New Sierra-2 impressions...

[petmotel]

Ha... Not! Even though I listen to my 2's without my Rrthmik sometimes, there is no substitute for the F12..
On a funny note. I put my old Klipsch RF82's in my audio system yesterday to compare them with my Sierra 2's.... Holy crap they were awful.. I really couldn't get through 2 songs... Would really love to add a full Ascend set up to replace the Klipsch in the TV room.

I thought my Sierra-1NRTs were amazing, they were a huge amount better than the Mirage towers they replaced. After comparing the Sierra-1NRT, and Twos it was readily apparent the new speakers trumped the already fabulous originals in every area. Accuracy, linearity, and transient response all perform at a higher level than my NRTs.

I must also mention that after having listened to my RAAL equipped Sierra Towers/ Horizon for quite a while now, I'm spoiled with the high end the ribbons provide. I don't think I could ever be happy again with a dome type tweeter, the RAALs really are exquisite! Even with the Sierra-2s used as surrounds, with multi-channel surround music, the difference is quite noticeable on some material.

I think that anyone buying the Sierra-2s for a movie set-up will probably end up listening to a lot more music through them. Also, they will likely be looking for high quality recordings, because these speakers just sound increasingly better with the quality of the source material (and conversely, poor recordings are stripped bare as well).

Jay

[markie]

Ha... Not! Even though I listen to my 2's without my Rrthmik sometimes, there is no substitute for the F12..
On a funny note. I put my old Klipsch RF82's in my audio system yesterday to compare them with my Sierra 2's.... Holy crap they were awful.. I really couldn't get through 2 songs... Would really love to add a full Ascend set up to replace the Klipsch in the TV room.

This is an important facet of evaluating speakers. Hearing excellent, higher end speakers for a prolonged period of time gives one special insight into the specific faults of lesser speakers, given the same room and equipment. But if one has not heard higher end speakers, the lesser speakers sound pretty fine!

Jay talks about the improved "accuracy, linearity, and transient response" of the Sierra 2s, and no doubt measurements show this. But it is the overall *feeling*, the emotional connection to the music, which speakers should be facilitating to the greatest degree. One wants to keep listening and listening. Some speakers seem to measure well, but are not engaging. (Why?) With the Sierra 2, they measure extremely well *and* they just pull you in, say those who has listened to the beautiful beasties.

Mark

[curtis]

This is an important facet of evaluating speakers. Hearing excellent, higher end speakers for a prolonged period of time gives one special insight into the specific faults of lesser speakers, given the same room and equipment. But if one has not heard higher end speakers, the lesser speakers sound pretty fine!

Jay talks about the improved "accuracy, linearity, and transient response" of the Sierra 2s, and no doubt measurements show this. But it is the overall *feeling*, the emotional connection to the music, which speakers should be facilitating to the greatest degree. One wants to keep listening and listening. Some speakers seem to measure well, but are not engaging. (Why?) With the Sierra 2, they measure extremely well *and* they just pull you in, say those who has listened to the beautiful beasties.

IMO, making the music engaging is the job of the artist and recording engineers. The speaker's job is to convey what they intended.

[petmotel]

IMO, making the music engaging is the job of the artist and recording engineers. The speaker's job is to convey what they intended.

I couldn't agree more, and in fact, adding the linearity, and transient response, is just a redundancy to the accuracy part of my comment. A more accurate speaker will be more linear (both on, and off axis), and have better transient performance as compared to a lesser speaker.

Curtis, have you made the transition to the Twos yet? I know you were hoping to get the speakers with your tax refund, hope that went well!

Jay

[markie]

IMO, making the music engaging is the job of the artist and recording engineers. The speaker's job is to convey what they intended.

I agree. Some might call that 'transparency'. That word has a good connotation.

But I've heard that (for instance) presumably accurate studio monitors can have a tendency to present the music in an 'analytical', 'sterile', 'dry', or 'lifeless' manner. This would contrast with speakers that have been reported to present music in a 'coherent', 'rhythmic', 'energizing', 'toe tapping' manner. I've listened to speakers that seemed to have all the 'information' there, but I had a 'meh' response to it. Hard to put my finger on what was wrong. Maybe it was just me

Mark

[davef]

I agree. Some might call that 'transparency'. That word has a good connotation.

But I've heard that (for instance) presumably accurate studio monitors can have a tendency to present the music in an 'analytical', 'sterile', 'dry', or 'lifeless' manner. This would contrast with speakers that have been reported to present music in a 'coherent', 'rhythmic', 'energizing', 'toe tapping' manner. I've listened to speakers that seemed to have all the 'information' there, but I had a 'meh' response to it. Hard to put my finger on what was wrong. Maybe it was just me

Mark

Studio Monitors tend to focus only on the on-axis response... What we hear when we listen in a typical environment is a combination of the direct sound (on-axis response only) combined with the indirect (typically 1st, 2nd and even 3rd reflections). Some believe we hear more of the indirect sound than direct sound.

[curtis]

Curtis, have you made the transition to the Twos yet? I know you were hoping to get the speakers with your tax refund, hope that went well!

Not yet Jay. I know Dave/Ascend is back up with orders. I got my tax refund, spend some of it on stuff for the kids. I'll get my turn soon! I need to decide between domestic black bamboo or overseas natural.

I think I have ruled out upgrading my current Sierra-1's. They were the second production trio sold, as nice as they are, the production cabinets are even nicer now.

[steveting99]

Guys,

Reading through the thread, Dave doesn't recommend plugging the port at the back. For those who have the Sierra 2, what is the recommended distance away from the walls/corners using the back of the speaker as the reference? What about the side wall?

Thanks.

[natetg57]

Guys,

Reading through the thread, Dave doesn't recommend plugging the port at the back. For those who have the Sierra 2, what is the recommended distance away from the walls/corners using the back of the speaker as the reference? What about the side wall?

Thanks.

If using the Sierra-2 with a sub and crossover, you could probably get away with the speakers only a few inches away from the wall. If they are run full range, I think you'd want at least a foot. Dave said the q-plugs probably wouldn't be needed. But it wouldn't be bad to try them to see if it'd help with your particular setup.

[davef]

Guys,

Reading through the thread, Dave doesn't recommend plugging the port at the back. For those who have the Sierra 2, what is the recommended distance away from the walls/corners using the back of the speaker as the reference? What about the side wall?

Thanks.

We don't actually have a formal recommendation for this as there are just too many variables involved. That said, if using the Sierra-2 full range, 6 inches or more from the wall behind them is ideal. Or, if you prefer a bit more bass reinforcement, just move them closer to the wall.

It all comes down to personal preference.