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Thread: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

  1. #21
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    Aug 2003
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    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Quote Originally Posted by nquery View Post
    So moving the towers around - a foot in various directions is all i have to play with - doesn't help much. Adding in my old/flabby subwoofer does help a lot of course. I have yet to do an REW sweep but I think you are all right - the null nodes are simply at a higher frequency.

    So given that, even with my terrible sub, I am really getting into the sound of the Raal towers in their new room. Sounds fantastic and I have just been sinking in and listening. (I have given up on the living room as it's just acoustically awful - even when people are just talking). I will be replacing the sub with an F12 and likely getting Luna's for surrounds in HT application.

    However, I now feel like the towers are simply too large for this small room not only aesthetically but also because the sound is in my face a bit too much. Not sure its quite the same thing as a 'forward' presentation but maybe. My listening position is roughly 7' from the speakers. For both of these reasons, I am strongly considering selling the towers and getting some b-stock Sierra 2's for the front L/R. I have a pair of great stands waiting for them as well I would also be able to apply the difference in price to the sub/lunas.

    Am I crazy?? Given that the towers aren't really providing any bass in their current positions I figure I won't lose anything on the sonic level. And I have read in some other posts that the image of the Sierra 2's is a little further back/recessed and so might give me that bit of perceptual sonic space I am looking for between me and the speakers. (and my wife will be much happier with the standmounts ) Again, is this a crazy idea?
    Aside from proper reproduction of deep bass - the towers don't require more space than Sierra-2 - in fact, the towers actually have tighter phase integration between the tweeter and woofer, as well as a more linear polar response. Technically speaking, all drivers in the towers will properly sum at 1 meter and greater.

    Since you don't actually have Sierra-2 to compare with - my recommendation to you is to simply order a pair to see which you prefer in this new room. I honestly can't recall any customers that have done direct A/B comparisons between the 2 speakers that have preferred the Sierra-2, but everyone has different tastes. Just keep in mind that you have had your towers for a while and I really don't know what you would get for them on the used market. As you are learning - different rooms = different performance so until you are able to actually directly compare Sierra-2 to your towers I recommend against making the assumption you would prefer Sierra-2 in this room - statistical analysis says otherwise...

    First step - order a pair of Sierra-2 to make the actual comparisons
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    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

  2. #22
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    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Quote Originally Posted by vicky View Post
    I am exactly in same boat and have exact same observations.

    I bought sierra 2 first. Liked it a lot. Then i thought sierra tower will be even better and bought it.
    i did lot of A/B comparison between them and both sounded very similar with tower being winner for me (and few friends)
    So i returned sierra 2.
    Now after few days, i feel that i liked sierra 2 better as sierra 2 sound was a little recessed comparatively which made music listening more enjoyable and sweet sounding specially at higher volumes.
    I have a 7' triangle setup as my living room is small. Smaller space could be the reason why sierra 2 is giving better music listening experience. Towers might need some more space to breath.
    tower is for sure better for movies.

    Its very difficult decision for me now as some of the songs i listen to are shockingly clear, live and enjoyable on towers while most of others were more enjoyable on sierra 2.

    I am waiting for some feedback from Dave to decide.
    Hi Vicky,

    Your situation is a bit different as the previous poster does not actually have Sierra-2. That said - our memories of the way something sounds is unbelievably short, add to that a bit of buyers remorse and your situation is not all that uncommon when it comes to speakers.

    As I mentioned in the above post, we have had hundreds of customers move from Sierra-2 to Towers and statistical analysis shows is that the nearly all who would make this comparison will prefer the Towers.

    You have already gone through this process once - and decided on the towers - but we still have your pair of Sierra-2 that can be shipped back to you if you want to run through the process one more time. That would be my recommendation for you (shipping costs should not be too bad at all)

    Outhere mentioned something important - the towers are more detailed in the mids compared to the Sierra-2 so source material quality does play an important role.

    Just let us know how you want to proceed.
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    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    77

    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    I have the same 7ft setup. Tried the the 2’s and then Towers, Give it some time and you will be happy
    You kept the towers. the distance is not a problem and they very well maybe the last speakers you buy.
    MacMini > Audirvana > Musical Fidelity V Dac II >
    Emotiva XSP-1 > Emotiva XPA-2 > Sierra Tower NRT > Rythmik F12SE > My Ears >

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
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    33

    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Quote Originally Posted by davef View Post
    Hi Vicky,

    Your situation is a bit different as the previous poster does not actually have Sierra-2. That said - our memories of the way something sounds is unbelievably short, add to that a bit of buyers remorse and your situation is not all that uncommon when it comes to speakers.

    As I mentioned in the above post, we have had hundreds of customers move from Sierra-2 to Towers and statistical analysis shows is that the nearly all who would make this comparison will prefer the Towers.

    You have already gone through this process once - and decided on the towers - but we still have your pair of Sierra-2 that can be shipped back to you if you want to run through the process one more time. That would be my recommendation for you (shipping costs should not be too bad at all)

    Outhere mentioned something important - the towers are more detailed in the mids compared to the Sierra-2 so source material quality does play an important role.

    Just let us know how you want to proceed.
    Hi Dave,

    You have made both speakers so good that it became hard to decide .

    I had spent considerably more time with sierra 2 when i got them as the sound quality upgrade from my previous set of speakers was way too high and i used to listen to them for hours non stop.

    This week before making a final decision i took 2 days off from work and played all my lossless music collection through the towers (also moved them around couple of times).

    I am now very happy and can clearly mention that the liveliness of tower is the biggest distinguish factor to keep them. The amazing clarity in mid range creates that live experience which i misunderstood as vocal being too much on face compared to sierra 2.

    I think it takes some time to get used to and understand the clarity in sound.
    I am very happy that i got enough time to listen to both sierra 2 and towers to make a final decision and there was no rush.

    I will be keeping the towers and my hunt is over .

    Thank you very much

  5. #25
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    Aug 2017
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    33

    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Quote Originally Posted by RPM View Post
    I have the same 7ft setup. Tried the the 2’s and then Towers, Give it some time and you will be happy
    You kept the towers. the distance is not a problem and they very well maybe the last speakers you buy.
    Very well said to the point . Now i feel the same and keeping towers .

  6. #26
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    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Quote Originally Posted by vicky View Post
    Hi Dave,

    You have made both speakers so good that it became hard to decide .

    I had spent considerably more time with sierra 2 when i got them as the sound quality upgrade from my previous set of speakers was way too high and i used to listen to them for hours non stop.

    This week before making a final decision i took 2 days off from work and played all my lossless music collection through the towers (also moved them around couple of times).

    I am now very happy and can clearly mention that the liveliness of tower is the biggest distinguish factor to keep them. The amazing clarity in mid range creates that live experience which i misunderstood as vocal being too much on face compared to sierra 2.

    I think it takes some time to get used to and understand the clarity in sound.
    I am very happy that i got enough time to listen to both sierra 2 and towers to make a final decision and there was no rush.

    I will be keeping the towers and my hunt is over .

    Thank you very much
    Excellent observation - yes, the ribbon towers do give you more of that live sound than the Sierra-2 do.

    Enjoy!!
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    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
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    1

    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Hey!

    I would like to chime in on this discussion with a question of mine.

    First things first though: My name is Philipp from Germany (relevant for the question).

    I'm in the hobby since ~12 years and have developed a slight fetish for bookshelf speakers in the last couple of years.

    It began with Epos Epic 2 and my current setup is in the title of this topic, the KEF LS50 Wireless. It's a fantastic speaker and a "endgame" candidate for sure. BUT...i'm not quite there yet i think. The LS50W are an major upgrade over the Epos in almost every possible way, but they are missing just a tiny bit of soul that i loved so much about my Epos. I want all that detail yes, but i also want it to be silky smooth.

    But this is the Ascend Forum, bare with me, i'm slowly getting to the point.

    I THINK, that the Sierra 2's might be the Speaker i am looking for, they COULD be the combination of all the aspects that i am craving for.

    Why do i think that? Well, i read, like a lot. If you read enough user experiences, reviews and comparisons you get an idea of how a speaker might sound. Besides that there is an excellent Youtuber with a great recording setup who makes comparisons under similar conditions, same tracks and positioning etc. I did listen to this on a pair a AKG Q701 (pretty neutral) to get a better idea.

    But well, jeah, the LS50 is not really comparable to the LS50 Wireless. So any comparison between the LS50 and Sierra 2 i read or heard is not that relevant for me.

    Since i'm located in Germany i have no way to demo the Sierra 2 first hand, so i was hoping that some of you might have heard both and could help me in my decision or have any other points to make that i didn't consider yet.

    My room is acoustically treated and the speakers are relatively free standing.

    setup20191_930347.jpg

    I think in the end such a move could be considered a sidegrade/finetuning/flavoring? I, like many others it seems, would also be interested in a "higher" end Sierra Bookshelf with the 70-20 and the current prototype woofer. But that's just for the protocol.

    Anyway, thanks for reading my little wall of text and i hope someone can help me a little.

    Best regards from Berlin,
    Philipp

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    S.E. La. - USA
    Posts
    312

    Thumbs up Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    Hello Philipp and Welcome to the AAF!

    I've no experience with the LS50's, but was able to see them and the wireless LS50's this weekend in Montreal...nice. Their integration into Your listening room decor is wonderful!!

    Maybe others can chime in with comparative experiences, but believe in your room you would enjoy the huge soundstage, depth, resolution and neutrality of the Sierra 2's! They truly disappear and allow all genre of music to flow effortlessly!!

    Ted
    Sierra RAAL V2 Towers, Axiom EP 500 Sub, Morrow SP7 Grand Reference Speaker Cables, Phillips CD880 XLR Balanced Variable Line Output to Orchard Audio Strakrimson 375w/per ch Stereo Ultra GaNFET Amp..... (Dedicated 2.1 Acoustical Music Listening Room)!

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    148

    Default Re: Sierra Raal Towers soundstage vs LS50 Wireless

    My experience with KEFs including LS50/LS50W is the soundstage isn't super wide, just moderately so--it's just pinpoint imaging. If you look at measurements of KEF speakers, the horizontal dispersion starts rolling off at ~40 degrees horizontal.




    I would consider a big soundstage something like a wide baffle speaker like a Sonus Faber Aida that has good output out to 75 degrees:


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