Introducing the Luna Mini Monitor!

[sludgeogre]

If there's any thoughts on finish yet I'm hoping for satin black bamboo. I think that would work really well on such a small speaker. Also it's good for folks who like to go grill-less - the inserts for the grill plugs stand out less.

I'm seeing that as an option for the towers, but not the Sierra 2's?

They better be in satin black, they have to match my towers! My dream 5.2 setup is so close!

[freesole]

Wow, I never thought of going with a surround setup but after hearing how good the towers are, I may just have to invest in these to complete the setup!

[billy p]

Smaller than the HTM 200, esthetically more pleasing(although my 200 are finished in espresso) and providing a seamless integration with my mains...I'm sold, the 200 will now highlight a nice 2.0 system in my next garage. Now just waiting on the final cost....

[holt7153]

Can't wait to get a pair of S3's.

[slippery44]

This will definitely be a product I am interested in, I was just thinking the other day how much I wanted to switch out my surrounds to something that was closer to matching my Sierra Towers.

[MusicHead]

Hello DaveF, as it is customary, any information about the "baby"

Efficiency, FR, Power Handling, price????

[sludgeogre]

Hello DaveF, as it is customary, any information about the "baby"

Efficiency, FR, Power Handling, price????

Availability?!?!?!

[davef]

Ok.. here we go...

Spent much of the weekend developing the preliminary crossover which then allows me to truly listen to the Sierra Sat. I was hoping for a less complex crossover than the Sierra-2, but at this point, that doesn't seem like it will be possible.

As it stands right now, the speaker measures well with fantastic transient accuracy and really unbelievable horizontal off-axis dispersion, thanks in part to the very narrow cabinet and smaller woofer. To get the needed warmth, efficiency will come in at an honest 84-84.5dB anechoic. Phase integration between the drivers is terrific and the speaker can easily be used as close to a listener's ear as they like -- even 6 inches away. Nominal impedance is a very easy 8ohm load with benign phase angles. No doubt the speaker will like some power, and power handling is excellent. I ran a single sat full range with deep bass tracks and hit 93dB at 12 feet back in a very well damped room. Our own HTM-200SE could not keep up with this. Crossed at 80Hz in a typical room, max spl is going to be crazy for a speaker this size.

Listening....

I expected to listen for an hour or two last night, and that session ended up being over 4 hours long and set me behind in half a dozen other tasks. Not a problem though as I left the office with a HUGE smile on my face

Since the start, I have been concerned if this would end up being a product we can actually sell. No doubt, it is going to be an expensive speaker - basically the same component costs as the Sierra-2. We have already invested a lot of time and expense into the Sat and last night was the time for me to make the call to either push forward or hang it up. Well, the good news is that was a very easy decision to make - the SAT was literally addicting to listen to. It is basically a Sierra-2 without that same level of dynamics and deep bass.

When we were investigating other high performance speakers similar to this size, I used our HTM-200SE as the benchmark and after every comparison, I came away much preferring our 200. In fact, I would say our 200's flat out crushed the competition in every performance category. In comparing the SSR (sierra sat ribbon) to the 200, the SSR crushed the 200 in every performance category, even in bass, which is something I had hoped for but didn't actually expect. Run full range, bass response comes in at somewhere between the 170 and 200. It is a bit shocking to hear some deep bass from a speaker this size but this amazing woofer combined with the complex porting worked perfectly.

Compared directly to its big brother, it is a perfect timbre match. The SSR won't measure quite as flat as the Sierra-2, but that is not the goal for this speaker. I am actually really excited to have a listen once again as the detail, musicality, unbelievable transparency (the speaker completely disappears) and the overall amount of sound coming from this little box is shocking...

All that said, we are not there just yet... From here I have to optimize the crossover and then figure out some way to fit the components onto a PCB that can actually fit into the cabinet. That is going to be a challenge as there is very little room in there.

Here is a pic from late last night... Maybe I will do a boom boom pow video again, lol.

Enjoy!

[Narco]

Holy cow Dave! Excellent job!

I may just have to pick up a pair for the rears to match my Sierra-2s, or for another room all together.

[MusicHead]

Dave, thanks for the report! I wish I had a reason like this to stay late at the office .

Since you mentioned efficiency and SPL: At this time my amp is an Emotiva Fusion 8100, capable of very real 5x80W or 2x120W (all channels active). My room is 13x17x8, with the listening position about 10' from the front speakers.

Do you believe the baby Sierras would provide enough SPL if used as L/R mains, crossed at 80Hz in conjunction with my Rythmik L12 sub?

Until you posted the news about the Sierra Sat being in the work I have been thinking about either the HTM-200 or more likely the CBM-170, not only for the dimensions (my primary constraint) but also for their sensitivity.

The Sierra Sat would definitely be a step above in overall sound quality, but I am a little worried about giving up the extra sensitivity, especially compared to the CBM-170.

What are your thoughts about the Sierra Sat at the conditions outlined above?

Thanks!!!