Farewell to 340SE's!

[azanon]

Spending a couple of hours of my federal holiday off listening to my 340SE's with the sub turned off. I want a good imprint of how they sound in my mind so I can compare them to the Sierra-1's that should be arriving tomorrow.

[azanon]

Done.. and my thoughts are this: I can't possibly see how Sierra-1's are going to be better than these. I swear I think these speakers are insane every time I hear them.

[Mag_Neato]

Congrats Az! I never owned the 340's, but got a chance to hear them once. I did own the 170's non-SE version, and would have to say that the Sierra-1 keeps the Ascend sound, but takes it to another level. I had someone audition the Sierra's at my place. He owns 340's. He said the biggest differences were bass extension(better with the Sierra) and just more detail.

It has been a while since I have been able to listen to my Sierra's due to living space restrictions right now. The Sierra's pack a visceral punch that i don't think the 340 would match. Your ears will be the judge.

I'm waiting for Dave to come out with an "SE" version of the Sierra-1!

[curtis]

Done.. and my thoughts are this: I can't possibly see how Sierra-1's are going to be better than these. I swear I think these speakers are insane every time I hear them.

Going in with that thought....you are already biased.

The two speakers certainly sound different...but all in the family.

[DougMac]

I want a good imprint of how they sound in my mind so I can compare them to the Sierra-1's that should be arriving tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to your impressions of the Sierras since I also have 340's. I'd like to know how you think the Sierra's differ.

[bluemando]

Spending a couple of hours of my federal holiday off listening to my 340SE's with the sub turned off. I want a good imprint of how they sound in my mind so I can compare them to the Sierra-1's that should be arriving tomorrow.

I don't think "imprinting" is the way to go about your comparison. You really need to do A-B comparisons. I've been comparing my KEF Q15's bookshelf speakers to my Premier Acoustic floor-standing model, and also to my MMG's (only two at time though). The way I do isn't ideal but, imo, it's better than relying on memory.

I'm not an audiophile, but music has always been at the top of my "priority list" and as a trained X-piano tuner (New England School of Piano tech) I have a pretty good set of ears, being able to differentiate beat rates of tones, something that requires training in order to hear subtle differences. Even so I admit that I can't tell the difference between decent amps and cd players, as some people claim they can do. My method is to hook-up my Premier speakers to my 40 watt NAD C 315BEE + Denon cd player and compare it to my KEF speakers + 20 watt T-amp + Sony cd player (I've also change the combination i.e. Premier to T-amp + Sony cd player) I adjust volume levels (by ear, and I think I'm pretty good at it!) Then I make a copy of a cd, so that I am auditioning the same piece of music on both systems. I compare the same tracks on each system, or 30 secs to 1-3 minutes of a track (in symphonic works, I also compare longer sections for an overall "context perspective." It's not perfect, but I think it's better than working from memory and I think my conclusions are pretty much on the mark. Peace

[Mr.Lawrence]

For dedicated HT use, I had a slight preference for the 340s. I had the 340s and Sierra-1 (LCR) for roughly 30 days, and I ended up keeping the Sierra-1. My daughter and I listened to them side by side. I even had her listen blind folded as I switched back and forward. It was not an easy choice.

I cannot leave the LCR speakers out when not in use, so I needed a speaker that I could easily store. The size of the 340s presented a problem. The compact size, clean sound and attractive enclosure (black) of the Sierra-1 didn't make me regret returning the 340s.

In terms of sound (for Home Theater), the 340s seemed to be made for that task. The Sierra-1 is excellent for HT, don't get me wrong, but IMO, they do not have the forceful presence that the 340s do. Particularly, if your preference is for the action/sci-fi movies and you like them loud. The Sierra-1, OTOH, has an advantage in reproducing subtle sounds found in music, but not often found in the movies I like.

The solution is to have both. Sierra-1 music. The 340s for HT.

[azanon]

I'm not an audiophile, but music has always been at the top of my "priority list" and as a trained X-piano tuner (New England School of Piano tech) I have a pretty good set of ears, being able to differentiate beat rates of tones, something that requires training in order to hear subtle differences. Even so I admit that I can't tell the difference between decent amps and cd players, as some people claim they can do. My method is to hook-up my Premier speakers to my 40 watt NAD C 315BEE + Denon cd player and compare it to my KEF speakers + 20 watt T-amp + Sony cd player (I've also change the combination i.e. Premier to T-amp + Sony cd player) I adjust volume levels (by ear, and I think I'm pretty good at it!) Then I make a copy of a cd, so that I am auditioning the same piece of music on both systems. I compare the same tracks on each system, or 30 secs to 1-3 minutes of a track (in symphonic works, I also compare longer sections for an overall "context perspective." It's not perfect, but I think it's better than working from memory and I think my conclusions are pretty much on the mark. Peace

I agree with you, that going back and forth between speakers within a short time frame, and with the same CD would be a lot more accurate. I'm just hoping the differences are obvious enough so that I can avoid the PITA of switching the wire back-and-forth.

However, I believe you just compared distinguishing CD players and amps, to comparing different speakers! That analogy is a little extreme don't you think? What you're doing is FAR more difficult. Unless one CD player and/or amp is of really poor quality, I probably couldn't tell the difference even if i tried; assuming, of course, both are being played on the same speakers. You say you can and I'll believe you given your admitted expertise. But we're talking about completely different speakers here which are physically and mechanically dissimilar. Using real examples, I'd have no problem at all telling an HTM-200 from a CBM 170 from the 340 blindfolded.

I have a very dubious opinion of high end amp separates or those CD players that cost 1K+ with the advanced circuitry that I don't understand. With CD players, the medium (bitrate of the CD) is probably the limiting factor to begin with. And with amps, if you already have a relatively high end A/V with a good amp, I'd probably be hard pressed to distinguish it from even a 2K dollar amp separate. And if it was hooked up wrong, it'd seem like there's actually a greater possibility for electric noise introduction if you have pre/pro + amp vs. just an A/V.

[azanon]

In terms of sound (for Home Theater), the 340s seemed to be made for that task. The Sierra-1 is excellent for HT, don't get me wrong, but IMO, they do not have the forceful presence that the 340s do. Particularly, if your preference is for the action/sci-fi movies and you like them loud. The Sierra-1, OTOH, has an advantage in reproducing subtle sounds found in music, but not often found in the movies I like.

The solution is to have both. Sierra-1 music. The 340s for HT.

Do you use a sub for HT? Most of my "impact" experience in movies has come from my HSU 3.3, even with 340s.

........

I'm really hoping the difference in sound is more than subtle (in a good way). The piano black/shiny is actually going to be a negative overall for me since I don't really care and my wife prefers the speakers to be as unnoticeable as possible. Natural's weren't an option either because natural wood (grass, really) would be even more noticeable where they're going.

[lokimydog]

Please let me know what your impressions are. I too am contemplating if I should upgrade my 340se's to the Sierra's. I mostly use my speakers for HT and listen to music through my IPOD dock. Are the Sierra's that much better for HT use with the sub ON. I run dual ULS-15's so I'm not worried about the bass. For me, the upgrade would be more cosmetic. Piano gloss would look sweet.

Is there a returning customer discount?