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Thread: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    41

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    I am kind of in the same boat. I have the Sierra Towers NrT and I am considering trading in for Piano Black now that they are available. If I do so, I might opt for the RAAL upgrade. We have an open floor plan home and listen to music mostly, however I do watch a lot of sports with occasional movies. I was originally concerned about horizontal dispersion with the ribbons since the speakers are used quite often to provide a sound track while we cook and entertain in the open kitchen/family room. Now that I see that the RAAL's don't have horizontal problems, I'm really leaning towards them. I would be keeping my NrT Sierra 1 center channel however -- we can't fit the size of the Horizon -- so maybe the mismatched tweets also pose a problem that I'll need to overcome.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    48

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    Without the RAAL, the Towers would probably be a very accurate pair of speakers but without the speed that some speakers out there excel at. Just by adding the RAAL you get some of the most accurate speakers with the best ribbon tweeter in the market right now, at any price. So with the RAAL, the size, and them being efficient speakers (can go in any system) technically you can keep them for decades thus saving $ in the long run. With the discounted piano black, they look as good as any "high end" (read expensive) speakers out there.

    Having said that I use mine for 60% HT and it works quite well. I can understand that if someone wants to use both front and rear towers and would like to save some $ he can settle with the domes. Having heard the CBM-170 I believe a much cheaper dome tweeter in a well designed speaker can perform just as well as exotic beryllium etc. Those bookshelves sound better than the Ushers, Focals, PSBs I've owned...

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    84

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    It's a lot simpler for me. I just have 2 speakers and a sub. I couldn't do surround if I wanted to because my hk 990 is a 2.2 amp. I'm totally happy this way anyhow. I prefer pure quality over maximum spl and surround.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    34

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    Dave told me and others on the AVS forums to call or email Dina to express an interest in getting the Horizon center in piano black. He said he is looking into making a small run of piano black based on the interest he sees. So if you are so inclined, let Dina know and maybe we can have our matching piano black centers to go with our new towers....He did say the cost of them would depend on how many were interested which is understandable.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Dallas
    Posts
    25

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    I'm planning to buy the piano black towers this week. But still wondering if I should go for the tweeter option or not.

    Seems like there was a lot of discussion here about clarity with movies. But what was the conclusion for music? I'm a 100% music listener (no HT on the setup I want these for). What would I expect the differences to be between the tweeters for music listening?

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    34

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    Quote Originally Posted by dorz11 View Post
    I'm planning to buy the piano black towers this week. But still wondering if I should go for the tweeter option or not.

    Seems like there was a lot of discussion here about clarity with movies. But what was the conclusion for music? I'm a 100% music listener (no HT on the setup I want these for). What would I expect the differences to be between the tweeters for music listening?
    For music the consensus is to get the RAAL ribbon for sure. Mind you I have never heard these speakers before, just going off what I have read/researched on this forum and the avs forum.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Space Coast, FL
    Posts
    578

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    I thought I'd mention this:

    For those who may not be able to afford the ribbon tweeter option or believe it is necessary, I assure you that you won't be "missing out" and that choosing the NrT will be like eating cake without the chocolate frosting. Far from it!

    There are quite a few members here who have the NrT Towers, love them, and are completely satisfied. Ascend's fully-custom neodymium ring tweeter (NrT) is arguably one of the best dome tweeters in the world. It has excellent transient response and dynamic capabilities. It also measures very well for a dome tweeter. In fact, some people may actually prefer the sound of the NrT to the ribbon. The NrT can seem more dynamic with a sharper "attack" due to the higher stored energy and longer decay times than the ribbon tweeter.

    What the ribbon tweeter brings (objectively) is improvements in several areas: it has a flatter frequency response than the NrT, extended high frequency response, accurate response further off-axis, and lower stored energy/shorter decay times. If you are a critical listener and/or prefer well-recorded music, then the RAAL ribbon might be a better choice. If you have the money and want the very best performance, then the RAAL ribbon is for you. Otherwise, the NrT soft-dome tweeter will more than suffice. Put the money you saved into room treatments or some good music/movies.
    -Jacob

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    84

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    I'll have some impressions on sunday. They were way backordered but they're almost ready and Dina was awesome enough to drive to the shop on a sunday when I'm off work so I can pick them up. This is assuming the world doesn't end on friday. I'm psyyyyyched.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Space Coast, FL
    Posts
    578

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    Woohoo!!!
    -Jacob

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    34

    Default Re: To RAAL or not to RAAL..that is the question.

    I RAALed



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