Sierra-2 Development Thread

[tme110]

An update in case anyone was interested. I am now powering my S2's with a 25 watt amp. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but they sound great, maybe even better than my main system (with a power amp).



BTW, I started with a pair of 200's for convenience - new stereo in new room. I've had 200's as surrounds for years but never really ever have just listened to them. I have to say I was impressed. But they still went back as surrounds and moved the S2's in when everything was ready. I could totally see having a nice 2-channel system and using 200's.

[davef]

An update in case anyone was interested. I am now powering my S2's with a 25 watt amp. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but they sound great, maybe even better than my main system (with a power amp).



BTW, I started with a pair of 200's for convenience - new stereo in new room. I've had 200's as surrounds for years but never really ever have just listened to them. I have to say I was impressed. But they still went back as surrounds and moved the S2's in when everything was ready. I could totally see having a nice 2-channel system and using 200's.

Happy to hear it is working out well with the low powered amp. Which amp did you go with?

[Mag_Neato]

Happy to hear it is working out well with the low powered amp. Which amp did you go with?

I'm curious as well.

BTW....Dave, what ever became of Virtue Audio and their little amps? If I recall correctly, you had used their mono block amps at one point.

[davef]

I'm curious as well.

BTW....Dave, what ever became of Virtue Audio and their little amps? If I recall correctly, you had used their mono block amps at one point.

Honestly haven't heard from Anthony Krinski in at least 2 years. Website is still up but looks like they are focusing on cables now.

[tme110]

Happy to hear it is working out well with the low powered amp. Which amp did you go with?

It was just a random Italian amp. I couldn't find a single review on it and only one place in the country sells it but I loved the sound of it and took one home. I admit, I've never given much thought to trying out different amps - spend my time wondering about speakers. On a whim one day I tried a small Emotiva amp attached to my receiver and was surprised to notice a difference. Then I tried the amp attacked directly to my OPPO universal player and noticed a large difference - then replaced the emotiva amp with a better one and never looked into it again. Unfortunalely Capital Audio fest got me wondering again (because I wasn't getting 'that sound' ) and tried for something else.

Side question, nothing to do with this thread - I had work done in my place and the contractors somehow dinged up my speakers in a couple places (there was no reason to be anywhere near them) and now the...lack of stain I guess...in those places makes it very obvious - is there a way to fix the satin expresso finish up?

[davef]

Side question, nothing to do with this thread - I had work done in my place and the contractors somehow dinged up my speakers in a couple places (there was no reason to be anywhere near them) and now the...lack of stain I guess...in those places makes it very obvious - is there a way to fix the satin expresso finish up?

Cabinet repair is quite difficult and typically ends up being more costly (due to labor) than just swapping a damaged cabinet with a new one.

[kingcrowing]

Is there a document or page somewhere that lists all of the finish options for the Sierra 2s, their cost, and which ones are made in the US?

[parimento1]

Is it possible to get the Sierra 2 with the dome tweeter from the Towers? Also is it possible to get inserts to screw the speakers to the Sanus stands?

[sludgeogre]

Is it possible to get the Sierra 2 with the dome tweeter from the Towers? Also is it possible to get inserts to screw the speakers to the Sanus stands?

The Sierra-1 is the same cabinet as the 2 and with the NrT upgrade it's the same dome tweeter in the Towers, so all that is different at that point is the woofer, which has to be different from the one in the Sierra 2, because that one was designed to play much higher in order to crossover high enough for the RAAL tweeter. Go with the Sierra-1 with NrT.

I'm not aware of any kind of screwing-in sanus stands. You generally just want to use something like Blu-Tak or just silicone bumpers/feet for setting them on the stand. I've never seen it be necessary to screw a speaker into a stand, nor would I recommend it. Using something squishy (Blu-Tak, silicone, etc) gives isolation to any rattling that might happen.

[davef]

Is it possible to get the Sierra 2 with the dome tweeter from the Towers? Also is it possible to get inserts to screw the speakers to the Sanus stands?

Yes, by request - we have built this for a few different customers over the past few years. As can be imagined, performance is excellent. However, there is no cost savings associated with this speaker - retail pricing would be the exact same as non-sale retail pricing for the standard Sierra-2.

Please feel free to send us an email if you are considering this design.