Sierra 1s and midbass

[t3ss]

Hi there,

I'm a new owner to Sierra 1s and the Sierra 1s are actually my first loud-speakers:). I've been really impressed by the performance and build quality of the Sierra 1s, but I feel that I might have made a mistake by ordering bookshelves. The Sierra 1s have enough bass when I'm listening to most kinds of genres, but when I listen to electronica and even some bassier rock they lack the midbass punch I like. What bass is there with the Sierra 1s is nice and tight compared to the other bookshelves I listened to, but just not enough for some of the things I'd normally listen to.

My question is, can I rectify the lack of punch and bass I have now with a subwoofer or will a subwoofer only really help with bass extension? (I'm looking for punch primarily) Should have I considered the towers? I don't have any experience with audio,

[Sam1000]

Hi there,

I'm a new owner to Sierra 1s and the Sierra 1s are actually my first loud-speakers:). I've been really impressed by the performance and build quality of the Sierra 1s, but I feel that I might have made a mistake by ordering bookshelves. The Sierra 1s have enough bass when I'm listening to most kinds of genres, but when I listen to electronica and even some bassier rock they lack the midbass punch I like. What bass is there with the Sierra 1s is nice and tight compared to the other bookshelves I listened to, but just not enough for some of the things I'd normally listen to.

My question is, can I rectify the lack of punch and bass I have now with a subwoofer or will a subwoofer only really help with bass extension? (I'm looking for punch primarily) Should have I considered the towers? I don't have any experience with audio,

Depending on the room, you might want to get 12" or 15" rythmik subwoofer and cross it over at 80. You will get enough punch :-)

[GirgleMirt]

Hi there,

I'm a new owner to Sierra 1s and the Sierra 1s are actually my first loud-speakers:). I've been really impressed by the performance and build quality of the Sierra 1s, but I feel that I might have made a mistake by ordering bookshelves. The Sierra 1s have enough bass when I'm listening to most kinds of genres, but when I listen to electronica and even some bassier rock they lack the midbass punch I like. What bass is there with the Sierra 1s is nice and tight compared to the other bookshelves I listened to, but just not enough for some of the things I'd normally listen to.

My question is, can I rectify the lack of punch and bass I have now with a subwoofer or will a subwoofer only really help with bass extension? (I'm looking for punch primarily) Should have I considered the towers? I don't have any experience with audio,

The punch you're describing doesn't really come from <40hz, more from 80-200hz... which many speakers boost, you might try to move them closer to the rear wall, you'll hear more port 'output'... Also you might try to use some form of equalizer to pump the 80-200hz range, a lot of speakers simply play 'too much' bass so maybe that's what you're feeling like you're missing, maybe an EQ would fix that for you. Does your source or amp have some form of EQing? I'm guessing that even if you had flat response to 20hz that might not be the 'punch' you're looking for...

Maybe it also has to do with your room and your speaker placement. How is your room and where are you and your speaker located? Moving things around could make quite a bit of a difference, the Sierras have better bass than the majority of 1000$ speakers, but of course there are speakers which are more of a "bass monster"... But I'd start with the above before going sub/towers or something else... Sierras, imho, have quite a decent punch!

[Dark Ranger]

Hi t3ss!

Welcome to the forums. :)

The Sierra-1 offers impressive bass response and accuracy for a bookshelf loudspeaker. Unlike some other speakers, the Sierra-1 does not have a tipped up low end to emphasize the bass; rather, it is accurate and well-balanced.

In my opinion, it is most capable with jazz and classical standards. For modern music with a strong bass emphasis (including heavy synth and electronic bass), the 5.25" woofer is outperformed by subwoofers with larger drivers. It boils down to simple physics: the Sierra woofer just cannot move the same amount of air as a 10", 12", or 15" subwoofer. One of my guilty pleasures is Trance music, stuff like Above & Beyond, Daniel Kandi, and Andy Blueman. This content sounds great on the Sierras at lower volume, but to really "feel" the music properly requires a good subwoofer. The difference in thump and sensation is quite obvious.

As GirgleMirt said, location and placement can help "tune" the speaker by using the room's acoustic signature. Moving the speaker towards a wall or corner can provide a mid-bass bump. EQing the bass region can also help, but one must be cautious not to overdo it. Low frequencies require more amplifier power than high frequencies. Similar to a high-performance turbocharger, too much boost can cause damage to components (in the case of EQing, the amplifier and/or speaker).

Therefore, I would recommend you acquire a quality subwoofer based on your listening preferences. Cross the Sierras at 60 Hz or 80 Hz and let the subwoofer deliver the oomph and mid-bass punch you desire. The Towers will have more bass response (extension and output) than the Sierra-1, but it does so with two 5.25" drivers.

Honestly, since it seems you're just looking for more bass output rather than improved imaging and resolution, I don't believe you would be satisfied with the Towers either. Get yourself a high-quality subwoofer. Adding a sub will often extend bass response of the entire system, but the dedicated 12"+ driver will handle the low bass frequencies more efficiently than many speakers.

Rythmik Audio - I strongly suggest you look into this option as recommended by Sam1000. I can vouch for Rythmik. I own a F15SE (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/subs/f15.html) and it provides the tightest, cleanest, most accurate bass I've heard for the price range. One big advantage for the Rythmik products is the Direct Servo system.

In summary, the Sierra-1 is a remarkable loudspeaker. I love it. I run them full-range about 80% of the time. When I desire loud playback of music or movies, or if I'm just in the mood for bass, I'll reconfigure my AVR for 80 Hz crossover and use the Rythmik. Without a doubt, it totally satisfies the craving. :D

[Dark Ranger]

This is a follow-up post. I've hyperlinked several companies that offer subwoofers in varying levels of price, output, sound quality, and aesthetics. The ranking is in no particular order, just listed off the top of my head.

This should get you started. :)

Rythmik Audio (http://www.rythmikaudio.com/products.html)
HSU Research (http://www.hsuresearch.com/subwoofers.html)
JL Audio (http://www.jlaudio.com/home-audio-powered-subwoofers)
Velodyne Acoustics (http://velodyne.com/subwoofers/shop-all-subwoofers-1.html)
SVS (http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers)
Elemental Designs (http://www.edesignaudio.com/index.php?cPath=2_41)
Seaton Sound (http://www.seaton-sound-forum.com/post?id=3364736#1)
Emotiva Audio (http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/speakers)
Epik Subwoofers (http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/products.html)
Outlaw Audio (http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/index.html)


I'm pretty sure you can find something suitable in that list. :p

[t3ss]

thanks everyone,

yes, I agree that the sierra 1s do actually have a decent punch, certainly more than the other bookshelves I listened to. I have my sierras about 5 feet apart with them a foot away from the back wall.


The punch you're describing doesn't really come from <40hz, more from 80-200hz... which many speakers boost, you might try to move them closer to the rear wall, you'll hear more port 'output'... Also you might try to use some form of equalizer to pump the 80-200hz range, a lot of speakers simply play 'too much' bass so maybe that's what you're feeling like you're missing, maybe an EQ would fix that for you. Does your source or amp have some form of EQing? I'm guessing that even if you had flat response to 20hz that might not be the 'punch' you're looking for...

Maybe it also has to do with your room and your speaker placement. How is your room and where are you and your speaker located? Moving things around could make quite a bit of a difference, the Sierras have better bass than the majority of 1000$ speakers, but of course there are speakers which are more of a "bass monster"... But I'd start with the above before going sub/towers or something else... Sierras, imho, have quite a decent punch!

[RicardoJoa]

well, i dont think the sierra suffer from lack of punch or midbass. I thought they excel in this area. What i think you might be looking is what Gilglemert is discribing, the area from 80-200hz. This is an area where if bump too much can muddle the midrange and make speaker sound boxy. I Think the sierra plays quiet nice with electronica, trance sort of things. Play with placemet or get an eq. I know that many people dont recommend Eq, in that you might want to go with a different speaker.

[phlw]

Try the Q-Plugs. I think the Sierra-1 sounds best without them when they can be positioned away from room boundaries, however one of the sets (A, the aperiodic one) tightens the bass quite a bit when close to the wall. There is some loss of openess, deep bass excursion, and just a smige of midrange balance when used IMHO. Also, I find that the amplifier contributes a great deal to midbass punch. My 60 W Marantz PM-17 integrated amp had noticably tighter midbass than my current 140W Marantz SR-18 receiver. The SR-18 will turn up louder, but I prefered the tight punch from the PM-17.

[t3ss]

Thanks, I've been actually happy with the bass of the Sierra 1s for some time now. Just some proper room placement was all that was needed to be done.

[phlw]

t3ss... good to hear. I just wanted to let you know there may be other options besides purchasing a subwoofer.

Also want to clarify that the negative characteristics I mentioned ( loss of openess, low bass, midrange balance) were not due to using the Q-Plugs themselves, but were due to placing the speaker very close to the wall. Actually, using the Q-Plugs seemed to minimize these issues when the speaker must have their back right against a wall.