Sierra Horizon (Sierra Tower Center)

[AllanMarcus]

This has probably been asked, but I'm going to anyways. I'm very close to getting a Horizon to improve the dialog of TV and Movies, but mostly TV. All my music listening is done 2 channel, so the center is never used for music. Forgetting about what I have for mains, does the RAAL add any value for dialog or the duties of a center for TV? I can afford the extra $350, but my goal is the have the best center for TV watching as possible, so I'm looking for clear dialog and as even dispersion as possible. In your humble opinions is the RAAL upgrade worth it for this purpose, or is the NrT as good or better for regular level TV watching?

Many thanks.

BTW, turns out my brother, who lives in a different city and who I don't talk to that much, purchased ascend speakers a few years ago! Small world.

[SpeedD408]

In your humble opinions is the RAAL upgrade worth it for this purpose, or is the NrT as good or better for regular level TV watching?

I have not heard the NrT. I just know that you upgrading to the RAAL really is not easy (send it back and let Ascend do it is best), so if you can afford the RAAL I would do it.

I have the Towers w/RAAL and the Horizon W/ RAAL and they are wonderful. The combination of the RAAL and dedicated mid driver really do a great job dealing with the vocal range. On my old setup I would stop and rewind part of a program when I missed some dialog. Now I only do it if someone is talking during my program (shame on them!!).

[SteelyNJ]

My pair of black matte Sierra Horizons w/ RAAL ribbons arrived yesterday, on schedule, and I spent the better part of the evening and wee hours of the morning unpacking them and setting things up. Damn, those things were wrapped and taped up liked mummies! There was no protective magnetic strip over the ribbon tweeters as pictured elsewhere by another forum member but everything was covered, padded and well-secured.

Each speaker came with a test printout page and four stick-on isolation feet but no other paperwork (setup/instruction manual, spec sheet, warranty card, etc.). Although I was marginally surprised, none of that concerned me because the new Ascends were going to replace a pair of late '80s B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 bookshelf speakers as my front mains inside a built-in wall cabinet in a location and orientation that was already established.

My Sony ES receiver predates Audyssey and the like, so setup and integration with the room, subwoofer and the other speakers in the 5.1 arrangement was/is a SLOW, manual process. My initial impressions are VERY positive but this is indeed a work in progress....and it's just begun.

To be continued...

[davef]

My pair of black matte Sierra Horizons w/ RAAL ribbons arrived yesterday, on schedule, and I spent the better part of the evening and wee hours of the morning unpacking them and setting things up. Damn, those things were wrapped and taped up liked mummies! There was no protective magnetic strip over the ribbon tweeters as pictured elsewhere by another forum member but everything was covered, padded and well-secured.

Each speaker came with a test printout page and four stick-on isolation feet but no other paperwork (setup/instruction manual, spec sheet, warranty card, etc.). Although I was marginally surprised, none of that concerned me because the new Ascends were going to replace a pair of late '80s B&W Matrix 2 Series 2 bookshelf speakers as my front mains inside a built-in wall cabinet in a location and orientation that was already established.

My Sony ES receiver predates Audyssey and the like, so setup and integration with the room, subwoofer and the other speakers in the 5.1 arrangement was/is a SLOW, manual process. My initial impressions are VERY positive but this is indeed a work in progress....and it's just begun.

To be continued...

Glad to hear that your impressions are very positive so far and thanks so much for your patience. A few quick comments. The ribbon towers do not ship with the protective magnetic boards. With over twice the ribbon area compared to the ribbon's in the 2's, better packaging and much less chance that a UPS driver can toss a tower box around like they can with the Sierra-2's -- it is not necessary to include these strips with the ribbon towers. Besides the occasional mistake, we have never shipped them this way.

In addition, the days of Ascend including printed manuals with our speakers are well over. We stopped this practice several years ago -- we feel it is an unnecessary expense, especially considering all information regarding our speakers is easily accessible on our website.

Enjoy!!!!

[SteelyNJ]

Thanks, Dave. As I said I wasn't concerned about the (lack of) included paperwork although it caught me a bit off guard. While there is a lot of information presented online, the downloadable manuals do not specifically cover the Horizons/Towers and the warranty information link shows only a 5-year term in contrast to the 7-year coverage described on the speaker product pages. Again, no worries about the lack of included printed documentation but maybe the website could be updated for Sierra Tower buyers.

Much more importantly, I've now l had a few glorious days with my new STC's. I could not be more pleased. I feel that I gave up NOTHING by substituting these for my venerable and accurate B&W's, but what I gained was tightness and maybe an octave on the low end, not to mention the sweetness/smoothness of the RAAL ribbon on the higher frequencies. Indeed, these are very musical speakers.

Surprisingly (and there was no way I could have predicted this), they mesh very, very nicely with the other speakers in my 5.1 setup, none of which are Ascend Acoustics products. Efficiency must be practically identical to my old B&W mains as I didn't have to change any levels at all to balance volume across the channels. I listen to a fair amount of high-resolution multichannel music (5.1 and quad) as well as do some HT watching, so total system integration is essential.

Naturally I'm curious as to how I would have felt about the NrT dome tweeters and if the $700 RAAL upgrade was worth it, but I guess that's something I'll never know (and maybe that's a good thing)! All I can say is I have no regrets so far and would feel comfortable recommending these as a front pair or in an L-C-R arrangement.

[jonohio]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for some guidance and input for my family room. I'm considering the Horizon's for my L/C/R setup. My tv area has a wall of bookshelves and cabinets - (see the attached picture).

So here are my questions:

1. Are the horizons available in a vertical configuration? The green box location is only 20" wide.

2. If a vertical installation is possible will it negatively affect the sound quality of the speaker?
-I've seen custom speaker sizes mentioned by Dave on this forum-perhaps this is an option?

4. Room configuration:
- The listening distance is 15.5' from the speaker.
- The center will be installed in the blue box area.
- I have two possible locations for L/R installation
- Green box location will put the vertical horizons at about 12" above ear height.
- Red box location will put the horizontal horizons at 4" below ear height.

Are either of these L/R locations preferable at a 15.5' distance?

Personally I like the L/R being at the same level as the Center - but that will require me to leave the cabinet doors open all the time - or mod the cabinets (which is always a pain with cherry).

I'd appreciate any input.

- Jonathon
Northeast Ohio

[natetg57]

Check out this thread to see a vertical Horizon http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...Speakers/page3

[jonohio]

Check out this thread to see a vertical Horizon http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...Speakers/page3

Not sure how i missed this. Thanks!

[gdtaylor1]

Hi, folks --

This might be better routed directly to the Ascend Sales contact, but thought I'd try out the forum first.

I'm close to a speaker decision that will likely include the Sierra Towers (replacing a trusty >20 yo set of Def Tech BP10's), but trying to decide the best way to go on a Center. My cabinet space for a center channel is about 10 in high; it has a lip across the front that limits the slide in/out height to just a hair under 8 in, but I can always slide in the speaker from the rear.

I know from previous posts that Dave has said the absolute min height for a Horizon cabinet is 8 in...which, as above, I can accommodate.

Question is...are you giving anything up sonically with this Horizon configuration? There was an earlier reply somewhere about dispersion not being as good. How about the general sonic signature, speaker sensitivity, range, etc.? Is it still a Horizon in a low profile cab, or is it "almost a Horizon"?

I frankly care only a modest amount about the center, and I don't even currently run surrounds. 75% or more of my listening is music in 2.1. So, I could go with a lesser center than the Horizon if necessary. But it seems so cool.....

BTW, love the Ascend forum. There's nary a trace of the nastiness that plagues other audio/av forums...thanks in no small part, I'm sure, to the tone that Dave sets. The Ascend line has vaulted to the top of my consideration list specifically because of the upbeat sense that you get from watching these discussion threads. Lot of happy, engaged customers.

[curtis]

I know from previous posts that Dave has said the absolute min height for a Horizon cabinet is 8 in...which, as above, I can accommodate.

Question is...are you giving anything up sonically with this Horizon configuration? There was an earlier reply somewhere about dispersion not being as good. How about the general sonic signature, speaker sensitivity, range, etc.? Is it still a Horizon in a low profile cab, or is it "almost a Horizon"?

So you are referring to the custom order "slim" Horizon, correct?

You would be giving up very little. As you noted the dispersion would be a little different.

While the height will be 8 inches, it will be wider...I don't know the exact dimensions, but you'll need to make sure it fits your space.