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Thread: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

  1. #11
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    it's just that after spending $1800 I am thinking that for another $2K I could have had towers with center channel. Question is .... would it be a huge difference?

    OR I can just go buy the 170s for surrounds, get Rythmik F12 for sub and call it a day. I guess a friend coming in and surprisingly saying "Oh, these are reference monitors??" got me a bit sad here :-)

  2. #12
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    it's just that after spending $1800 I am thinking that for another $2K I could have had towers with center channel. Question is .... would it be a huge difference?

    OR I can just go buy the 170s for surrounds, get Rythmik F12 for sub and call it a day. I guess a friend coming in and surprisingly saying "Oh, these are reference monitors??" got me a bit sad here :-)
    Since you do 60% music, I think Towers would be an upgrade. Will it be a huge difference? only you can decide that. Most folks would be very happy with Sierra-1 + Rythmik combo. In this hobby, it's a law of diminishing returns after a certain point. If you can get an audition for Towers and compare the notes, you can decide for yourself.

    Which speakers your friend own or compared to when he made that comment?

  3. #13
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    My question is .... in terms of quality of sound, volume, depth, etc .... is the sound from the Sierra Towers (with RAAL) in a different ballpark when compared to Sierra-1 NRT?

    My room is just 13x18 with 8.5 ceiling and ....I am thinking that in this situation Towers may be an overkill.

    I had L/C/R Sierra-1's and upgraded to Sierra Towers w/NRT. And I am 100% with Curtis and Merrymaid on this - the Towers really are a whole new ball park of game above the Sierra-1's. As Curtis said, that dedicated midrange makes all the difference, plus they punch deeper. After only a few moments of playing them, I immediately noticed the improvement and thought it was *well* worth the money invested.

    I put the Sierra-1's on surround duty (7.1) and I eventually picked up the new monster Sierra Tower Center...which is amazing. I don't know how or why, but it is more cohesive and impacts cleaner than even the standard towers. Must be Dave's black magic.

    So, I have exactly the system you describe (plus a pair of D-15SE subs)...my room is roughly 17x24ish (one corner is closed) and I sit about 12 ft from the speakers. I enjoy it so much I'm considering a RAAL upgrade And tempted to upgrade the subs to F25's. What else to do with tax returns, right? In my opinion, it's not overkill. I could still use more headroom (heh).

    Anyhow, where are you located? I'd be happy to demo the system if you are in my neighborhood (Nebraska).

    Also, "kwarny" (nickname on this forum and AVS) came over to check out my system recently so you can ask him for thoughts - he's heard a lot of gear I think. Same goes for "tesseract67" on AVS, he had very positive things to say about my overall setup.

    Edit - call me crazy, but I do love having the Sierra-1's as surrounds. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, but between them and the monster STC, I *really* enjoy multichannel music...even just CD's hopped up on Dolby PL-IIx. I also think that Sierra-1's for surrounds are awesome with a medium (50-60hz) crossover for movies...get things a bit more punchy all around. I'm very happy I have it all set up that way.
    Last edited by Jonnyozero3; 09-05-2012 at 04:28 PM.
    Jon O.

  4. #14
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    I guess a friend coming in and surprisingly saying "Oh, these are reference monitors??" got me a bit sad here :-)
    I wouldn't be too concerned about what other people think. (I know, easier said than done) Some people expect 'Reference Sound' to be very bright or whatever they're used to. **** is quite popular, some people think it's the best. I love how realistic voices sound with Sierra's and that they're non-fatiguing compared to other speakers I've heard. And as you've experienced sometimes it takes some time to acclimatize to a new sound.

  5. #15
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Unrelated question. How big of a difference did having 2 D15SE subs versus one make for you if you have tried it this way? I have just one with a now larger room and need more headroom and impact. I'm hoping adding a matching Rythmik will be enough?


    I also agree with you that sierras make great surrounds and the STC is amazing


    Quote Originally Posted by Jonnyozero3 View Post
    I had L/C/R Sierra-1's and upgraded to Sierra Towers w/NRT. And I am 100% with Curtis and Merrymaid on this - the Towers really are a whole new ball park of game above the Sierra-1's. As Curtis said, that dedicated midrange makes all the difference, plus they punch deeper. After only a few moments of playing them, I immediately noticed the improvement and thought it was *well* worth the money invested.

    I put the Sierra-1's on surround duty (7.1) and I eventually picked up the new monster Sierra Tower Center...which is amazing. I don't know how or why, but it is more cohesive and impacts cleaner than even the standard towers. Must be Dave's black magic.

    So, I have exactly the system you describe (plus a pair of D-15SE subs)...my room is roughly 17x24ish (one corner is closed) and I sit about 12 ft from the speakers. I enjoy it so much I'm considering a RAAL upgrade And tempted to upgrade the subs to F25's. What else to do with tax returns, right? In my opinion, it's not overkill. I could still use more headroom (heh).

    Anyhow, where are you located? I'd be happy to demo the system if you are in my neighborhood (Nebraska).

    Also, "kwarny" (nickname on this forum and AVS) came over to check out my system recently so you can ask him for thoughts - he's heard a lot of gear I think. Same goes for "tesseract67" on AVS, he had very positive things to say about my overall setup.

    Edit - call me crazy, but I do love having the Sierra-1's as surrounds. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, but between them and the monster STC, I *really* enjoy multichannel music...even just CD's hopped up on Dolby PL-IIx. I also think that Sierra-1's for surrounds are awesome with a medium (50-60hz) crossover for movies...get things a bit more punchy all around. I'm very happy I have it all set up that way.

  6. #16
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sam1000 View Post
    Since you do 60% music, I think Towers would be an upgrade. Will it be a huge difference? only you can decide that. Most folks would be very happy with Sierra-1 + Rythmik combo. In this hobby, it's a law of diminishing returns after a certain point. If you can get an audition for Towers and compare the notes, you can decide for yourself.

    Which speakers your friend own or compared to when he made that comment?

    He is looking to buy a soundbar ... one of those from Yamaha for $2K.
    he did have a home theater system from Yamaha I believe with towers. Not in a thousands price range but he has been into home theater sound for years.

    To me Sierra-1 nrt sounds great and the only time it sounds bad is when recordings I play are of bad quality.

    It's just that I am a perfectionist. If I know that something is much better than what I bought, I won't rest until I perfect it.

    Going from my 10Yr old HTiB from Onkyo to Sierra-1 (L,C,R) still using sub and rears from HTiB was a noticeable improvement but not like Oh MY God, How did I live before? you know what I mean? Sounds is great but at almost $2K I expected even better.

    So maybe it really takes $4K (Sierra towers with center speaker) to get that real WOW>?

    if so, then maybe I should get the (L/R) towers with RAAL and keeping Sierra-1Nrt center?

  7. #17
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    Going from my 10Yr old HTiB from Onkyo to Sierra-1 (L,C,R) still using sub and rears from HTiB was a noticeable improvement but not like Oh MY God, How did I live before? you know what I mean? Sounds is great but at almost $2K I expected even better.
    I will guarantee you that the sub is not of the same quality of the Sierra's. Change it out, and you will have another "Wow" moment.

    I am not sure how you have it integrated, but I am sure that it is bringing down the overall experience when it is used in conjunction with the Sierras.

    From and HTiB to Sierra standpoint, I would expect a considerable improvement...and I mean CONSIDERABLE. Perhaps there is a configuration/setup issue.

    You will spend a long time trying to achieve perfection. There are SO MANY factors. Speakers play a big roll, but there is so much more that contributes to the sound in your room.
    Last edited by curtis; 09-06-2012 at 10:42 AM.
    -curtis

  8. #18
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    I will guarantee you that the sub is not of the same quality of the Sierra's. Change it out, and you will have another "Wow" moment.

    I am not sure how you have it integrated, but I am sure that it is bringing down the overall experience when it is used in conjunction with the Sierras.

    From and HTiB to Sierra standpoint, I would expect a considerable improvement...and I mean CONSIDERABLE. Perhaps there is a configuration/setup issue.

    You will spend a long time trying to achieve perfection. There are SO MANY factors. Speakers play a big roll, but there is so much more that contributes to the sound in your room.

    Yea, a SUB is a must and I have been looking for one for a month now. First wanted to get Rythmik F12 sealed. Then after realizing that I do 40% music and 60% movies and TV shows .... maybe I need a ported one.

    Since I have neighbors (apartment building) I am not looking for big output. Can't have my walls shake. Want accuracy and sound quality.

    Do I get a F12? wait for the replacement of the old FV12 ?
    room is 13x18 and 8.5 ceiling.

    Any suggestions?
    My next upgrade is to also change my surrounds as I do listen to music in 7 Channel option and I am sure that my 2 old rear speakers are messing with the overall sound.

  9. #19
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by Pianist718 View Post
    Yea, a SUB is a must and I have been looking for one for a month now. First wanted to get Rythmik F12 sealed. Then after realizing that I do 40% music and 60% movies and TV shows .... maybe I need a ported one.

    Since I have neighbors (apartment building) I am not looking for big output. Can't have my walls shake. Want accuracy and sound quality.

    Do I get a F12? wait for the replacement of the old FV12 ?
    room is 13x18 and 8.5 ceiling.

    Any suggestions?
    My next upgrade is to also change my surrounds as I do listen to music in 7 Channel option and I am sure that my 2 old rear speakers are messing with the overall sound.
    You will realize more WOW at louder volumes compared to the HTiB speakers.

    In that space and what I think your listening levels are, I would think the F12 will more than suffice in terms of output, and will have better sound quality.

    If you posted it before, I missed it, but where are you located?
    -curtis

  10. #20
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    Default Re: Sierra-1 NRT vs Towers. No comparison??? A friend got me thinking.

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    You will realize more WOW at louder volumes compared to the HTiB speakers.

    In that space and what I think your listening levels are, I would think the F12 will more than suffice in terms of output, and will have better sound quality.

    If you posted it before, I missed it, but where are you located?
    I am in brooklyn, NY

    I just thought that maybe a sub like FV12 (ported) was better in my situation. No?

    Also ... what's the benefit of F12SE (signature edition)

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