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Thread: Sierra-2 Development Thread

  1. #81
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dark Ranger View Post
    I have not yet heard the NrT in person although I've done extensive research on it. I decided to wait on upgrading my Sierra-1s for two reasons:

    1) I really needed to replace other equipment in the signal chain

    2) The Sierras already sound very darn good

    I would eventually upgrade (probably next year), but now I will hold off to see what Dave has cooking. I have a Horizon with RAAL tweeter. When I was planning the center channel upgrade, I originally settled on the NrT. Dave's measurements and feedback on the RAAL's incredible performance caused me to seriously consider the ribbon upgrade. I'm glad I did, it's really quite special.
    Your amp I'm guessing? Amps don't make a huge difference in my experience... The NrT upgrade is exponentially more significant than having a non-overdriven decent amp and replacing it with an expensive one. Speakers basically make all of the difference.

    But yeah now since a new upgrade was announced, might be a good idea to hold off on an NrT upgrade... (maybe Dave can weigh in on the matter to see if this is indeed the case? I'm guessing probably...)

    True, one could use a different midrange transducer. Perhaps SEAS or another OEM just finished baking a brand new midrange woofer with the exact sensitivity Dave needs for a 3-way Sierra-1.
    I guess developing or modifying an existing woofer would be viable for for a minimum number of orders... As the NrT tweeter was used for the Sierra NrT upgrade and the towers, it makes more sense than a maybe very limited of custom midrange driver for a Sierra-1 upgrade... Costs add up especially with the cabinet, so maybe finding an existing mid (and maybe modifying slightly?) might be the solution...

    To be honest, I'm kinda out of ideas, so I probably won't say too much more...that is until Dave gives us another bone to chew on.

    Fact is, there are only a few possibilities since this is a DIY upgrade. It has to be reasonably simple (for customers), but offer "significant" improvements. If you're right GirgleMirt, I'm sure there will be a lot of happy customers. I just haven't decided to toss the proverbial coin yet...

    Heads: new tweeter/crossover
    Tails: "SE" type upgrade
    Edge of coin: mid-range upgrade
    hehe SE for woofer might be tempting too... Not sure how doable/practical it would be, or the performance gain... But I think most modifications would require crossover modification, which would mean a crossover for the regular Sierra and one for the NrT... The mid cabinet too I would guess for the original Sierra, but at that point, a NrT upgrade might be necessary, so maybe would be the same for this 'SE' woofer upgrade...
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 07-15-2012 at 07:20 AM.

  2. #82
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigg35 View Post
    Can somebody please explain to me, what, or if, are the new upgrades going to be for the Sierra-1's? There seems to be some joking around in this thread, but I can't tell who is being serious and never received an email from Dave regarding any Sierra-1 upgrades???

    Did Dave really send out any emails with details about the Sierra-1 upgrades?

    Does anyone know what, or if, the upgrades are going to be?
    I think it's clear at this time that the upgrade will be pure oxygenated and cryogenic silver internal wire, these wires, unlike regular wire, allows to conduct electricticy without adding any sort of garbage or distortion, the result is a pure, oxygnated sound, free of any sort of garbage or distortion, easily audible by the human ear. Cryogenic really adds a new layer of technology on top of this wire, which makes it even more awesome and purer sounding than ever it could be without this cryo. This cryo isn't the regular type of cryo, it's done with very special cooling in a very special place that adds even more layers of information to this wire. The result is an even better wire that improves the sound unlike any other wire can improve the sound, really adds nuances and make a blacker background than ANY wire ever black backgrounded music... So black some have said it reminds them of a black hole, which is the name of the wire, black hole silver wire cryo wire, also creates a black hole effect in your wallet, if you can believe it... Surely the best 499.99$ you could spend for upgrading the Sierras, and the most awesome part, works with both original Sierra and NrT Sierra, even the 340SE or 170SE... Can be applied to ANY speaker... Hurry, quantities are limited... Order now and you'll also get a special green marker to upgrade all of your CDs by drawing on their edges... Really takes it to the next level. This is a level 1 upgrade, level 2 upgrade coming soon
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 07-15-2012 at 07:26 AM.

  3. #83
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Sierra 1's with RAAL's ... sweet!

  4. #84
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigg35 View Post
    Can somebody please explain to me, what, or if, are the new upgrades going to be for the Sierra-1's? There seems to be some joking around in this thread, but I can't tell who is being serious and never received an email from Dave regarding any Sierra-1 upgrades???

    Did Dave really send out any emails with details about the Sierra-1 upgrades?

    Does anyone know what, or if, the upgrades are going to be?
    Bigg,

    All these guys making posts are goofing around and speculating.

    In all seriousness, all Dave has posted, is that he is working on something, but he has not said what it is.

    No emails have been sent out.

    Unless you see a post from davef, take everything that is posted as being speculation or a joke. Go back to post #35 in this thread to see Dave's original post.
    Last edited by curtis; 07-15-2012 at 12:25 PM.
    -curtis

  5. #85
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    ^^^ What Curtis said!

    We are just attempting to entertain ourselves

    Until you see something from Dave himself take everything here with a grain of salt.
    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

  6. #86
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    All these guys making posts are goofing around and speculating.
    Guilty as charged!


    Bigg,

    We're just having some fun tossing around possibilities from a customer's standpoint. As curtis said, this is only speculation and fun. Dave will post an update when he can disclose more info, and I think we all understand that.


    @ GirgleMirt,

    I'll get back with you later tonight. Heading out for the afternoon and evening.
    -Jacob

  7. #87
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by Dark Ranger View Post
    I decided to wait on upgrading my Sierra-1s for two reasons:

    1) I really needed to replace other equipment in the signal chain
    ...
    Quote Originally Posted by GirgleMirt View Post
    Your amp I'm guessing? Amps don't make a huge difference in my experience... The NrT upgrade is exponentially more significant than having a non-overdriven decent amp and replacing it with an expensive one. Speakers basically make all of the difference.
    Yes, upgrading my electronics was part of the plan. I don't want to derail this thread too much by talking about my gear, but let me clarify.

    I wanted to replace my mains, subwoofer, and center speaker first, because I knew the biggest improvement would come from that. However, I was using a $250 Denon receiver I picked up on clearance 5 years ago. That's all I could afford at the time and it fit my needs just fine. Today, however, it's a different story entirely: no HDMI, no support for lossless formats, not rated for 4 ohm loads, and certainly cannot do 75 watts x 7 into 8 ohms all channels driven.

    Anyway, I debated for months on the best option for upgrade. Ultimately I decided to go with "separates" instead of a high-end receiver (I was considering the Yamaha RX-A3010 among others). I assure you that upgrading my electronics (pre/pro, amps, & DAC) from a low-end AVR provided nearly the same improvement as the speaker upgrade itself. It was literally night and day.

    With that said, I completely agree with you that speakers are the biggest determining factor with sound quality, followed by room acoustics/treatment. However, electronics like processors and amplifiers are also important. The audio signal must travel through many devices before reaching one's ears. The weakest link in the chain, whether a speaker, amp, or DAC can affect the entire outcome. In other words, achieving optimal synergy in a given system creates a sum that is greater than the parts.

    For example, most people would look at me funny if I dropped $2,700 on a pair of Towers, and then powered them with a $250 receiver. A more appropriate pairing would be a mid-range to high-end receiver, or a nice pre/pro and amplifier.

    However, what I think you're getting at is this (correct me if I'm wrong): if one already has decent electronics, amps, etc., than any upgrades will be incremental at best. I believe this follows the principle of diminishing returns. This is one reason that I (and probably most of us here) believe in Ascend's mission. It's not about obtaining the last 5% of audio perfection (because that costs $$,$$$), it's about the 95% before it.

    At this point in the game, I'm basically done with my system upgrades except for one other component I'm waiting on. I've got a nice balance of quality and performance in every area, and the bottlenecks are now extremely small. Any further performance gains with electronics will likely cost more than I'm willing to spend.

    Oh, by the way...I just totaled up the cost for my two amps, DAC, and pre/pro and it's actually less than what I paid for my STC/Horizon with RAAL upgrade. I got all the electronics on sale or on clearance over the past two months.

    Quote Originally Posted by GirgleMirt View Post
    But yeah now since a new upgrade was announced, might be a good idea to hold off on an NrT upgrade... (maybe Dave can weigh in on the matter to see if this is indeed the case? I'm guessing probably...)
    Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I'd rather just put the money towards the new uber performance upgrade instead of going NrT, and then upgrading again in less than 6 months.

    Quote Originally Posted by GirgleMirt View Post
    hehe SE for woofer might be tempting too... Not sure how doable/practical it would be, or the performance gain... But I think most modifications would require crossover modification, which would mean a crossover for the regular Sierra and one for the NrT... The mid cabinet too I would guess for the original Sierra, but at that point, a NrT upgrade might be necessary, so maybe would be the same for this 'SE' woofer upgrade...
    I could be wrong on the "SE" upgrade, it was just one idea I had to fuel the rumor mill. My thought was that it would replace the entire guts of the Sierra-1: tweeter, woofer, and crossover. Honestly, I'd be surprised considering how good the Sierra-1 woofer really is.

    In the meantime, I guess I'll sit tight for Dave's next post and buy some of that cryo wire you mentioned. The nice salesman told me I could achieve oneness with the universe by purchasing the $8,500 1-foot interconnect cable.
    -Jacob

  8. #88
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Quote Originally Posted by merrymaid520 View Post
    Good news Dave! I'll admit, I am bit nervous.....will this "upgrade" effect the Towers? I really cant swing any more A/V purchases for a while
    Hi Brandon,

    No worries ... this will not affect the Sierra Towers.
    .
    .
    .
    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

  9. #89
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    Dave, it may be too early to reveal this..but will the 'uber' upgrade be in addition to the nrt upgrade or instead of? any timeframe on the big reveal?

  10. #90
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?

    natetg57,

    Dave mentioned in one of his posts starting with post #35 that this would be an upgrade for the standard Sierra-1 as well as the NrT. Which to me means either a ribbon tweeter or woofer change.
    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

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