AA Sierra-2EX Monitor Review

[Mag_Neato]

Here's my little stack..... Pangea Vulcan rack in carbon fiber.

[petmotel]

Ted, is the rest of the room as barren as the pictures portray? If so, I am wondering what some first reflection point damping might do to even further the sound quality?

Jay

[Mag_Neato]

Here's my treated room!

[theophile]

Here's my little stack..... Pangea Vulcan rack in carbon fiber.

Here's my treated room!

Ed,

I did look at the Pangea Vulcan 4-shelf audio rack (also in CF)...it is Very Nice! However, if I ever wanted to add a shelf to house a smaller sub behind each 2-EX stand (original plans that aren't in the trash just yet), I needed a shelf depth that was 3" less. In my situation, the Monolith meet this criteria!

YES, another Dedicated music room!

Bet the 2EX sound awesome there!!!

Ted

[Mag_Neato]

Ed,

I did look at the Pangea Vulcan 4-shelf audio rack (also in CF)...it is Very Nice! However, if I ever wanted to add a shelf to house a smaller sub behind each 2-EX stand (original plans that aren't in the trash just yet), I needed a shelf depth that was 3" less. In my situation, the Monolith meet this criteria!

YES, another Dedicated music room!

Bet the 2EX sound awesome there!!!

Ted

Yes, they do sound awesome!

Sounds like you found the right rack for your application. I lucked out and bought the Pangea 2nd hand from a buddy who is always changing things in his system. Nearly bought a pair of mono block amps from him once.

[theophile]

Ted, is the rest of the room as barren as the pictures portray? If so, I am wondering what some first reflection point damping might do to even further the sound quality?

Jay

Jay,

For the most part, Yes! My dedicated small 2-channel listening environment has presented some challenges. The room's left side (10ft L) has a glassed half-moon transom with doubled glass paneled false french doors. To the right are bi panel closet doors and the 32" entry way that oppose the french door exterior wall (see pics). The room's 9ft Width on one end host the monitors and sub, with the opposing 9ft wall housing the listening love seat. It is a 90sf/990cf music room with overall dimensions of 9'W x 10'L x 11'H...a little cramped, but does provide a wonderful quasi-near field presentation! Other than paintings [and the framed "1911 Conservatory of Lavenir, Paris, France- recognition letter for their Classical Pianoforte Course-Honors of completion to my Grandmother ], the equipment and listening 9ft walls are sheetrock finishes! As per this overall minimalistic room decor, surprisingly I have neither too live or too dead of room acoustics, exhibiting virtually no echo or reverb. Believe this overall contributes enough diffraction and absorption to enhance the "Huge Venue Presentations" found in my diverse library of music genre...just the way I like my room acoustics!

Last year, I experimented with four 2" X 2ft square GIK Acoustiscs-2A Alpha Diffusor/Absorber panels. After a full month and many hours of room placements and detailed listening sessions (trials on every wall surface and about every configuration I could come up with), I returned the panels. I simply could not Improve any facet of the soundstage presentation, nor any areas of the room's acoustics that I enjoyed in my sweet listening spot! As stated in post#23, setting the new component rack under the double french door/windows to the left exterior wall (zero eq. interference between the 2EX) appears to eliminate any damaging first reflections, creating what I believe will settle out to be the best my small intimate music room is capable of!

Now, just awaiting arrival of new longer speaker wire to finish the audio component rack relocation task!

Ted

[theophile]

...Sounds like you found the right rack for your application. I lucked out and bought the Pangea 2nd hand from a buddy who is always changing things in his system. Nearly bought a pair of mono block amps from him once.

Now, just awaiting arrival of new longer speaker wire to finish the audio component rack relocation task!

Ted

Ed,

Yep, the Monolith component rack is working out nicely (see pics)!

Got in the new KnuKoncepts 12ga 100% OFC speaker Wire (50' Roll) and relocated the new rack to the left wall. Started with 2-25ft speaker wire lengths and got about 150 hrs break in time over the 1st week (music playing round-the-clock)! Switching out and comparing with my prior 35 yr old shorter (10ft) 12ga 100% OFC speaker cable (Monster Pro HR), the KK bass tightness-depth-tonality took 24 hours to blossom, however midrange took another 24 hrs to become sweet and lucid! Top end smoothness/trainsients to the RAALs didn't return until 100 hours of music break-in!! On Friday (150 hrs), I trimmed the 25ft lengths into 14ft (left 2EX) and 19ft (right 2EX) lengths.

At 200 hours, top to bottom bandwidth has matured Very Nicely, but the overall very precise and detailed soundstage is still somewhat collapsed, as compared to the well broken in 10ft Monster Pros!! The Monster cable creates a Huge Depth in Soundstage (like 15th row seats, with 30-50ft venue depth vs the KK at 3rd row seating with 15-20ft venue depth). The deeper soundstage Immediately draws me into the music emotionally with a very relaxed sensation of being in the venue (Live, immersed in the music), whereas the shallower soundstage initially sounds very impressive with a slight edge of more detail and resolution, but at the expense of becoming emotionally uninvolved with the performance (Sterile and detached)!! Given more playing time, we'll "hear" if the KK cables can come around!

FWIW, I've ordered some high-end speaker cables (SP4) from Morrow Audio to try! Hopefully they can meet (or even surpass) the musical performance of my old "tried but true" too-short MC cables!?! With a 60 day return policy, again will have the opportunity to really "Hear" if differences are worth the investment $$$!

Ted

[racrawford65]

Never heard Morrow cables so will be interested in your impressions.
I generally use blue jeans cables (as interconnects in "less critical" - to me - applications, eg, AVR to ATMOS amp), blue jeans speaker cables, and for more critical connections, AudioSensibility.

[theophile]

*the KnuKoncepte bass tightness-depth-tonality took 24 hours to blossom...
*midrange took 48 hrs to become sweet and lucid...
*Top end smoothness/trainsients to the RAALs didn't return until 100 hours of music break-in...!!
*At 200 hours, top to bottom bandwidth has matured Very Nicely, but the overall very precise and detailed soundstage is still somewhat collapsed, as compared to the well broken in 10ft Monster Pros...

Never heard Morrow cables so will be interested in your impressions.
I generally use blue jeans cables (as interconnects in "less critical" - to me - applications, eg, AVR to ATMOS amp), blue jeans speaker cables, and for more critical connections, AudioSensibility.

Robert,

At 250+ hours, the KK cables are starting to really become “Musical”! They have increased their Soundstage Depth presentation to almost Exactly match the Monster Pro’s! Additionally, I’m now hearing more nuisances, detail, resolution and greater air/openness/less veiling in the midrange and treble bandwidths throughout all of my well known music genre (without any hint of edginess, harshness or additional brightness)! Bass tonality, speed and punch has also improved!! Overall, my “emotional involvement” with my music has grown exponentially and now seems to have surpassed my old tried & true Monster reference cables!

I still have the Morrow Audio cables (SP4) coming in to try for a 60 day trial period! I've looked at the Blue Jeans Canare 4S11 "star quad" 14-gauge cable, with four conductors together in one outer jacket and set up as a single-wired connector, each then becoming an 11 gauge + or - cable run! Will consider these if the Morrow SP4's high-end (and $$$$) cables don't knock my socks off!!

Ted

[racrawford65]

thanks for the updates, Ted.
Maybe I'll try a set of the KK's one of these days.
Next on my list to purchase is a degritter ultrasonic record cleaner to replace my vinyl stack/cheap Ultrasonic set up.