Are my expectations for Sierra-1 to Sierra-2ex upgrade out of touch with reality?

A few months ago I purchased a pair of Sierra-1. Initial reactions were along the lines of "these sound pretty good but..." and I never really finished the thought. I had them hooked up to an Emotiva A-100 for first impressions. I brought down my Sonos amp and there was a definite improvement in dynamics and clarity (literally, things sounded clearer. There may be something wrong with my Emotiva, I've also noticed some static-like noises for the first few minutes after turning it on). So it was better, still not blown away, but pretty good. I should mention this is all a near-field-ish setup - they are each about 4' away from me, and probably 8' away from each other, certainly not ideal distances but it works well enough.

Long story short, I blew the hell out of any semblance of audio budget I had for my little work space and brought home a McIntosh MA5300. It's transformed the Sierra-1s in all the right ways. They sound really, really, incredibly good. This doesn't mean they're 100% what I'm looking for, though, I have a couple of things I wish they did differently.

First, I wish they were a little warmer. I'm not sure my definition of "warm" is the same as everybody else's so to clarify when I say "warm" I'm talking about full-bodied mids, deep punchy bass, and deep extension...honestly I think I might even prefer a little bit of bass bloom, whatever that is. I'd say the S1 have the full-bodied mids I like, and are right on the cusp of having enough bass for me, but I wish they had more bass impact/slam/presence at lower volumes. They can definitely belt it out at high volume, but I want some of that at lower volumes too.

Second, I wish the highs were a little...smoother? Honestly this isn't something I can put into words exactly. I fell in love with the AMT tweeters in the Emotiva line and Martin Logan's folded motion tweeters. They had sparkle without ever being harsh or bright or offensive. I have the stock tweeter in my S1 and there have been times where I've been like "This is a really good tweeter, do I really miss the AMT?", and then other times where I've thought "Yep, the AMT would've done that better."

This all brings me to the long-winded point of my post. Because I can't stick to a budget, I'm thinking about doing the S1->S2-ex upgrade kit. But I'd really like somebody who has either done this upgrade, or has heard both the S1 and S2-ex, to chime in with their impressions, thoughts, observations. Based on some things I've read online I have expectations already set that the Sierra-2ex will be smoother up top, warmer in the middle, and more rotund at the bottom both in terms of extension and weight. Are these expectations out of line with reality? How much warmer will it be? How much more bottom-happy? I've tried looking at both of their frequency response charts, and based on those it looks like there's only marginally more bass extension and output in the ex so I feel like there's got to be something I'm missing based on some of the things I've seen online so far, or maybe I just don't know how to read those charts properly.

As a possible reference point, I had the Emotiva T-Zero placed in the same position as these are right now. Those had the exact characteristics I'm looking for in terms of bass and I loved the AMT. There were other things that eventually led me to give those away, and for those reasons I wouldn't personally reconsider the Airmotiv line as they exist currently, but sonically they got more right for me than wrong.

Sorry for the rambling post, but I appreciate any feedback or guidance on my journey to what I hope is an audio setup I will be enthralled with for years.

After re-reading my post, I do want to point out that I really like the Sierra-1 as I have them set up currently. If my expectations do happen to be unrealistic for the benefits of the S-2ex I could happily live with these for a long time, convinced that I'm not going to be happier with anything else near the price these were selling for. Also there's always the NRT upgrade that I might read up on.

Have you considered adding a subwoofer?

Ha, I knew there was something I forgot to mention. I want to keep this a simple 2.0 setup. I've certainly considered it, and have tried it out a couple of times, but I don't really have the space for a sub so any solution with one is going to be a compromise in terms of layout or positioning. For instance I'd have to choose between putting the thing under my desk and eating up my precious leg/foot room and constantly kicking it accidentally, or putting it to the outside of my desk where it's basically hiding behind a cabinet I use as the foundation of the desk itself. Neither of those are a solution that's worked out.

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Originally Posted by arrogantyeti

Ha, I knew there was something I forgot to mention. I want to keep this a simple 2.0 setup. I've certainly considered it, and have tried it out a couple of times, but I don't really have the space for a sub so any solution with one is going to be a compromise in terms of layout or positioning. For instance I'd have to choose between putting the thing under my desk and eating up my precious leg/foot room and constantly kicking it accidentally, or putting it to the outside of my desk where it's basically hiding behind a cabinet I use as the foundation of the desk itself. Neither of those are a solution that's worked out.

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Ascend sells a Rythmik F8 subwoofer that is pretty compact and output-wise would be well suited for this use. Maybe the dimensions are too big still, but many are unaware of this this subwoofer, so I figured I’d point it out.

Many have said that the woofer upgrade in Sierra 2EX, makes it sound much like a tower in terms of extension. I only have the Sierra 2s, so I can’t speak from firsthand experience there though. If the F8 subwoofer doesn’t work for you, then the Sierra 2EX might be the best you can do. I’d call Ascend and talk with Dave. He has heard these two speakers and couldn’t easily help you figure out what is best for your situation.

I now have have my three Sierra-2 EXs, but when I had the 1s, I felt like something was missing at the top end, especially after hearing an folded ribbon on some cheap Martin Logans. Those tended to be a bit fatiguing though, and the midrange/upper bass was boxy and boomy sounding. I feel like the '2' upgrade took the speakers to another level of clarity and realism and the 2EX takes it up another notch. I LOVE the way well recorded cymbals sound on these and many times I'm struck by how it just sounds like I'm listening to a real person and not speakers

Just a thought...In-wall Subwoofer, if that's at all possible for you, is an option.

I have never noticed an amp adding or detracting anything unless there was something wrong with it.

I'm super happy with the Sierra 2s I stumbled across. So happy I went ahead and ordered the towers!

Hi,

I expect to receive a set of Sierra 1 some time this week. I should have a thought or two to share as a comparison to 2-EX fairly soon.

-Andrew

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arrogantyeti

A few months ago I purchased a pair of Sierra-1. Initial reactions were along the lines of "these sound pretty good but..." and I never really finished the thought. I had them hooked up to an Emotiva A-100 for first impressions. I brought down my Sonos amp and there was a definite improvement in dynamics and clarity (literally, things sounded clearer. There may be something wrong with my Emotiva, I've also noticed some static-like noises for the first few minutes after turning it on). So it was better, still not blown away, but pretty good. I should mention this is all a near-field-ish setup - they are each about 4' away from me, and probably 8' away from each other, certainly not ideal distances but it works well enough.

Long story short, I blew the hell out of any semblance of audio budget I had for my little work space and brought home a McIntosh MA5300. It's transformed the Sierra-1s in all the right ways. They sound really, really, incredibly good. This doesn't mean they're 100% what I'm looking for, though, I have a couple of things I wish they did differently.

First, I wish they were a little warmer. I'm not sure my definition of "warm" is the same as everybody else's so to clarify when I say "warm" I'm talking about full-bodied mids, deep punchy bass, and deep extension...honestly I think I might even prefer a little bit of bass bloom, whatever that is. I'd say the S1 have the full-bodied mids I like, and are right on the cusp of having enough bass for me, but I wish they had more bass impact/slam/presence at lower volumes. They can definitely belt it out at high volume, but I want some of that at lower volumes too.

Second, I wish the highs were a little...smoother? Honestly this isn't something I can put into words exactly. I fell in love with the AMT tweeters in the Emotiva line and Martin Logan's folded motion tweeters. They had sparkle without ever being harsh or bright or offensive. I have the stock tweeter in my S1 and there have been times where I've been like "This is a really good tweeter, do I really miss the AMT?", and then other times where I've thought "Yep, the AMT would've done that better."

This all brings me to the long-winded point of my post. Because I can't stick to a budget, I'm thinking about doing the S1->S2-ex upgrade kit. But I'd really like somebody who has either done this upgrade, or has heard both the S1 and S2-ex, to chime in with their impressions, thoughts, observations. Based on some things I've read online I have expectations already set that the Sierra-2ex will be smoother up top, warmer in the middle, and more rotund at the bottom both in terms of extension and weight. Are these expectations out of line with reality? How much warmer will it be? How much more bottom-happy? I've tried looking at both of their frequency response charts, and based on those it looks like there's only marginally more bass extension and output in the ex so I feel like there's got to be something I'm missing based on some of the things I've seen online so far, or maybe I just don't know how to read those charts properly.

As a possible reference point, I had the Emotiva T-Zero placed in the same position as these are right now. Those had the exact characteristics I'm looking for in terms of bass and I loved the AMT. There were other things that eventually led me to give those away, and for those reasons I wouldn't personally reconsider the Airmotiv line as they exist currently, but sonically they got more right for me than wrong.

Sorry for the rambling post, but I appreciate any feedback or guidance on my journey to what I hope is an audio setup I will be enthralled with for years.

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How do you have the speakers oriented? According to the Soundstage NRC measurements the Sierra 1 within a 30 degree listening window. Beyond that it gets directional at above 5K. AMTs, like ribbons will have very wide horizontal dispersion so the sound will be much more spacious. You can try toe in to increase the HF response.

At nearfield I would suggest looking into REW with a UMIK-1 mic or a MiniDSP DiracLive box. You can definitely tailor the bass response to your liking with very little effect on the speaker's dynamics since you are listening nearfield.