I finally got my 2's!

[Mag_Neato]

The Natural finish cabinet (and possibly other finishes) is being built by a domestic supplier. The regular cabinets are being built in China I think, hence the difference. The domestic cabinets are also using a different port which APPEARS much larger due to the flare, but the actual I.D. of the tube is the same as the regular cabinet.

[curtis]

Mag is correct...domestic made cabinets for the Sierra Tower and Sierra-2 have the reveal. The imported cabinets, which I believe is the standard for the Sierra-2, do not.

Here is a picture of the back of one each of my Sierra-1's and Sierra-2's. My Sierra-1's were one of the very first of the first generation cabinets. The new cabinets are of higher quality...you can't really see that in the pictures. The port flair is really deceiving in a cool way.

[S20]

Oh. That's kind of a bummer. So if I buy a cherry or espresso finish Sierra-2 (the colours I'm juggling between) it will come with a visually inferior cabinet (in my personal opinion etcetc)? It doesn't say that anywhere on the store page. I assume they sound the same despite being different.

Actually, the natural finish looks a lot better in your photos than the photos on the store page, the store page makes it look kind of yellow, yours looks a lot more like a natural colour. I suspect that is sunlight VS bright white light in the official photos.

[curtis]

Oh. That's kind of a bummer. So if I buy a cherry or espresso finish Sierra-2 (the colours I'm juggling between) it will come with a visually inferior cabinet (in my personal opinion etcetc)? It doesn't say that anywhere on the store page. I assume they sound the same despite being different.

Actually, the natural finish looks a lot better in your photos than the photos on the store page, the store page makes it look kind of yellow, yours looks a lot more like a natural colour. I suspect that is sunlight VS bright white light in the official photos.

Well...you get what you see in Ascend's pictures...yes, they sound the same.

As for coloring...you have to be careful with anything you see on your computer monitor unless it is calibrated. In person, it just seems the new cabinet is darker than the older one.

[S20]

Funny you mention that, I actually bought a hardware colorimeter to calibrate my monitor specifically for situations like this, since there's absolutely no way for me to see most of these products in person! But still there is a big difference between bright white light and sunlight, unless people are looking at their speakers in a hospital with 100% white fluorescent lights or something it's going to look different from the website.

I wonder why Ascend builds two totally different cabinets in two different countries. Isn't the colour difference just a stain on the wood? I mean it's not THAT big of a deal, I would still love to own a set of Sierra-2's going purely by word of mouth (although I would love to see some professional reviews being done), I just didn't realise there were two totally different types depending on colour and it doesn't say that at all on the store page.

I appreciate you posting this though, the more I hear about these speakers the more I want to own a pair.

[curtis]

I wonder why Ascend builds two totally different cabinets in two different countries. Isn't the colour difference just a stain on the wood?

I appreciate you posting this though, the more I hear about these speakers the more I want to own a pair.

I think there are at least a couple of reasons. Having the cabinets built overseas is not as cost effective as it has been in the past, and I believe the domestic Sierra-2 cabinets were a special run.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, you are more than welcome to come over for a listen.

[davef]

I wonder why Ascend builds two totally different cabinets in two different countries. Isn't the colour difference just a stain on the wood? I mean it's not THAT big of a deal, I would still love to own a set of Sierra-2's going purely by word of mouth (although I would love to see some professional reviews being done), I just didn't realise there were two totally different types depending on colour and it doesn't say that at all on the store page.

I appreciate you posting this though, the more I hear about these speakers the more I want to own a pair.

We have done a few domestic runs of these cabinets so that the finish and overall build will match the towers and horizons (the cabinets of which are from our local cabinet maker). The domestically built cabinets are not of higher quality, just different -- and also a bit more expensive. Both options are available to you though, just give us a call to discuss. Once we get things nailed down with the domestically built Sierra-2 cabinets, we will post photos and display them on our site.

Bamboo does not take stain, it is dyed. And since these are natural wood (bamboo), there will always be slight color differences from one sheet of bamboo to another, and from batch to batch. That said, the finishing process between our overseas built cabinets and the domestic cabinets is completely different. I can honestly say that every pair built is unique with regard to grain and color. We visually match every pair that we ship

[donaldekelly]

Curtis

Why the center? Do you do movies or multi-channel music (I saw the Steely Dan cover - so I guess the answer is yes to music). Do you feel multichannel music is worth buying extra speakers? Or is it mostly for the movies?

Basic questions, I know, but I used to have a 5.1 set up and didn't see the point for music. It was a bad room and inferior speakers to S1s or S2s.

Anyone who wants to chime in and help a slow learner - feel free!

[curtis]

Why the center? Do you do movies or multi-channel music (I saw the Steely Dan cover - so I guess the answer is yes to music). Do you feel multichannel music is worth buying extra speakers? Or is it mostly for the movies?

Basic questions, I know, but I used to have a 5.1 set up and didn't see the point for music. It was a bad room and inferior speakers to S1s or S2s.

Hey Don,

Yes, I do movies and hi-res multi-channel music(BluRay, SACD and DVD-A).

My system/speakers are used for everything...TV, movies, and music.

I don't use any special DSP modes for multi-channel music, but if the BluRay, SACD or DVD-A is mixed/engineered for multi-channel, and done well...it is very enjoyable.

[dtsequoia]

Curtis,

What do you have for your surrounds? Just curious!

Ben