Let's try this again... (New Ascend setup)

[kingcrowing]

Back in 2017 I wanted to upgrade my hand-me-down system (B0SE 601 towers, BIC America center/sub, Pioneer AVR), I demoed a handful of speakers (Paradigm, Zu, Ascend), and I ended up with some Paradigm Monitor 3 bookshelf speakers with matching center/sub.

I demoed some Sierra NrT Towers along with a Sierra-1 center and wasn't happy with them. At the time my setup was in a corner, with lots of reflection (hard floors, no carpet, windows nearby, very cramped), so I think that was a big factor. Additionally some of the issues I had with the treble people on here said would likely be resolved by switching to the RAAL tweeters but that was out of my budget at the time. I also thought the Sierra-1 didn't really hold up to the towers for HT usage.

It's been a few years, I've got a new space that's much better and I'm thinking of trying this again! Below is what I'm thinking of for a setup, I've got more space for the speakers, a carpet and an overall better layout so I'm interested in input on if y'all this this could work well. For sources I've got a Pioneer PLX-1000 w/ Shure SC35C & NX35 stylus, and an Xbox One S for streaming (Netflix, Apple TV, and streaming my local media). I've made no final decisions so I could change any of this, but my priorities are vinyl (mainly rock including Phish, The Dead, King Gizzard, Radiohead) and movies - so I hope that my chosen center can keep up with the towers!

* Anthem MRX 540 AVR (100wpc, supports 4K, HDR, etc. for modern HT usage)
* Sierra Towers w/ RAAL upgrade
* Sierra Duo LCR Center
* RYTHMIK F12 Sub

[racrawford65]

Center will be fine - I run the Towers w/ RAAL and the Luna Duo center. Blend well and dialogue is clear.

How big is your space & how far back do you sit? Depending on size, you may want to consider a larger sub (eg F15 or E15) or adding a second F12 in the future.

[kingcrowing]

Awesome, that’s great to hear! It sounds like the Duo is a solid center after reading a bunch of threads on here.

My room is about 17”x14’ and I’m about 8’ back from the center channel/screen, so roughly the same distance from the sub depending on where I’d end up placing it.

What about one F12 to start and then a second if needed later on? Right now I’ve got a 10” sub and it’s ok for the space. I’m planning to move to a larger more dedicated HT space in the next couple years and I was thinking I’d go dual subs at that point.

[theophile]

KC,

"Sounds" like a good plan!!!

Ted

[racrawford65]

Agree that plan should work, especially if you are satisfied with the current 10 incher.

The only caveat is that you may want to consider is how much bigger your future dedicated HT space will be - if significantly bigger, two 12" may or may not be enough.

[Pogre]

Agree that plan should work, especially if you are satisfied with the current 10 incher.

The only caveat is that you may want to consider is how much bigger your future dedicated HT space will be - if significantly bigger, two 12" may or may not be enough.

I agree, but then I always say to get bigger subs, lol.

At the distance you sit the Sierra ribbon towers will more than do the job. I sit almost 15' from mine and they can get uncomfortably loud without a hint of strain, and they sound great doing it.

[kingcrowing]

Over the weekend I picked up the Anthem MRX 540 AVR to replace my 11 year old Pioneer VSX-30 Elite AVR. Huge upgrade so far! Not only does the amp make everything sound just a little bit crisper, the display is fantastic and the added Airplay/Chromecast/BT features are awesome! It's very cool to basically use my HiFi system like a Bluetooth speaker!

Next up are the speakers! Right now I'm basically trying to decide between the above Sierra tower based setup or a Salk 3.0 system with either Supercharged SongTowers or the Veracity HT2-TL. The Salks are 2-way MTM design, vs the 3-way Sierra towers, but they look to have a higher top end (will I actually hear anything above ~20kHz?), and I can fit the matching centers in my system unlike this one where the Duo LCR doesn't have matching drivers to the Sierra Tower. That said it sounds like many are happy with the Sierra Tower/Duo LCR match.

In the end I suppose to comes down to price, and even with an F12 sub the Ascend setup is almost $1k cheaper than even the SongTower 3.0 setup... I'm going to take a look tonight to see if I can manage a horizon as I think that would fix my concerns about a matched LCR.

[racrawford65]

Human hearing is "generally" 20 Hz - 20kHZ.. but that's in one's prime ;-) I'm sure I can no longer hear that high (getting older and too many loud concerts/listening sessions in my youth)

[kingcrowing]

I've definitely been to too many concerts for my ears to be in their "prime" any longer, that's for sure!!

[davef]

The Salks are 2-way MTM design, vs the 3-way Sierra towers, but they look to have a higher top end (will I actually hear anything above ~20kHz?),

The Salk's absolutely do not extend higher in frequency. They quote -3dB at 40kHz, which is incorrect for the ribbon they are using. The Songtowers use the same RAAL ribbon as we use in our towers, the top end extension is the same. That said, very few adult males can even hear above 16kHz and none can hear above 20kHz, so the top end extension does not matter.

and I can fit the matching centers in my system unlike this one where the Duo LCR doesn't have matching drivers to the Sierra Tower. That said it sounds like many are happy with the Sierra Tower/Duo LCR match.

While matching drivers can help in achieving a timbre match, it is by no means necessary. I am using a Duo center with my pair of towers in my own home