Sierra-1s in LARGE Room?

[stevensctt]

Anyone using Sierra-1s as main fronts in a LARGE room?

Background:

I have a pair Ascend Sierra-1s, on TP-24 stands (40 lbs. ballast added each) in a small room (11x11x10), driven by a Harmon Kardon Signature amp (100W/ch) and Marantz Processor. Room has sound treatments and 2 channel music is exceptional.

Main room, great room of the house has a 7.2 set-up, with Infinity P362 fronts, Infinity P160 front heights, Polk RC80i In-Ceiling rear surrounds, Velodyne DEQ-15R and Infinity PS212 subwoofers, all driven by a Denon AVR-1910. Overall HT performance is good, acceptable.

Room dimensions are big – 25’x33x12’. Roughly half of the space is the listening/viewing area, the other half is the kitchen/dining area. The listening/viewing area’s floor is carpeted while the remainder is travertine tile. One side (lengthwise) is primarily glass (window) while the opposite side is semi-opened to a LR and formal dining room. This “area” is probably an acoustical mess.

My issue is that it is nearly impossible to enjoy 2 channel music listening in the main room area, compared to the listening experience in my smaller room.

Will replacing the P362s with Sierra-1s greatly improve music listening or do I need to look at something else? My concern is the Sierra-1s will be swallowed up in the large area.

[davef]

Anyone using Sierra-1s as main fronts in a LARGE room?

Yes -- I am using Sierra-1 L/C/R in a family / great room that is 16' x 35' with 10' ceilings and a basic Onkyo 606 receiver. I am very happy with the performance.



I have a pair Ascend Sierra-1s, on TP-24 stands (40 lbs. ballast added each) in a small room (11x11x10), driven by a Harmon Kardon Signature amp (100W/ch) and Marantz Processor. Room has sound treatments and 2 channel music is exceptional.

Main room, great room of the house has a 7.2 set-up, with Infinity P362 fronts, Infinity P160 front heights, Polk RC80i In-Ceiling rear surrounds, Velodyne DEQ-15R and Infinity PS212 subwoofers, all driven by a Denon AVR-1910. Overall HT performance is good, acceptable.

Room dimensions are big – 25’x33x12’. Roughly half of the space is the listening/viewing area, the other half is the kitchen/dining area. The listening/viewing area’s floor is carpeted while the remainder is travertine tile. One side (lengthwise) is primarily glass (window) while the opposite side is semi-opened to a LR and formal dining room. This “area” is probably an acoustical mess.

My issue is that it is nearly impossible to enjoy 2 channel music listening in the main room area, compared to the listening experience in my smaller room.

Will replacing the P362s with Sierra-1s greatly improve music listening or do I need to look at something else? My concern is the Sierra-1s will be swallowed up in the large area.

My best answer to this is to simply try it. Since you already own a pair of Sierra-1, try moving them into the HT room and give them a try. Just be sure to set the speakers to "small" and use the subwoofer...

[ahender]

Just curious, what does setting the speaker to "small" do when the speaker is placed in a large living area?

I am fixing to move my system to an area 30 x 20 with a vaulted ceiling.

I have Sierra 1s and on other forums the feedback is that the Sierras will not provide the sound needed for this size room.

When is big "too" big for a living area?

Thanks...Alan

[merrymaid520]

Just curious, what does setting the speaker to "small" do when the speaker is placed in a large living area?

I am fixing to move my system to an area 30 x 20 with a vaulted ceiling.

I have Sierra 1s and on other forums the feedback is that the Sierras will not provide the sound needed for this size room.

When is big "too" big for a living area?

Thanks...Alan

Alan,
Setting the speakers to "small" in your processor essentially redirects the lower bass around 80hz and under(roughly) to your LFE output which normally would go into a sub. This in turn allows the sierras in this case to not have to handle the extra bass load put on them clearing up the mids with less distortion. The sierras will produce a lot of SPL when set to small, which most people use when your system is also for HT. Without having to produce deep bass, I would see no problems with them filling a fairly large room if setup properly.

Hope this helps,
Brandon

[curtis]

I will also add, that the 80hz crossover point that Brandon mentions is also adjustable in many of today's receivers/pre-pros.

Also, as for an area being "too" big has a lot to do with your listening habits and how close you sit to the speakers.

[ahender]

Thanks for the feedback.

If I make the change to "small", do I need to re-do my Audyssey setup?

Alan

[curtis]

Try setting to small first and see how it sounds to you. Run Audessey after to compare.

My understanding is that Audessey also sets the speaker sizes and crossover.