The Tower Discussion Thread!

[davef]

Hi all,
is there chance to get a glossy finish on cherry red speakers? something like piano-black but for cherry
I have an existing 5.1 setup in cherry red glossy and wanted to upgrade my front with Towers.
And, also from aesthetics prospective red cherry gloss looks fantastic (IMHO) - that grants my wife approval for getting a pair of new speakers


many thanks!

This would be considered a custom finish. Best to give us a call or send us an email to discuss the details.

Thanks!

[racrawford65]

Thanks to Dave & Dina for their help over the last few days. I placed my order for the towers with RAAL in satin black bamboo yesterday. An early birthday/pre-retirement present for me :-).

I'll either move my current S2's to surround duty (replacing HTM200SEs) or set up a second system in the bedroom.

May pick up a Luna Duo when available as center channel upgrade.

[davef]

Thanks to Dave & Dina for their help over the last few days. I placed my order for the towers with RAAL in satin black bamboo yesterday. An early birthday/pre-retirement present for me :-).

I'll either move my current S2's to surround duty (replacing HTM200SEs) or set up a second system in the bedroom.

May pick up a Luna Duo when available as center channel upgrade.

Very welcome and thank you!

[MichaelG]

I installed the Sierra 2 Center yesterday. It really made a difference towards matching the towers. My wife and I watched a movie and part of a JT concert and the sound is amazing. Great bass, and as so many have said the notes just seem to hang in the air. My wife loves the sound.

With the Sierra 2 sounding so good, I just can't imagine what difference the Horizon will make... but I will next year!

Dave, Dina is great to work with and thank you so much for the music you continue to perfect in my life!

My Horizon is ready for pick up on Monday! Been a long wait but excited to hear the difference compared to the S 2 center. Wish I wasn’t traveling for work so much this month!

[euphorium]

Hi Everyone,

I'm pretty new when it comes to high quality listening. My wife and I purchased a house last year and now she's finally agreed to let me replace our 10 year old sounds system.

I've already placed an order for the Sierra Towers with RAAL, the Horizon center, and the Sierra 2's for my surround.

I would like to humbly ask the community for some advice on what I should use to drive everything as well as the subwoofer.

What I am considering right now is an Marantz 7012 to drive my 5.2 system with Monoliths for the subs (how well do you guys think this would pair).

Do you guys recommend adding in a pre amp and an amp to my proposed setup. I'd rather not spend too much for minimal improvement. But, if it would greatly improve the sound, then I'd go for it.

Our listening tastes will be primarily 80/20 Movie/Music. From perusing the forum, there's lots of recommendations for ATI, Outlaw, Parasound, Emotiva etc.. I prefer a warmer, brighter sound than neutral as a personal preference.

Looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say.

Thanks in advance!

[racrawford65]

Do you already own the subs & Marantz?

If so, why don't you try it first to see how you like it?
If not, I personally like Anthem gear. If you only need 5.x channels, look at the MRX520. Not sure if it is still going on, but they were recently have 20% off. More neutral than warm/bright, but very good room correction software for integrating subs & room.
ATI makes Outlaw, but I think both of these are neutral are well. I've read Parasounds are a bit on the warm side, but haven't heard one for some time. The Monoprice Monolith amps are also made by ATI.

[Bruce Watson]

What I am considering right now is an Marantz 7012 to drive my 5.2 system with Monoliths for the subs (how well do you guys think this would pair).

The monoliths look to be conventional subs. If you already own them, give them a try and see what you think. If you haven't bought subs yet, I strongly urge you to consider servo subs, such as made by Rythmik, Funk, etc. Why? Because servo subs are so easy to integrate with the Ascend Acoustics speakers. Their considerably lower distortion compared to conventional subs is well worth the price.

For the record, I'm not unbiased -- I'm running a pair of Rythmik LVX12s with my Sierra-2s and 1s. I've been running them for years and they completely killed off my gear acquisition syndrome, for subs anyway. They are that good. And I should point out, that's one of the reasons that Ascend Acoustics sells the Rythmik subs -- because they work so well with the Ascend Acoustics speakers.

[racrawford65]

The monoliths look to be conventional subs. If you already own them, give them a try and see what you think. If you haven't bought subs yet, I strongly urge you to consider servo subs, such as made by Rythmik, Funk, etc. Why? Because servo subs are so easy to integrate with the Ascend Acoustics speakers. Their considerably lower distortion compared to conventional subs is well worth the price.

.

+1.
Like Bruce, I'm not unbiased as I am running a Rythmik E15.

[euphorium]

Do you already own the subs & Marantz?

If so, why don't you try it first to see how you like it?
If not, I personally like Anthem gear. If you only need 5.x channels, look at the MRX520. Not sure if it is still going on, but they were recently have 20% off. More neutral than warm/bright, but very good room correction software for integrating subs & room.
ATI makes Outlaw, but I think both of these are neutral are well. I've read Parasounds are a bit on the warm side, but haven't heard one for some time. The Monoprice Monolith amps are also made by ATI.

I've heard some really great things about Anthem as well. I've had my eyes on a am50 not sure if I need an am60 at 3x the cost.

[euphorium]

The monoliths look to be conventional subs. If you already own them, give them a try and see what you think. If you haven't bought subs yet, I strongly urge you to consider servo subs, such as made by Rythmik, Funk, etc. Why? Because servo subs are so easy to integrate with the Ascend Acoustics speakers. Their considerably lower distortion compared to conventional subs is well worth the price.

For the record, I'm not unbiased -- I'm running a pair of Rythmik LVX12s with my Sierra-2s and 1s. I've been running them for years and they completely killed off my gear acquisition syndrome, for subs anyway. They are that good. And I should point out, that's one of the reasons that Ascend Acoustics sells the Rythmik subs -- because they work so well with the Ascend Acoustics speakers.

I don't own the monos, the reason I was leaning towards them was due to the general feedback I've read as well as reviews. I think they stand up fairly well to the rythmics on paper.

Having said that I really need to demo both to get a feel for what I prefer. I didn't realize there was a substantial difference with the servos. Thanks for the advice!