New Sierra 2 Up Grade

[Hlam]

I decided to give my impressions of my new sierra 2 speakers. I ordered two pair plus a center so I could have a system with five identical channels. Always thought this would be the ideal set up.

The speakers arrived in good condition on the January 24. I hooked two of them up the next day to give them a quick listen. I must say they sounded pretty good right out of the box. So good in fact that three hours later I was still listening to music.
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Saturday morning and time for: out with the old and in with the new. I removed my rocket system. Now with the towers gone I have room to put my subs in the front, something I always wanted to try but did not have the room.

I have the front sierras sitting on my subs and the center in the vertical position. I did not take the time to run audyssey or even plug in the subs. I set all five channels to large and put on the Eagles Hotel California SACD. I listened to it in its entirety.
The sierra 2’s sounded incredible. They have enough bass to make a sub almost unnecessary for music. The midrange and treble is so smooth and detailed that all I could say was HOLY S**T. Five more SACDs later, listening at a level of about 75 dBs, there was not the slightest hint of listening fatigue. I thought that this was enough brake in, so let us see if they can rock.
I put in Dire Straits “Brothers in Arms” SACD and turned the volume up to -10 dB and let her rip. OMG the bass was powerful, clean, and accurate and the subs are still not plugged in. The sierra 2 can handle the bass in most music with no problem. The midrange and treble, even at 90+dB, remained smooth and detailed.
Congratulations Dave. You have produced one HELL!!! of a speaker.

[ematthews]

Nice. What color did you get?

[TheHolyCannoli]

Looks like the Satin Espresso, am I right? I can't choose between dark cherry and espresso...otherwise I would have already placed my order.

On a side note, I always assumed that you shouldn't put a speaker directly on top of another speaker, and especially a subwoofer. Is anyone else doing this without encountering issues? For my room setup, it would save me a lot of headaches if I could put my center channel on my sub.

[Hlam]

Looks like the Satin Espresso, am I right? I can't choose between dark cherry and espresso...otherwise I would have already placed my order.

On a side note, I always assumed that you shouldn't put a speaker directly on top of another speaker, and especially a subwoofer. Is anyone else doing this without encountering issues? For my room setup, it would save me a lot of headaches if I could put my center channel on my sub.

You are right they are Satin Espresso.
I have not noticed any difference in their sound with them setting on the subs. What kind of problems do you think that the subs will cause?
I am sure that I will have bigger problems to deal with if I try to put the subs back on the other side of the room where I had them before. My setup is in the living room. My wife was very happy when I told her I was planning to buy bookshelf speakers and move the subs over by the TV. Her reaction was not what most guy's would expect. She said, "Henry I that's a great idea and I can get end tables". You see it was more than 20 years ago that I gave away her end tables to make room for a couple of subs.:cool: I don't think that it will go over to well if I try to get rid of her new end tables because I want to put the subs back on that side of the room again.:o

[TheHolyCannoli]

You are right they are Satin Espresso.
I have not noticed any difference in their sound with them setting on the subs. What kind of problems do you think that the subs will cause?
I am sure that I will have bigger problems to deal with if I try to put the subs back on the other side of the room where I had them before. My setup is in the living room. My wife was very happy when I told her I was planning to buy bookshelf speakers and move the subs over by the TV. Her reaction was not what most guy's would expect. She said, "Henry I that's a great idea and I can get end tables". You see it was more than 20 years ago that I gave away her end tables to make room for a couple of subs.:cool: I don't think that it will go over to well if I try to get rid of her new end tables because I want to put the subs back on that side of the room again.:o

I was thinking along the lines of introducing vibrations between the sub and center channel.

[FirstReflect]

I was thinking along the lines of introducing vibrations between the sub and center channel.

Yup, many subwoofers most definitely vibrate enough when they play that they would either create a rattle simply from the cabinets of the speaker and subwoofer knocking together, or, at the very least, they would cause the speaker cabinet to vibrate in sympathy.

Thankfully, it's as easy as putting some sort of cushion in between the bottom of the speaker and the top of the subwoofer :) I do make use of the Auralex MoPads for exactly this sort of thing, and I know there are some other forum members here who also use the MoPads. But they honestly are rather overpriced for what they are, and they are not necessary. In the past, I've used simple, cheap mouse pads to great effect. All you're really after is any sort of effective damping device, though: something squishy enough to absorb the vibrations, but firm and thick enough that it won't compress under the weight of the speaker. So plenty of objects can fulfill those needs. I like mouse pads, though. They're, like, a dollar a piece, so they're not exactly a big expenditure -- haha.

[Hlam]

I don't think that the sub is having any ill effect on the sound of the sierra 2's.
I played a 16 Hz sine wave, at a level of 112dB near the sub, with the sierra 2's unplugged to see if there would be any noticeable movement in the 2's woofer. There was no visible movement in the woofer. I could feel a very slight vibration by lightly putting my finger on the woofer cone. I could feel the same vibration in the center channel sitting on the TV stand three and one half feet away.
After this test I feel very comfortable having the front two sierra 2's sitting on the subs.

[eliwankenobi]

Question,

Aren't the Sierra-2s on top of your subwoofers too low in height relative to you ear height when you are sitting in your listening position? Do you have them tilted backwards with some form of pad or something to point the tweeters at your head?

[curtis]

Question,

Aren't the Sierra-2s on top of your subwoofers too low in height relative to you ear height when you are sitting in your listening position? Do you have them tilted backwards with some form of pad or something to point the tweeters at your head?
Depending on how far back you are sitting, the vertical listening window can be pretty wide without an audible difference.

[Hlam]

Question,

Aren't the Sierra-2s on top of your subwoofers too low in height relative to you ear height when you are sitting in your listening position? Do you have them tilted backwards with some form of pad or something to point the tweeters at your head?

I made risers for the subs when I got them. I had to make them high enough to be used as end tables.
The top of the sub is 25" high and that puts the center of the tweeter at 36". I sit at a distance of 8.25'. This puts my ears off axis in the vertical plane by 1.15 degrees. I do not think that this difference will be noticeable. The center is about 4" lower that the mains and I did not notice an audible difference with the speaker level or tipped back slightly.
Here is a pic that shows my front setup:
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[natetg57]

I made risers for the subs when I got them. I had to make them high enough to be used as end tables.
The top of the sub is 25" high and that puts the center of the tweeter at 36". I sit at a distance of 8.25'. This puts my ears off axis in the vertical plane by 1.15 degrees. I do not think that this difference will be noticeable. The center is about 4" lower that the mains and I did not notice an audible difference with the speaker level or tipped back slightly.
Here is a pic that shows my front setup:
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That's looking good! Can you bring the L & R speakers forward to the edge of the subs? That should help with reflections. You also could try something like these foam risers to get a little more height and angle. http://www.amazon.com/Adam-Hall-SPADECO1-Monitor-Isolation/dp/B007YFWTXU/ref=pd_cp_MI_3

[Hlam]

The speakers are at the edge of the subs and toed in toward the listening position. The subs have a bowed metal grill. This is what makes the speakers look like they are pushed back.
Those pads look interesting. Do you have any experience with them? I would like to know if they have a no slip bottom. I don't like to think of the sierra 2 moving around when the subs get going.

[Galaga]

The speakers are at the edge of the subs and toed in toward the listening position. The subs have a bowed metal grill. This is what makes the speakers look like they are pushed back.
Those pads look interesting. Do you have any experience with them? I would like to know if they have a no slip bottom. I don't like to think of the sierra 2 moving around when the subs get going.
I ordered some of these pads for my setup since I have my center on a shelf above my TV and I want to use them to angle it down. I can update in a few days when they arrive regarding the bottoms, but I think they are just foam. I had already been planning to use a bit of blu tack (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FGLX72) to keep the pads secure. I would think that would be enough to keep them from moving around on the sub as well.

[natetg57]

Those pads look interesting. Do you have any experience with them? I would like to know if they have a no slip bottom. I don't like to think of the sierra 2 moving around when the subs get going.

I just got a pair of them for my center channel. I like them. Each wedge is composed of two pieces. They can be used in different combinations or separately to allow for a flat riser or a variety of angles. I'm using the two main pieces backwards to give an upward slant. I don't think there is a any slipping going on.

[Macddmac]

I made risers for the subs when I got them. I had to make them high enough to be used as end tables.
The top of the sub is 25" high and that puts the center of the tweeter at 36". I sit at a distance of 8.25'. This puts my ears off axis in the vertical plane by 1.15 degrees. I do not think that this difference will be noticeable. The center is about 4" lower that the mains and I did not notice an audible difference with the speaker level or tipped back slightly.

Here is a pic that shows my front setup:
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The Adam Hall isolation pads are less than half the price of mopads (18.00 a pair amazon prime)and are a pretty good fit I recommend them purely for keeping one hard surface off the other.
Cheers, Mac
Edit: doh! Never mind- just noticed nateg's post:0
The spadeco1's are about 1/2" narrower than the Sierra boxes but still look very good IMO

[Hlam]

Thanks for the advice guys. I just placed an order for a pair.
I live in Canada. We get screwed up here when it comes to prices.
I wish that I could get them for the $18.00 quoted. Here is my cost for them:
Amazon.ca, 57.54 + shipping + tax = $74.10.

[natetg57]

Thanks for the advice guys. I just placed an order for a pair.
I live in Canada. We get screwed up here when it comes to prices.
I wish that I could get them for the $18.00 quoted. Here is my cost for them:
Amazon.ca, 57.54 + shipping + tax = $74.10.
If they haven't shipped yet, you could add another pair for your center channel.

[FirstReflect]

Thanks for the advice guys. I just placed an order for a pair.
I live in Canada. We get screwed up here when it comes to prices.
I wish that I could get them for the $18.00 quoted. Here is my cost for them:
Amazon.ca, 57.54 + shipping + tax = $74.10.

Yikes! You can buy the Auralex MoPads at a local store for less than that. Tom Lee Music or Long & McQuade both carry them in my area. Tom Lee Music has the lower price at $38 for a pair (four pieces that will hold 2 speakers) at the moment.

[Hlam]

Yikes! You can buy the Auralex MoPads at a local store for less than that. Tom Lee Music or Long & McQuade both carry them in my area. Tom Lee Music has the lower price at $38 for a pair (four pieces that will hold 2 speakers) at the moment.

Thanks for the suggestions. I live in rural Newfoundland so the MoPads would have to be shipped.
Here are the prices I would have to pay:
Long & McQuade $76.68.
Tom Lee Music $114.85. WTF 66.63 shipping for regular parcel post.
I would not trust the Mopads to do the job. I purchased two Auralex SubDudes for my subs. They clearly stated that they could handle subs up to 300 lbs, but they were crushed by my 105 lb subs. Their customer service was a lot better than their product. They offered to ship me new ones at no charge. I did not see the point if they were going under the same subs.

[tdogr]

I have rocket set-up 5.0 in rosewood and was thinking about going with sierra-2's, but not sure on the center if I would do a sierra-2 or horizon.

So you like the sierra-2's much better then rockets.

[Hlam]

I have rocket set-up 5.0 in rosewood and was thinking about going with sierra-2's, but not sure on the center if I would do a sierra-2 or horizon.

So you like the sierra-2's much better then rockets.

Sorry I did not see your post before this. I also posted an answer to this question on AVS.
To sum up: yes the Sierra 2 is a much better speaker.

[tdogr]

I'm the one who posted it in the sierra thread over at avs and appreciate your response to my question here and there.

I am placing an order this morning for 3 Sierra-2's but I have not decided if I want to go with a vertical or horizontal center, since I have room to go with a vertical I thought it would be easier to get it to point to ear level over horizontal.

I'm going to use Monitor Isolation Wedges from the foam factory to point up and they are suppose to help with acoustics to.

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