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Thread: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movies

  1. #11
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    Dec 2008
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    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Hopefully when I order NrT Towers I’ll hear a difference from my Sierra-2s. Going from the 340s to the Sierra-2 I was disappointed that I couldn’t hear a difference in the treble.

  2. #12
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    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Quote Originally Posted by choirbass View Post
    Hopefully when I order NrT Towers I’ll hear a difference from my Sierra-2s. Going from the 340s to the Sierra-2 I was disappointed that I couldn’t hear a difference in the treble.
    Didn't hear a difference in the treble from 340s to Sierra-2? I would say it is a pretty big difference.

    How did you test? Level matched the speakers?
    -curtis

  3. #13
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    Dec 2008
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    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    All I can say is that not everything that can be measured can be heard. The RAAL tweeters are impressive measuring, but hard to tell from an audible standpoint.

  4. #14
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    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Quote Originally Posted by choirbass View Post
    All I can say is that not everything that can be measured can be heard. The RAAL tweeters are impressive measuring, but hard to tell from an audible standpoint.
    Compared to the Seas tweeter in the 340, I disagree. The treble between the two speakers is very different.

  5. #15
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    Dec 2008
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    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Is it audible tho? That’s all I have to ask. For me it wasn’t.

  6. #16
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    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Quote Originally Posted by choirbass View Post
    Is it audible tho? That’s all I have to ask. For me it wasn’t.
    Very audible for me.

    You are right though, all you have to satisfy is yourself.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
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    388

    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Quote Originally Posted by choirbass View Post
    All I can say is that not everything that can be measured can be heard. The RAAL tweeters are impressive measuring, but hard to tell from an audible standpoint.
    The major differences do lie in the higher more difficult to hear frequency range where our hearing declines as we get older. As early as late 20s and early 30s so age can be a factor, as well as how much punishment you've subjected your ears to. I know I can't hear higher frequencies at 51 yrs nearly as well as I used to when I was younger.

    I wish I'd have taken better care of my hearing too...

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    291

    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    I believe the difference lies on the spectral decay between the two tweeters. Raal stops much quicker across the tweeter range which translate to a much cleaner presentation.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
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    455

    Default Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Quote Originally Posted by uniquepicture View Post
    Hey everybody.

    Happy owner of Sierra 2EXs here, which are currently in a HT set-up that I also use to listen to 2-channel music. I previously used the Sierra 1-NRTs as my mains. The NRTs are now functioning as surround sound speakers in my set-up (MARANTZ PM8006 running the 2EXs, using a MARANTZ AVR as a power amp to run the surround speakers). It all sounds great, but...

    I've recently had the urge to try out the Towers, but am trying to decide whether to go with the NRT or RAAL Towers. When/if I upgrade, the 2EXs will be moved to a separate 2-channel, secondary system, and the Towers will take over as the mains in the HT system. The 1-NRTs will continue to function as surround sound speakers in the main set-up, which will continue to be for both music and movies.

    Since those Sierra 1-NRTs will continue to function as surround sound speakers, one logical move is to get the NRT-Towers for the fronts. NRTs all around! Good matching, presumably. However, I can afford the more expensive RAAL towers. In my current set-up, having the 2EXs as my mains and the 1-NRTs as surrounds hasn't caused any problems (that I can hear, anyway); even though the RAALs and the NRTs don't technically match, it all sounds good to me. Hence the thought that perhaps I should just go whole-hog and get those RAAL Towers despite the fact that they won't be exactly matched with the surrounds.

    What would you do? Would the benefits of having the NRT-Towers match with my NRT surrounds outweigh the benefits of having the presumably even better RAAL Towers as my mains in the primary system? (One option would of course be to move the 2EXs to surround sound duty to match with the RAAL Towers, but I don't want to do that ... those speakers are so good for 2-channel music and I want to continue to use them as mains in a secondary system...).

    Thanks for your input!
    Since you have heard and still seem to own, Sierra bookshelf speakers with the NRT tweeter and the Raal ribbon tweeter, it should be pretty easy to decide which tweeter you would want in the tower based on your listening preferences. As far as matching the surrounds, I don’t think it would be a problem mixing and matching within the Ascend line of speakers. I have HTM 200s for surrounds with my Sierra 2 mains and the match is great. I would like to get Lunas at some point, to get a better match, but it is a low priority for me. I want a projector first and then putting up a couple of walls in my basement for a dedicated room. Then sound treatments. I think that for me those things would be much more noticeable. After that I think I will get Lunas.

  10. #20
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    Aug 2007
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    S.E. La. - USA
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    Exclamation Re: Deciding between NRT and RAAL Towers -- Potential upgrade from 2EX for music/movi

    Quote Originally Posted by davef View Post
    Sorry choir, but I also do not agree with this. There are very noticeable differences between the 2 tower versions (NrT dome or RAAL). RAAL's are more detailed but more relaxed sounding, the NrT has more energy with a more forward presentation, it attracts more attention to the highs (more "zing") if that is what is preferred...
    After living with the S1-NrT's for five years, I was able to bring the S2's in the house for a trial period. To my ears, what Dave states above is what I clearly discerned as the main differences in the two Sierra's! However, due to a very small listening room (90sf), I kept the NrT's. To me, their dispersion characteristics were easier for soundstage placement in my challenging music room.

    Two years after the 2EX appeared, I ventured into their well tested waters. Any issues I had of sonic transducer blends or vertical dispersion characteristics (from the S2's RAAL Tweeters in my listening environment) Completely Dissolved Away...WOW!! I again compared my venerable S1 NrT's to the new S-2EX...NO CONTEST...I quickly sold the NrT's!!!

    IMO, vocals, instrumentals, upper percussion cymbals and high frequency strings should never be presented Out into your room as they are never recorded that way in a live performance! Think of your main speakers as the recording mikes. A few close miked vocals might have the performer dead center, but toward the back of your L/R speaker plane! The entire soundstage and musician space should be presented in the recorded venue ambiance behind your speaker sound system!! The high frequency RAAL Ribbon products preserve this 3D deep holographic soundstage presentation through their speed, recovery and wide horizontal dispersion. Additionally, the wonderful transition and seamless blend of the EX mid/woofer with the RAAL tweeter creates a single point source that opens up this huge recorded soundstage and accurately places all musicians and singers in their proper spaces and time! Setup and balanced room acoustics also has a large bearing on this extensive soundstage potential, but certainly the RAAL + 2EX woofer/mid are up to the task! Although I never heard them, my assumption would be similar differences between the NrT and RAAL Towers...up front and "in-your-face" (NrT's), or the laid-back "in a properly placed and recorded soundstage" (RAAL's)!

    Of course in my library, not all recordings and genre of music fit into this "live" soundstage illusion...much depends on that venue (recording hall or studio), miking techniques and the sound engineers recorded goals, formats and experiences.

    Attached I've included a 2D graphical drawing that visually displays what I'm trying to convey and what I Hear in my well balanced, synergistic 2.1 reproduction playback music room!! Now, time for my 5th cup of coffee, or maybe I'll just go and run a 5K race!

    Ted

    Sierra RAAL V2 Towers, Axiom EP 500 Sub, Morrow SP7 Grand Reference Speaker Cables, Phillips CD880 XLR Balanced Variable Line Output to Orchard Audio Strakrimson 375w/per ch Stereo Ultra GaNFET Amp..... (Dedicated 2.1 Acoustical Music Listening Room)!

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