CMT-340se + Sierra-1 + 30 Days…
I need some help comparing these speakers.
I have been enjoying my CMT-340se L/C/R speakers for a month now, and I am really impressed with them. I could end what has been six month speaker quest right now, however, Ascend Acoustics has their "Top-of -the line" another speaker, the Sierra-1. Not wanting to have any second thoughts, or regrets about buying the 340se, I decided to order a set of Sierra-1 (L/C/R) in piano black. They’re scheduled to arrive the day after tomorrow!
I need help. I have at 30 days, and two sets of speakers in my listening space. What’s the best way to make a fair comparison.
My setup will be used for 100% HT. I do enjoy concert DVDs, though.
My demo equipment includes a Denon 3806, Denon 1920 DVD, Klipsch RSX-4 surrounds (for now) and a Mirage S12 subwoofer. I also have a Radio Shack sound meter (digital) and a pair of homemade 26” high speaker stands.
My theater space is not a purpose built theater, but a room that’s 12’x13’ with a cathedral ceiling w/dormer. The ceiling at its highest point is 12’ high. I don’t have any acoustic treatments, yet, but the space is relatively free of echoes.
I’m open to all suggestions and comments. At the end of 30 days, I’m going to be left with great set of speakers!
Thanks for you help!
Larry
EDIT: I have decided to add my whole 30 days to this opening post.
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!
My Sierra-1 L/C/R speakers arrived a little after 1:00 p.m. today. The Man In Brown, walked up to the door (without the packages), then turned around. I promptly yelled out the window, I'm home. The experience of my undelivered Ascend CMT-340se still a sore spot in my mind.
Anxiously, I tell the Man In Brown to just leave the boxes on the walkway. I can carry them myself "they're not heavy, they're my Sierra's".
First thing I notice is the familiar Ascend box. Not at all fancy, but sturdy. The boxes are 2/3's the hight of the 340se boxes, but they are deceptively heavy.
The center channel speaker is packaged in its own box. The L&R are boxed the same as the center in a double box. The speakers are well protected by thick foam corner blocks for the center, and a top and bottom form fitting foam for the L&R speakers. A careless shipper would have to work to damage these babies!
When I get the containers completely open, I find that each speaker is enclosed in it own super soft fabric duffle bag. A really nice touch that I had not heard any Sierra owners mention before. In a separate bag, is all the paperwork, emblems, foam feet, individual speaker specs and a pair of cloth gloves. Really nice touch.
The speakers are beautiful. The finish should be called Grand Piano Black. They have a deep gloss. You can still tell that they are Bamboo, though. The latent texture of the Bamboo is barely noticeable.
Did I mention that these bad boys are heavy. Be careful when performing the knuckle test... the Bamboo material that is the enclosures is DENSE.
I will begin setting them up and listening to them tonight. I think that I'm in for a treat.
Day 1
I decided to take Debo’s suggestion and setup the Sierras and listen to them for a couple of weeks. This will be much easier than swapping out the 340’s and Sierra’s every other day or so. As I said before the PB Sierras are beautiful. I can’t get over how small they are compared to the 340s. Their size and appearance reminds me of the Vienna Acoustics Haydn I listen to months ago.
I setup the Sierras on the same stands and in the same locations that the 340’s occupied over last month. Next came receiver settings. The L/C/R adjustments on me receiver were set to small and I retained the same distance values. Crossover settings were adjusted to 60, I did the same setting at the subwoofer.
For roughly 4.5 hours I listened to CD’s and watched portions of DVDs that I am familiar with.
I started with my current favorite Bele Fleck & the Flecktones “Live at the Quick” concert DVD. Bele Fleck is a banjo player that assembled a jazz band. You’d think that banjo and jazz would sound odd, but it’s not at all. In this particular performance, Bele called in a couple of other musicians. One plays the Steel Drums, another plays the English Horn, and Oboe, last guy plays the Bassoon. The bass player, Victor Wooten is a well known bass player in the music world.
The Sierras and the CMT-340se are definitely different sounding speakers that perform well with both music and movies. While they both have a very neutral sound signature, they still manage to provide quite different sounds. The 340’s are quite efficient. Because of this, their sound is very clear and powerful even at lower volumes. Brass instruments, saxophones some voices really ring clear. If you want loud, this speaker can take you there. The 340s aren’t bright though. The Sierras on the other hand produce a sparkle and a mid bass punch that the 340s simply cannot muster. The Sierras do, however, require a few more clicks on the volume knob to achieve the same volume level.
Honestly, I was initially a little disappointed with the Sierras. For movies they just didn’t seem to have the same strength in the middle. The Bele Fleck DVD that I have watched and listened to quite a few times seemed to have developed a void in the middle, while at the same time demonstrating exceptional sparkle and low end.
I also demoed tracks from The Incredibles, Sweeny Todd, and the concert DVD David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) “Live at Albert Hall”. 2 channel material included Aaron Copeland, the 1812 Overature and more Bele Fleck.
To end the evening, I watched The Transformers.
At the end of Day 1, I came away feeling much better about the Sierras.
I think that over the last month, the sound of the 340se has been imprinted on my brain. It will be really interesting at the end of 2 weeks or so with the Sierra to listen to the 340s. I should mention, when I first hooked up the 340se, I wasn’t as impress as I thought I would be compared to my Klipsch speakers. About a week later, though, it was all about the 340se.
Day 2 (actually, 2 weeks later)
I’ll start at the end…
As of today (07/17/2008) the CMT-340se L/C/R speakers are on their way back to Ascend Acoustics. That’s right, I decided to keep the Sierra-1 Piano Black L/C/R speakers.
It was a difficult decision. I seriously agonized over which speaker to keep. Even after all of my comparison listening, I still had a tough time choosing which speaker to keep. Since these speakers will be used for 100% Home Theater, the choice should have been easy. However, I found myself with an expanded set of selection criteria once I had the Sierra-1s in my home. I’ll talk about that later.
IMO, for Home Theater the CMT-340 is the better speaker. There I said it! ☺ For most of the movies I watched, the 340s seem to have greater presence. The sound did not seem as narrow to me and for less money, I think they are the better value for HT. I think that it must have something to do with their efficiency. They just seemed to project bigger across their given sound spectrum when watching movies. Someone looking for speakers strictly for HT would be hard pressed to do better than the CMT-340se with a sub.
However, I’m keeping the Sierra-1, and I’m totally satisfied! So, if Home Theater is my thing, and I think the CMT-340se is the better speaker for that application, why did I return them??? Well, my priorities changed. ☺
When I saw that glossy black finish, compact size and the beautiful craftsmanship of the Sierra-1, I began to favor them aesthetically over the 340se. The finish is simply beautiful. They look like a piece of fine furniture and work well in my décor. The center channel speaker is so compact that it’s hardly noticeable sitting just below my TV monitor. When you give the enclosure the old knuckle knock test, you won’t believe how solid they are. The solid thud gives you the feeling that the cabinet walls have to be at least 12” thick. Another consideration was resale. Yeah, I’m satisfied and shouldn’t even be considering selling the Sierras but I figured, long term, it will be easier to sell the Sierra-1 than the 340se. Who knows, maybe there will be a Sierra-1.5 .
Before you ask, the Sierra-1s sound great! Compared to the 340se, the sound is more refined. For the kind of movies I like, refinement isn’t necessary, but the Sierra-1 belies its compact size. The Sierra produces a sound that is more like that of a floor standing speaker, it’s amazing. It has got to be that dense enclosure. The highs are crystal clear, and that little 5 Ľ driver can really go low. On some CD music, I found use of a subwoofer unnecessary.
As a Home Theater speaker, the Sierra-1 is outstanding. I had to increase the volume roughly -5db to achieve the same loudness as the 340se. Once there, the Sierra-1 is more than capable of filling my room. I found that the Sierra-1 was able to reveal the subtle sounds in a movie soundtrack, while some of that intricate detail was lost on the 340se.
I think that the 3 drivers of the 340se are what give it a slight advantage over the Sierra-1 for HT. For music, there is no comparison. The Sierra-1 towers above the 340se. The 340se lacks that low end.
If I had a dedicated Home Theater, I would go with the 340se, because size and appearance would not matter to me.
In the end, I’m more than satisfied with the Sierra-1. Who knows, I may become a big music lover.
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Originally Posted by Mr.Lawrence
