sundays listening session at curtis

[rosa]

so we listened to the sierras, swan 2.1, acculine, and the 340se...thanks curtis...nice meeting you mitch, mike, andy, rod

tried my best to hear the difference from my classics ...to my untrained ears, the sierras are smoother and more revealing as attested by everybody when we heard very faint conversations in the background, the swans have more texture or grain, the acculines are not as good, the se are a smidge better

i am unsure about upgrading but the only way to really find out is try the sierras at home, but my wife is not going to like it ... :(...so i need a note from curtis

[Mag_Neato]

Pics??

[Mike^S]

I took a couple pics, but they're only of the Swan D2.1SE. I was going to take one comparing the Swans to the Sierras, but I forgot.

[Mike^S]

so we listened to the sierras, swan 2.1, acculine, and the 340se...thanks curtis...nice meeting you mitch, mike, andy, rod

tried my best to hear the difference from my classics ...to my untrained ears, the sierras are smoother and more revealing as attested by everybody when we heard very faint conversations in the background, the swans have more texture or grain, the acculines are not as good, the se are a smidge better

i am unsure about upgrading but the only way to really find out is try the sierras at home, but my wife is not going to like it ... :(...so i need a note from curtis

Just show her how much smaller the Sierras are compared to the 340SE, that should convince her.

[curtis]

It was nice meeting some new faces, and seeing some old ones too.

I thought Mike took more pictures than that.

I started packing things up late last night after taking some more measurements.

You know what my Sierras look like, and pictures of the D2.1SE's have been posted before over at AVS, and we know what 340's look like. Do you want me to take pictures of the Acculine A1?


Just show her how much smaller the Sierras are compared to the 340SE, that should convince her.
I agree. When we hooked up the 340SE's, they looked pretty big compared to the other speakers we had.

[rosa]

size does not matter to her...i mean the speakers...hehe...she does not understand why perfectly good speakers, to her ears anyway need to be replaced

[openwheelracing]

Hi all. Big thanks to Curtis for opening his home to us. I had a great time. Here are my impressions:


D2.1se: Much larger in size compared to Sierras. The bass is more prominent. Some would say too prominent. The sound beams high and wide, as well as in your face. I was sure this set's volume was slightly louder. However, I don't think my impression would be too far off. It reminds me of my Rockets when I first got them. Piano seems to be behind a wall of curtains. Vocal was spot on and pleasant. Warmish sound. Pretty impressive indeed. Drop dead gorgeous Piano Rosewood veneer.

Sierras: Definitely more articulate and more separation. My whole family plays piano, and I always listen for the piano. The Sierras deliver here. It also has more transparency. Sound beam floats more. Everyone thought we had visitors outside during a specific track. It was life-like. None of the other speakers had the same effect. I thought the horns were a bit too much (I never listen that loud in my own room though). Overall, I am EXTREMELY impressed.

Acculine A1: Not my cup of tea. Too metallic and too local. The mids seem to break up. I don't know for sure, but I didn't like it right off the bat. I didn't think this was a fair comparison at all.

340se: Full sound and transparent. Judging by my ears, this set was A LOT more sensitive than the A1s, but the measurements only show roughly 1db more. There was no comparison here, the 340s walks all over the A1s. Even though I thought the 340s were a bit bright sounding, it was not metallic bright.


I am not an Ascend owner, but the Sierras are calling my name.

Thanks to Mike as well for his equipments and measurements.

[Mike^S]

Hey guys, great little GTG, not as crowded as last time. We got some good listening there.

These are just my impressions and are not meant to be anything more than that.

The Swan D2.1SE are very nice speakers. They are physically larger than the Sierras and they play a little deeper in the bass. As openwheelracing mentioned the bass seemed a little too prominent and it wasn't as punchy as the Sierras. The highs were nice, very neutral. We took some frequency response measurements by placing my mic about one foot in front of each speaker. The Swans measured very flat, except for a dip around 6hz and a rising response around 18khz (probably not noticeable). One area where they seemed to lag behind the Sierras was the midrange detail. Things like drums and stringed instruments just didn't seem to have the same snap or clarity as the Sierras. If I get a chance I would like to listen to these some more.

The Sierras sounded good as always. Fantastic detail especially in the the Tori Amos track Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Although not measuring quite as flat as the Swans, they are still fairly neutral. For whatever reason (my room, receiver, ears...) I prefer to run my Sierras at -2dB treble. It makes the highs a little more subdued but still retains all the detail.

The Acculines sounded good for the money, but I certainly preferred the 340SE. Acculines sounded thin with not much bass. If you crossed them over to a sub around 100hz that would probably help.

I was glad to hear the 340SE again. I never got a chance to hear them with the Sierras. They sounded very good, but not as good as the Sierras. I think the biggest difference is the in the detail and punchiness of the bass of the Sierras. In comparison to the Acculines, however, they certainly sounded more full and solid. The highs were definitely clear and strong but certainly not bright or subdued at all.

[GirgleMirt]

Don't forget though, I'm not sure why it wasn't mentioned, one of the biggest difference of the 340SE vs the Sierra-1 is imaging! Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but besides the Sierra's punchier and deeper bass, imaging is also one of the Sierra-1's greatest assets. Though yeah, that would fit into separation as mentioned.

"Although not measuring quite as flat as the Swans, they are still fairly neutral." I find that a bit surprising given the Sierra-1's measurements, but it's somewhat true that the response I got in my room also varied a little from the Ascend published measurements. Though at that point it's mostly due to the room interaction. Pics/measurements?

It's interesting to see the results vary so much as the other blind listening test with the switcher and the screen. Thanks for the effort :)

What were your thoughts Curtis? How do you think the A1 would stand next to Usher 520/601, Era D4/5, 340SE/170SE for example?

openwheelracing: Welcome to the forum :)

[curtis]

What were your thoughts Curtis? How do you think the A1 would stand next to Usher 520/601, Era D4/5, 340SE/170SE for example?
Most of the session I sat off to the side and let everyone else take the good seats. I did have a chance to listen and measure some more after everyone had gone. I had not listenned to the Acculines before the session.

For the A1's, even though I did not have them all in the room at the same time, I much prefer the others you mentioned(although a comparison with the S-520 I think would be interesting), and in that strictly under $250/pr price range, I think I would lean toward the X-LS.....although there is going to be a change to the X-LS and the price is going up. During the session, I was tempted to take down my 170SE surrounds to compare, but I was too lazy and did not think it be worth the work....perhaps some other time.

Also, you mention the Era Design D5. I recently got to hear that one in my own room and was very impressed.

[GirgleMirt]

Yeah I liked them too :) Good bass, pretty good overall, but think they cost more than the 340SE, but I'm not sure that they really were better... I'd have liked to have both side by side. I was just curious about the A1, as said, seem to best the 340SE in the other test which seemed pretty strange to me. Looks like the results are different under different conditions!

Swans vs Sierras I'm guessing relatively the same as was mentioned before?

[BradJudy]

...especially in the the Tori Amos track Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

I wonder where that track came from? :D

[curtis]

I wonder where that track came from? :D
:D

Brad...that is a great track. We actually used a few of the tracks that you recommended, but the Tori Amos track really stands out.

[curtis]

Yeah I liked them too :) Good bass, pretty good overall, but think they cost more than the 340SE, but I'm not sure that they really were better... I'd have liked to have both side by side. I was just curious about the A1, as said, seem to best the 340SE in the other test which seemed pretty strange to me. Looks like the results are different under different conditions!

Swans vs Sierras I'm guessing relatively the same as was mentioned before?
State side, the D5 is $900 I think. May not be better than the 340SE, we did not compare side by side....but it is still impressive.

You guess correct on the Swan and Sierras for my viewpoint...pretty much inline with Mike's and openwheel.

[BradJudy]

Want another fantastic recording? I picked up a copy of this at the RMAF after listening to a live performance by the quartet at the show. Great stuff if you like strings.

http://www.isomike.com/fsq_haydn.html

[curtis]

Thanks Brad....I just bought it!

You are a bad influence. :)

[davef]

Brad -- where is my copy? ;)

[BradJudy]

Brad -- where is my copy? ;)

Sorry - RMAF has distracted me for a few days. As a bonus, you'll get more than what I sent before. :)

If your schedule allows, you should try to attend the RMAF next year - it's good stuff to see, but it's also great people to meet. Lots of industry folks talked about how much better it was to attend and/or exhibit than shows like CES (and the associated high-end audio show). A number of comments about how it was more laid back and the people are nicer. Each year I chat with some great designers and engineers, as well as audio geeks in general.

[mziegler]

I just bought the Haydin too.

Here is another superb SACD: http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=11960

My impressions of the GTG were pretty much the same as everyone else.

Damn, those 340s looked big after living with the Sierras for a while.

I had the D5 at Curtis's and I listened to them at my house. They are beautiful speakers and they sound quite good. There just is not as much there as with the Sierra. Curtis, would you describe them as a bit laid back?

They would be very easy to live with. It would have been interesting to compare them to the 340.

[curtis]

Curtis, would you describe them as a bit laid back?

Not laid back....but moreso not having the top to bottom detail the Sierras have.

[S_rangeBrew]

size does not matter to her...i mean the speakers...hehe...she does not understand why perfectly good speakers, to her ears anyway need to be replaced


They don't. She's a smart woman. The 340SE's are great speakers, and much more efficient than the Sierras, which is important to people like me, who like their music LOUD. AC/DC, Iron Maiden and FooFighters cannot be played quietly and be done justice.

[curtis]

Want another fantastic recording? I picked up a copy of this at the RMAF after listening to a live performance by the quartet at the show. Great stuff if you like strings.

http://www.isomike.com/fsq_haydn.html
The disc arrived today. My son and I listenned for a few minutes...excellent stuff. My son even decided to get up and go practice his viola...I was in shock.

[Jonnyozero3]

That made me chuckle :)

(I went and ordered the disc too...dang you guys and your peer pressure)

[BradJudy]

The disc arrived today. My son and I listenned for a few minutes...excellent stuff. My son even decided to get up and go practice his viola...I was in shock.

That's cool Curtis. The other neat thing about the IsoMike recordings is that the proceeds go to the college that Ray Kimber records at (in the case of the marching band ones, it is split between the high school and the college).

[davef]

Hi Brad,

Still can't get the CD's to play. I am going to try and burn them on my PC this evening (my PC reads them but my CD players at home don't).

I am listening to Lilit Pipoyan now --- good stuff. Very mellow and relaxing.

[curtis]

Wait until you hear them on your speakers!

[BradJudy]

Hi Brad,

Still can't get the CD's to play. I am going to try and burn them on my PC this evening (my PC reads them but my CD players at home don't).

I am listening to Lilit Pipoyan now --- good stuff. Very mellow and relaxing.

You need a new CD player :) - both types of media play in everything I have here (two DVD players, one CD player, car CD player, both computers) I also used the last media for my demo CD at RMAF. What media do you use that works in your player?

I'll have to try out some MAM-A gold media - more than $1 each for CDs, but it's supposed to be quite good for both readability and longevity. Of course, that's still a bargain from the first data CDs I burned. Media was $12-15 each and the process was much less reliable, so one in three or four was a coaster.

I'm glad you like Lilit - sometimes I feel song in another language is more relaxing because my brain can't latch onto the words and think about them.

[muzz]

Hi Brad,

Still can't get the CD's to play. I am going to try and burn them on my PC this evening (my PC reads them but my CD players at home don't).

I am listening to Lilit Pipoyan now --- good stuff. Very mellow and relaxing.

Stick to Mindcrime Dave.

It ALWAYS works!! :)

Nice work guys, I was interested in hearing these views, and I expected the Sierra(especially) and 340 SE to do well.