Re: Sierra Towers (RAAL) vs Sierra 2 EX's as front L/R
Originally Posted by
MrGuru
Would the upgrade to the Sierra Towers with RAAL be a defining upgrade? It's super expensive at $3k, so I am kinda doubting it will be an amazing upgrade.
Depends on what you're looking for. I've listened to both and own a pair of 2EXs. The Towers are definitely better. However, they're a lot more expensive and the real question is whether they're worth the difference in price. If what you're doing is mostly multichannel HT, then IMO the answer is "no" unless you care a lot about speaker efficiency or vertical dispersion. (The RAAL tweeter in the Tower is also a wider design, meaning better vertical dispersion.)
If you do a lot of 2-channel, then it's a near thing. The real advantage the Towers have over the 2EX for 2-channel—besides the aforementioned vertical dispersion—is the fact that they're 3-way, which means there's a dedicated driver for the mids. The effect of that is the mids are both smoother and more "open" in the Towers. No question the Towers sound better. Enough better to justify the price difference? It's close. Not that the Tower is overpriced, it's more that the 2EX is just such a killer value.
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.