) vs. Focal Aria 936:
Not a true scientific experiment: did not have a speaker selector -- changed speakers by switching the speaker wire connections; clearly not even single-blind let alone double-blind! Focals played slightly louder than the Sierras for the same volume setting on the pre-amp -- I stepped up the volume for the Sierras when the played, but they were then just a tad louder than the Focals. I had no way to completely equalize the volumes between them.

Still, my buddy and I could make the change in less than 30 seconds and compare the same tracks that way. We had four of us comparing at most, although often just two of us.

Associated equipment: Emotiva power amp (150 watts per channel); Apt-Holman pre-amp; Technics SL-1200 turntable, w/Audio Technica cartridge; Pioneer Elite DVD player (for CDs, SACDs, and DVD-As).

Speakers were placed in an AB/AB arrangement. No subwoofer. At least 3 feet from side walls and front walls. Room open to the back (to the home theater). Speakers approximately 7.5 feet apart and 8.5 feet from the listening positions (almost the desired equilateral triangle). Ear height approximately equal to the tweeter height (exactly for the Sierras; a couple of inches below for the Focals)

Music: soft/folk rock (Jackson Browne, Carole King, etc.), harder rock (early Chicago, The Who, The Beatles, The Stones), classical (various symphonies,various composers), The Great American Songbook (Ella, Frank, etc.). So, a pretty fair representation of the music we listen to.

Hat tip to Hanson AV in Dayton, OH (perhaps the best hi-fi store in central/southern Ohio -- Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati) for letting me take the Focals home for a couple of days for this shootout.

Initially, the Focals sounded better on most music -- but they were completely broken-in while the Sierras were right out of the boxes (after having been delivered cross-country earlier that day). Over time, most of us thought that the sound of the Sierras improved significantly. I have never been a believer in speaker break-in, but this was clearly a case where it occurred. The other listeners probably had never even heard of this before, but they all said that the Sierras sounded better the second day. The Focals were completely broken-in, as they were the display models.

For much of the music we listened to, there was not a lot of difference between the two (on the second day). This comparing a $2,700 pair of speakers with a $4,000 pair (although on sale for $3,000)! But the Sierras gave a better sense of "presence" on "smaller" or "live" music (Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic, vol 1, for example) -- it clearly sounded as if he was in the room playing relative to the Focals.

The Focals appeared to have more "depth" on many recordings, while the Sierras had a smoother high-end (love that ribbon tweeter).

I think what may have occurred here is that the flatter response of the Sierras and the flat (but not as flat) response of the Focals gave the appearance of more depth to the Focals -- it may have been some emphasis in the lower mid-range that did this. With no test equipment, I couldn't tell for sure. But in addition to break-in, I think that those of us listening eventually got used to the flatter response of the Sierras and this was an additional reason why most of us (but not all) thought that the performance of the Sierras improved in day 2.

I had to return the Focals at the end of day 2, as the store needed them to lend to someone else. I had until today to decide if I wanted to purchase the Focals at the (really good) sales price, or not. The Sierras, of course, have the fantastic return policy of Ascend Acoustics, so I can return them later.

Which one did I choose?

I'm away on business for the next week, but when I return home I will take a photo of the winner and post it here (hopefully right side up!). (And if you think that my returning the test Focals gave it away, I can get new ones delivered next weekend in the color I want, and they and my wife will set them up -- so you still don't know!).

Stay tuned!

davidwb
01-17-2017, 09:48 AM
Now that I'm back, photo of the winner coming tonight (with explanation). Hopefully right side up!

davidwb
01-17-2017, 07:20 PM
And the winner is:


1426

rsmt2000
01-17-2017, 07:40 PM
And the winner is:




Hmm. They look lonely without a sub ( or two). Please add two rythmik F15 HPs and post the pics here.��

curtis
01-17-2017, 09:05 PM
Congrats...but I wonder is what up with not getting the picture right side up.

sludgeogre
01-17-2017, 11:00 PM
Awesome, I knew it would be the Towers.

What's weird is when I download the picture, it's right side up, only upside down in the forum. Very strange indeed.

davidwb
01-18-2017, 05:02 AM
I experimented in various ways trying to get the picture to appear right-side-up here, but failed in each effort.

What you can't see in the photo is that I have an old Velodyne sub connected to the system with a cross-over at around 45hz. I would love to get a pair of Rythmik F15s, but the budget will not allow it. But, I plan to get a single (smaller) Rythmik or SVS sub in the near future.