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Thread: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

  1. #21
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    Sep 2010
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    26

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by monkuboy View Post
    I don't own any Ascend speakers (those Towers look awfully good, though) but just from one who has spent way too much money on this hobby:

    You keep saying you know you would be happy with the 170's or the 340's but I say no, you won't. Why? Even though I am sure they are excellent speakers, the problem is that if you bought either of them, the Sierra's would still be THERE in your mind and you will always be wondering "what if?" My opinion is that it is best to spend the extra money and get the Sierras, for your own peace of mind. If you factor in the cost over the time you will be enjoying these speakers instead of wondering what if, the extra cost is not that much.

    I've thought the same things you have and all it did was cost me more in the long run plus the time spent without the equipment I really wanted to have because I tried to convince myself that what I was buying was good enough.

    Thanks a lot, lol. Okay I am calling Dave and ordering the Sierra-1's . You honestly make a valid point and I am going to quit debating over this. I got an xbox 360 at christmas that I never opened with games (I have a PS3). That's almost $500 right there so I am going to return it. That will cover most of it.
    Last edited by YOTR; 01-25-2012 at 02:14 PM.

  2. #22
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    Sep 2010
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    26

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    So what monkuboy is saying.....get the Sierra Tower with the RAAL tweeter.
    LOL, okay I am not ready for that. The price of the Sierra-1's are going to set me back enough. They are a great deal though but I have never spent this much on speakers. I just ordered my Aventage Yamaha and will also place an order for a Rythmik FV12 when I call .

    Should I order the TP-24 pedestal stands? I honestly like that they lock the speakers down but I know they won't match color wise (I will be getting the natural finish Sierra's). I also like that I would not have to use blue tack on the speakers (not a big deal regardless). I would love a custom pair like you got but I don't think I can swing that much money. Thoughts? Any other stands that you can recommend? I have normally had my speakers about 6" above my listening ear level (usually 26-28" stands) so I don't know how I will feel about 24" stands (even though they will match my ear level perfectly).

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
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    2

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by YOTR View Post
    Thanks a lot, lol. Okay I am calling Dave and ordering the Sierra-1's . You honestly make a valid point and I am going to quit debating over this. I got an xbox 360 at christmas that I never opened with games (I have a PS3). That's almost $500 right there so I am going to return it. There is the missing amount.
    You won't be disappointed with the Sierra-1s! I went back and forth between those and the 340s as well, but ultimately it came down to the fact that I rarely ever buy speakers and figured the added cost would justify itself over the long life of the speakers. Also, if I knew there was something better out there, I'd always want it. Lastly, I like the size and finish of the Sierra's better than the 340s for my room/setup. I just added some 200 surrounds to replace some old KEFs as well---I'm sold on Ascend. The Sierra's absolutely blow away my old KEF bookshelf's.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Manhattan Beach, California
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    7,034

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by YOTR View Post
    Should I order the TP-24 pedestal stands? I honestly like that they lock the speakers down but I know they won't match color wise (I will be getting the natural finish Sierra's). I also like that I would not have to use blue tack on the speakers (not a big deal regardless). I would love a custom pair like you got but I don't think I can swing that much money. Thoughts? Any other stands that you can recommend? I have normally had my speakers about 6" above my listening ear level (usually 26-28" stands) so I don't know how I will feel about 24" stands (even though they will match my ear level perfectly).
    Lots of different stands out there.

    All I recommend is that they are sand fillable....the more the better. My stands way about 60 lbs a piece with sand in them, and the speakers are just placed on top of them with rubber/cork nubs/buttons.
    -curtis

  5. #25
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    Stouffville,Ont..
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    538

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by YOTR View Post
    About a year ago, I was going to get the 170se's and honestly I am sure I would be happy with them. The Sierra's have blinded me though! It doesn't help that I have to look at your picture of your natural finish Sierra's each time you post, lol. Those are the ones I want .
    It took me ~3yrs to finally order the Sierras coming from a Energy RC setup. I took it one step further and ordered the NrT because I wanted something different from what I had grown accustomed and they delivered. I haven't heard the 170's or 340's so I can't comment on them but the Sierras were a definite improvement over my RC30's....so much so... I decided to splurge now and upgrade them for the Towers...

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    26

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by billy p View Post
    It took me ~3yrs to finally order the Sierras coming from a Energy RC setup. I took it one step further and ordered the NrT because I wanted something different from what I had grown accustomed and they delivered. I haven't heard the 170's or 340's so I can't comment on them but the Sierras were a definite improvement over my RC30's....so much so... I decided to splurge now and upgrade them for the Towers...
    I wish I could have afforded the NRT upgrade but I honestly couldn't justify it. It was hard enough to justify the Sierra's because I have never spent more than a couple hundred per speaker. I hope I won't be disappointed with the sound of the Non-NRT Sierra's (I highly doubt I will). I don't normally spend a lot of money on my audio setup (more of a videophile).

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    26

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dre325 View Post
    You won't be disappointed with the Sierra-1s! I went back and forth between those and the 340s as well, but ultimately it came down to the fact that I rarely ever buy speakers and figured the added cost would justify itself over the long life of the speakers. Also, if I knew there was something better out there, I'd always want it. Lastly, I like the size and finish of the Sierra's better than the 340s for my room/setup. I just added some 200 surrounds to replace some old KEFs as well---I'm sold on Ascend. The Sierra's absolutely blow away my old KEF bookshelf's.
    Thanks. That gives me more confidence when I charge them on my credit card, lol. Did you purchase the original or NRT version?

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    26

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    Lots of different stands out there.

    All I recommend is that they are sand fillable....the more the better. My stands way about 60 lbs a piece with sand in them, and the speakers are just placed on top of them with rubber/cork nubs/buttons.
    Good to know. Thanks!

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    116

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr.Lawrence View Post
    I have Sierra-1 (L,C,R) that are currently being powered by my Denon 3806. The Denon is more than adequate for the 340's. I also have a set of the HTM-200 as my surrounds.

    I started with the 340's, then upgraded to the Sierras. I now have a new HT space that is almost double my original HT space. If I could do it all over again, I would keep the 340s. I find that the Sierras don't provide the space filling volume that the 340s were able to produce. My new setup is exclusively used for movies. I'm now looking to "downgrade" to 340's.

    UPDATE:

    I decided to work on my system to see if I could improve the sound of my Sierras in my new HT space.

    Well after reading some online documentation about Audyssey, I decided to calibrate my system using Audyssey and my Denon receiver.

    Oops!!! Audyssey revealed that my center channel was wired out of phase. I don't know how I missed that! Audyssey found it almost immediately. I'm blaming the mistake on old age, and all the excitement and planing involved in building the new home we moved into 4 months ago.

    After the calibration, and phase fix the Sierras came to life. The Sierras now sound as good as I remember them in my smaller room in our previous home. I didn't totally rely on Audyssey for shaping the sound, though. I made a few changes to suit my personal listening tastes.

    I'm extremely pleased with the results. To think, I was about to sell the Sierras and buy 340s.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    26

    Default Re: 340 or Sierra? Need Advice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr.Lawrence View Post
    UPDATE:

    I decided to work on my system to see if I could improve the sound of my Sierras in my new HT space.

    Well after reading some online documentation about Audyssey, I decided to calibrate my system using Audyssey and my Denon receiver.

    Oops!!! Audyssey revealed that my center channel was wired out of phase. I don't know how I missed that! Audyssey found it almost immediately. I'm blaming the mistake on old age, and all the excitement and planing involved in building the new home we moved into 4 months ago.

    After the calibration, and phase fix the Sierras came to life. The Sierras now sound as good as I remember them in my smaller room in our previous home. I didn't totally rely on Audyssey for shaping the sound, though. I made a few changes to suit my personal listening tastes.

    I'm extremely pleased with the results. To think, I was about to sell the Sierras and buy 340s.
    That's great news!! It's a good thing you didn't sell them . You have the original ones correct? I plan on ordering the original ones this week. Hopefully I won't be missing much going with the regular ones versus the NRT option. I really can't afford it and honestly the regular ones are really stretching my budget. Plus I can only justify so much (money wise) in my head, lol.
    Last edited by YOTR; 01-29-2012 at 04:57 PM.

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