Sierra-2 Development Thread

[petmotel]

I apologize for the delay in responding to these questions.



Yes, I believe we will offer a trade-in price for those who have Sierra-1 NrT.



This is the plan -- although it won't have the bass response or the dynamic capabilities of the Horizon (simply due to physical constaints)



I can share that is coming along quite nicely so far I spent a good 3-4 hours listening to the proto Sierra-2 vs. the Sierra-1 and Sierra-2 vs. Sierra Ribbon Tower and so far I think we have managed to reach our goals. Midrange and high frequency performance is directly between the Sierra-1 and the Ribbon Towers (closer to the towers)

We are not there yet though, we are still trying to further optimize the fully custom components (our 4th time around) and I hope to have the final versions here within a few more weeks.

Any type of guesstimate as to the ballpark price of these new Sierras? I will likely be getting a pair, and would like them in a finish that matches my espresso satin front stage.

I am extremely happy with the NRTs as surrounds, but I need a system out in the shop, and have been way too spoiled by the sound quality of the Ascends to settle for less, even in the shop!

Man, I sure do wish you could share a few details concerning the component layout of these new speakers, the suspense is intense!

Jay

[Mag_Neato]

Thanks for the update, Dave! I'll take any new information about this you are willing to give out!

Glad to hear things are moving along and going well.

[Brannigan]

I think the burning question is this. If they cost the same as the base model towers, what is the advantage? Will they sound better than the base towers if you use them with a sub? The price difference between a sierra 2 and a tower with ribbons is obviously significant but if they're the same price as non ribbon towers which do you choose? I assume the base model tower would be the wise choice if you don't have or plan on getting a sub because of the full range sound with 2 woofers\dedicated mid, and the sierra 2 would have better highs and mids IF you use a high pass filter around 60 hz to take some of the load off of the sierra 2's woofer and let the sub handle the lowest frequencies. Am I in the ballpark? I'm very interested.

[qwknuf6]

Some only have room for bookshelf speakers

[Brannigan]

Some only have room for bookshelf speakers

What I'm wondering is if space constraints is the only reason.

[curtis]

I think the dedicated midrange driver on the Towers would offer more midrange detail.

[choirbass]

Towers really did used to be an option.. I've since rearranged my room from the avatar, and removed some unnecessary furniture so I would again have more space.. but the towers still aren't an option (10'x10'x8'). You could say bookshelves are more of a 'godsend'. There's also the issue for those of WAF, towers may simply not be an option at all. Some simply like more the looks and convenience of bookshelves. Acoustically the differences are more obvious, but tradeoffs do still have to be made at times.

[petmotel]

I think the dedicated midrange driver on the Towers would offer more midrange detail.

Absolutely true. I've considered all of the information that has been put forth so far, and I believe the upgraded Sierras will not use a ribbon tweeter.

In order to get the midrange more in line with the capabilites of the Towers, either the speaker would have to sacrifice some bass capability, (lighter, faster cone assembly) or the high range driver would have to be able to operate significantly lower in frequency. Dave already commented that he wasn't willing to sacrifice bass performance.

Within the confines of a current Sierra cabinet, that would leave the possibility of either a coaxial tweeter/upper mid driver combination, or some type of wideband planar driver. I'm going to speculate on the latter. Whether or not I have the slightest clue, it's sure fun to try and figure these puzzles out.

The current NRT is already so good, it's hard for me to imagine a two way handily eclipsing it's performance. But if Dave says it has been done, I know it's like money in the bank.

Jay

[petmotel]

[QUOTE=davef;41783]We will have a ribbon speaker that perfectly compliments the Towers/Horizon.

Somewhere along the line I missed this little tidbit of info. Should have read through the entire thread BEFORE speculating. So a ribbon tweet it shall be!

I'm quite interested in seeing what Dave is working on, but glad that he is a perfectionist, and not willing to compromise design for release dates.

Jay

[Brannigan]

I'm getting more psyched about this by the day. The sierras with a sub already sound pretty much perfect so I can't begin to imagine what an improved version will be like. Can anyone confirm that the RAAL tweeters have a wide dispersion and don't have the sweet spot limitation of other ribbons? Also, any chance you can throw us a bone on the approximate price of upgrading from the non nrt sierras Mr. davef?