Sierra Tower V2 vs. (S-2EX v2 + upgraded electronics)
Thinking of upgrading. Looking for the biggest bang for the buck. The main question I have: is it better to upgrade to the V2 towers (ELX is out of budget so not being considered here) and use the existing electronics, or upgrade to the S-2EX v2s plus upgrade the electronics (to what I have no idea yet, so suggestions welcomed)?
Either way, they will be coupled with a pair of Rythmik LVX-12s, which will be on the side walls (because of somewhat difficult to control room modes, the subs will not be on the same wall as the L/R pair). This sorta negates the improved bottom end of the towers. Which is why I'm asking the question in the first place. :rolleyes:
Stated another way: the V2 towers are almost twice as expensive as the S-2EX v2s, $3100 vs. $1648. Is the sound quality twice as good? I'm sure it's overall better, and the dedicated midrange drivers will give a step up the mids. And the bigger ribbons will give a step up to upper mids to highs. But twice as good?
What does the group think?
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Room is about 14x21x8 feet, more or less sealed (doors) from rest of house. Main seating is about 10 feet from front speakers, speakers are about 10 feet apart, toed in toward the main listening position.
About 80% HT, 20% music, and the music is pretty much entirely classical (acoustical). The only electric music is a smattering of jazz and blues.
Existing setup is S-2 (not EX) L/R, Duo center, and S-1s at surrounds, driven by an old Denon AVR X-4000. A pair of Rythmik LVX-12s for the bottom end. And again, the subs will always be used (OK, I'll admit I like a little pipe organ and the low end on a piano).
The end result of this upgrade is supposed to be a full Dolby Atmos system (7.2.4). So any new electronics will have to do a good job of decoding a DA stream, supply amps for 11 channels (subs do their own thing), and have at least Audyssey, Dirac Live, etc. for doing the time aligning and EQ work to smooth the response curve(s).
At least some of the music will come from Blu-ray music disks in surround formats, not just stereo on CDs. So the surround sound layout is not just for HT, it's also for some of the music.
Re: Sierra Tower V2 vs. (S-2EX v2 + upgraded electronics)
What's your overall budget and timeframe?
IMO, the biggest bang for the buck is speakers, probably followed by acoustic treatments. Your room is pretty big. If it were me, I'd go with the V2 Towers (RAAL) since they are on sale at the moment. Then pick up a matching Horizon when funds permit - since you are 80% HT and the center is extremely important. Either sell the current S2's or move them to side surrounds and the S1's to rear surrounds (I'm assuming you don't have 4 S1's as side & rear surrounds.) For ATMOS, add 4 HTM200's if you don't already have ceiling/height speakers.
If open to second hand, look at accessories4less or usaudiomart for a more recent AVR. An Anthem MRX1140 would meet your requirements for excellent room correction software and 11 channels of amplification.
Re: Sierra Tower V2 vs. (S-2EX v2 + upgraded electronics)
While I agree with racrawford65 that speakers will give the biggest performance increase per dollar, that would apply to going from the Sierra-2 to the -2EX V2 as well. There will be a significant boost in performance just doing that, which would then also allow you to upgrade your electronics. But..... you cannot dismiss the performance advantage of that dedicated midrange driver and large RAAL. So this probably does nothing to help clear the muddy water!
Re: Sierra Tower V2 vs. (S-2EX v2 + upgraded electronics)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bruce Watson
Thinking of upgrading. Looking for the biggest bang for the buck. The main question I have: is it better to upgrade to the V2 towers (ELX is out of budget so not being considered here) and use the existing electronics, or upgrade to the S-2EX v2s plus upgrade the electronics (to what I have no idea yet, so suggestions welcomed)?
Either way, they will be coupled with a pair of Rythmik LVX-12s, which will be on the side walls (because of somewhat difficult to control room modes, the subs will not be on the same wall as the L/R pair). This sorta negates the improved bottom end of the towers. Which is why I'm asking the question in the first place. :rolleyes:
Stated another way: the V2 towers are almost twice as expensive as the S-2EX v2s, $3100 vs. $1648. Is the sound quality twice as good? I'm sure it's overall better, and the dedicated midrange drivers will give a step up the mids. And the bigger ribbons will give a step up to upper mids to highs. But twice as good?
What does the group think?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Room is about 14x21x8 feet, more or less sealed (doors) from rest of house. Main seating is about 10 feet from front speakers, speakers are about 10 feet apart, toed in toward the main listening position.
About 80% HT, 20% music, and the music is pretty much entirely classical (acoustical). The only electric music is a smattering of jazz and blues.
Existing setup is S-2 (not EX) L/R, Duo center, and S-1s at surrounds, driven by an old Denon AVR X-4000. A pair of Rythmik LVX-12s for the bottom end. And again, the subs will always be used (OK, I'll admit I like a little pipe organ and the low end on a piano).
The end result of this upgrade is supposed to be a full Dolby Atmos system (7.2.4). So any new electronics will have to do a good job of decoding a DA stream, supply amps for 11 channels (subs do their own thing), and have at least Audyssey, Dirac Live, etc. for doing the time aligning and EQ work to smooth the response curve(s).
At least some of the music will come from Blu-ray music disks in surround formats, not just stereo on CDs. So the surround sound layout is not just for HT, it's also for some of the music.
Hi Bruce,
Been a while and I hope all is well.
This is a very easy answer, without question, V2 towers and keep your existing electronics.
