Sierra-2 Development Thread

[Dark Ranger]

First off, props to Dave for considering and actually working on suggestions from customers.

In my opinion, the towers are a no-brainer with either the NrT or RAAL option. You get the luscious mids and highs in an optimal 3-way design.

However, there are customers who cannot fit a tower into their listening environment. I am one of those customers. A Sierra-1 with RAAL would cater to a niche group including, but not limited to:

- those with no space for full towers
- those who prefer two-way bookshelf designs
- those who prefer high-quality sound in a discrete enclosure

However, I think the lack of upgrade path from Sierra-1 to Sierra/RAAL may cause some folks to back down because of the additional investment. I figured it would be extremely difficult to retool an existing S-1 cabinet for a RAAL upgrade.

One thought I had: a "trade up" program might be attractive for those who already own S-1, but I have no idea how much that would affect Ascend's ROI or resale objectives. There would be a lot of B-Stock going this route, and it will impact Ascend's current inventory turnover.

I do have a soft spot for quality bookshelf monitors. I will definitely stay tuned.


EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention names. My thought was Sierra-1R. Simple, but descriptive.

[Mag_Neato]

Glad to hear there is experimentation with this concept!
The difference in cost vs. The NrT towers would be the tough choice.
That would be dependent on each persons situation. Having the room for the monitors but not towers..........RAAL vs NrT.......etc.
Space for large speakers is not an issue for me, but cost is. If I could manage $2000 for the towers I'd be sticking with the excellent NrT tweeter. If I wanted the goodness of the ribbon combined with a little better midrange over the Sierra-1 NrT then a Sierra-1R(ribbon) crossed over to my 12" Rythmik would fill the bill.
Tough decision.

[parimento1]

would love to see a small 3-way bookshelf : )

[curtis]

would love to see a small 3-way bookshelf : )

What would you consider small? It will have to be bigger than the current Sierra 1/NrT.

[SGCSG1]

So when are we going to see some 'hero' shots of the Sierra-2 on the webpage?

Also ... IMPORTANT QUESTION!!! I ordered my Satin Dark Cherry '2's today.... please tell me that they don't come with any labels stuck on the front of them. Labels are just in the box, like the Sierra-1's, yes?

[slowturn]

So when are we going to see some 'hero' shots of the Sierra-2 on the webpage?

Also ... IMPORTANT QUESTION!!! I ordered my Satin Dark Cherry '2's today.... please tell me that they don't come with any labels stuck on the front of them. Labels are just in the box, like the Sierra-1's, yes?

I believe I've seen pictures of labels on back of the Sierra-1 and Sierra Tower.
Are there any stickers on the back of the Sierra-2?
Can we opt out of the stickers?

[RRT-NPS]

Question. Now that there are several pairs of Sierra-2s out in the wild, has anyone compared the bass response to the OG Sierra? I know what the numbers say but to the ear, is it really obvious?

When I first heard the Sierra-1, I was blown away by the bass response and couldn't believe all that bass was coming out of that speaker. Do you all get the same reaction to the Sierra-2?

[JustABrah]

Question. Now that there are several pairs of Sierra-2s out in the wild, has anyone compared the bass response to the OG Sierra? I know what the numbers say but to the ear, is it really obvious?

When I first heard the Sierra-1, I was blown away by the bass response and couldn't believe all that bass was coming out of that speaker. Do you all get the same reaction to the Sierra-2?

No it's not noticeable but I also crossover at 60, bass seems better/tighter tbh. I think you'd still want a sub with either S1 or S2

[davef]

Question. Now that there are several pairs of Sierra-2s out in the wild, has anyone compared the bass response to the OG Sierra? I know what the numbers say but to the ear, is it really obvious?

When I first heard the Sierra-1, I was blown away by the bass response and couldn't believe all that bass was coming out of that speaker. Do you all get the same reaction to the Sierra-2?

The numbers really don't describe the difference in the bass response. While the Sierra-1 does extend slightly deeper (might be audible depending on the source material and the room) the bass response of the Sierra-2 is tighter and more accurate with regard to transient accuracy, which I feel is easily audible.

[andrey]

what is the distance from the ground to the tweeter center on S2s and Towers? AFAIK, the tweeters of rear and surround S2s shall be aligned to the ear level @ MLP, so I want to pick the right stand with the right height, please correct me if i'm wrong and let me know if you have this info..