NEW to Ascend and Considering Sierra 1

[TKYR67]

First, let me say that I am a HUGE Totem fan. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, a new home says Totem money needs to be spent elsewhere like my mortgage. So, can anyone tell me if the Sierra one compares to the Rainmaker, Model 1 Signature, or the Mani II? I am looking to get as close to a full range speaker as possible in a bookshelf monitor.

I would really like to buy a speaker and KEEP IT for 5 years or more. I don't think I have ever done that but with new responsibilities, it is VERY important that I do it now.

Thanks for your help.

[scape]

I think to compare it so closely might be difficult, by design they are different speakers. I do think the sierra-1 is probably the closest you can get to fullrange sound from bookshelf size-- look at the measurements on the sierra page to see how low the frequency range extends, it's impressive to say the least. if you really want to save money an still get great music reproduction, I would suggest getting something even smaller than the sierra and pairing it with a small sub (a quality 10" maybe). it all depends on your budget though, perhaps state this next time you get a chance.

[GirgleMirt]

By design the Sierra is not that different from Rainmaker and Model-1. All bookshelf 2 ways with 5.5 inch woofers I believe. But imho, the Sierra is more technologically advanced speaker. More advanced crossover, bamboo cabinet vs 3/4 mdf... I also think it's larger than the two others, so that helps for bass response. (Dare I say better design?) The Mani-2 though uses isobaric config (each speaker has 1 tweet + 2 woofers, 2nd one behind the one you can see, inside the cabinet) and are HUGE, so yeah, these are very different from RM M1 or S1...

I don't have that much exposure to those 3 Totems, but I'd say that the Sierra1 would be a great alternative to Totem. Bass of Sierras is really great, better than M1 or RM; deeper, more impact, tighter. Probably end up a bit short vs the Mani2 though. Imaging, resolution, clarity, sound stage, natural sound, the Sierras pretty much does every thing very well from top to bottom. Really a fantastic speaker, you really get your money's worth with these. And yep, these sound 'big'. You can easily live without a sub.


if you really want to save money an still get great music reproduction, I would suggest getting something even smaller than the sierra and pairing it with a small sub (a quality 10" maybe). it all depends on your budget though, perhaps state this next time you get a chance.
I don't know of any speaker which would sound better than Sierras under 1000$., let alone so much less than it would allow to purchase a decent sub... You can go smaller sure, but I can't think of any smaller cheaper speaker which will have better overall sound quality than Sierra...

[scape]

I don't know of any speaker which would sound better than Sierras under 1000$., let alone so much less than it would allow to purchase a decent sub... You can go smaller sure, but I can't think of any smaller cheaper speaker which will have better overall sound quality than Sierra...

I originally meant in the terms of saving money for mortgage, not necessarily beating out the sierra's in raw performance. i'm sure the sierra's sound fantastic, but a well designed sub sounds impressive and can compliment many setups well. but all that aside, you're right all along, an LR+sub combo would probably end up exceeding the $1k mark.

[GirgleMirt]

Ah yeah, well he'd already be saving money for the mortgage by getting the Sierra and not the Totems! The Mani-2 are like >4000$, the Model-1 >2000$, Rains >1000$. How much are the Sierras... Hmmm... 850/900$ + 25$ shipping.

He can always add a sub later on with the Sierras too! But in the meanwhile, as he wants as full range as possible, going cheaper probably wouldn't be the solution, and again for package it's hard to do better than Sierra-1 <1000$ imho! :)

[GirgleMirt]

Listened to the Sierras a couple of hours last night. Well I was loading some stuff in the laptop, and what was supposed to be 5 mins listening session turned into three hours... :rolleyes: Usually listen with Sony v6 during daytime and HT, but for some reason not too often music lately. But daam, listened to a bunch of anime soundtracks (very varied music, very good sound quality, and imho more enjoyable than most contemporary western music) and boy can those speakers disappear! :eek: Dare I say as well as the Totems I had!

The Sierras are a bit less lively than the RM & M1, which imho is a good thing, so if you can live with that they make a very fine alternative. Not that the Sierras aren't lively, just that the Totems are a tad too lively sometimes, Ascends are more neutral. As I said, resolution, imaging, soundstage, transparency, etc the Sierra is definitely in the same league as the RM, M1, maybe a toss up individually but as a package the Sierras would really hold up, but the bass does go deeper and with more authority, though the RM have more bass emphasis.

So, it all depends on the listener and what you like/dislike... For sound quality, I'd say that the Sierras are in the same league as Totems, they will probably do some things worst but also some things better. Overall, imho, great speakers, which you prefer vs Totems will be a matter of personal taste...

[scape]

i really wished i would pony up for the sierras, but that amount of money makes me nervous! i'm sure i won't be dissapointed though. and once people move beyond the connotations that arise from "bargain bookshelf" i think people will realize how much superior this speaker set is from many of it's competitors.

but i am a little curious: aside from the lower bass extension, the sierra looks (on paper) to be less efficient (but not to say inefficient) as well as not quite as linear as the 170se (but that's probably subjective) down to 90hz, while it does have a tigher response and lower decay times than the 170's; what makes the sierra's end up being so great over the older series of speakers. and by no means is this a bash, i mean just look at the beauty and quality of construction on the sierras, impeccable! and from all the rave reviews, i'm just jealous :o
i'm just a little lost on what parameters or measurements really make it a better sounding speaker...perhaps that's too philosophical!

[debo]

i'm just a little lost on what parameters or measurements really make it a better sounding speaker...perhaps that's too philosophical!

Yours Ears!

[scape]

i'm just a little lost on what parameters or measurements really make it a better sounding speaker...perhaps that's too philosophical!

Yours Ears!

haha, touche'!