New Sierra owner looking for advice

[N Boros]

I agree with others that setting speakers in the room like that is going to make it tough for any speaker to sound good. But, heavy absorption on that right wall and some good bass management might work. Like others have said, pile up some thick comforters on the right wall right next to the speaker and if you can measure and EQ you might be able to get things sounding much better.

On the other hand for less than the speakers cost you can get a good set of planar magnetic headphones. I’d opt for open back headphones so that they are more comfortable for longer listening sessions. I much prefer having speakers fill the room with sound than listening to headphones, but if those simple fixes don’t work, you might not have a choice unless you plan to move soon.

[natetg57]

Thanks for all the feedback!

1) Taking the amp out of the equation is helpful. Warm, bright, neutral, forward, house sound, synergy, class d is bad, class a is good, tubes are the best, tubes color sound too much. The internet has filled my head with so.many variables it's hard to know if I chose my amp right.

2) The KEF speakers are LS50 Metas

3) My room is 15x12 with 7 foot high ceilings. In reality, my system is shoved in a tiny corner. Speakers are about 4-6 apart. I've had them anywhere from 6 to 25 inches from rear walls. I sit anywhere from 3-6 feet from the speakers. I've been constantly playing around with positioning.

Here is a pic of my setup.

https://imgur.com/a/NSgRoBK

I'd setup the speakers symmetrically in the room and then find room for everything else. Keep the speakers somewhat away from the side walls.

[dennis138]

Thanks again for all the replies. I'm afraid I'm stuck with my current placement. The right wall also functions as my closet so covering it up isn't an option.

I've been sitting close to the speakers in an attempt at minimizing room reflections. Depending on the recording, turning down the bass knob on my Marantz seems to help.

Headphones are intriguing. There are so many options and I've only just begun to research what's best for me. I'll look closer at the planar headphones!

[curtis]

Thanks again for all the replies. I'm afraid I'm stuck with my current placement. The right wall also functions as my closet so covering it up isn't an option.

But you can put acoustic treatment/panels on the closet door.

[SunByrne]

Acoustic panels and EQ can make a really big difference. REW is a great tool.

[davef]

I'm the new owner of the Ascend Sierra 2EX V2 speakers. I'm currently in my third week of the trial period and I'm feeling underwhelmed.

I pretty much read everything I could find online about these speakers. People talked about hearing the full weight of bass notes and every nuance of drums coming alive. People used adjectives like "airy" and spoke of unparalleled high end extension. This hasn't been my experience.

Drums sound congested. Sometimes the Sierra's come across as punchy but in a fatiguing way. Horns can sound grating. Sometimes the overall tonality is darker than what I expected. Solo jazz guitar that sounded right in the room with my KEFs now sound less "real." Fatiguing is a good way of describing my experience with the Sierra's....which is strange ....as users consistently reported that they found the Sierra's to NOT be fatiguing. I often walk away with a headache.

My theory: my amp isn't a good match. Currently using a Marantz PM8006....which happens to be the only amp I've ever heard. Perhaps I'm not a fan of the Marantz "house sound." While many love this amp, I've heard others call it "shouty and fatiguing." I have full faith in the superior quality of the Sierra's, I wonder if I'm experiencing a problem with synergy or simply don't like the Marantz sound.

I've played around with placement. The Sierra's are on proper stands. Maybe it's my room.

I'm curious about what other Sierra owners are driving their speakers with. Have people found that Sierra's sound better on one amp than another?

Hi Dennis,

Some excellent recommendations to you in this thread - hopefully you are having some better results.

You can see from this comparison graph between the estimate in-room response of the Sierra-2EXv2 and Kef LS50 meta that they are very similar, with the Sierra-2EXv2 having quite a bit more output in the frequency range of 150Hz and lower. These frequencies are likely exciting some nasty room modes in your small space.

Try this, take some old socks and plug the ports on the back of the each Sierra-2EXv2. Does everything sound cleaner now?

newplot (1).png

[dennis138]

Popping back in for an update. I've read the responses, clicked the links, learned a lot, and even tried the sock trick.

I haven't done any room treatments but I've found that turning the bass knob down on my amp helps....A LOT. I've also started sitting closer to my speakers which I think minimizes reflections. It's clearly working because I've fallen in love with these speakers. I can only imagine how much better they'll sound in my next apartment without placement limitations.

Thanks again for sharing your collective wisdom and advice.

[davef]

Popping back in for an update. I've read the responses, clicked the links, learned a lot, and even tried the sock trick.

I haven't done any room treatments but I've found that turning the bass knob down on my amp helps....A LOT. I've also started sitting closer to my speakers which I think minimizes reflections. It's clearly working because I've fallen in love with these speakers. I can only imagine how much better they'll sound in my next apartment without placement limitations.

Thanks again for sharing your collective wisdom and advice.

Happy to hear you are enjoying the speakers! In your situation, the issue isn't reflections, it is room modes (standing waves) - that are being excited by the extended bass of the Sierra-2EXv2 compared to your Kef's.

You are learning a lot, which is awesome -- your next step is learning to use Room EQ Wizard (REW). A few quick measurements and you will easily be able to see what lower frequency range is problematic, and then you can use EQ to compensate for your room acoustics, and you will then be enjoying an incredible listening experience