Re: Advice sought: Sierra 2-EX vs Revel M106
Originally Posted by
relopez
Good point about the cost, if you're willing to do the Sierra upgrade. I've been a little hesitant about that (factory-assembled speaker testing before shipment, etc.) but maybe I should try that first.
It's actually not hard at all. I've done it several times now. S1->S1 NrT (twice). S1 NrT -> S2. S2 -> S2-EX. Dave did a great job designing the Sierras so that they'd be easy to upgrade, and supplies excellent instructions, too. It's pretty foolproof.
I wasn't aware that the M106 bass extension was much poorer than the Sierras,
Yeah, the M106 specs say -3dB at 59Hz. As a bass player... well, that's just not good enough. I have an awesome pair of Mini Philharmonitors that do about 45Hz, and that's still not good enough. The S2-EXs are good enough, though.
Of course that destroys all cost arguments: M106 + subwoofer is much more expensive than Sierra 2EX, especially if you do the upgrade.
Yep. This is kind of one of the things that make the S400 so intriguing is that they have similar bass specs, and the reviews I've read said they sound like the specs are accurate. The S400 does it via a passive radiator, Dave does it with an expensive kick-ass woofer and a bamboo cabinet. Neither of those are the cheap way to go.
One last observation. It seems like the Revel design philosophy uses sophisticated techniques like waveguides and curved enclosures to improve the sound, while the Sierras have a more basic design, but with higher quality drivers. Not sure which is better, but they do seem very different.
Yep. There's more than one way to skin a cat. I'd be willing to bet that Dave's margin is much lower than Revel's, and if you wanted to get sub-40Hz out of a Revel bookshelf, well, that'd cost no small amount extra.
For me, what matters most in the end is not so much how the designer got there, but how it performs per dollar spent. That's why I own Philharmonic and Ascend, and why I am intrigued by the S400.
Luna Duo V2 LR, Titan Horizon V2, and Rythmik L22 & L12 in HT, Sierra-LXs in study, S-2EXs and Duo V2 C in bedroom, S-1 NrTs in dining room, S-1s at work, HTM-200s in kitchen. Brother owns CMT-340s and dad has a pair of CBM-170s.