Sierra-1 NrT or Sierra-2?

[yokken]

Hey all,

Brand new to this forum and I'm in a bit of a pinch. Everyone is raving about the Sierra-2's and how realistic they sound, which is awesome for how little they cost. However, I'm currently using a pair of Polk Monitor70 II's and even a regular Sierra-1 would be a big upgrade for me. However, I get that thing... that itch... that nagging... that maybe I should have spent a little more and gotten something even better. I listen to a lot of electronic music, including but not limited to, trance, house, dubstep, deep house, and many more. Some example artists are Armin van Buuren, Disclosure, Above & Beyond, Infected Mushroom, Nero, Deadmau5, Morgan Page, Pendulum, the list goes on and on... I do listen to a wide variety though, and enjoy Tech N9ne, Kanye West, Coldplay, Bon Iver, and some jazz and rock here and there.

What I'm getting at is that I love deep bass. It doesn't need to be thunderous, nor should it be. I live in an apartment with wood floors so bass resonates pretty well, but I don't want to upset my neighbors. I've read that the Sierra-2's have less bass extension than the Sierra-1, but have incredible treble and midrange detail.

I have enough money to either buy the Sierra-1 NrT's + a $400-ish subwoofer, or the Sierra-2's. I really want the ribbon tweeter from the Sierra-2's, but I would also probably want a liiittle more bass out of them. But I also wouldn't be able to afford the subwoofer at the moment, so it's sort of a double-whammy. If I get the Sierra-1 NrT's, I can afford a sub even though their bass is most likely going to be sufficient, but if I get the Sierra-2's, I won't be able to afford a sub and they will most likely leave me wanting, if only a little.

If anyone could give me some comforting words or useful advice, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!!

[petmotel]

I've got some nice Sierra-1s I could make you a good deal on so I could buy another set of Sierra-2s.

I disagree about the bass from the Twos, it goes low, and it's about the tightest bass I've ever heard. The Towers dig just a bit lower, but the Twos will have you shaking your head in disbelief when you play something with good bass. I think some of the Sierra-1 owners are used to bass that just isn't as lean, punchy, and dynamic as the Twos provide. I can't imagine another speaker this size matching the bass response in quality, and quantity.

I would do the Twos without a sub versus the NRTs with a sub in a New York minute!

Jay

[yokken]

Well that's a little comforting. I prefer the resonating/"wobbly" bass over just punchy bass. I can definitely appreciate clean and dynamic bass, rather than flabby. Trust me, I'm not a Beats guy.

I don't suppose I could ask you (or someone else) to do a listen test for me? I've set the video to go to the part I'm curious about. Just play in 720p, obviously. Feed Me - Trapdoor (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwX46eNDd2s&t=1m)

I would really love to hear any opinions about the bass response on that song. I want to know if it resonates and gets the full spectrum of the bass, without sounding noticeably rolled off. I really appreciate it!!

[TheHolyCannoli]

Through trial and error, and a good amount of wasted cash, I've come to the conclusion that the "buy once, cry once" philosophy seems to work better. IMO, the Sierra-2's should take care of my needs for many years to come without that nagging itch that you mention. Like you, these will be a HUGE upgrade from my current speakers. I'm sure I would be blown away by the NRT's, but a couple hundred more gets me into a RAAL tweeter at a reasonable price, not to mention an upgraded woofer that apparently has the surface area equivalent to a 6inch woofer (that's mentioned somewhere in the development thread). The decision would have been more difficult if I already owned the Sierra-1s and was thinking about moving up to the NRTs or go directly to the Sierra-2's. Sierra-2 over the NRT was an easy choice. Additionally, I don't think you should be expecting any of the Sierra bookshelf speakers (or any other manufacturer's bookshelf speakers) to render a subwoofer useless, even in a small room. With the type of music you are listening to, you would likely appreciate the impact of a sub.

So you are left with choosing between 1) a single entry level subwoofer ($400) and a very good pair of bookshelfs, or 2) a better ribbon tweeter and superior woofer without the sub. My vote goes for #2, simply because I think you will get that "itch" to upgrade from the sub sooner than you would for either of the bookshelf speaker options.

Get the Sierra-2 and budget your money to add a PAIR of good subs over the next year or so.

[SGCSG1]

Avoid the cost of future upgrades.

Buy the best now.

[Asliang]

I haven't heard the Sierra-2, but I've heard other speakers with woofers based on the same CA15RLY design, and they were much better than the Sierra-1 woofer, so I would definitely go with the 2. I don't know how audible the differences with the tweeters will be since most people are more sensitive to hearing in a woofers audio band than a tweeter's (although this varys with age).

I never felt the tweeter was the problem with the Sierra-1 anyway, just putting the Sierra-2 woofer in the Sierra-1 probably would have been 85% of the audible improvement.

[davef]

I haven't heard the Sierra-2, but I've heard other speakers with woofers based on the same CA15RLY design,

Hi Asliang,

I have seen you mention this a few times. The SEAS CA15RLY is a nice mid-woofer, but the woofer we are using in the S-2 is not based on CA15RLY, in fact - the two really don't have anything in common other than they are both made by SEAS. The Sierra-2 woofer uses an entirely different suspension system (different surround, different spider), different former and voice coil, and different cone... The reason we did not use the CA15 in our Sierra-1 is that it lacked the dynamics and bass response we were aiming for.

Here is a pic comparing the two woofers. Sierra-2 on left - CA15RLY on right.

[ematthews]

I was in the same position as the OP a month ago. I couldn't deiced which way to go. I'll make it short. I went with the Sierra 2 and I am floored at the detail these have. This is coming from a very high rated Polk LSi-15 ring tweeter system. I needed a new sub as well but I found out that with a lot of my material that I listen to the sub takes away from the quality of the 2's.. I do have a sub hooked up in case I need it. My opinion. Get the 2's and a sub later on.

[bkdc]

The Chinese have a saying. When you buy the best, you only cry once. :) Not that you'll cry if you get a Sierra-1 NrT, but I haven't completely broken in my Sierra-2, and I am amazed how close they sound to my Sierra Towers. What an amazing achievement.

[Bsound]

This thread is a little old - I'd be curious what the OP decided. For anyone with the same question I have a couple things to add to the discussion.

The first thing I found out when I bought my Sierra 1's was that a ~$400.00 sub woofer couldn't really keep up with Sierras, at least the one I have. Save up for a better subwoofer! I eventually upgraded to a Rythmik F12SE and I am still smiling 3 years on.

Secondly, from experience again: I upgraded to Sierra 2's a couple months ago and I say don't hesitate to get the 2's if you can even barely afford them over the 1's. Absolutely worth the extra cash. The bass will keep you happy until you save up for a subwoofer that can do right by Sierras. The 2's in my house are tight and plenty low! of course ymmv

After A/B testing with and without subwoofer for the first few weeks, I now run the Sierra 2s for music without a subwoofer. Sure, some recordings sound better with the sub, but then I found I prefer some recordings with no-sub. Which was surprising, but I didn't have that experience with the S1's. Bass is superb for a bookshelf with S1's also, but unlike the S2's my experience was that it was always somewhat better with a sub to my ear. I listen to all kinds of music, jazz, metal, rock, classical, acoustic, you name it. I listen super soft to extremely loud. I have one sub, one music room and a separate TV room. The Rythmik sub has moved out of the music room on back to the TV room for movies to accompany my other set of Sierras (NrT) there.

Finally, I agree with bkdc, after hearing both the towers (at my friend's house) and 2's here at home, there is a difference but it isn't night and day to my ears. The Sierra 2's are unbelievably full sounding bookshelf speakers. From my perspective, the difference between S2's and Sierra Towers is not nearly as great as the difference between the Sierra 1's and Sierra 2's - especially because of RAAL, but I am also finding that I really appreciate the tight base of the Sierra 2's. Not as low as the towers of course. Still, I quickly came to love the new woofer in the Sierra 2. That said, i was very happy with the Sierra 1's for 5 years and still enjoy my other set of (as yet) non-upgraded NrTs.

Long story short - don't cry even once. Just pay the money, then just listen and smile.

I've got some experience with upgrading, can't go back and change that. Upgrades have been a bit costly but anyway I'm happy with where I've arrived. Five years of bliss with Sierra 1's. And I fully expect two or three times that with the S2's, probably much longer. Not sure why I would even want to upgrade - ever. Amazing amazing accomplishment. Thanks Dave!!!

[billy p]

I do believe the OP decided on another set of ID speakers....IIRC as posted on another forum.:)

[battlefrog]

[QUOTE=petmotel;47307]I've got some nice Sierra-1s I could make you a good deal on so I could buy another set of Sierra-2s.

Do you still have the Sierra-1s you'd make a good deal on? :-) I just ordered a Sierra-1C. I'm having to ease into the Sierra's because of budget and wife constraints.

If I have a Sierra-1C w/out the NrT and upgrade to the Sierra-2 down the road, will I need to purchase the NrT upgrade as well, or does that component come with the Sierra-2 upgrade kit?

Thanks!
Lance

[postrokfan]

[QUOTE=petmotel;47307]I've got some nice Sierra-1s I could make you a good deal on so I could buy another set of Sierra-2s.

Do you still have the Sierra-1s you'd make a good deal on? :-) I just ordered a Sierra-1C. I'm having to ease into the Sierra's because of budget and wife constraints.

If I have a Sierra-1C w/out the NrT and upgrade to the Sierra-2 down the road, will I need to purchase the NrT upgrade as well, or does that component come with the Sierra-2 upgrade kit?

Thanks!
Lance

No. You only need to purchase the Sierra-2 upgrade kit when that time comes.