A bunch of Sierra newbie questions...

[Rebbi]

I emailed this privately to Davef but then figured you folks might have thoughts on these questions, too, so here you go...

My Espresso Sierra 1's arrived yesterday, along with 2 SP-30 stands. I've only had time to peek inside the bags (my wife's away on business and I have an 8 year old to take care of!) but they certainly look gorgeous... I wasn't expecting something so jewel-like (and small -- compared to the Ohm floorstanders that they may replace they're tiny!) Anyway, if you have a moment to respond, I have a few questions:

1) Break-in: how much time do you recommend before the Sierra's sound their best? Should I use the "wire them out of phase facing each other" method? Any other thoughts?

2) I have a pretty live room: hardwood floors, bare painted walls and some windows, albeit with soft shades that can be lowered, and a few pieces of soft furniture. The size is around 13 x 16 with an 8 foot ceiling. Any placement tips beyond what's in the manual? Also, the right speaker has to be in the vicinity of a corner, although I can get them out around 2 feet from the back wall and the right wall. Any other suggestions?

3) What do you recommend as far as the stand spikes and hardwood floors that could be damaged by them? I'd thought I might put the speaker on the floor without the spikes, but the head of the screw that attaches the bottom plate sticks out so they don't sit flat on the floor. Should I get those little spike "saucers" that some audio dealers sell? What about using those heavy, felt stick-on pads that they sell in Home Depot to prevent furniture from scratching? How important for sound is it for the speaker to be firmly coupled to the floor?

4) I understand that mass filling the stands will make them more stable, but will doing so also improve the sound of the Sierra's?

5) I'm paranoid about scratching the bottoms of the speakers, especially within the trial period! Rubber pads vs. museum wax?

Thanks a bunch!

[nearprairie]

1. Break-in time: Any speaker that takes more than 15 hours to break-in probably won't. The ol' out-of-phase routine still works well.

2. Positioning: Follow the manual. Getting that right speaker out and away from the walls will serve you well. And you won't need much, if any, toe-in with the Sierras.

3. Stand spikes: Don't ruin your floors. Go to Lowe's/Home Depot and buy some sticky rubber nubs for the bottoms of your speaker stands. The combined weight of the speakers and the sand-filled stands will provide for a firm foundation.

4. Sand-filled stands: Refer to previous point. The other advantage to sand-filling is, if the guage of the metal were thin and prone to ringing, the sand works as a dampener.

5. Potential speaker bottom damage: Your two ideas will work, as will some 3M gooey, releasable wall tape, the stuff used for hanging pictures.

[Rebbi]

1. Break-in time: Any speaker that takes more than 15 hours to break-in probably won't. The ol' out-of-phase routine still works well.

2. Positioning: Follow the manual. Getting that right speaker out and away from the walls will serve you well. And you won't need much, if any, toe-in with the Sierras.

3. Stand spikes: Don't ruin your floors. Go to Lowe's/Home Depot and buy some sticky rubber nubs for the bottoms of your speaker stands. The combined weight of the speakers and the sand-filled stands will provide for a firm foundation.

4. Sand-filled stands: Refer to previous point. The other advantage to sand-filling is, if the guage of the metal were thin and prone to ringing, the sand works as a dampener.

5. Potential speaker bottom damage: Your two ideas will work, as will some 3M gooey, releasable wall tape, the stuff used for hanging pictures.

Good stuff, Nearprarie, thanks.
By the way, your comment about "any speaker that needs more than 15 hours to break in" made me laugh. Tell that to the folks over at Totem. I had a pair of Arro's a couple of years ago, and Totem recommends 100 to 150 hours of break in for the little suckers.

[curtis]

For break-in....don't worry about it. Just sit back, listen, and enjoy.