Hope you get a decent holiday bonus out of this deal, because I sure feel I did.
Now I have videos to watch instead of refreshing that UPS tracking number every hour.
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Hope you get a decent holiday bonus out of this deal, because I sure feel I did.
Now I have videos to watch instead of refreshing that UPS tracking number every hour.
I've got my tracking number!
Now I just need to pick up a stubby phillips screwdriver.
Ed
* Sierra-2EX's W/V2 crossover upgrade
* (2) Rythmik F12's
* Parasound Halo P6
* Audio by Van Alstine DVA-M225 Monoblock Amps
* MiniDSP 2x4HD For Sub calibration
*World's Best Cables Canare 4S11 speaker cables
Hi Dave,
I figured I would post this here in case anyone else has the same issue.
I received five NrT upgrades tonight. Unfortunately, it appears that my Sierra-1's are different from the Sierra-1 shown in your videos.
In the picture below, note that the mounting holes are spaced closer together on the old crossover board on the left. Also, the interior of my cabinet has six crossover mounting holes, although only four are used.
I only disassembled one of my five Sierra-1's since the other four are probably similar. Please advise me how to proceed.
Thanks,
David Plettner
Smooth upgrade here - exactly according to plan.
My only advice for others is to say a little prayer to the speaker gods beforehand so you don't poke a hole through the woofer with the screwdriver. Partway through the job I switched to a stubby for peace of mind.
BK
Hi David,
Thanks so much for posting this info and including the pictures. I was hoping that somebody would as we don't have any of the first generation Sierra-1 cabinets available...
Your Sierra-1 cabinets were from the first batch (our first vendor). Upgrading this requires a bit more work but should not be a problem.
To install your crossover, simply use some standard 1/2" length wood screws and screw the crossover down directly into the cabinet itself creating 4 new holes at the bottom of the cabinet. Do not be concerned about making the new holes as these will have absolutely no affect on performance or cabinet rigidity. As I am sure you have realized after peaking inside, the build quality of these cabinets is outstanding and bamboo is tough!
Note: I recommend a thin shank wood/drywall screw such as a #4 which will make it much easier to screw into the bamboo. #4 x 1/2" is ideal. While the cabinet material is 3/4" in thickness, I do not recommend using a wood screw that is longer than 1/2".
Hope this helps!
Thanks David. I will stop by Home Depot tomorrow and pick up the right screws.
Based on the picture below, I think I can use one of the existing mounting holes, and then create three new holes for the wood screws.
I agree that the build quality is great and the cabinets are very solid.
I have a few other comments for people with first generation cabinets. The batting material is not Dacron as shown in the video. Instead the batting material is fiberglass inserted into a 3-segment black mesh bag. The 3-segments of the bag are glued to the interior of cabinet. It is not too hard to separate the bad from the cabinet, but doing so does release particles of fiberglass through the mesh, so you may want to wear gloves while working with the bag to avoid touching the fiberglass. Also, there will be fiberglass particles in the cabinet interior after removing the bag, so it helps to have a vacuum cleaner with a narrow hose to remove the fiberglass particles.
Finally, the crossover wire terminals are held to the binding posts using nuts, as shown in the videos. However, a very durable glue has been applied to the nuts and binding posts. While disassembling the first speaker, I did manage to remove the nuts and terminals from the binding posts. However, it certainly seems possible that the binding posts could be damaged by the removal process. For the remaining four speakers, I think I will leave the binding posts alone, and splice the new crossover wires to the old crossover wires by soldering the wires together.
If anyone is on the fence about having Ascend do the upgrade or doing it themselves, you may want to remove the woofer and see if you have a first generation cabinet, since the upgrade will be a bit more work and you may want Ascend to do the upgrade.
-Dave
Interesting. Thanks for the heads up, Dave. Since I most likely have the same cabinets this is invaluable info.
Question for Dave F.: I have some 1" Dacron batting leftover from my Rythmik sub project. Can I cut a piece of that to replace the fiberglass stuff that may be in my speakers? If so, what are the dimensions to make the piece? Thanks!
Ed
* Sierra-2EX's W/V2 crossover upgrade
* (2) Rythmik F12's
* Parasound Halo P6
* Audio by Van Alstine DVA-M225 Monoblock Amps
* MiniDSP 2x4HD For Sub calibration
*World's Best Cables Canare 4S11 speaker cables
The video for the upgrade shows dacron batting in the later cabinets. Unless something was changed in the tuning/crossover I'd think there would be no difference? If the fiberglass stuff needs to be re-glued to the inside of the cabinet then going with Dacron could eliminate that step.
Ed
* Sierra-2EX's W/V2 crossover upgrade
* (2) Rythmik F12's
* Parasound Halo P6
* Audio by Van Alstine DVA-M225 Monoblock Amps
* MiniDSP 2x4HD For Sub calibration
*World's Best Cables Canare 4S11 speaker cables
I don't think you need to glue the fiberglass batting back in. It seems to position itself at least as securely as the Dacron in the video without reapplying any glue.
The fit is quite nice, since the three segments of the mesh bag that contain the fiberglass match the dimensions of the back and side walls.
My guess is that the glue is an extra precaution to ensure that nothing moves during shipping, and is really not needed for an "in-home" upgrade.
-Dave