Thanks so much for posting your impressions thus far, Harley and smurraybhm.

These are exactly the sorts of descriptions I was hoping to hear

In my own setup, I purchased 11 custom speakers from Ascend. At the time, the Sierra-2 were in development, but they didn't exist yet. I was 100% certain of my choice of Front 3 speakers, which were a pair of custom "low-profile", vertically oriented Sierra Horizon RAAL Mains, and a one-off "Skinny" Sierra Horizon RAAL Center. Those speakers were part of my "master plan" from my future house and dedicated home theatre, and Dave's willingness to design and manufacture that one-off "Skinny" Center really was the lynchpin!

But, my other big demand was a pair of bookshelf speakers that would PERFECTLY match the sonics of those Front 3 Sierra Horizon RAAL speakers. I did not want ANY difference in the treble and mid-range between the Front 3 and my Front Wide speakers.

In speaking with Dave, he told me straight up that the best possible solution was to use the Sierra-1 cabinet, but to use the exact same RAAL 70-20XR ribbon tweeter and dedicated, phase-plug mid-range driver as those Sierra Horizon RAAL speakers. The ONLY down side is that the dedicated mid-range driver cannot play all that low. I have settled on a 120Hz crossover frequency to my subwoofers.

The results have been exemplary. The sonic match across my Front Wides and Front Mains & Center really is perfectly seamless, and simply glorious to hear in person. The best compliment I can think to pay is in saying that I am STILL not "used" to the sound quality I am enjoying on a daily basis. It still just kind of shocks me every single time I sit down and listen to anything on my system -- and that is a rare thing indeed! It's like falling in love and never getting out of the honeymoon phase -- haha.

All of this is a long-winded preamble to talk about my Sierra-1 NrT speakers, though, and why I have decided that I will be upgrading all of them to Sierra-2 in the not too distant future. As I said, at the time of my order, the Sierra-2 did not yet exist. I opted to purchase 3 pairs of Sierra-1 NrT to act as my Surround, Surround Back, and Front Height speakers.

I have always said, and I still maintain, that if you are going to skimp ANYWHERE in your sound system, then skimp on your Surround speakers. Their job is primarily ambience, and the occasional sound effect. I still very much hold that opinion. And I did NOT skimp -- I bought Sierra-1 NrT, which are excellent speakers!

But...as smurraybhm just pointed out so well, there's still a "wow factor" and an improvement to be had.

Naturally, I've done direct comparisons between my Sierra-1 NrT speakers and my custom 70-20XR + dedicated mid-range bookshelf Front Wides. I can listen to the Sierra-1 NrT and think to myself, "these are just excellent sounding speakers that allow me to hear everything in the recording". Then I switch over to the custom Front Wides, and it's like going from looking out a very clean window to removing the glass entirely. There's just an extra level of realism. It goes from "excellent speakers" to "uncannily real".

That comparison and lasting impression is what has led me to the conclusion that I will upgrade all of my Sierra-1 NrT speakers to Sierra-2. I had even considered switching all 6 of my Sierra-1 NrT over to the exact same 70-20XR tweeters and dedicated mid-range drivers, just like my Front Wides. But, that notion is less than ideal: the cost would be very substantial, as I would have to ship all of my Sierra-1 NrT speakers from Canada back to Ascend in order to cut the cabinets for the 70-20XR tweeters to fit, and the parts themselves are not inexpensive. But, more than that, the 120Hz crossover works very well for the Front Wide positions, as they are essentially co-located with my dual subwoofers, but it would be less than ideal for the Surround, Back and Front Height channels. 120Hz is high enough that the transition from the speakers to the subwoofers might become noticeable and localizable.

So, the Sierra-2 are here to save me! haha.

I already feel ridiculous for wanting to improve upon the Sierra-1 NrT. It is NOT a case of feeling as though I "skimped", or hearing so large a difference in the sound quality that I feel the upgrade is necessary. Rather, I feel as though I am SO CLOSE to an absolutely flawless soundstage ALL around me, that I just cannot shake the desire to see it through!

When sounds transition from my Front 3 speakers, through my Front Wides, and into my Surround and Back channels, the timbre of the sound remains excellently matched, but there's the slightest disconnect. It's made more noticeable (to me, probably not anyone else -- haha) by the fact that the transition from the Front 3 to the Front Wides is just PERFECT. Thus, I can't help but feel it is only natural for me to want to continue that absolutely flawless transition through every single speaker in my system!

Will the Sierra-2 accomplish that? My hopes are very high To put it plainly, the stunningly low cost -- all things considered -- of the upgrade kits, and the relative ease with which the Sierra-1 NrT parts can be swapped out - by me, in my own home - for Sierra-2 parts, it has made this an easy decision. But, written impressions, such as the ones above, only bolster my hopes! If people are describing the very same sorts of differences in going from the Sierra-1 to the Sierra-2 as what I just described in going from my own Sierra-1 NrT to my custom Wides, I find that highly encouraging! That is exactly what I was hoping for, and it is all coming true

I really do feel almost disrespectful for intending to use Sierra-2 speakers as lowly Surrounds, Backs, and Heights, rather than letting them shine as Front Main speakers! But, this is about chasing perfection. The Sierra-1 NrT already do their jobs phenomenally well in my setup. They produce that ambience and the occasional sound effects of those channels with wonderful quality and detail. But...what if...? What if, during those rare instances when a sound fully circles the room, or transitions from front to back, or vice versa, what if those transitions were just completely undetectable? What if the glass were simply never there at all? What if I didn't have 11 speakers, but instead, I just had SOUND? That is what is driving me now. That is what I am chasing. And I really do believe the Sierra-2 can get me there.

I shall let you know, if and when it happens...