DR's Sierra-2 Thread

[Dark Ranger]

Hello my friends!

I am very excited to say that I'm now the proud owner of two Sierra-2 upgrade kits! UPS delivered the package at 6:35 PM local time. I fully expected to sign for it considering the content's value, but it was a "drop-n-go" this time. Anyway, the package arrived intact and without visible exterior damage. I was hugely relieved when the package transferred into my possession.

Truth be told, I actually had difficulty sleeping last night. It reminded me of Christmas Eve growing up as a child. I knew that good things awaited me the next day. This time, UPS was my Santa Clause.

I created this thread to track my own thoughts, feedback, and pictures rather than add to the ever-growing Sierra-2 thread. I'll kick things off with unboxing pics. A few more will be added later once I install the kits. Honestly, I want to begin the upgrade process right now, but alas, there are a few work projects to finish up first. Maybe I can start the upgrade for one speaker before turning in. We'll see. In any case, I'm enjoying my Sierra-1s tonight--one final time. Plenty of Jesse Cook, David Helpling/Jon Jenkins, Kelly Sweet, and Melody Gardot.

Let me just say that I'm very pleased with how Ascend packed everything. Kudos to everyone involved with this important process. And to state the obvious, the components themselves are stunning! Everything feels and looks high-quality. Excellent craftsmanship. I actually slapped myself because I still cannot get over how little I paid for these components. I mean, seriously, the value factor is way off the chart. Just an incredible deal.

Dave: I can't begin to thank you for all you've done for us. I am going to call you at some point in the near future and say thank you "in person."

Enjoy the pics! Click to embiggen.


















(images continue below due to forum limitations)

[Dark Ranger]

[RPM]

Awesome start!

[RPM]

Ok Jacob, I know you have those bad boys installed!
Keep the grin on your face, stop slapping yourself and let's hear
Your thoughts...

[Dark Ranger]

Hi RPM,

I do apologize for the delay. I've had other matters needing attention. Don't worry, it's coming.

The majority of my comparison is done. I've got about 4 pages of thoughts so far that need to be organized and structured in a more appealing form.

For now, suffice to say that I'm NOT sending back these upgrade kits. The Sierra-2 pair is here to stay.

[Galaga]

Hi RPM,

I do apologize for the delay. I've had other matters needing attention. Don't worry, it's coming.

Woohoo . I've been looking forward to reading your impressions all week. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!

[RPM]

Hi RPM,

I do apologize for the delay. I've had other matters needing attention. Don't worry, it's coming.

The majority of my comparison is done. I've got about 4 pages of thoughts so far that need to be organized and structured in a more appealing form.

For now, suffice to say that I'm NOT sending back these upgrade kits. The Sierra-2 pair is here to stay.

Good enough my friend, looking forward to it when you get time....

[petmotel]

Hi RPM,

I do apologize for the delay. I've had other matters needing attention. Don't worry, it's coming.

The majority of my comparison is done. I've got about 4 pages of thoughts so far that need to be organized and structured in a more appealing form.

For now, suffice to say that I'm NOT sending back these upgrade kits. The Sierra-2 pair is here to stay.

A week in and still..........................................


silence?

Hope everything is OK, thought you'd have been jumping at the chance to write your thoughts. It doesn't need to be a literary masterpiece LOL! Just kidding, I know you want to be honest, and precise in your analysis. Looking forward to your review.

Jay

[Dark Ranger]

Hi guys,

I sincerely apologize for the lack of response. The past 7 days have been far busier than normal. After an 18 hour day, all I cared about was sleep.

I spent most of Friday night and early today finishing up my thoughts. Please see the following posts. I plan to post more pics of my setup later (hopefully this weekend) and more thoughts as I get more time with the Sierra-2s over the next month.

[Dark Ranger]

This section overviews my experience and thoughts about the upgrade process. For my feedback on how the Sierra-2 sounds, please see my follow-up posts.

Overview

My DIY (Do-It-Yourself) upgrade experience was remarkably smooth and trouble-free. This is a testament to the design goals, engineering, and tooling beyond what was necessary to bring this product to market. Dave could have taken the easy way out, designed the Sierra-2 in the traditional manner, and simply stated that the new loudspeaker would be available only as a factory-assembled loudspeaker. Existing Sierra-1/NrT customers would have to, essentially, buy the Sierra-1 again, plus the cost of the new parts. And let’s face it, there are significant advantages to Ascend with this route, including full quality control of the final product, bringing the product to market sooner, and the obvious R&D cost savings. It’s a no-brainer decision, right? Right. WRONG! Hold it, stop the presses. This is David Fabrikant we’re talking about here who, for the last 13 years, has been defying physics and typical business paradigms with his company Ascend Acoustics. Taking the easy way out, cutting corners, and seeking the largest profit margin are things you won’t find at Ascend.

When I first read about the DIY upgrade Dave had planned for the (then unnamed) Sierra-2, I nearly wet my pants. Not that I believed it couldn’t be done (the DIY NrT upgrade in December 2010 was well-received), but that it would be an enormous and costly undertaking without much return on investment. Dave once shared that the cost of custom tooling for the DIY option would be a small fortune. Ascend could have saved themselves around $20,000 by using existing toolings (source). However, he felt strongly about supporting existing Sierra-1/NrT customers with a DIY upgrade option. Surprisingly, Ascend is even eating the R&D and labor costs without passing them on to the customer like some would expect. This is, in my opinion, a truly outstanding example of putting the customer ahead of the bottom line. I mention all of this as the foundation of my review. I could continue on this vein and describe some of the challenges and breakthroughs along the way. However, these topics and much more can be found in the epic Sierra-2 Development Thread. Still, I believe it’s important to overview the basics because it’s part of what makes the Sierra-2 very special.

The Upgrade Process– My Experience

I received my two upgrade kits around 6:30 PM local time on Tuesday, January 7, but couldn’t start the process until after 1:30 AM early Wednesday morning due to a work project. Even though I was tired, there was no way I was going to bed without upgrading one speaker. The process was straightforward thanks to the excellent instructions included with the upgrade kit (the instructions can also be found here courtesy of James & Joe). I do not have first-generation Sierra-1 cabinets, meaning that I did not need to modify the installation process. The only issues I ran into were 1) a woofer gasket refusing to lie flat and 2) needing to switch out the length of my ratchet driver. In digging around my toolbox, I managed to give myself a nice metal splinter from an unknown source. I can still see the entry wound to this day. Self-inflicted and bloody injuries aside, everything fit perfectly and easily. I only had time for a quick listen, mostly to verify my work, before turning in.

On Wednesday night, I spent about 4 hours listening and comparing the single upgraded Sierra-2 speaker to the unmodified Sierra-1 speaker. I didn’t turn in until 4 AM Thursday morning, but it was worth it for first impressions. Most of my notes were taken during that time. On Thursday evening, I upgraded the second and final Sierra-1 speaker and had my first official “stereo” listening session with both upgraded speakers. I only had an hour—short, but sweet. And finally, on Friday the 10th, I watched two movies and enjoyed the entire Jesse Cook: One Night at the Metropolis live DVD. Since then, I haven’t been able to turn on my system at all and enjoy the Sierra-2s, let alone write up this review. Way too busy. It’s now Friday evening the 17th, and I’m finally getting some breathing room to collect my thoughts for posting.