Introducing the Sierra-LX!!!

[curtis]

Congrats! Speaking of the amp, do you have it back?

haven't sent it yet

[SunByrne]

I watch movies probably 80% and music 20% and have two questions.
1. Is the consensus that the LX are superior to the 2EX?
2. Would it be better for home theater movie purposes to get a Sierra Horizon center instead of a third LX?

Thread with essentially the exact same questions: http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...X-vs-Sierra-LX

[djDANNY]

ARC added 6db more gain to the LXs for level matching to the rest of the speakers compared to the S2s.

Aren’t the 2’s like 85-86 dB sensitivity and the LX’s are listed as 83 dB sensitivity. That would suggest maybe a 2-3 dB difference in AVR trim levels between the speakers when calibrated.

If you’re requiring 6dB more on the AVR trim to level match the LX’s to the 2’s, that implies it takes 4x the amount of power for the LX’s to play the same loudness as the 2’s. Or am I missing something about how receivers set the trims in auto calibration?

[curtis]

Aren’t the 2’s like 85-86 dB sensitivity and the LX’s are listed as 83 dB sensitivity. That would suggest maybe a 2-3 dB difference in AVR trim levels between the speakers when calibrated.

If you’re requiring 6dB more on the AVR trim to level match the LX’s to the 2’s, that implies it takes 4x the amount of power for the LX’s to play the same loudness as the 2’s. Or am I missing something about how receivers set the trims in auto calibration?

When I get a chance, I will go back and verify.

That said, the system is sounding outstanding.

[davef]

Aren’t the 2’s like 85-86 dB sensitivity and the LX’s are listed as 83 dB sensitivity. That would suggest maybe a 2-3 dB difference in AVR trim levels between the speakers when calibrated.

If you’re requiring 6dB more on the AVR trim to level match the LX’s to the 2’s, that implies it takes 4x the amount of power for the LX’s to play the same loudness as the 2’s. Or am I missing something about how receivers set the trims in auto calibration?

Different amplifiers, different gain (Curtis has a new amp). That said, it is meaningless because Curtis swapped out all of his Sierra-2 for Sierra-LX so there is no reference to compare to and unless you know what the algorithms are that ARC uses to apply boost or cuts to level match, you can not draw any conclusions from the different trim levels.

We just had a customer install LX into his system and then inquired with me as to adding an external amplifier because he wanted to occasionally reach concert level volumes. He then realized that after running his receiver's auto-eq system, the receiver reset the left/right trim levels on his receiver to -3. Once he corrected this, he no longer had the desire to add a separate amp.

[davef]

When I get a chance, I will go back and verify.

That said, the system is sounding outstanding.

I had a hunch you would very much enjoy the LX!!!

[imoseyon]

I did a search for Horizon in this thread but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

Would Horizon (RAAL or NRT) center match well with LX LRs? Will be using the LX - Horizon set up mostly for TV and movie viewing. Thanks in advance.

[davef]

I did a search for Horizon in this thread but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

Would Horizon (RAAL or NRT) center match well with LX LRs? Will be using the LX - Horizon set up mostly for TV and movie viewing. Thanks in advance.

Horizon with RAAL matches up exceptionally well with Left/Right LX and is the best choice. We are giving demos several times per week with this exact setup.

In addition, while we are not officially advertising it just yet, we can now offer the Horizon with the LX tweeter for the same price as the Horizon with NrT dome.

[mziegler]

I have been listening to my LXs since Monday. I have decided that I am extremely skeptical about elements of my listening skills, and I am very happy that I got to compare these with my S2s, EX, and LX at your place since I am at a loss to say what the differences are in my room. That said, I am extremely happy with these. My system sounds great right now. I had the subjective feeling of being more lost in the music this week, which I attribute to how big these speakers sound.

It was interesting to compare them to the towers on Monday. Have you ever measured your room? There was so much bass from the LX in there. The towers showcased how special that Raal tweeter is, and I imagine that the LX woofer and Raal would produce something special.

On an unrelated note, I have been playing with Apple spatial audio, even though I only have a 5.1 system with ceiling mounted Lunas. Some of the mixes, however, are really fun. I especially like some of the Beatles mixes, and some of the Beach Boy stuff is spectacular, given how much texture those recordings have. I have been blasting John Bastiste's Freedom in both stereo and 5.1, and both are great. Really bass-heavy tune.

[curtis]

It was interesting to compare them to the towers on Monday. Have you ever measured your room? There was so much bass from the LX in there. The towers showcased how special that Raal tweeter is, and I imagine that the LX woofer and Raal would produce something special.

I was there with mziegler, and this was enlightening for me.

While i have heard the Tower/RAAL many times, i don't recall actually A/B'ing it with another speaker. I had A/B'd the standard Tower with another speaker. My primary interest has been in the bookshelf speakers, and Ascend has more models/versions of those.

The dedicated midrange driver and big RAAL made a very noticeable difference in detail when compared to the LX. When previously comparing the LX to 2EX the differences were almost imperceptible to me in regards to detail. Very enlightening. I mentioned it to Dave, and he basically said the big RAAL and Seas Diamond were the best tweeters.