Sierra-1 Review

I've just fully completed my 5.1 setup.

Sierra-1 LCR
CBM-170SE- surround
Epik Tower subwoofer

I will start by saying that I have been researching speakers since December of last year. I've made too many impulse purchases in the past, and I have learned from it. After enough research, I felt completely confident to go with Ascend. So, that is what brought me here.

The staff at Ascend are just such great people to talk with and do business with. So the customer service is top of the line. This was very important to me.

I purchased a pair of pre-owned Sierras off somebody, and during shipment, the internal damping material shifted and plugged up the port. I didn't know what it was and I immediately called Ascend and spoke with Dave. He quickly diagnosed the problem, and wanted me to ship them to him to repair. I don't think this was even something that would fall under a warranty, because it was not the fault of Ascend, it was the shipping company.I would have totally understood if I had to pay a fee for this fix, but I didn't. In fact, Ascend even shipped it back out of their pocket. Unbelievable.

Guys, there's not too many businesses out there that will actually encourage you to send something in for a free repair. This is a testament to the "above and beyond" customer service you get with Ascend.

Now on to the actual review!

I've never been much of a "dedicated" music guy. I've always thought of music listening as a secondary activity, like listening to my iPod while jogging, or listening to music in the car. But of course, I had to see what the Sierras were capable of. I'm no audiophile or golden ear by any means, and am not too savvy on all the adjectives used to describe sound, so bear with me...

The first thing I noticed with the Sierras was the imaging. It was stronger than any stereo pair of speakers I'd listened too. The sound created by the left and right speakers felt like I was getting sound out of the center channel! Still to this day, I have to stick my ear up to the center channel, just to double check that it's off, they image that good.

The bass is also very impressive and natural sounding. With most music, I actually prefer the Sierras full range, as opposed to using my sub. That is saying alot about the Sierras, because my Epik is a beast. And it is calibrated and crosses over into the Sierra's very smoothly.

These speakers also seem to bring out alot more detail than with any speaker I've ever listened to. I've noticed that with movies and videogames as well as music. Plainly put, I hear more details that I couldn't hear before.

These speakers are just amazing, and I am 101% satisfied with them.

Thank you Dave for making such a fantastic speaker!

Matt