PDA

View Full Version : Sierra vrs. HTM?



squather
11-20-2007, 04:41 PM
Ok…begging for help

Thanks to shamelessly shoddy work by previous owners, I’m in the final stages of an extensive unplanned remodel of my home and can no longer stall on updating the speakers for the home entertainment area. Decision time.

My first look was for five HTM200’s (LCR & Surrounds). Besides the obvious, what made these especially attractive to me was their small size (WAF) and because they are sealed (I have always ~preferred~ the sound characteristics of non-ported) enclosures. Additionally, my suspicions are that rear ported enclosures are significantly more susceptible to sound quality degradation when not placed at least three feet out (WAF just turns into Wife Attacks Frenetically at this point) from the wall. WAF and room layout just make towers/stands impossible.

I then made the mistake of reading all the Ascend Forums, and now I’m just a vegetable. Everything I’ve read here and elsewhere suggest that since my budget can (probably) support either Sierra’s up front or even all the way around that this is what I should do.

Is anyone inclined to voice an opinion or offer a suggestion? My particulars are:

~ WAF and room layout just make towers/stands near impossible, especially for the fronts.

~ Room size is 14’ wide x 27’ deep, (20’ @ 90 degree) from screen to sweet spot; the left channel wall is non-existent (open to house). For this and other reasons, logistics dictate the rear surrounds be placed either overhead (in ceiling) or somewhere near the rear corners behind the sweet spot. My inclination is behind instead of overhead.

~ The efficiency differences shouldn’t (I think) be an issue, I’m driving with a Denon 5803 (170wx7) dedicated to this room.

~ The sub is a decent powered Velodyne; that’ll have to do for the time being.

~ The HTM200’s are obviously designed to be wall mounted on articulating arms but from what I’ve read here in the forums this seems doable as well for the Sierra’s.

~ The screen is lower than most installations I’ve seen, but I should have room for either the HTM200 or a Sierra as a horizontal center channel with a very slight up tilt; the assumption is this is preferable to above the screen (50” Plasma) with a down tilt.

~ The overall use is probably 80% Theatre/TV and 20% serious audio; for audio I’m still stuck in a two channel world but am looking forward to giving SACD/HD-A a try.

My questions are –
Assuming whatever Ascends (HTM200’s or Sierras) I end up with are going to be mounted on articulating arms (excluding the center) -

1) Will the Sierras retain their superiority in this configuration?

2) How far out from the wall should either speaker be, and is the distance necessarily greater for the Sierra’s (excluding the greater cabinet depth)?

3) Would changing to 6.1 from 5.1 somehow compensate for the surrounds being further off-axis (roughly 140 degrees) than generally desirable, or is that just a bad idea?

As a newbie, I hope I've asked this in the right place and manner - apologies in advance if I'm off center.

BradJudy
11-21-2007, 03:16 PM
HTM vs Sierra is an odd comparison. Why did you skip past the CBM-170 if you were thinking about mounted speakers? The CBM-170 is better designed for mounting than the Sierra. The Sierra doesn't have the threaded inserts for mounting like the HTM or CBM, it has a single threaded insert only for locking it to a stand and not for supporting the full weight. I've used both HTM-200s and CBM-170s on the Omnimount brackets for rears.

Rear ported speakers definitely don't have to be three feet from the back wall. One to two feet from the wall works pretty well.

I've used both a CMT-340 and Sierra-1 as a center under my screen with a slight up-tilt and it works well.

6.1 setups have largely been abandoned. I know Curtis has mentioned several times that the flaw was that having a rear speaker directly behind you caused the sensation that the rear sound was actually coming from in front of you.

Mike^S
11-23-2007, 05:48 PM
Ya, I'm not sure if you can safely mount the Sierras like that. Do you have any pictures of the articulating arms that you plan to use?

azanon
02-25-2008, 08:33 AM
6.1 setups have largely been abandoned. I know Curtis has mentioned several times that the flaw was that having a rear speaker directly behind you caused the sensation that the rear sound was actually coming from in front of you.

I've been looking at this issue since I just got a new receiver.

I've heard this before too, but it does seem to contradict with the latest guidance I've seen from THX.

The THX specifications call for basically putting both surround backs directly behind (and above) the listener; so close that the 2 surround backs are abutting each other. I currently use a 6.1 setup, but can't see now why I'd want to add that 7th one if I'm just going to end up putting it side-by-side to the one I have now. Since the channel is usually monoaureal (except for the newest DTS and DD formats such as Dolby TrueHD), it seems like if this were a problem with one speaker, I'd also be a problem with 2.

For what its worth though, my experience so far with 6.1 is that the surround back sound sounds like its coming from...... the back. Granted, my rear speaker is positioned higher on my back wall than my front is meaning they're not aimed at each other.