Sierra-2EX to Sierra Diamond conversion?

[Mag_Neato]

Ok, just thought I'd throw this out there......

Dave, just in case any Sierra-2EX owners suddenly wish to empty their wallets, would it be possible to simply replace the EX crossover and RAAL tweeter with the SEAS White Diamond tweeter and corresponding crossover, or is there more to it?

If so, what would be a realistic cost for such a kit?

[billy p]

As they say...if you have to ask how much...you likely can't afford it...lol.
All kidding aside it would be nice to know what that figure is and the likelihood of diminishing returns would apply.

[N Boros]

Ok, just thought I'd throw this out there......

Dave, just in case any Sierra-2EX owners suddenly wish to empty their wallets, would it be possible to simply replace the EX crossover and RAAL tweeter with the SEAS White Diamond tweeter and corresponding crossover, or is there more to it?

If so, what would be a realistic cost for such a kit?

This is actually a really good question. I don’t think I would do it, but it would reduce the upgrade cost only needing to do the crossover and very expensive tweeter.

[racrawford65]

As I recall, thought Dave had made a pair of speakers like this for a customer (S2EX woofer, SEAS Diamond Tweeter) and he may have another personal pair. Similarly, I recall that the Diamond tweeter was a few/several thousand dollars, so likely a very costly upgrade even if only the tweeter/cross-over.

[Mag_Neato]

As I recall, thought Dave had made a pair of speakers like this for a customer (S2EX woofer, SEAS Diamond Tweeter) and he may have another personal pair. Similarly, I recall that the Diamond tweeter was a few/several thousand dollars, so likely a very costly upgrade even if only the tweeter/cross-over.

Yes, those tweeters have a very pricey "MSRP", but I wonder what a "real world" cost for a pair plus the crossovers would be. Dave has always been able to work some of his magic with the cost of the upgrades. Of course, these would be extremely low production given the cost, and I'd imagine the crossover, though the cheapest part of this, would have to be somewhat hand made being such low volume. Dave would likely only be able to provide some sort of volume pricing if he could find enough interested buyers who basically committed to the purchase with a large deposit, etc. prior to Dave ordering parts and building the crossovers.

[N Boros]

Yes, those tweeters have a very pricey "MSRP", but I wonder what a "real world" cost for a pair plus the crossovers would be. Dave has always been able to work some of his magic with the cost of the upgrades. Of course, these would be extremely low production given the cost, and I'd imagine the crossover, though the cheapest part of this, would have to be somewhat hand made being such low volume.

The tweeters were $6800 retail when the diamond tweeter development thread started several years ago. It is going to cost more than that.

[petmotel]

The tweeters were $6800 retail when the diamond tweeter development thread started several years ago. It is going to cost more than that.

The problem is that realistically, for the type of music I listen to, I'm not sure I'd prefer it to the ribbon. It would be a pretty long hike for me to visit the Ascend showroom to demo those beauties. Plus, if it turned out to be a must have, I'd have to mortgage the house to refit the full theater complement.

Jay

[N Boros]

The problem is that realistically, for the type of music I listen to, I'm not sure I'd prefer it to the ribbon. It would be a pretty long hike for me to visit the Ascend showroom to demo those beauties. Plus, if it turned out to be a must have, I'd have to mortgage the house to refit the full theater complement.

Jay

There are pros and cons to any driver choice. Obviously price would be one con for most people to step up to a diamond tweeter. In terms of performance the diamond tweeter seems to improve upon many performance areas as Dave discussed in the development thread. However I think that horizontal dispersion of the ribbon tweeter will be better. This to me is a big one. It means that more people will get a better listening experience. But even if you are the only person listening or you donÂ’t really care what other people hear all that much, it still is important for a single seat. The wider the horizontal dispersion means that the off axis reflected sound will more closely match the on axis sound. This is a big deal for a room that is not treated acoustically. For rooms that are treated acoustically a speaker that doesnÂ’t have as wide dispersion can have some of that aspect mitigated though.


Along those lines, if you donÂ’t have lots and lots of money to spend on diamond tweeters, room treatments which can cost $3000 to $4000 or less can have a big impact on the perceived sound. Some have said it can be more dramatic than going from an entry level to high end speaker. ThatÂ’s not to say that there is no need for high end speakers. But, the Sierra line of speakers with the Raal ribbon tweeter are already high end speakers, as far as IÂ’m concerned.

[davef]

Ok, just thought I'd throw this out there......

Dave, just in case any Sierra-2EX owners suddenly wish to empty their wallets, would it be possible to simply replace the EX crossover and RAAL tweeter with the SEAS White Diamond tweeter and corresponding crossover, or is there more to it?

If so, what would be a realistic cost for such a kit?

Yes, we can offer this option as a kit. Unfortunately, these tweeters are insanely expensive and because we would be selling the tweeter and not a complete speaker, we would have to charge retail, or at least close to retail. Last time I checked, these tweeters were going for a bit over $6K per pair.

I can, however, include the custom crossover for free

[davef]

As I recall, thought Dave had made a pair of speakers like this for a customer (S2EX woofer, SEAS Diamond Tweeter) and he may have another personal pair. Similarly, I recall that the Diamond tweeter was a few/several thousand dollars, so likely a very costly upgrade even if only the tweeter/cross-over.

We actually made several pairs of Sierra-2EX diamonds for customers, and one pair of diamond towers. I think the way the economy is going, the market for such expensive speakers is shrinking.