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Thread: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

  1. #41
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    music in All speakers mode
    Are you planning on using all of your speakers for stereo music sources? I know individuals who think that's the best way to use their system to the fullest.
    IMO the center and surround speakers should only be used for sources that contain those discrete channels. Spreading the two channels into 'all speakers' mode results in a degradation of sound. (IMO)
    If two speakers are set up properly they will present a wide and seamless soundstage along with precise detail.

  2. #42
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    If you hear a sealed sub playing 16hz organ note, and a ported sub (port tuned to 16hz) playing the same note, the sound isn't the same.

    Illka in his test of a Rythmik noted how it sounded "drier", lack of overhang.
    I've nothing to really contribute to the original topic of the thread (though I would agree that given the situational constraints, a subwoofer upgrade is probably where I would go), but this made me chuckle a bit. I grant you that evaluating a test pitch at the port tuning of enclosure A relative to the same pitch on a sealed enclosure B should by definition sound different (phase shifts, etc...) but at 16hz... noticing one as being drier? If only my stomach could be so precise.

    Actually, now that I think about it... I dunno that I'd want anything sub-sonic to sound... dry. Something for me to ponder I suppose.

    I'm just being a goof on this. With the size of my room and how open it is, it would be a dicey proposition indeed to get a sealed sub to compress air in any meaningful way below 20hz. So wet and wild (ported) it is for me.

    Ok, I fibbed... I can comment on the topic:

    Anyway, OP... you already own speakers that handle the top 9 octaves of human hearing with what I feel is solid ability. You could indeed replace them, but you'd be improving 9 octave you already have stellar representation for. I'm not saying it's an unjustified improvement (I actually wouldn't know... haven't heard the towers... OR the Sierra 1 NRT's). Your sub... I suspect heavily that if you got in there with testing material and a db meter you'd find your sub is crapping out at or just above 30hz (and I fear even higher).

    Just like a rock solid tweet can put a beautiful shine on the upper registers of a speaker, a quality subwoofer can put a shine on the bottom. Subs are not complex animals. They don't have to do much (especially if you cross them over as low as I usually do), but what they have to do they need to do well to keep up with the mains. And if you have one that can indeed keep up with the mains, it will actually make the mains sound better. Even when it's not hammering you through the wall during movie time, it will be expanding your perception of the sound field during music. Well-integrated, it will sound like it should've always been there, this unconscious envelopment, dainty, pillowy soft hammer of the gods buildng the foundation of whatever you're listening to.

    Anyway, if you've got the cash to upgrade all this stuff, and want to, go for it. If it was me? I'd start with the sub. Even at low volume levels, having a solid subwoofer is night and day even for basic watching of tv. I've had two maniacal caclke moments in my audio life in the past year. Sierra's a few weeks ago... and a monster sub a year ago. Weakest link fist.

  3. #43
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    If you plan on listening to DVD-A's, SACD's...and have the disc player to do so, and BluRay music discs, then I think using Sierra-1's as surrounds is a good idea. This stuff is often called "hi-res multi-channel" music.

    If you are just going to listen to "all channel" stereo, which is something your receiver creates, then I think I might spend the money elsewhere.

    I currently use Sierra-1's as my mains, and HTM-200SE's for surrounds. Works very well for hi-res multi-channel music. The HTM-200SE's are also much easier to mount/place because of their size and design.
    -curtis

  4. #44
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Alleric View Post
    I've nothing to really contribute to the original topic of the thread (though I would agree that given the situational constraints, a subwoofer upgrade is probably where I would go), but this made me chuckle a bit. I grant you that evaluating a test pitch at the port tuning of enclosure A relative to the same pitch on a sealed enclosure B should by definition sound different (phase shifts, etc...) but at 16hz... noticing one as being drier? If only my stomach could be so precise.
    I base my comments with little techenical or background experience in speaker or sub design. The sealed vs. ported arguement was put to task in the KC Blind subwoofer shootout thread. It's a very interesting read that some of the actual owners had a difficult time discerning which is which....

    Food for though....

    http://www.avsforum.com/t/1387178/ar...-shootout-2012

  5. #45
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by billy p View Post
    I base my comments with little techenical or background experience in speaker or sub design. The sealed vs. ported arguement was put to task in the KC Blind subwoofer shootout thread. It's a very interesting read that some of the actual owners had a difficult time discerning which is which....

    Food for though....

    http://www.avsforum.com/t/1387178/ar...-shootout-2012
    Oh I've browsed that thread numerous times. Numerous, numerous times. Now, I fully... fully concede I've never sat down and done a full double blind test of numerous subwoofer options. I don't have the facilities in my home, and I don't have funds free to execute such extravagant exercises (I'd totally do it though if I could, of course). I can only really go by my anecdotes based on DIY subs I've built among other things.

    All I can really say is that once it gets below say... 50hz for me? My ability to tell the difference starts going down as frequency does. And above that it's way more to do with me knowing the recording I'm listening to than anything else, as the response curve below the port tuning rolls off very steep. So if there's a portion of the experience I can tell is missing, that's my clue that a driver has uncoupled from the enclosure below a tuning frequncy.

    Anyway, another reason I'm a big fan of subs with larger enclosures and way low port tunings, coupled with crossing the sub over as low as you can.

  6. #46
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Yes..I agree that the KC GTG thread was/is very interesting.
    -curtis

  7. #47
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Let me say up front that I listen to music almost exclusively with just a little HT. I do not own a subwoofer. I am posting because I used to own Sierra-1 Nrt but now own a pair of towers with the Nrt domes instead.

    The Towers are distinctly different sounding in many ways, but both speakers are much better than anything else I have auditioned in their price range. Like others have said, the towers have more mid-range detail, and at middle to higher volume levels the bass is simply less strained sounding than the Sierra-1 (I am filling quite a large room with music). The Sierra-1's are a bit more layed-back, and in a few cases were just plain more fun to listen to than my Towers. With that said, I would never dream of selling my Towers and going back to the Sierra-1's, but I would definitely consider buying another pair of Sierra-1' someday for a second system.

    As far as the OP's question. I think Sierra-1's with a good sub woofer will get you a nice smooth-yet-crisp sound, with deeper but less-tight bass. The Sierra Tower will definitely bring out more detail in a movie without being irritating, and tighter bass that will not go as deep as a subwoofer.

    I do not think the Towers would be an acoustic over-kill in a smaller room. As a matter of fact, I think the Towers can be played successfully at a lower volume than the Sierra-1's. Before I bought my original Sierra-1's I did audition some speakers that were similar in size to the Towers. Some were were overkill even for my large room. I believe they were designed to have a deep, loose bass, but with loss in bass detail, and that is what gave me the "overkill" impression. The Towers have a tight detailed bass that I think is fantastic!

    IMHO there is really no "wrong" decision here.
    Last edited by phlw; 09-21-2012 at 12:14 AM.

  8. #48
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    2 days ago I added a Rythmik F12 subwoofer to my system and wow, what a sound.

    When I started thinking about upgrading to towers, some people suggested that I'll notice a bigger difference is sound if I spend that $1,000 on a better Receiver (refurbished ... so true price would be around $1,700)

    what do you guys think? With the system I have ... next step ... better Receiver?
    A/V Receiver - Denon AVR 4311ci
    L/R - Ascend Sierra-1 NrT
    Center - Ascend Sierra-1 NrT
    Surrounds - Ascend HTM-200
    Sub - Rythmik F12
    TV - Sharp LC-80LE650U 80-inch
    Screen - 135" STR-169135-G Silver Ticket 4K Ultra HD Ready
    Projector - Epson Home Cinema 3100 1080p
    SACD Player - Sony C222ES

  9. #49
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    2 days ago I added a Rythmik F12 subwoofer to my system and wow, what a sound.

    When I started thinking about upgrading to towers, some people suggested that I'll notice a bigger difference is sound if I spend that $1,000 on a better Receiver (refurbished ... so true price would be around $1,700)

    what do you guys think? With the system I have ... next step ... better Receiver?
    Well, you already have 105 watts per channel, and all the bells and whistles of HDMI and blu-ray specs, so I'd say easy kill: towers would make the biggest difference. They are as much a step above the Sierra 1's as those are above the CBM/CMT's, if you ask me. The dedicated midrange and dual woofers make things effortless.

    Plus, they are more sensitive and will be easier to drive with your AVR.

    And just think, you could have overkill Sierra-1 surrounds! Lol (I do).

    You could also swap your surrounds to HTM's...
    Jon O.

  10. #50
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jonnyozero3 View Post
    Well, you already have 105 watts per channel, and all the bells and whistles of HDMI and blu-ray specs, so I'd say easy kill: towers would make the biggest difference. They are as much a step above the Sierra 1's as those are above the CBM/CMT's, if you ask me. The dedicated midrange and dual woofers make things effortless.

    Plus, they are more sensitive and will be easier to drive with your AVR.

    And just think, you could have overkill Sierra-1 surrounds! Lol (I do).

    You could also swap your surrounds to HTM's...

    Strange. Half the people say that receiver is crucial. If it's not, why do people spend thousands on them???
    A/V Receiver - Denon AVR 4311ci
    L/R - Ascend Sierra-1 NrT
    Center - Ascend Sierra-1 NrT
    Surrounds - Ascend HTM-200
    Sub - Rythmik F12
    TV - Sharp LC-80LE650U 80-inch
    Screen - 135" STR-169135-G Silver Ticket 4K Ultra HD Ready
    Projector - Epson Home Cinema 3100 1080p
    SACD Player - Sony C222ES

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