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Thread: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    20

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    To many people focus on lower bass extension when comparing bookshelf against towers and thats easy to fix with a sub. Regardless if you have a sub or not there isn't many bookshelf speakers on the market that are going to have the same mid bass impact that a good set of towers do. They sound great at first listen because the highs and voices are good and if you have a sub with them all the low bass is there too but the drums just don't hit like they do with towers. Now you could get a couple f8s to go with the bookshelves and cross them much higher than normal to get that impact back but now you have to place them close to the bookshelves but that defeats most of the benefit of not having towers in the first place.

    I have not heard any of Ascends speakers yet so I really don't know how their bookshelf compares to their towers, I have some RAAL towers coming to replace my axiom m80s (three way towers). I also have a pair of Axiom m3s their 6.5" bookshelf model. With an SVS SB13-U in a room that is about 24x26 mixed living room kitchen dining room combo there is just no comparison between the drum impact and fullness of the towers compared to the bookshelf. When I decided to replace the Axioms I really wanted to get rid of the towers and that was my excuse for getting the wife to be ok with me buying new speakers lol. As I was looking for a new set of bookshelves I kept remembering that I never liked the drums on the bookshelves in my big room so I pulled them back out of storage and tried every way I could to get them to sound like the towers and they just couldn't. That night I took the wife out for a few drinks and broke the bad news to her that she wasn't getting her floor space back and ordered the towers the next day

    We also don't run a center channel and really haven't missed it but we mostly listen to music / watch concerts or tv on it. The wife doesn't like watching tv / movies at high volume because she is usually reading something and not really paying attention anyway... Someday when we move to a different house I might try a horizon right now we don't really have the room for the equipment we already have

    GL with whatever you choose!
    Last edited by rneill; 01-24-2017 at 12:13 PM.
    MacMini -> Emotiva XMC-1 -> Emotiva SA-250 -> RAAL Towers / SVS SB13-U

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    93

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    I have similar thoughts about bookshelves vs towers which is why I've pretty much decided on the towers. Dave said that many people (himself included currently!) use the Sierra-1 NrT as a center, and since I do watch a fair amount of TV/Movies I'd like to have a matching center. Having multiple subs just wouldn't work in my space so towers it is. And personally, I like the aesthetics of towers on the side of my TV, and honestly they take up just about the same amount of floor space since I'd need stands for the bookshelves and the Sierra Towers have a fairly similar footprint to the bookshelves.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    20

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    We were seriously considering setting up two really beefy shelves and getting two Horizons to run as bookshelf L/R since they're front ported and it would of kept the floor clear (we have two big labradors). In the end I thought the towers would look better and be much less work and money. All the shelves the wife liked that would of worked were coming out to about another grand on top that we just didn't need to spend with the towers.
    MacMini -> Emotiva XMC-1 -> Emotiva SA-250 -> RAAL Towers / SVS SB13-U

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    360

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    Quote Originally Posted by Mose Harper View Post
    The heart wants what it wants, and it's clear you really want the towers foremost.

    In that case, just go with the RAAL towers and forego any center for now. As long as the set up is primarily for your use you can fairly easily get a centered image for HT/video needs, even if your seating is off axis.



    Not necessarily.
    If the OP is the only one who uses it 90% of the time, then all you need to do is orientate each speaker to hit your MLP. One will be toed in dramatically and the other closest to you almost not at all. Then run the room correction software or, if you don't have any, adjust the individual speaker levels so that the one closest to you is balanced with the farthest.

    It may look aesthetically a little off as the set up won't be symmetrical, but it should be the sound that counts anyway.

    The only real problem with a phantom center is when you have multiple people viewing and the seating is spread out. In those situations someone will always get stuck with a bad seat.
    In another thread, kingcrowing said this:

    "I have seen a few others say that as well... the big question I have that I was hoping Dave could maybe chime in on, is which speakers is better in a less than ideal listening setup? Many people sitting outside of the "sweet spot" and speakers being closer to the wall than ideal, etc."

    As you said yourself, room correction will not provide a proper center image for multiple viewers. For kingcrowing, there is a benefit to having a center channel for TV/Movies.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    93

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    Yup! Someday I may have an ideal setup where a phantom center could work for 2+ people but not today. Dave did respond to me via email saying he uses a S1 NrT for a center and it works great.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    93

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    Followup:

    I decided on the NrT Towers with a Sierra-1 NrT Center! I placed the order last night all in black satin bamboo domestic made cabinets! Looks like about a 6-8 week lead time, so I'll be patiently waiting and will report back with a little review comparing to my current system once they arrive in the next couple months!

    Thanks to everyone for your help, I think I'm going to be very happy with this setup, I'm already beginning to think about my sub upgrade later this year!

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    457

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    Congrats on your decision and pulling the trigger finally. Hope you love it as much as I love mine. It's a difficult wait, but well worth it.
    -Alex
    PS4/Nvidia Shield --> Emotiva XMC-1 --> Emotiva XPA-5 --> Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers and Horizon Center w/ RAAL tweeters (L/C/R), HTM-200 SE (Surrounds), 2x Rythmik F12 subwoofers

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Grand Haven, MI
    Posts
    90

    Default Re: Sierra Towers + Sierra 1 NrT Center vs Sierra 2 LCR

    Quote Originally Posted by kingcrowing View Post
    Followup:

    I decided on the NrT Towers with a Sierra-1 NrT Center! I placed the order last night all in black satin bamboo domestic made cabinets! Looks like about a 6-8 week lead time, so I'll be patiently waiting and will report back with a little review comparing to my current system once they arrive in the next couple months!

    Thanks to everyone for your help, I think I'm going to be very happy with this setup, I'm already beginning to think about my sub upgrade later this year!
    I am anxious to hear your impressions! Post some pics too!
    Last edited by dtsequoia; 02-08-2017 at 08:08 AM. Reason: pic comment
    -Ben

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