Awaiting Towers (RAAL), Horizon (RAAL), & Rythmik F12

[Dieterdde]

Hi All,

Dieter here, from Belgium. Have ordered a set of Sierra Towers, custom slim Horizon, all equipped with RAAL, as well as a sealed Rythmik F12.

Whilst looking forward to the speakers, I have gotten myself a new AVR, going from the Denon 1610 to the Denon X4000.

Now my next step is speaker wire, I wanted to know from you guys what AWG you recommend for the Towers+Horizon, as well as what wire you guys usually use to connect your sub? My current sub is using some no name typical RCA analog cable right now with my current sub.

Each speaker will be less than 3 meters away from the receiver.

Btw my current setup is:

2x Energy RC-10
1x Energy RC-mini CC
1x Energy ESW-V8

Whilst I'm satisfied with this setup, I do look forward to the massive step up of the Ascend speakers & Rythmik sub.

My listening preferences btw are 70/30 music/HT

Well that's it for now, just wanted to say hello to all you fellow Ascend folk, and hope to officially join your ranks in a few weeks!

Cheers,
Dieter

[davef]

Hi All,

Dieter here, from Belgium. Have ordered a set of Sierra Towers, custom slim Horizon, all equipped with RAAL, as well as a sealed Rythmik F12.

Whilst looking forward to the speakers, I have gotten myself a new AVR, going from the Denon 1610 to the Denon X4000.

Now my next step is speaker wire, I wanted to know from you guys what AWG you recommend for the Towers+Horizon, as well as what wire you guys usually use to connect your sub? My current sub is using some no name typical RCA analog cable right now with my current sub.

Each speaker will be less than 3 meters away from the receiver.

Btw my current setup is:

2x Energy RC-10
1x Energy RC-mini CC
1x Energy ESW-V8

Whilst I'm satisfied with this setup, I do look forward to the massive step up of the Ascend speakers & Rythmik sub.

My listening preferences btw are 70/30 music/HT

Well that's it for now, just wanted to say hello to all you fellow Ascend folk, and hope to officially join your ranks in a few weeks!

Cheers,
Dieter

Hi Dieter,

I am happy see you that you found our forum and I wanted to wish you a warm welcome!

[dalfrednix]

I too have ordered 10 days ago a pair of towers with the ribbon tweeter; they will replace a pair of 23 year old KEF 107s.
I'm moving way from video and will set up a 4.1 system utilizing NAD electronics and a SVS subwoofer.
I cannot wait to play music through this system; the rear speakers are Snell K7 monitors.

[markie]

Great choice Dalfrednex! Please post when you get them and tell us your impressions. And Dieter, you must be the only one in Belgium with the Towers (given they have arrived by now.). We look forward to your reports!

Mark

[dalfrednix]

I cannot wait; the KEFs were great speakers through about 2005 and then speaker technology started to take off. I hope I'm not disappointed, but after reading the reviews from owners I just cannot imagine that happening.
Give me a week after they're hooked up and I'll let this forum know how they sound.

[markie]

I took a peek at some KEF 107 reviews. Wow, a reviewer at Stereophile summed them up thusly in 1987:


Overall, I consider the KEF 107s to be an engineering marvel and, by a clear margin, the best full-range conventional speaker money can buy.


Here are snippets of his impressions of the sound:



Whereas most dynamic speakers struggle to integrate their driver outputs into a semicoherent blend in the far field, the 107 is seamless. What struck me immediately about the 107s, when I heard them first under show conditions, was their wonderfully cohesive and effortless sound. That impression has not diminished in the comfort of my own home. The transition from the bass to the mids is magically integrated, and the conviction with which I perceive instrumental space and focus across the soundstage is heightened considerably.

Music emerges from the 107 like ripples in a clear mountain lake. There is no sense of strain or stress, even on very loud passages. The vocal-range magic of the Spendor BC1 and SP1 is present here in full force. Voice is reproduced very naturally, without any coloration. Neither are instrumental timbres slighted in any way, and harmonic accuracy is preserved up and down the audio bandwidth. String fundamentals and overtones are convincingly reproduced, and woodwinds possess excellent clarity and detail, while brass has its proper bite, without gratuitous brightness or harshness. With the right electronics, musical textures are fleshed out with a convincing mixture of soft and hard, sweet and brash. ...

There are two other prize-winning aspects to the 107. First, the bass. The quality and quantity of the bass octaves are exceptional—the best I've heard from a conventional full-range system. Bass power, impact, and clarity leave one breathless on orchestral spectaculars. Second, headroom is sufficient to duplicate, at a typical listening position (even in a large room), the full dynamic range of any orchestral work—even a Respighi. The 107 gracefully complies with the dynamic demands of the music—it's capable of blooming from soft to very loud without a trace of compression or distortion.


That's a tough act to follow, you've been enjoying a remarkable speaker for many years! Your subwoofer will definitely help in the lower registers to match the subterranean bass of the KEFS. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all with the tower's mids and highs, thanks to the RAAL. As far as things like cohesiveness, tone, timbre, effortlessness, instrumental space etc of towers, we await your impressions!