Sierra-1 Review

[mthoodmark]

Intro
Now that I've owned my Sierra-1's for a 16 months, I think I can finally write a review. If you don't want to read the whole thing it comes down to the fact that I can listen to them for 9 hours a day(work from home) and my ears do not feel fatigued at the end of the day. This is a minor miracle...

In the Beginning...
I started my journey, as many do in college with hand me downs, some second hand stuff from Goodwill, a HTiB(Onkyo 7.1 circa 2005), various used speakers on Craigslist, the list goes on, nothing was doing it for me.

Moment of Clarity
I got myself a pair of CBM-170 SEs and a Hsu sub about 3 years ago and I was hooked. Finally my well earned money was getting me somewhere. Detail, clarity, separation...but I couldn't quite do 2 channel with the 170SEs because of bass extension. Fast forward to the announcement of the Sierra-1. An exciting prospect: Bamboo(sustainable resource), made in the USA(me to), could be run full range and an impressive spec sheet to top it all off.

Testing Grounds
The speakers are setup in a fairly large room but I am at a desk about 2 feet away from them. They are being driven by a small but plenty powerful 50wpc Rotel(RA 970BX). I am a 'music guy' first and an 'audiophile' second. I listen to mostly indie rock, electronic, hip hop, classic rock jazz and classical. There's an epic/dynamic nature to much of what I listen to, which can lead to problems when choosing speakers. I need lows, mids and highs equally. The saying goes the tech world: "Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick 2". Well, many times when comparing speakers, it's: "highs, mids, lows. Pick 2". Well I wanted to hear the detail of a live acoustic guitar, the thumping bass of a dance track AND the icy voice of a female singer in full detail. And not just hear the instruments, but feel the distinctness of each.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
My favorite analogy with speakers is photography. I consider the Sierra-1's my first SLR. They produce a high resolution image. I could finally listen to music without wanting more; sounds weren't blurred or simply missing. In addition to their accuracy, music is more lifelike; more enveloping. Like depth of field in photography, the sound has a 3D quality. Also analogous is coloration. In photography, cameras tend to accentuate certain colors depending on the camera and likewise speakers accentuate sounds at certain frequencies. Somehow the Sierra-1's minimize coloration to the point where I don't notice it.

It's a Marathon not a Sprint
As I said earlier, I listen to quite a bit of music; on average about 7 hours a day(talk radio the rest). I cannot stress enough how difficult it is to be happy with speakers for this duration. The Sierra-1's somehow pass this all important test with flying colors.

Final: Quick Thoughts
- Bamboo construction is excellent, quality components ensure that I'll be listening to them for a long time.
- Versatility: big enough to create a full sound yet small enough to fit a variety spaces
- I also own Paradigm Studio 20s & some nice vintage JBL 4408 studio monitors, but the Sierra-1s are my favorite
- It was a decent chunk of change for me to spend but in hindsight, glad I didn't continue wasting money with incremental upgrades

[arkiedan]

Well done. Listen for 9 hours a day? Man! I can't do anything for 9 hours a day.
Nice Review.

[davef]

Great review Mark and thanks for sharing!!!