CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
We are remodeling the HT room. I got rid of my towers for space and wife acceptance factor. Installed a couple Focal rear ceiling speakers (sound great). But as much as the wife doesnt like it, I'm keeping my giant Legacy Pacemaker sub (old Dual 15", still sounds great). Dont listen to much very loud music anymore since i'm old ;) and the dogs dont like it. I am torn between the CMT-340 L-C-R, or the Sierra 1 L-C-R. I previously had Legacy Focus towers so I'm used to a lot of punch and energy in the mid/upper bass. But, I will sacrifice some quantity for quality! I am using an older Pioneer Vsx-D812 receiver, but plan to upgrade to a Atmos receiver (have another set of ceiling speakers for height). I can also use my Bryston amp for L+R if needed. Room is 15 x 21 x 8 (and sit on the 21' wall).
Thanks in advance!
Qman
Re: CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Qman
We are remodeling the HT room. I got rid of my towers for space and wife acceptance factor. Installed a couple Focal rear ceiling speakers (sound great). But as much as the wife doesnt like it, I'm keeping my giant Legacy Pacemaker sub (old Dual 15", still sounds great). Dont listen to much very loud music anymore since i'm old ;) and the dogs dont like it. I am torn between the CMT-340 L-C-R, or the Sierra 1 L-C-R. I previously had Legacy Focus towers so I'm used to a lot of punch and energy in the mid/upper bass. But, I will sacrifice some quantity for quality! I am using an older Pioneer Vsx-D812 receiver, but plan to upgrade to a Atmos receiver (have another set of ceiling speakers for height). I can also use my Bryston amp for L+R if needed. Room is 15 x 21 x 8 (and sit on the 21' wall).
Thanks in advance!
Qman
One thing that stuck out to me is that your couch is up against a wall. This isn’t the best for even bass response. If you move it so that you have a foot or two there you fix that problem. But then you also would be maybe 10 to 12 feet from the speakers, since they would not be right on the front wall. This means that bookshelf speakers like the Sierra 1s probably have sufficient output for you. However, coming from the Legacy speakers you had I think the Sierra 2EX speakers would be more comparable to what you had previously in a smaller bookshelf form factor.
Re: CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
N Boros
One thing that stuck out to me is that your couch is up against a wall. This isn’t the best for even bass response. If you move it so that you have a foot or two there you fix that problem. But then you also would be maybe 10 to 12 feet from the speakers, since they would not be right on the front wall. This means that bookshelf speakers like the Sierra 1s probably have sufficient output for you. However, coming from the Legacy speakers you had I think the Sierra 2EX speakers would be more comparable to what you had previously in a smaller bookshelf form factor.
Thank you NBoros. I dont have many room options, as there is a fireplace on the narrow wall. The 2EX is probably out of my price range at the moment. Plus i dont think i will be using adequate source gear to do the EX any justice.
Re: CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Qman
Thank you NBoros. I dont have many room options, as there is a fireplace on the narrow wall. The 2EX is probably out of my price range at the moment. Plus i dont think i will be using adequate source gear to do the EX any justice.
Even if you were wall mounting them and sitting on the back wall, you would be between 13 and 14 feet from ears to speaker. Most folks opt for putting them on speaker stands and maybe moving them out a foot or two from the front wall. This itself puts you around 12 feet from ears to speaker, where the Sierra 1 bookshelf speakers would be enough in terms of output. The CMT 340's, though in the form of a bookshelf speaker, can just play louder. They are more like a tower speaker, in that regard. Though, again I don't think that you need the extra output at that listening distance.
So, my vote is for Sierra 1's because they are a better speaker in most regards, except for the extra output capabilities that you don't need. The nice thing about this option is that down the line there is an upgrade path to the Sierra 2 or the Sierra 2EX. You can get just the new drivers and crossover and use the same cabinet.
I did want to address your comment about you having "inadequate source gear for the 2EX". In terms of amplification you have Bryston amps, which are more than enough for the job. You can pick up older Oppo players on ebay, if you are still playing discs, though I don't know if I could tell the difference between my Oppo unit and some other cheaper disc players (as long as the disc drive is not noisy). If you are listening to vinyl, then Fluance has some turntables that are inexpensive and yet reviewed quite well. I've listened to discs and higher quality streaming and it all sounds great through my Sierra 2s, if it is a good quality recording. Look through the music recommendation thread and you will see many talking about how great a certain CD sounds fantastic or something they streamed. I think many of these folks don't have super expensive source gear, to give you some context.
http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...ndation-Thread
Re: CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Qman
We are remodeling the HT room. I got rid of my towers for space and wife acceptance factor. Installed a couple Focal rear ceiling speakers (sound great). But as much as the wife doesnt like it, I'm keeping my giant Legacy Pacemaker sub (old Dual 15", still sounds great). Dont listen to much very loud music anymore since i'm old ;) and the dogs dont like it. I am torn between the CMT-340 L-C-R, or the Sierra 1 L-C-R. I previously had Legacy Focus towers so I'm used to a lot of punch and energy in the mid/upper bass. But, I will sacrifice some quantity for quality! I am using an older Pioneer Vsx-D812 receiver, but plan to upgrade to a Atmos receiver (have another set of ceiling speakers for height). I can also use my Bryston amp for L+R if needed. Room is 15 x 21 x 8 (and sit on the 21' wall).
Thanks in advance!
Qman
Hi Qman,
Based on the info you posted, I too think the Sierra-1 would be the better choice over the 340's. Please feel free to contact us directly.
Take care!
Re: CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
Thanks for all the feedback! I should be making a decision shortly.. What sort of lead-time is there on a pair of piano black S1s?
Re: CMT-340 or the Sierra 1 ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Qman
Thanks for all the feedback! I should be making a decision shortly.. What sort of lead-time is there on a pair of piano black S1s?
Likely 2-3 business days at the most....
