Needs lots of advice on Sierra tower speaker purchase - please help

[consequential]

I'll throw another wrench in this, why are you set on the PSA sub?

Because I believe tom is being very honest with me and has said I can't go wrong with any of the main ID companies like HSU or SVS.

I also reviewed hundreds of threads and came to the conclusion that the v1800 is the best value for the money.

[davef]

This is really what it's all about. I've heard a bunch of high sensitivity speakers that make all sorts of wild claims, but all of them sound like they're yelling at you to some degree, and none of them reproduce all of the detail that is there. I don't know why the trend in speakers seems to be toward these awful designs. Probably because of the loudness wars in music people just equate high SPL and tons of muddy bass with quality for no good reason.

I agree that they are often over hyped, but there are definitely some good HE designs out there and they definitely have their place in the market. It really comes down to what the consumer is looking for.

That said, there is a general misunderstanding that HE speakers = greater dynamics. The two characteristics are not related to one another. HE speakers typically use less power to achieve the same volume levels, such that with today's mass produced 100 watt receivers with typically poor amplifier stages, HE speakers will offer greater dynamics because of limitations in the amplification, not the speakers.

The most dynamic speakers I have ever heard had a typical 89dB sensitivity rating but they were setup with excellent amplification. My issue with some HE designs is using very large woofers to reproduce mids, this is problematic on many levels. The wavelength of the frequency being reproduced should never be shorter than the diameter of the transducer -- doing so causes many issues which can not be compensated for in a crossover or with any room EQ.

[davef]

Because I believe tom is being very honest with me and has said I can't go wrong with any of the main ID companies like HSU or SVS.

I also reviewed hundreds of threads and came to the conclusion that the v1800 is the best value for the money.

I know Tom and I have much respect for him. Interesting that he would still recommend SVS That said, while not as mainstream, do not overlook Rythmik. I have auditioned the majority of HSU and SVS subs over the years and for resolution and transient accuracy - Rythmik can not be beat. In fact, we were all set on bringing our own line of subs to the market many years ago. After very significant expenditures and labor - I threw the entire project out the door after I evaluated my first Rythmik sub -- this was back in the day when they only offered kits...

[davef]

Thanks again sir!

One last question would be if you still recommend the towers over your bookshelves given I'll have the v1800 sub?

Yes, the mids are better and the tower does use a higher end ribbon tweeter which can handle more power and will have an easier time reproducing extremely dynamic passages (better for home theater, not as important for music).

[consequential]

I know Tom and I have much respect for him. Interesting that he would still recommend SVS That said, while not as mainstream, do not overlook Rythmik. I have auditioned the majority of HSU and SVS subs over the years and for resolution and transient accuracy - Rythmik can not be beat. In fact, we were all set on bringing our own line of subs to the market many years ago. After very significant expenditures and labor - I threw the entire project out the door after I evaluated my first Rythmik sub -- this was back in the day when they only offered kits...

I think I got the SVS part wrong. He mentioned 4 ID companies but that probably wasn't one of them because I came to him after speaking to SVS. So don't quote me on that part as I probably got that wrong.

[consequential]

I think I got the SVS part wrong. He mentioned 4 ID companies but that probably wasn't one of them because I came to him after speaking to SVS. So don't quote me on that part as I probably got that wrong.

Ahh I found my post on an AVS thread right after I spoke to Tom that day:

"PSA blew me away. I spoke to Tom who was so open to discussing some other brands and said I'd be happy with products from any of the main 4 (them, svs, rythmik and hsu research). He told me about his history with SVS as well. I'm totally blown away by the information he provided and how open he was to discuss the other products. He won me over and I think I'm going to go with the V1500 in about 8 weeks. He said that'd be very much on par with the SVS PB13 Ultra."


To be honest I didn't research the rythmic nearly as much as the others.

So maybe I will look more into their top vented sub.

[consequential]

I think the Rythmic FV15HP would be the most comparable to the PSA v1800. I wonder how much of a difference the 15" to 18" makes

[curtis]

I think the Rythmic FV15HP would be the most comparable to the PSA v1800. I wonder how much of a difference the 15" to 18" makes

I have heard A LOT of subwoofers. Like you said, tough to go wrong with any of the major ID brands.

That said, as far as sound quality goes, I landed on Rythmik after owning a few Hsus, and hearing a couple of SVSs in my room. I have never heard a PSA.

[consequential]

I have heard A LOT of subwoofers. Like you said, tough to go wrong with any of the major ID brands.

That said, as far as sound quality goes, I landed on Rythmik after owning a few Hsus, and hearing a couple of SVSs in my room. I have never heard a PSA.

Thanks man,

I find the sub aspect very interesting because I'm not as familiar with them as I am with speakers (which isn't much) so there's lots to learn

[Jack1949]

Reading your post I thought you were me, since I also was considering the PSA MTM210 towers and center earlier this year before I purchased Ascend RAAL Sierra Towers and Horizon.

As one who had never heard of Ascend Acoustics prior to reading various audio forums late last year, I wanted to post my comments for anyone that might be on the fence because (like me) they've never listened to an Ascend product.

A little bit about me...
Let me start out by saying that I don't consider myself an audiophile, I just enjoy listening to music. For me, the better the sound, the better the experience. I retired 2 years ago, so I have lots of time to enjoy music. I tend to keep my purchases a long time, e.g. my front speakers were Polk Audio RT3000p that I purchased in 1999, consisting of left and right full-range speakers sitting atop dual 8" powered sub woofers. I really enjoyed these speakers, but every few years one of the subs would have an electrical problem (usually bad capacitors) and would need to be serviced (something I couldn't do myself). This time, rather than invest more money in these speakers, I decided to search for new speakers. Since these speakers are part of my HT, I decided to replace the Polk CSi-A6 center speaker as well. My budget was $2700.

After much reading, I stumbled across an AVSForum thread started by GunmetalR56, which got me interested in the Sierra Towers and Horizon center, so I added them to my list of possibilities.
I started reading everything I could about Ascend and had a few email questions for Dave. He must be a very busy man, because some of his responses were sent at 1:00am.

I eventually widdled my list down to the PSA MTM210 and the Ascend Sierras. In a perfect situation I would have liked to demo both in my home to compare them, but I had back surgery 2 years ago and didn't want to be lugging speakers up from my basement for returns. Since I mostly listen to music I wanted detailed accuracy, so I decided to try the Ascends and if I wasn't happy with them, I'd return them and try the PSAs.

I had to up my budget, but by how much? Do I go with the NrT dome to keep the cost down (WAF), or do I go with the RAAL to get the best sound (to keep me from saying "what if")? Maybe just RAAL in the Horizon and NrT in the fronts? After much back and forth in my head and changing my mind many many times, my wife said "just get what you want and be done with it". OK, say no more, on March 1 I ordered the Black Matte Sierra Towers and a Horizon center all with RAAL tweeters!

I've had the Sierras since March 15 I must say I'm very pleased. As others have said, the soundstage is wide, deep and crystal clear. My towers are on either side of my entertainment center, so they are in the corners of the room, about 20" between the wall and the entertainment center. I have them crossed over at 60hz and they blend beautifully with my SVS SB13 Ultra. I've tried crossing over at 80, 100 and 120, but 60 with the corner loading is best in my room for both music and movies.

Like you, my other speakers are also Polks. RT2000p for surrounds and RT35 front height speakers. I found the Polks blend well with the Ascends, however I plan to replace the RT2000p next year with another set of Sierra Towers.

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to let you know I went through some of the same decisions you are making and I'm very happy with my purchase. From everything I read on PSA, I don't think you could go wrong with them either if you decide to go that route.

Good luck with your decision.

Jack