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Thread: New Sierra Owner

  1. #11
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    277

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Very interesting information, thanks for sharing! I wish I could write like that when sleep deprived. I need to get a life. And some Sierras of course.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Lost in the boondocks of Connecticut, USA, Sol System, Milky Way
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    13

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Just another brief update.

    While prepping the house for Christmas, which involves moving massive pieces of heavy furniture around in the living room per wifely instructions, I had to move the Sierras to make room for the tree. While doing so, late at night a few days before Christmas, I decided to take advantage of the general state of chaos and try listening to some music with the speakers positioned in a variety of places they couldn't normally go - at least, they couldn't go there if I were attempting to maintain some sense of domestic tranquility. One option I've heard great things about but never tried myself is extreme "near field" setups. In this case, I had the Sierras sitting on the room diagonal, about 6 feet apart, facing the corner, slightly toed in, with me sitting about 5 feet in front of them.


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    This positioned the speakers well away from the side walls, and is supposed (according to many manufacturers and a bunch of industry pundits) to give you the best soundstaging, imaging, stage depth, etc. etc. etc., at the expense of losing some bass reinforcement at the lowest end.

    Well, this sucked. Not only did I have *NO* bass whatsoever (I mean, response fell off higher and faster than my Klipsch La Scalas, so I'm guessing someplace between 50 and 60 Hz, below which it dropped like a stone) - the wonderful imaging and "open window on the performance" illusion that I'd been used to in the (theoretically way sub-optimal) setup I've been using (see previous posts) was just destroyed. Flat, uninvolving, narrow shallow stage, yuck.

    Once again I question my understanding of basic audio principles. I have no idea whatsoever why the sound fell apart the way it did with this setup, but it totally ruined the music. No life, no rythm, no beat, no bounce, no joy.

    I now have the speakers wedged into a corner behind a large chair, one on either side, close the walls. Sounds much better - still not as good as the setup with them a third of the way in from the side walls and with their little backs shoved up against the wall behind them as close as the banana plugs, binding posts and cables will permit, but not bad.

    Once again, please experiment with placement with the Sierras. I have no idea what makes them respond so dramatically to changes in positioning within the room, but respond they do. Positions that "should" sound ideal just don't work (at least not for me in my room), positions that aren't supposed to let the speakers sound their best actually sound wonderful, and the more I experiment the less confident I feel that I can predict how any particular arrangement is going to sound. Move 'em, groove to 'em, and move 'em again. You might find a magic spot where the room just melts away and the music is in your house.



    Ray Garrison

    PS - Someday I'm gonna add a subwoofer just on the general principle that if you mess with a thing long enough, you'll break it. I have no idea where to even begin with that adventure.
    Music is Art
    Audio is Engineering

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Hi Ray,

    Thanks for relaying your complete experiences with your Sierras.

    May I ask if you have the NrT tweeter upgrade installed?

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Lost in the boondocks of Connecticut, USA, Sol System, Milky Way
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    13

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Nope, no upgrades. Bone stock Sierras in natural finish.
    Music is Art
    Audio is Engineering

  5. #15
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    277

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Ray does not have the NrT tweeter upgrade.

    I'm fascinated that the Sierra sounds so good up against the wall - in Ray's room at least. The scientist in me would like to know if this is an anomalous quality of Ray's room. Would other speakers comparable to the Sierras also sound much better where the Sierras are placed, or is this a property fairly unique to the Sierras? Have others experimented with Ray's findings? This is important information for Sierra owners to know. Experimentation with placement can be critical.

    Relatively very few speakers are designed to be placed right next to a wall. The only ones I know is the Guru and the newer Clue speakers from Sjohn HiFi.

    http://www.stereophile.com/content/clue-sjofn-hifi

    I've always thought this was a smart idea, and if the Sierra can pull it off, definitely the more power to it!

    Mark

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Quote Originally Posted by RayGarrison View Post
    Nope, no upgrades. Bone stock Sierras in natural finish.
    Thanks Ray,

    I asked that question because of your initial comments about poor Michael Bolton's beak having grown, or his sound having become nasally in comparison to your prior experience, so I was kinda' hoping it was because of the upgrade tweeter..

    I have a new set of B-stocks and opted to have the NrT upgrade done at factory because of the favorable pricing doing it that way and because I figured that it'd be inevitable that I'd want to do it eventually anyway.

    However I don't have the advantage of comparison as I'd never heard a pair of Sierras before receiving these.

    Now I'm not sure if I didn't make a mistake by not following my initial plan to buy the speakers and THEN decide to try the upgrade. Some of my oldest favorites are coming out with a sound that I'd have to call grating, even intolerable at times. I guess the best way to describe succinctly it is to say that it's digital.

    I only received the speakers Dec. 24th so I've been plugging in every amp in the house (four seperate ways to drive them) in turn to see if something will warm up the sound but so far I don't know what to do about whether they stay. I really like their precision - the clean no resonance way they play the mid and low ranges but the high ranges are just too 'tweety' or something.

    I guess I'll try asking if I can buy the take-out tweeters and do an in-house "downgrade".

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Manhattan Beach, California
    Posts
    7,032

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Quote Originally Posted by krs View Post
    I guess I'll try asking if I can buy the take-out tweeters and do an in-house "downgrade".
    Not just the tweeter...but the crossover as well.

    Is the problem with older recordings vs newer?
    -curtis

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Hi Curtis,

    Ya, I knew the crossover would be a part of the change.

    The age of recordings doesn't seem to be a factor, and I'm only playing CD's for the time being.

    I very much like the sound of the speakers - make no mistake about that.

    It's only the highest range notes that grate me. I think a part of it is how cleanly they play - precise notes without the sort of deep note resonances that can smooth an overall sound. I get the distinct feeling that I'm listening to three seperate drivers even while knowing that there ARE only two in the enclosures.
    Last edited by krs; 12-29-2010 at 05:09 PM.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Lost in the boondocks of Connecticut, USA, Sol System, Milky Way
    Posts
    13

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    krs -

    You mentioned trying a bunch of different amps, but didn't say whether you'd tried moving the speakers to various locations. Even if the room doesn't lend itself to alternate placements, and you're stuck with putting them wherever they are, take a little time when you have the chance and try moving them around to different positions, even if they can't stay there, just to see what happens.

    Are they on stands? On bookshelves? On the floor? Are they close to the wall behind them? Move them out. Are they well out from the wall behind them? Move them back. Are they close to the side walls? Move them away. Are they away from the side walls? Move them close. Are the pointed straight ahead? Toe them in. Are they toed in? Point them straight ahead. My point is, I expect you'll find much more opportunity to change the sound by moving the speakers, even in small increments, than you will by driving them with different amps. Unless one of the amps is seriously compromised.

    Curtis - couple of speakers designed to be close to the wall.

    Linn Isobariks


    Roy Allison's speakers


    Klipschorns


    I had a pair of Allison 1's and a pair of Klipschorns at one point... remember them fondly, but don't miss them so much now that I have the Sierras...
    Music is Art
    Audio is Engineering

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    114

    Default Re: New Sierra Owner

    Ray--
    Great writings. Not only the information but the style! I only wish I was young enough to keep moving them the way you obviously are. Plus, my wife likes them off the floor--up on top of our entertainment units.

    I had a Sierra experience with the film version of Phanton, which I hated until we got Sierras. Suddenly it sounded wonderful. I need to try playing more music softer; my wife is already thanking you!

    Pegleg

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