Sierra-2 Development Thread

[davef]

Your right.. I for some reason absolutely loved the way my natural bamboo Sierra 2's looked on my speaker stands...
Off topic.... Anyway to get the RAAL towers finish redone?

What finish do you have? I am a fan of the natural finish as well - especially the US-Made natural finish cabinets.

[ematthews]

What finish do you have? I am a fan of the natural finish as well - especially the US-Made natural finish cabinets.

The Satin Espresso. Would love to get the cabinet redone in either black or natural..

[davef]

The Satin Espresso. Would love to get the cabinet redone in either black or natural..

Refinishing in black matte can be done, but refinishing in natural or black bamboo is not going to be cheap as the cabinets must be rubbed down with a solvent to remove the dyes (several times) and then sanded and refinished.

Email me and I can get some quotes for you.

Surprised that you don't like the espresso, that is the most popular finish.

[ematthews]

Refinishing in black matte can be done, but refinishing in natural or black bamboo is not going to be cheap as the cabinets must be rubbed down with a solvent to remove the dyes (several times) and then sanded and refinished.

Email me and I can get some quotes for you.

Surprised that you don't like the espresso, that is the most popular finish.

Dave. I love the espresso... I just like the natural better and black would match all the decor in the room. It really isn't to big a deal. It might be easier just buying another set. I will email you for more info. On a side note, I do need to buy some bookshelves for another room. It won't be the 2's however as it's just for a smaller AVR set up.

[dtsequoia]

Why not just buy the cabinets you want alone (no components) and see if you could send the other set (satin expression) back?

[ematthews]

Why not just buy the cabinets you want alone (no components) and see if you could send the other set (satin expression) back?

That's an idea... I wonder if it's an option. Thanks

[RMW]

First post here. Just wanted to share my experience thus far with my Sierra 2's that I received a couple of weeks ago.

Even though I have far more audio equipment than any one person should have, I decided to pull the trigger on these when I saw the B-stock were available for Black Friday. I really wanted to try the Raal after reading all the hype around it in DIY circles (and elsewhere). I ordered a pair in Natural, and they are very nice looking. I read a post from Dave where he stated most people who buy B-stock can't figure out why they are not A-stock, and I will confirm this. To me, they look flawless.

Right now I have these hooked up to a Bottlehead SET amp, pumping out a whopping 3.5 watts per channel. ;-) I am actually surprised how loud these get in my medium sized room on such modest power. I've also tried them on an old Rotel amp that is quite a beast. While they play louder on the Rotel, to my ears they sound far better with the tubes, though the bass does suffer a bit. I already have my sights set on the new BH monoblocks that I think will be a bit better of a match for the Sierra's.

I've got maybe 30-40 hours on them so far, and they already sound pretty spectacular. I have them in a spare, untreated room - hardwood floors, minimal window treatments, bare walls. Definitely not an ideal room, but they are still very euphonic. You can sit and listen to them forever and don't get a hint of fatigue - the Raal is just so smooth. They are certainly up there with the best monitors I've bought/built over the years. It'll be interesting to see how can sound in a proper room with some more watts behind them! I'll post more detailed listening impressions when I've got that straightened out.

Thanks,
Ryan