Sierra-2 Development Thread

[arkiedan]

Nowadays when one discusses a ribbon tweeter the only one mentioned is the
Raal. Obviously a great tweet but at $700 a pair it should be. Other, more reasonably-priced, ribbons are no longer discussed. That's a shame, because there are others and many perform very well (perhaps not up to Raal but real close).

Dave is playing it close to the vest on the Sierra upgrade but could he not be working with a more competitively-priced ribbon? It would still be a significant performance improvement over the standard Sierra and the nrt version, but at a more reasonable price.

Seems to me adding $700 Raals and new crossovers to the Sierra moves it into tower range. And, replacing the woofer would completely elliminate it's value since it would be moving into standard tower territory.

I'd love to keep my standard Sierras and upgrade them, but only if the price is in the $600-$700 range. Beyond that and I'll sell them and go for a tower with the nrt.

[Mag_Neato]

Nowadays when one discusses a ribbon tweeter the only one mentioned is the
Raal. Obviously a great tweet but at $700 a pair it should be. Other, more reasonably-priced, ribbons are no longer discussed. That's a shame, because there are others and many perform very well (perhaps not up to Raal but real close).

Dave is playing it close to the vest on the Sierra upgrade but could he not be working with a more competitively-priced ribbon? It would still be a significant performance improvement over the standard Sierra and the nrt version, but at a more reasonable price.

Seems to me adding $700 Raals and new crossovers to the Sierra moves it into tower range. And, replacing the woofer would completely elliminate it's value since it would be moving into standard tower territory.

I'd love to keep my standard Sierras and upgrade them, but only if the price is in the $600-$700 range. Beyond that and I'll sell them and go for a tower with the nrt.

That is something that each customer will have to weigh. It is certainly a factor for me to consider. I have plenty of space for towers and no objections from my Fiancee. It is all a matter of cost for me. Once the Sierra-2 is officially announced with pricing for the upgrade I will decide if I can afford to do the upgrade or sell my Sierra-1 NrT's to move to towers. I may not be able to do either, but I won't know until I see pricing.

On the other hand, this may be the only option available to those who cannot accommodate towers due to room layout and/or SAF.

[arkiedan]

That is something that each customer will have to weigh. It is certainly a factor for me to consider. I have plenty of space for towers and no objections from my Fiancee. It is all a matter of cost for me. Once the Sierra-2 is officially announced with pricing for the upgrade I will decide if I can afford to do the upgrade or sell my Sierra-1 NrT's to move to towers. I may not be able to do either, but I won't know until I see pricing.

On the other hand, this may be the only option available to those who cannot accommodate towers due to room layout and/or SAF.

I agree. Of course it'll be up to each individual, as always, but I suspect a $1K upgrade will eliminate all, or nearly all, current Sierra owners barring, as you said, those who can't use a tower. I too have plenty of room for towers (they would sit where my Sierra stands now sit. My wife has her own "playroom" so she's not a factor. My wallet is.

I suppose we shall see what we shall see, sometime long around June. It's an antsy wait though, since I've developed a bad case of upgraditis.

[petmotel]

Nowadays when one discusses a ribbon tweeter the only one mentioned is the
Raal. Obviously a great tweet but at $700 a pair it should be. Other, more reasonably-priced, ribbons are no longer discussed. That's a shame, because there are others and many perform very well (perhaps not up to Raal but real close).

Dave is playing it close to the vest on the Sierra upgrade but could he not be working with a more competitively-priced ribbon? It would still be a significant performance improvement over the standard Sierra and the nrt version, but at a more reasonable price.

Seems to me adding $700 Raals and new crossovers to the Sierra moves it into tower range. And, replacing the woofer would completely elliminate it's value since it would be moving into standard tower territory.

I'd love to keep my standard Sierras and upgrade them, but only if the price is in the $600-$700 range. Beyond that and I'll sell them and go for a tower with the nrt.

Dave builds some of the best performance/cost ratio products in the industry. I think at this point we need to trust his sensibilities, and design prowess to once again provide astounding bang for the buck.

Obviously, with no details yet released, we don't know what drivers will be used, or what the prices will be. The only thing I am certain of, is that the performance will be stellar!

Jay

[t3ss]

the towers will still throw out more sound with the dual woofer and it is going to be more sensitive suitable for larger rooms. Bookshelves may be better fit for smaller rooms and WAF.
Thats just my guess

certainly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, I just wonder how Sierra 2s and my sub would compare to NRT towers.

[Brannigan]

certainly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, I just wonder how Sierra 2s and my sub would compare to NRT towers.

I think the order of overall sound quality would be...

1-Raal towers with sub
2-Sierra 2 with sub/Standard towers with sub (tie depending on preference for sound signature)
3-Raal towers no sub
4-Standard towers no sub
5-Sierra 2 no sub

But I assume they all sound fantastic since I've heard most of them.

[j0nnyfive]

. . . Well guys, I am eagerly awaiting the unveiling of these things. My Dad has the towers (very very nice), and while full of awesome, a part of me misses the bookshelf speaker. Just something more personal about it or something. I don't know. You think we could all gather around now and hold hands? I need a moment. . . preach on Dave. preach it brother. Can ah get uh ribbon tweeter hallelujah!!?

[natetg57]

Those Sierra 1s with the RAAL look pretty sweet- how much?

Here is a quote from Dave from earlier in this thread:

Hi Guys,

Sorry for any confusion. Our custom RAAL 70-20XRam (same tweeter used in our Sierra Ribbon Tower) is currently an $800 upgrade to a pair of Sierra-1. ($400 per speaker) In the natural finish, the price would be $1648 and in one of the premium finishes, the price would be $1748.

Due to near constant fluctuation of the Euro, pricing might change a bit from each batch of ribbons we receive.

Thanks again!

[GirgleMirt]

That might be a tough decision for new owners vs towers!

[SGCSG1]

If you have a subwoofer these might perform better than the standard towers for about the same money (after factoring in cost of stands).