You Guys Wanna Hear About Some Custom Speakers?

[FirstReflect]

Ok! So, yes, the speakers did arrive!

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Sorry I don't have more pics yet! I am extremely busy this week. Plus, I have to get Dave's thank you gift ready!

All I had time to do today after they arrived was make sure that they are functional and have a really quick listen to the front 3.

So, I'm no where near set up just yet. But how about some super early impressions?



To put it simply, I'm blown away by the vertical "low-profile" Horizon RAAL L/R Front speakers! With just a quick, quick listen, I'm instantly relieved and ecstatic!

I am no bass head. I'm practically the opposite of a bass head! haha. I tend to focus on upper treble detail, and just overall realism. So, when the first thing I say about the Horizon Fronts is that their bass is astoundingly good, that really means something! It's seriously making me question exactly where I want to cross over the fronts to my PC13-Ultra subwoofers!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the RAAL tweeters are worth every penny and then some! I have been searching for this level of realism for a long time now. I use a John Williams track from the Jurassic Park soundtrack that has a glockenspiel in it as a reference track. I have never heard that glockenspiel reproduced perfectly...until now! A glockenspiel has such a characteristic sound that is extremely difficult to reproduce. On all other speakers I've tried, it's too harsh, or not harsh enough; too quiet, or too present. Never "just right". But when you hear it reproduced perfectly, it just "clicks", and you know it

High hats reproduction is worth the price of these speakers alone. Again, just "real" and perfect.

At the moment, the Front L/R sound a bit warm, rather than strictly neutral. But that is due to the hasty placement I don't yet have them elevated at the perfect height, and they're a bit close to the side walls, so that's reinforcing the bass, which is creating that extra warmth, methinks.

Finally, the off axis response is excellent. I got a good 45 degrees off axis before there was a clear change in the timbre. That's simply amazing for a ribbon tweeter!

The "skinny" Center is something to behold! My super quick placement has it higher than it will be in proper use. As such, it doesn't sound as warm as the Front L/R at the moment, but it basically sounds how I want and expect the Front L/R to sound once I have everything properly placed! It's got a very neutral sound, and the midrange and treble match the Front L/R perfectly.

The off axis response of the skinny Center is very impressive for such a wide and large speaker. I got to about 35 degrees off axis before the timbre noticeably changed. The vertical dispersion, though, that's going to be the trickiest part. There's a pretty quick and clear change in the timbre when getting just slightly above or below the plain of the speaker's face. So careful aiming is going to be paramount! Also, the grill seems to restrict the vertical dispersion even a little bit further. I do believe I will always use this speaker sans grill, which works out well, since the drivers are all gorgeous

The other really notable traits of the Horizon Front 3 are their dynamics and utter lack of distortion. They simply beg to be turned up louder and louder! But not because they're too quiet. In fact, their low volume detail is stellar! But they have that wonderful quality where turning up the volume just brings them "closer", not "louder", and just makes things sound more and more real.

I really haven't tested out the various bookshelf speakers yet. But I'm excited to do some comparisons. All in all, though, I'm thrilled, I'm happy, and I have zero regrets. I had really high expectations, and the Front 3 Horizons have exceeded them!

I can't tell you what a relief it is -- haha. But it was worth the wait, for sure. And Dave could have charged me a lot more, and still provided a fantastic value! I got these for a steal, but that's why I came to Ascend!

[Dark Ranger]

Woohoo!!

Now I can let out that breath I've been holding for the past week or so. I'm thrilled that you like them so far. It must be a huge relief (an understatement) now that everything has arrived safely, not to mention that you're happy with the sonic signature. I think you made the right choice going with the RAAL tweeter. It's fantastic, isn't it?

Have fun with the setup, tweaking, and listening. Post when you can, but first priority is enjoying your new purchase.

[FirstReflect]

Thanks, Jacob!

Yes, I will definitely post more pics when I am able.

I need to stress, once again, though, that my current setup is NOT my "master plan" for these speakers! Not by a long shot! No, I came up with these custom dimensions and ordered these speakers for my future house and dedicated theater. I saw no point in waiting for materials prices to keep going up and up. And when Dave responded so enthusiastically, and with such an incredibly low price for all of this work, I simply said, "well what the heck would I wait for? It ain't gonna get better than this!" Not to mention, it's not as though I can't enjoy the heck out of these speakers for the next couple of years until I'm ready to move into my house!

So, with that disclaimer said, my current theater room in my apartment is way smaller than honestly makes sense for these speakers. The pictures are going to be hilarious But it's still awesome to have the speakers, and to know that the lynchpin of my future plans is already bought and paid for!

So, set up my apartment theater, get Dave's thank you gift in order, finish up all the work I need to get done this week -- THEN I can enjoy, and get some proper pictures posted

[rsmt2000]

congratulations Jonathan !!!

You deserve every bit of sonic nirvana. I and many folks in various forums keep learning a LOT from your posts. You really are very helpful for newbies and go OVER the EXTRA MILE to help others.

I sincerely wish you all the very best for your current and future AV set ups.

-Ron

[Mpalmieri1203]

Jonathan,

Your thread had been a good read and I'm sure you're relieved to finally have your speakers.

I see that you plan on using the Sierra-1 as a surround. I plan on doing the same. My question is how or what do you plan on using to mount or stand them?

I'm trying to get some ideas for my space.

[FirstReflect]

Thanks, guys!

I didn't even get a chance to do any further setup today. What crummy timing I did make progress in Dave's thank you gift, though

Mpalmieri, at the moment, I'm using these Yorkville SKS-40B monitor stands for my Surround, Surround Back, and Front Height speakers. They're a nice, affordable, strong stand that can be extended as tall as 4 feet, so they're great for elevated Surrounds. For the Front Height speakers, I'll have those stands on top of Autalex GRAMMA platforms, which are, themselves, on top of some 15" tall Ikea TV stands, which are also acting as my Front L/R stands so, the TV stands plus the GRAMMA risers, plus the Yorkville stands gets me about 5 and a half feet, plus the 14 inch height of the Sierra-1 NrT speakers themselves

In the future, though, I will be wall-mounting all of the elevated speaker positions. For that, I will use these B-Tech BT77 wall-mounts.

Dave also recommended these Pinpoint AM-40B wall-mounts , which look very similar.

[mapmn006]

Super cool Jonathan!

Can't wait to see more pics and hear your review when you get time!

Congratulations!

[JustABrah]

Jonathan buddy how about some updates and pics of this beast of a setup you got.

[FirstReflect]

Coming next week!

I was super busy last week, and my top, non-work priority ended up being Dave's thank you gift, which I will be shipping out to him tomorrow!

So, I really haven't had time to optimize, enjoy, and photograph my speaker setup yet. But, I have a week off work, starting tomorrow, which means I will finally be getting everything how I want it...for now

Again, can't stress enough that what I have right now is a temporary apartment setup, and NOT my "master plan" for these speakers. But it sure will be fun to enjoy in the mean time.

I'll update with some shots of Dave's gift, too, once he receives it

[sourbeef]

Can't wait to see your pics.