Sierra-2 Development Thread

[Drew888]

"Every component is being custom made for us, which includes custom toolings so that every component will be swappable with Sierra-1 / Sierra-1 NrT components. This takes many months and dozens of samples to get right. There is not a single off-the-shelf component used...
We could simply follow the path of all other loudspeaker manufacturers and use existing toolings, which would also save us ~$20K, but then Sierra-1 owners will not be able to upgrade, should they choose to do so.... This is the easy way out, probably requiring 1/4 of the amount of time I have put in...
I like to think we do things differently around here and regardless of whether this decision turns out to be a significant financial loss --- rewarding our customers by giving them an affordable DIY upgrade option keeps me feeling really good about what we do "

Bless you Dave... I for one researched online until my fingers bled, saved my hard earned $ for a little while, then sight unseen drove down and bought some Sierras (no nrt, as no extra$) directly. They replaced 10 year old Paradigms and it was a happy day indeed (wife thought I was nuts). I knew I had to have the nrt upgrade but family issues (lost my brother) forced me to wait. So I'm revisiting this today and read through all 55 pages and... yep, choking up a bit (this happens when I’m reminded of him I suppose, oh and thinking of something I thought I’d never get a chance to own)... I'm excited for my eventual raal upgrade.

I'm no enthusiast but I’d like to be. Since bringing home my Sierras I have spent just about every early Sunday morning doing some critical (to me) listening with my cup-o-joe in hand and love it.

Now being that I’m 80% HT use, is this still a viable option? I’ll soon be running this through a Yamaha RX-A1030 as my Onkyo hdmi board went out.

Dave, thanks for all that you do and know your customer service alone is encouraging appreciation for good sound! I have wanted something of quality for years and this may be my last speaker purchase, for a very long time anyway, and I know I made the right decision.

[JustABrah]

Man oh man I just added a Anthem MRX-300 and WOW Anthem Room Correction does unreal things, my system has never sounded this good before! I never thoughht it would have this big of an impact, I really can't wait to add the raal that and the new TV and I can sit back and enjoy for a good year before I look at updating things like the Horizon as LCR and push the Sierra-2 to rears

[Dark Ranger]

Just wanted to say a quick "thank you" to Dave for the additional info and tidbits. I also feel better knowing I won't really be "missing out" with the original Sierra-1 port tube versus the larger port tube from the Towers. This was actually one big decision point for me on whether I kept the Sierra-1 cabinets and went DIY, or just purchased an entire Sierra-2.

I've been wondering if the effects of Q-Plugs will change due to the new design. I've been using Q-Plug B and it's exactly what I need in this room and for my taste. When Dave is ready to spill all the beans, I'd like to formally request an info section on Q-Plug performance with the new Sierra-2 design.

[FirstReflect]

I mentioned this to Dave in an email, but I predict that his local cabinet maker is going to be VERY busy!

Dave said in this thread that the Sierra-2 that uses the larger port (the same one as in the Tower) will only be made in small batches. But aside from the larger port, those small batches will also be the ones that have finishes that match the Sierra Towers! So, I'm predicting that version will end up being more popular than the version of the Sierra-2 that uses the Sierra-1 port, has the same finish options as the Sierra-1, and is made by the Sierra-1 cabinet maker!

Piano black might tip the scales back closer to even, but matte black and all the satin finishes will be coming from the local cabinet maker, it would seem.

So I wonder just how "small" those local batches will really wind up being! The Towers and Horizon have already proven so popular that there are wait times just because the cabinet maker can't keep up with the huge volume of orders! That's one of the nicer problems to have, but it's still a problem of sorts. I believe the Sierra-2 is going to be even more popular than Dave expects! We're talking about a ribbon tweeter, bamboo cabinet, higher power handling and output, bass capable, gorgeous looking bookshelf speaker for - I'm guessing - somewhere in the ballpark of $1500 per pair! If the Towers and Horizon outpaced predicted sales, these Sierra-2 babies are going to blow the doors off!

Dave's explained a bit about the high costs of this project. It's a massive undertaking already. But I'm thinking that local cabinet maker is going to need to hire more staff, lease more space, buy more equipment, and expand!

The demand is there, and it's only going to skyrocket with the introduction of the Sierra-2! Now we just need the supply

[SGCSG1]

I mentioned this to Dave in an email, but I predict that his local cabinet maker is going to be VERY busy!

Dave said in this thread that the Sierra-2 that uses the larger port (the same one as in the Tower) will only be made in small batches. But aside from the larger port, those small batches will also be the ones that have finishes that match the Sierra Towers! So, I'm predicting that version will end up being more popular than the version of the Sierra-2 that uses the Sierra-1 port, has the same finish options as the Sierra-1, and is made by the Sierra-1 cabinet maker!

Piano black might tip the scales back closer to even, but matte black and all the satin finishes will be coming from the local cabinet maker, it would seem.

So I wonder just how "small" those local batches will really wind up being! The Towers and Horizon have already proven so popular that there are wait times just because the cabinet maker can't keep up with the huge volume of orders! That's one of the nicer problems to have, but it's still a problem of sorts. I believe the Sierra-2 is going to be even more popular than Dave expects! We're talking about a ribbon tweeter, bamboo cabinet, higher power handling and output, bass capable, gorgeous looking bookshelf speaker for - I'm guessing - somewhere in the ballpark of $1500 per pair! If the Towers and Horizon outpaced predicted sales, these Sierra-2 babies are going to blow the doors off!

Dave's explained a bit about the high costs of this project. It's a massive undertaking already. But I'm thinking that local cabinet maker is going to need to hire more staff, lease more space, buy more equipment, and expand!

The demand is there, and it's only going to skyrocket with the introduction of the Sierra-2! Now we just need the supply

Yes, I think the matte and satin finishes will be at least half of the Sierra-2 orders.

[Dark Ranger]

I'm very much in agreement with you, Jonathan. The Sierra-2 is going to shake things up, that much is certain.

I really hope Ascend can achieve ROI in a reasonable time frame. From the sound of things, this appears like one of the most ambitious (if not the most ambitious) project Ascend has completed. This is in no way to diminish the 4.5+ years on the Sierra-1, the Ascend subwoofer project, or the Sierra Towers. Every product has been a labor of love, lots of sweat, and probably more than a few tears. I honestly don't know how Dave can keep the pace...

Anyway, I'm glad I stumbled into Ascend several years ago, I only wish it had been sooner.

[parimento1]

Will the Sierra-2s only be available with the RAAL tweeter, or will there be a standard dome option?

[Mag_Neato]

Will the Sierra-2s only be available with the RAAL tweeter, or will there be a standard dome option?

At this point we don't know that the tweeter will be a RAAL. I think we can safely assume it will be some sort of a ribbon designed by Dave and made exclusively for Ascend, but don't assume it is a RAAL. It sounds like it is a totally custom tweeter.

As for a dome: You have the standard Sierra-1 AND the NrT versions already in the lineup. Adding another dome version does not make sense. In order to get the performance of the Sierra-2's new mid-woofer(Whatever that may be), the new tweeter is designed to work with it to get that performance. I believe it allows a lower crossover to the woofer than is possible with any dome design.

[parimento1]

Ah I didn't know the Sierra-1 was still going to be produced. I thought the Sierra 2 would supersede it and the Sierra-1 would be discontinued.

At this point we don't know that the tweeter will be a RAAL. I think we can safely assume it will be some sort of a ribbon designed by Dave and made exclusively for Ascend, but don't assume it is a RAAL. It sounds like it is a totally custom tweeter.

As for a dome: You have the standard Sierra-1 AND the NrT versions already in the lineup. Adding another dome version does not make sense. In order to get the performance of the Sierra-2's new mid-woofer(Whatever that may be), the new tweeter is designed to work with it to get that performance. I believe it allows a lower crossover to the woofer than is possible with any dome design.

[SGCSG1]

Will the Sierra-2s only be available with the RAAL tweeter, or will there be a standard dome option?

You mean will the Sierra-2 be a Sierra-1?