Sierra 1 VS. PSB Imagine B speakers

[FirstReflect]

I'm sorry to hear that you're not totally satisfied. In all sincerity, PSB makes excellent speakers! I'm getting the sense that you were maybe hoping for a much bigger difference and to really be blown away. So one of the "problems" is that good speakers that all shoot for linearity and even dispersion - they honestly do sound a lot more similar than different.

You're pointing out some of the smaller, more subtle differences. Frankly, much of the time, that's all there is! If you were to listen to some Focal bookshelf speakers, I think you'd be saying much the same thing.

markie already mentioned the idea of upgrading your Sierra-1 speakers to Sierra-2. Now that's where I think you'd be hearing a much larger difference. But, obviously, it's also a big step up in price!

In terms of "break in", I don't buy into it even a little bit. Not objectively, anyway. And that's demonstrated in the measurements.

But our hearing can most definitely "break in". That's where I completely agree with the practice of listening to new speakers for an extended period of time before making your final conclusions.

One thing that I think would be good for you to try would be to listen to only the Sierra-1 speakers every day for a few days. Don't switch to any other speakers and just listen to the Sierra-1 a whole bunch for a couple of days.

THEN switch back to your PSB Imagine B speakers. If you're going to really notice any differences, that's how it's going to happen. You get used to the new speakers - let them "soak in" and become your new "normal". And then you switch back to what you had before. In my experience, the difference is often far more noticeable when you do things that way. And because of that, I understand the notion of "break in". The objective measurements of the speakers themselves just don't show it, which is why I really believe it's more of a human brain thing than a physical speaker thing

But, yeah, the thing I recommend getting away from is that sort of immediate, intense, critical comparison. Just in my own experience, I've found it far too easy to "miss the forest for the trees" if I try to make a critical comparison just switching back and forth right away. I've come to much prefer getting used to new speakers and letting them "draw me in" (or sometimes not, since not all speakers do, in which case, I know they're not for me ). But if I sit down and try to be hyper critical right away, I personally find that I miss too much. It's amazing how much sound we're able to actively ignore and not notice when we're concentrating on something specific!

But at the end of the day, I'm just not sure the Sierra-1 will ever be as big of a difference as it seems you were hoping for. I don't know precisely what you were hoping to hear, but you already had good speakers! It would, in my opinion, take a significant upgrade in order to really notice a sizable improvement. I think the Sierra-2 would do that for you, but maybe the Sierra-1 not so much…

- Rob H.

[davef]

Hi Andrew,

Rob made a great post! The Imagine B is an excellent speaker and aside from bass, measures similarly to our stock Sierra-1. The two speakers are definitely comparable, but also keep in mind how much a set of Imagine B's cost $1100/pr vs $800/pr for Sierra-1. If you can try to describe what area of performance you are looking to improve, I might be able to offer some suggestions to you.

The NrT upgrade is a quick and affordable way to take the Sierra-1 to the next level of performance, with a livelier overall presentation and more detailed upper mids and highs, as well as a crisper top end. The Sierra-2 is really a different speaker altogether and a very considerable upgrade from Sierra-1 or Sierra-1 NrT. The neat thing about our Sierra-1, you can upgrade them yourself at any time

[Andrew]

Hi Rob & Dave,
Agreed. Rob's post is brilliant and excellent advice that I will follow. I am not an audiophile but someone who is passionate about listening to music and particularly obsessed with speakers. I am so impressed with Ascend Acoustics as a company and the community here. There is a very loyal following. I'm not sure I can put into words what I'm looking for other than that excited feeling you get when you've taken your system up to the next level. I think I may need to give my ears some time to "break in" . Otherwise, I may need to try out the Sierra 2s I'm really hoping not to spend that much to satisfy my obsession but who knows. Thanks so much for taking the time to point me in the right direction. Much appreciated!