Page 67 of 150 FirstFirst ... 6263646566676869707172 ... LastLast
Results 661 to 670 of 1493

Thread: Sierra-2 Development Thread

  1. #661
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Manhattan Beach, California
    Posts
    7,034

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by RRT-NPS View Post
    Which speaker is better? The Sierra-1 Custom with the RAAL, or the yet to be released Sierra-2 with the more narrow ribbon?

    I could have sworn I read somewhere that the Sierra-1 with the RAAL outperforms the Sierra-2, but I can't find where I read that and might be making that up entirely.

    I will be using either a Peachtree Audio Decco65 or Nova125 with the Sierras.

    Thanks.
    Quote Originally Posted by petmotel View Post
    You've already answered your own question. Sierra-2 has yet to be released, any conjecture as to how it fares against anything else is simply a guess. It's a pretty safe bet that the Sierra-2 will perform at a higher level than the Sierra-1.

    Your guess, my guess, it's all the same until Dave is able to spill the beans, despite anything you've read to the contrary.

    Jay
    Quote Originally Posted by Kisakuku View Post
    The question was about Sierra-1 with RAAL, which indeed should outperform Sierra-2 at least in the highs and the mids.
    Here's what Dave posted at AVS:

    http://www.avsforum.com/t/849859/the...#post_23788215

    Several things have changed in the Sierra-2 since our initial discussion regarding RAAL 70-20 Sierra-1 vs. Sierra-2. As things stand now, it is difficult to say which is actually the better speaker, much depends on the application. The 70-20xr ribbon tweeter is the overall "better" tweeter, but in this application, I am not sure anyone could actually hear that difference.
    -curtis

  2. #662
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    130

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    I guess the interesting question now is.... How about the Sierra-2 using its new mid/woofer with the 70-20XR in a custom config? Would that be better? :-)

  3. #663
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    394

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kisakuku View Post
    The question was about Sierra-1 with RAAL, which indeed should outperform Sierra-2 at least in the highs and the mids.
    Sierra-1 is not offered with a RAAL tweeter, so that is a contradiction in terms. Dave has made custom configurations of the Sierra bookshelf available in a variety of driver configurations, as well as custom cabinet sizes. Custom orders also carry with them a price premium (to be expected), and extended manufacturing timetables, so they are not directly comparable to standard stock items.

    Jay

  4. #664
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    373

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    I've zero reason to doubt Dave when he says that the RAAL 70-20XR that is used in the Sierra Towers RAAL and Horizon RAAL remains slightly superior to the highly customized 70-10 that will be used in the Sierra-2. So strictly comparing tweeter to tweeter, the RAAL 70-20XR should still be "better".

    But there's more than just the tweeter alone to consider. In my own experience, the mid-woofer in the Sierra-1 is definitely bettered by the dedicated Tower/Horizon midrange driver. But that dedicated Tower/Horizon midrange driver cannot extend nearly as deep in the bass, and actually needs to be crossed over to the subwoofers fairly high. Personally, I'm finding that about 120Hz seems to work quite well.

    So, what are all the potential combinations here? I'm willing to trust in Dave's skill and design efforts enough to fully believe that the new Sierra-2 mid-woofer will be superior to the Sierra-1 mid-woofer. Will it be equal in midrange quality to the dedicated Tower/Horizon midrange driver? Probably not quite. But it will definitely extend deeper into the bass, making it more suitable for use as a Main speaker.

    So,

    - RAAL 70-20XR with the regular Sierra-1 mid-woofer: you'd be getting the best tweeter, but not the best midrange

    - RAAL 70-20XR with the dedicated Tower/Horizon midrange driver: you're getting the best tweeter and the best midrange, but you have to be ok with using a fairly high crossover to the subwoofers, since that dedicated midrange driver cannot play very deep. Also, this is likely the most expensive custom option.

    - Sierra-2: by all accounts, it should be in between the two options above. A very slight downgrade on the tweeter vs. the 70-20XR. But an upgrade over the standard Sierra-1 mid-woofer. Maybe not quite the exact same midrange quality as the dedicated Tower/Horizon midrange driver. But definitely more bass extension.

    - Finally, it would take some extensive crossover work from Dave, but I have to imagine it will be possible to create a custom speaker that uses the 70-20XR tweeter paired with the new Sierra-2 mid-woofer. My guess is that that would end up being the best 2-way bookshelf speaker possible. It's the best tweeter, for sure, along with a mid-woofer that can still play low enough to use an ideal crossover frequency to the subwoofers, but is also an improvement over the Sierra-1 mid-woofer. If your goal is to get the absolute "best", I'd recommend emailing Dave and seeing if this combo is possible

  5. #665
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    203

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by petmotel View Post
    Sierra-1 is not offered with a RAAL tweeter, so that is a contradiction in terms. Dave has made custom configurations of the Sierra bookshelf available in a variety of driver configurations, as well as custom cabinet sizes. Custom orders also carry with them a price premium (to be expected), and extended manufacturing timetables, so they are not directly comparable to standard stock items.

    Jay
    And yet the question was:

    Quote Originally Posted by RRT-NPS View Post
    Which speaker is better? The Sierra-1 Custom with the RAAL, or the yet to be released Sierra-2 with the more narrow ribbon?

  6. #666
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    New Orleans, LA
    Posts
    74

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Thanks curtis and Kisakuku.

    Petmotel, dude. JUST WOW!

  7. #667
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Space Coast, FL
    Posts
    578

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    I tend to agree with jonathan_teller. The custom 70-20XR will probably remain the better ribbon tweeter from a technical standpoint, but the new custom RAAL developed for the Sierra-2 sounds like it will be a close second-place. The new mid-woofer for the Sierra-2 will likely take the crown over the current Sierra-1/NrT mid-woofer.

    My point: I believe the Sierra-2 will offer more of a "bumper-to-bumper" upgrade across the entire tonal spectrum, whereas the custom Sierra-1 with 70-20XR mainly improves mid-high and high frequency performance while keeping bass and general mid-frequencies unchanged from Sierra-1/NrT.

    As much as I like the idea of a 70-20XR paired with the new Sierra-2 mid-woofer, I'll see what the Sierra-2 offers as a complete package. The huge upside with the Sierra-2 is that it's drop-in replacement parts. That's really attractive. Going with a 70-20XR is going to require a new cabinet enclosure, and that's something I'd have to think about long and hard.

    OK, I've thought about it. The Sierra-2 is still my first choice.
    -Jacob

  8. #668
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    New Orleans, LA
    Posts
    74

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    I must have missed where he confirmed there will be a new mid-woofer.

  9. #669
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    New Orleans, LA
    Posts
    74

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Curtis, that thread on AVS is where I read that the modified Sierra 1 would best the Sierra 2. It was also why I thought the mid-woofer would be the same, or should I say that details of a new mid-woofer had not been mentioned or confirmed.

    Where are people getting this new mid-woofer idea?

  10. #670
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    SouthWest of Cleveland
    Posts
    1,924

    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by davef View Post
    Oh -- I didn't poo poo it, just giving you a hard time
    This post leads us to believe that a new woofer is coming! Post #617.
    Ed

    * Sierra-2EX's W/V2 crossover upgrade
    * (2) Rythmik F12's
    * Parasound Halo P6
    * Audio by Van Alstine DVA-M225 Monoblock Amps
    * MiniDSP 2x4HD For Sub calibration
    *World's Best Cables Canare 4S11 speaker cables

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •