Sierra 1 or 2 for Home Theater

[kingcrowing]

I also have a large room that opens in a dining room then kitchen so that's a concern. I do have a sub I use with home theater but prefer to use Stereo for music (I mainly listen to rock, Pink Floyd, Phish, Radiohead are my top bands), so that kind of makes me think it may be worth springing for the Sierra-2s so I can keep with Stereo for music.

[mikesiskav]

I have my Sierra 2 in a fairly large room as well. 13x35 ft including the dining and kitchen. I would say that the Sierras do pretty well on their own full range, no sub, for music. If you have a high quality sub or two, that is properly integrated, it does sound even better, even for music. I run my subs for everything, movies, music, games, etc.. But I would say it depends on your sub. Not every sub can match the quality of the Sierra 2.

[kingcrowing]

Cool, that's probably about my setup as well. And I'll often listen to music while I'm way in the back in the kitchen or walking around the house so good to know it does decent in that environment.

I have a pretty mediocre sub I got on Amazon years back (BIC America 10") that definitely won't keep up with any Ascends, but it'll do for now and in the future I'll upgrade it when I've got more space and money!

[mattyhoops]

I also have a large room that opens in a dining room then kitchen so that's a concern. I do have a sub I use with home theater but prefer to use Stereo for music (I mainly listen to rock, Pink Floyd, Phish, Radiohead are my top bands), so that kind of makes me think it may be worth springing for the Sierra-2s so I can keep with Stereo for music.

I don't think the Sierra 2 has any louder or deeper bass extension than the 1. Actually, I think the 1 has a very small advantage on bass extension over the 2. From what I've read I'm sure the 2 is a better speaker than the 1, but I think they're pretty even in bass extension when ran in full range.

[kingcrowing]

I have seen a few others say that as well... the big question I have that I was hoping Dave could maybe chime in on, is which speakers is better in a less than ideal listening setup? Many people sitting outside of the "sweet spot" and speakers being closer to the wall than ideal, etc.

[sludgeogre]

I have seen a few others say that as well... the big question I have that I was hoping Dave could maybe chime in on, is which speakers is better in a less than ideal listening setup? Many people sitting outside of the "sweet spot" and speakers being closer to the wall than ideal, etc.

I won't speak for Dave, but I'm willing to bet that the Sierra-2 is the better choice because of the RAAL tweeter and it's mega-wide dispersion. The RAAL allows you to walk around the room with barely any difference in frequency response. There is a slight vertical shift (when you stand up) but not a lot. It's a unique feature of the RAAL that really makes a difference in real world situations.

[JustABrah]

I went from Sierra-1NrT to the Sierra-2 for home theatre and I think it's worth it.

[amnesia0287]

I went from Sierra-1NrT to the Sierra-2 for home theatre and I think it's worth it.

Concur. I liked the upgrade so much I pretty much immediately ordered some towers too

[crazycuz2k]

I have the Sierra-1 NrT's and the Sierra-2, I have not heard the Sierra-1's. With the sale right now on the Sierra-2 natural/piano black, it's a no brainer for me to spend the extra $190 for a pair of Sierra-2's. The RAAL tweeter is so much faster and articulate, displaying more dynamics and control. The midrange and bass is tighter if not as deep. At $500 per pair difference between the 1/2, I don't know if you're getting 40% more performance. The nice thing though is that Dave built the Sierra-2's so that you can upgrade the 1's when you have the budget. I don't think you can go wrong either way as all the speakers are neutral and sound 10x better than it's pricepoint. It's a matter of what you're used to... ignorance is bliss. Personally... once hearing the RAAL tweeter, it's hard to go back.

[davef]

I have seen a few others say that as well... the big question I have that I was hoping Dave could maybe chime in on, is which speakers is better in a less than ideal listening setup? Many people sitting outside of the "sweet spot" and speakers being closer to the wall than ideal, etc.

I would say that of all the different speakers we currently manufacture, the least finicky with regard to placement would be the Sierra-2. The RAAL ribbon used in the '2 has exceptionally wide and linear horizontal dispersion. It is very spacious...