Will Sierra-1 Quench My "Upgrade" Bug, Or Do I Need...

[edgeh2o]

I've switched between my AV123 ELT525T towers and AV123 X-LS Encore bookshelves on and off for living-room HT duty for the past 4 years.

Now, however, I want a different sound. 40% TV / 35% Music / 25% Bluray

Don't want:
Tinny, metallic, bright, sharp sounding speakers (i.e. Klipsch)

Do Want:
Transparency
NON-Fatiguing (for music)
Neutral (I'll even take warm or laid-back vs bright)
Increased Clarity (for dialogue)
Somewhat Forgiving (not too revealing or brutally honest - basically I don't want my music to sound like crap because the speaker is highlighting the recording flaws - I want my music to sound better than ever. [Most of my music is ALAC lossless])



Choices:
3xSierra-1 (LCR)
or
2xSierra Tower

Onkyo TX-SR707
HTPC
Samsung 60E7000 or Panasonic 60GT50
No Sub (Apt.)

Music: rock/synthpop/electronica
Examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvfcnpJRf0Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo2aOEhlqfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuvWc3ToDHg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28tZ-S1LFok

Just want to reiterate: I like my AV123 speakers (more-so for music than movies), but I want newness. Not only do I want something different, I'm hoping for an upgrade in sonic blissfulness. I want to rediscover my music through new speakers, and to be more immersed into movies. The ELT525T had a retail price of $800; I got them for $400. I just want to make sure whatever new speaker I get, that it is an upgrade in terms of SQ, imaging, soundstage, transparency, all while sounding 'smooth'. Am I in the right place? Sierra-1 or Sierra Tower?

[natetg57]

I have Sierra-1 across the front and HTM-200's for surrounds. I came from Paradigm and I would say that Ascend would definitely fit your criteria for a non-bright speaker. If the Sierra-1's have a fault it would be that they are slightly laid back in the highs. 'Polite' if you will. The benefit to me is that the sound is less-fatiguing.
The speakers are very realistic sounding. i.e.:my wife and I both were startled because of the realism of breaking glass in a movie car crash.
Even though highs aren't accentuated, the speakers are still detailed.
Most importantly, it's easy to get lost in the emotion of the music.

I don't know how they compare to your current speakers.
I'll let others comment on the Sierra-NRT and Towers.

[Alleric]

So 80's synthpop through modern semi-dub, breaks, etc? How about house, acid house, triphop, progressive, trance (psytrance, goapsytrance, OMG MAKE IT STOP WITH THE NAMES!!!).

Welcome, brother. :)

Since you do give Depeche Mode as an example, I presume you were born 70's, child of 80's, cut your teeth on the stripped down post punk and tweeky beginnings of the electronic pop scene, ergo your affinity for synth rock and electronica. Hey... me too.

I can't speak for the towers, but I can speak for the Sierras as a recent purchaser. You know how electronica can sound harsh at times (and we do indeed want it to), but on some speakers it comes across really grating? The Sierras don't do that. All the texture, none of the "ouch". Even at volume.

And even sans-sub the bass is there. There enough that you may still bother your apartment neighbors. It's a nice, full range sound that dips handily into the 40's on frequency response.

I haven't had the time to put up a full onslaught of a review yet, but I've done the listening, a ton of it on electronica from current offerings all the way back to some old Krafwerk, Art of Noise, Vangelis, etc. The Sierras are a different animal entirely. They are accurate. They do not wear on your ears. You can crank them and they stay totally rock solid. They don't go harsh. You don't start losing textures (and isn't electronica mostly about texture?). Will they expose flaws in recordings? If so, then those flaws are things I already noticed years ago and consider idiosyncratic of the recording.

All I know is everything across the board sounds good on these speakers. TV, movies, especially music. Transient response is stellar, they sound super clean, frequency response is rock solid and they stage like mad.

If you want, name off some artist/track stuff from your electronica likes. I may have the discs and can give you my direct take on how they sound on the Sierra (if time permits between work and an impending child).

[edgeh2o]

I have Sierra-1 across the front and HTM-200's for surrounds. I came from Paradigm and I would say that Ascend would definitely fit your criteria for a non-bright speaker. If the Sierra-1's have a fault it would be that they are slightly laid back in the highs. 'Polite' if you will. The benefit to me is that the sound is less-fatiguing.
The speakers are very realistic sounding. i.e.:my wife and I both were startled because of the realism of breaking glass in a movie car crash.
Even though highs aren't accentuated, the speakers are still detailed.
Most importantly, it's easy to get lost in the emotion of the music.

I don't know how they compare to your current speakers.
I'll let others comment on the Sierra-NRT and Towers.

Sounds like what I'm looking for :) Did you find the Paradigms brighter?


So 80's synthpop through modern semi-dub, breaks, etc? How about house, acid house, triphop, progressive, trance (psytrance, goapsytrance, OMG MAKE IT STOP WITH THE NAMES!!!).

Welcome, brother. :)

Since you do give Depeche Mode as an example, I presume you were born 70's, child of 80's, cut your teeth on the stripped down post punk and tweeky beginnings of the electronic pop scene, ergo your affinity for synth rock and electronica. Hey... me too.

I can't speak for the towers, but I can speak for the Sierras as a recent purchaser. You know how electronica can sound harsh at times (and we do indeed want it to), but on some speakers it comes across really grating? The Sierras don't do that. All the texture, none of the "ouch". Even at volume.

And even sans-sub the bass is there. There enough that you may still bother your apartment neighbors. It's a nice, full range sound that dips handily into the 40's on frequency response.

I haven't had the time to put up a full onslaught of a review yet, but I've done the listening, a ton of it on electronica from current offerings all the way back to some old Krafwerk, Art of Noise, Vangelis, etc. The Sierras are a different animal entirely. They are accurate. They do not wear on your ears. You can crank them and they stay totally rock solid. They don't go harsh. You don't start losing textures (and isn't electronica mostly about texture?). Will they expose flaws in recordings? If so, then those flaws are things I already noticed years ago and consider idiosyncratic of the recording.

All I know is everything across the board sounds good on these speakers. TV, movies, especially music. Transient response is stellar, they sound super clean, frequency response is rock solid and they stage like mad.

If you want, name off some artist/track stuff from your electronica likes. I may have the discs and can give you my direct take on how they sound on the Sierra (if time permits between work and an impending child).

Yes, all the naming conventions get hard to keep track of. According to Wikipedia, it would also include Chillwave, Shoegaze, Folktronica, New Wave, Indietronic, and... :D

I was born in 85, I could listen to everything from the Beatles to 2Pac, not so much dubstep/country/jazz though. But yes, I do really love that 80s synthpop sound.

Everything you say about the Sierra-1 sounds good to me. If only you previously had AV123 speakers too haha.

Here are some more bands/songs I love:
Rock-esque: Fleet Foxes, Muse, Metallica, Modest Mouse, Black Keys

Electronica/Synthpop-esque:
I will be highly impressed if anyone has heard of these :)
Gold Panda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1wK7iCQfQ
Royksopp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXTGTd34XQ
Empire of the Sun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN5X4kGhAtU
Drive Soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdP2q88rw3U
Drive Soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DSVDcw6iW8
JJ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KCb0WSqZkY
Chromatics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygCOLpZhWyg
Twin Shadow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruHzYtq0oRU
Hercules and Love Affair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P13ZEt1L0Yc
Little Dragon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M34EGD7NIEw
Apparat (from Breaking Bad): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWeCNBaDlc
Holy Ghost!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lo0zvhuYsI
Yeasayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKXujEphWS8
Crystal Castles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZokZRtgf6bU
David Lynch/Dangermouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0RPbQCXI0U
Baths: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKNcDGOd3Ko&playnext=1&list=PLA9A462603007BBB7&feature=results_video
Animal Collective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhaRgJUMl8
Millionyoung: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmwM16JphFg
MGMT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvJcKcdam6I

That should be a good indication of my favorites :p

[natetg57]

Sounds like what I'm looking for :) Did you find the Paradigms brighter?

Here are some more bands/songs I love:
Rock-esque: Fleet Foxes, Muse, Metallica, Modest Mouse, Black Keys


I did find the Paradigms brighter. I did some direct comparisons between Sierra-1's and Monitor 5's V2. The Paradigms were somewhat harsh and piercing at times. I play violin and the Sierra's sounded so much more realistic to me. Here are a couple of links. This guy reviews the Sierra-1, Sierra-NRT and compares them to Studio 20's.
http://byrneweb.com/sunburn/blog/2010/06/14/ascend-acoustics-sierra-1-initial-reactions/
http://byrneweb.com/sunburn/blog/2011/06/06/ascend-acoustics-sierra-1-nrt-review/

[edgeh2o]

Whenever I procrastinate for school, I usually end up reading about speakers or something of the like.

I started reading the enjoythemusic.com review for the Sierra-Tower and came across this quote:

The Sierra-1 has a slightly honeyed top-end that I've always loved. However for the Towers, Dave had a different goal for the treble: to make it as accurate as possible. The new NrT tweeter accomplishes this with ease, with highs that are natural and extended without any sense of being overly smoothed or sweetened. The good news is that they are not the slightest bit tizzy or strident either, and are never fatiguing... even during long listening sessions. The Towers score a direct hit for those who want their highs clean and candidly revealing.

I think I might prefer that slightly honeyed top-end on the Sierra-1 compared to the clinically accurate and revealing NrT tweeter on the Tower, in my current position in the audio spacetime continuum, mainly for music. Maybe there's something funky with my ears, but I like a little smoothness on my music. I have no doubt that the Sierra-1 will sound gobs more neutral/natural/accurate compared to my AV123 speakers, which I feel are very warm-sounding, and that is something I'm very excited about.

If I had a dedicated HT room, I would not hesitate to get the Sierra Towers for their accuracy and revealing powers. I don't doubt their ability to excel with music, and I am still considering them (always wanted a dedicated midrange), but I've pretty much settled on the Sierra-1, which I feel would be a closer match with my current preference in sound. One day, towers... one day. And especially you Sierra Horizon, definitely one day, hopefully next time I move back into a house.

Also, I just read the links natetg57 posted and the enjoythemusic.com review for the Sierra-1, all of which further validates my perceptions towards it.

Ok, back to the books.

[Alleric]

I apologize for not being able to be more active in this thread. I'm actually familiar with a lot of the artists you linked, but I don't own their stuff. I flat-out don't have much time right now, so I can't be as exhaustive as I would like, but suffice to say that based on the voicings from those examples, both instrumental voicings and people voicings... I think the Sierras will make you quite, quite happy.

[edgeh2o]

I've been reading on how much better the Horizon can be compared to the Sierra-1 center. This of course makes me want the Horizon lol. Especially since 60%+ of movies comes from the center channel.

If I did Sierra-1 fronts (non-NRT, since I still prefer smooth and more laid-back vs forward for music), and the Sierra Horizon center (instead of Sierra-1 center), would that work perfectly, or would I notice a mismatch during movies? Or should I just do Sierra-1 center now, and Horizon(along with towers) in the future when I get a house? My AV123 ELT525C always disappointed me in movies for dialogue, I just really want an awesome center :)

[surfcane]

Whatever u decide - you will be very happy with ascend - dave is great and customer service - top notch
I first got 170SE years ago - sound great
then upgraded to Sierra-1 sound was even better then had sierra-1 across the front - even better
then upgraded my receiver old panasonic digital to NAD - even better
then Towers Nrt then Ribbons
Now in my opinion each sound great but the towers and then the ribbons are just in another world of quality
I listen to a very diverse range of music and love the towers.

I guess it depends how much you plan to listen 2 channel vs center/surround.

I listen about 50/50 and then will go more 80/20 then 20/80 depending on my mood and what I am in the mood to play/listen.

[edgeh2o]

I agree, customer service here is second to none.

I'm not sure what my listening habits will be. I used to be a 70music/30movies kind of guy, I mean I watch a lot of TV and movies, but I always had music playing in the background when I wasn't. Now though, since I've become bored with my current speakers, especially at low volumes, I've been more 90movies&TV/10 music. Pretty disappointing lol.

I'm just wondering about the timbre matching, or if it would even be worth getting the Horizon in my current apartment. I won't be watching movies at movie-theater volumes here, but I do want the maximum clarity that I can get. If the Sierra-1 center will do that for me, easy peasy decision made.

How do you like the ribbons, I mean what's different about music with them? Thickness of sound, forward vs laid back, brighter or warmer, bigger sound, more dry sounding... sound is so funny to describe.

[choirbass]

I haven't owned or even heard them, so how I could comment probably wouldn't add much to help. From what I've read tho, they have a very clean sound, almost none of the typical descriptions either 'dry, warm, etc'.. a different sound, hm, transparent maybe? lol.

[surfcane]

http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?p=38888#post38888 - tried to link but not working right now
it is page 80 of the tower discussion thread

I wanted to post some of my impressions comparing the Towers to the Towers with the ribbons.

I have had the Towers for a couple of months and the Ribbon towers since Tues. Today I was finally able to sit down and try some A/B comparisons.

Basic info:

NAD 775HD
using NAD CD player in analog bypass mode
I have the Ribbons as the mains and then regular Towers as the B speakers
so that I can switch A/B as easy as possible. The towers are approx 5 feet apart and approx 10 feet from where I am listening.

Source material is all normal CDs using
Elton John Live in Australia (DDD)
Adele 21
Jack Johnson
Matt Nathason
Keb Mo
Nora Jones
Grammy 2010 & 2011 for variety



Let me say that I love both sets of Towers but to my ears the ribbons really are smoother, slightly more laid back, very clean, seem to hear more detail and better imaging. The word I want to keep using is smooth - the vocals are so smooth and rich but detailed. Does have that lighter airy feel that Dave and a few others have described. The regular towers sound a bit more harsh and forward to me (They do not sound harsh at all - just trying to provide some info to distinguish the two)

I want to thank Dave and Dina as well for all the time, effort, help etc they put into helping me (& I am sure everyone else). It is more than a pleasure to do business with you/ya'll - not to mention the amazing speakers as a small bonus lol.

I will be happy to try to answer any questions - but I feel that the Ribbons are worth the investment that I made, and I am looking forward to the STC as well.


Edit: I went back and read Brandon's post(s) on page 79 and I would say my impression is similar with regard to the ribbons, including picking similar words before I read his post. cut and paste from his post below:


As for my thoughts after getting the RAAL's, they are better all around so far. I have not found anything in which the domes surpassed them. They do not sound any more forward or bright in comparison but offer extended highs in such a smooth manner. With the presentation being so smooth, they may be a hair less forward sounding than the domes, with no hint of sibilance whatsoever.

[edgeh2o]

Thanks for the response, that was exactly the type of distinction I was looking for!

I will definitely get the Towers and Horizon one day. For now though, I'm going to get the Sierra-1 monitors. I'm really looking forward to hearing how they sound. And in my small space, I think they will be great. I still can't decide if I should get the Horizon center with them or not lol