Hello All From New Hampshire

[Chops]

I currently have an Integra DTR-5.4 with JBL 4311Bs.
It’s time to retire them after over 30 years of great listening.

I almost replaced them with Boston Acoustics VR-M60 bookshelves a
few years ago, but they were discontinued. Too bad as they were the
only speakers that made my heart pitter pat.

If anyone has ever had or heard these, how do they compare to the Ascend Acoustics
Sierra-1 Nrt?

I have listened to:

• PSB Imagine B Bookshelf – Too bright, sharp, direct, hardly any bottom & did not fill the room. My ears got tired even at low volumes. Sounded like a lot of noise.
• Paradigm Studio 20 Bookshelf – Still too bright, not as much as the PSB, They were also not as direct & sharp as the PSB. The middle was weak & the bottom was muddy with no definition. Lots of top & bottom. They did fill the room, however they were tiring on my ears, but not as much as the PSB.

Also is there anyone close to Central New Hampshire or Rockland Maine that might allow me to listen before I purchase.

Thanks
Chops

A rather interesting nickname. Does anyone have an idea how I got it?

[davef]

I currently have an Integra DTR-5.4 with JBL 4311Bs.
It’s time to retire them after over 30 years of great listening.

I almost replaced them with Boston Acoustics VR-M60 bookshelves a
few years ago, but they were discontinued. Too bad as they were the
only speakers that made my heart pitter pat.

If anyone has ever had or heard these, how do they compare to the Ascend Acoustics
Sierra-1 Nrt?

I have listened to:

• PSB Imagine B Bookshelf – Too bright, sharp, direct, hardly any bottom & did not fill the room. My ears got tired even at low volumes. Sounded like a lot of noise.
• Paradigm Studio 20 Bookshelf – Still too bright, not as much as the PSB, They were also not as direct & sharp as the PSB. The middle was weak & the bottom was muddy with no definition. Lots of top & bottom. They did fill the room, however they were tiring on my ears, but not as much as the PSB.

Also is there anyone close to Central New Hampshire or Rockland Maine that might allow me to listen before I purchase.

Thanks
Chops

A rather interesting nickname. Does anyone have an idea how I got it?

Hi Chops,

Welcome to our forum and I am sorry that your post was missed

Based on your comments regarding the PSB's and Paradigm Studio 20's -- I do think our Sierra-1 are exactly what you are looking for in a loudspeaker

Please feel free to contact me directly if I can be of any assistance.

Take care!

[Chops]

Dave,

Thanks for the response.

I think I am going to keep the old JBL 4311Bs for back surrounds.
There seems like a few changes maybe coming soon regarding the Sierra-1 with a possible RAAL tweeter. It also sounds like the bass response is pretty good.

Maybe I'll bypass purchasing a sub for the time being and get the RAAL Towers. I will not have room for a center tower, but perhaps a Sierra-1 center with a RAAL would match up nicely. I can just picture 3-4 years from now wanting to upgrade again. I might as well bite the bullet & do it right from start.

I presume I can run 5.0 with my Integra DTR-5.4 & enjoy a few DVDs. If I configure it right the bass should come out alright through the other speakers

[davef]

Dave,

Thanks for the response.

I think I am going to keep the old JBL 4311Bs for back surrounds.

You are most welcome!

This should work but those JBL's are quite old and probably won't provide the detail and accuracy of the new fronts. That said, put more $$$ into the fronts for now and then upgrade the rears at a later time...

There seems like a few changes maybe coming soon regarding the Sierra-1 with a possible RAAL tweeter. It also sounds like the bass response is pretty good.

Even if we can make the logistics work, this option probably won't be available for quite a while... Certainly not in 2012. Yes, the bass response in the Sierra-1 is quite remarkable for a bookshelf loudpeaker

Maybe I'll bypass purchasing a sub for the time being and get the RAAL Towers. I will not have room for a center tower, but perhaps a Sierra-1 center with a RAAL would match up nicely. I can just picture 3-4 years from now wanting to upgrade again. I might as well bite the bullet & do it right from start.

My opinion is to go with the best fronts that you can... The bass response of the towers is quite good and you can always add a sub at a later time. RAAL Towers + good sub is about as good as you can get for any reasonable amount of money

I presume I can run 5.0 with my Integra DTR-5.4 & enjoy a few DVDs. If I configure it right the bass should come out alright through the other speakers

Yes -- absolutely. You simply set the speakers to large and tell the receiver there is no sub. The bass and LFE will then be sent to your speakers. I don't use a subwoofer in my home theater system

Have a great weekend!

[Chops]

Ordered sierra towers & center with Raals. Now I get to wait till May/June for their arrival. My wife & I are discussing what CDs to use. We're going to set the CD player on random for our 1st listening session. They will have to cover jazz, classical & rock.

[markie]

Chops, great choice on the Raal Towers and centre! Eagerly looking forward to your impressions in a month or two. It would be a neat experiment if you kept your old speakers, and after hearing the Sierra towers for a couple of weeks you hooked the old speakers back up and noted the difference.

A wife that is into music listening with you? What a treat!

[Chops]

Towers with Raals Should arrive next Monday. Any suggestions for CDs to listen to?

[davef]

Towers with Raals Should arrive next Monday. Any suggestions for CDs to listen to?

See here: http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...ndation-Thread

[Chops]

Towers received.............

Unplugged old JBLs.........

Put on the white gloves.........

Setup the towers............

Loaded the C/Ds..........

Turned on the receiver.............

O.M.G......O.M.G........O.M.G..........

I must be in heaven...............

I Will do a review if I ever recover from the lost of breath......

[markie]

I'm amazed at the posts like this I've missed. Chops, do you have any updates for us, a review perhaps, to satisfy those of us who live vicariously through the experiences of others?

That is, assuming you did recovered from your loss of breath and were not found lying on the floor over a month ago ...

Mark