Sierra-2 L/R w/Sierra Horizon center?

Long story short, I am a huge movie/HT buff, but also listen to a great deal of music. I decided to take the plunge and get some Sierra-2 LR's for music and HT, as I have heard nothing but amazing things about the RAAL tweeter and Ascend in general.

Unfortunately, I am a bit cash strapped at the moment, and am going to run a phantom center until I can afford to buy one from Ascend. My question is: will I be able to run the 2's with the Horizon Center w/RAAL once I can afford it, and still have a good listening experience for 5.1? I really hope the answer is yes, as there is no way I can afford the horizon towers and center w/RAAL at the moment, but really want that Ascend sound.

Down the road, I do plan on buying the sierra towers to match the center, and moving the 2's to another room, but that may take a year or two longer than saving up for the center will take.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies!

I think either way, you should be fine.. 2 S2's with phantom center until you can afford the Horizon, then with the Horizon in the future. You could also do 3 S2's across the front.

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Originally Posted by xfan78

My question is: will I be able to run the 2's with the Horizon Center w/RAAL once I can afford it, and still have a good listening experience for 5.1?

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Yes. And a less expensive alternative is that you can also use a third Sierra 2 as center (Ascend can rotate the RAAL driver 90 degrees so you can use it horizontally). This is what I'm using right now and I really don't feel the need for the Horizon center. I may upgrade later, IDK, but I'm not hearing any deficiencies that need correction at this point. It's really quite good for music and movies both.

EDIT: I should point out that I'm also running a pair of Rythmik LVX12 subs which make the home theater part rock. How much the subs help music depends of course on what kind of music.

Built a mid-level home theater as part of a basement finish project early this year. Used approx 80% movies / tv, 20% music.

Went with Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2 (L & R) with Horizon (C). Added Rhythmik LVX12 sub. Also added 4x in-ceiling Atlantic Technology IC-6 OBA for Atmos duty. Also added 4x Paradigm Mini-monitors (I've owned and used in a 5.1 setup since 1998) for surround and back surround.

Obviously, the LCR speakers + subwoofer do the heavy lifting in a home theater application. I wanted clean, crisp, powerful sound for HT. I wanted exceptionally clear dialogue as I prefer movies in full dynamic range audio, but still want to clearly understand dialogue even though I have not had 20 year old ears for decades. I also wanted non-fatiguing, not strident fronts that do not color the sound. I wanted to hear the soundtrack as it was recorded. I also wanted musical speakers with power and clarity. Speakers that can handle everything from symphony to heavy metal. Speakers that are true to cellos, French horns, sopranos, and also heavy metal blast beat kick drums and punishing guitars. Speakers that bring the live music experience into my house.

Critically, every choice had to pass my wife's (significant) esthetic requirements, too. This was non-negotiable and also important to me.

In short, I wanted it all. No compromises. And I did not have $100,000 to spend on speakers... nowhere even close.

To answer your question, I am ecstatic with my Sierra-2 and Horizon setup! They check every box for me. Every single box! And, admittedly, I had a lot of boxes to check. Note: While I do not consider myself to be a high-end audiophile, I have enjoyed many sound systems over the last 35 years or so and have learned a bit over the years.

Your plan to start with Sierra-2 (L & R), Horizon (C) and possibly upgrade to Sierra Towers later moving the -2s to surround duty is rock solid. You will not be disappointed. Of course, you might not want to do that upgrade once you hear the initial setup.

A couple pix of our setup (cell phone snaps, apologies for potato quality) TV is 75" for scale:

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Originally Posted by Bruce Watson

Yes. And a less expensive alternative is that you can also use a third Sierra 2 as center (Ascend can rotate the RAAL driver 90 degrees so you can use it horizontally). This is what I'm using right now and I really don't feel the need for the Horizon center. I may upgrade later, IDK, but I'm not hearing any deficiencies that need correction at this point. It's really quite good for music and movies both.

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The Sierra-2 as a center is rock solid.

S2 is available as a center (with rotated RAAL). As Curtis said, it is a great center.

I did LCR S2's because I needed to fit the center inside a salamander cabinet. The center is horizontally oriented and behind a grilled door.

I'm very happy with it. The voicing is pretty seamless.

I run sierra-1 NrT’s with a RAAL horizon and it’s the front soundfield is seamless. Prefer the NrT’s because I can use the port plugs and have them recessed. I wanted the increased clarity and horizontal dispersion of the RAAL for dialogue in movies.

I started with the Sierra-2’s LCR and ended up upgrading the center to the Horizion. It’s probably overkill, but I am very pleased with the clarity for both movies and just simple TV watching.

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Originally Posted by crazycuz2k

I run sierra-1 NrT’s with a RAAL horizon and it’s the front soundfield is seamless. Prefer the NrT’s because I can use the port plugs and have them recessed. I wanted the increased clarity and horizontal dispersion of the RAAL for dialogue in movies.

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Regarding using port plugs in NrT's...I had Sierra-2s as surrounds in the back corners of my room before I changed to Luna's. The port plugs helped tame some of the extra bass from having them directly in a corner. Just wanted to mention this in case you wondered if the port plugs would also work with Sierra-2s.