I keep going round and round on the same idea for HT

[Harro]

Ever since I bought a used set of 340's L/C/R along with two 170's, my living room turned into a living theater has increased my appetite for more in depth or presence toward listening and feeling the movies I watch (sensationalism). I have tried to fulfill that need with rounding out my system with a new avr (Denon 4311ci) adding four more 170's, one SVS pb12+, one SVS PC12+, purchasing a UMIK-1 usb calibrated mic, and graphing all responses with REW according to my listening positions. What I can't understand is since my room is not that big (13.3x16.4x8), why does it seem that I need to play my movies at reference level or just below maybe -5 to really feel the impact of the movie? I mean my SPL meter is reading around 88-92dBs which is loud but at my listening position causes no ear fatigue at all and begs me to turn it louder. Friends that come over to watch a movie have never complained about how loud it is but say "wow, didn't realize it was so loud until I tried talking to you." He was sitting right next to me. My system compared to others on here is a far cry from being outstanding but proves to me that Ascend can produce great quality sound at a reasonable price. Thank you!!!:D

So lets get down to brass tacks.
I like to gamble. Play penny slots. Sometimes I win sometimes I lose, most of the time I lose. Last Sat. was one of those rare occasions were I actually won and not just the usual 50 or 100 dollar win but a pretty good jackpot. So now with my new found wealth, LOL, and after reading almost all the threads on the Sierra's 1, 2, tower, and center, I am planning to upgrade my front L/C/R to the Sierra Horizons. Then if my luck holds out at the casino, I will play toward upgrading my six 170's to the Sierra 2.
What I am asking the community here is if that seems to be the best use of my money or would the towers benefit me more? Remember I like it loud. I think my Denon is top notch for the job but may think about adding an amp for more power in the future. Just looking for some ideas on all this or maybe some insight if Ascend has any more products coming out the pipe that would be worth waiting for?

Oh for those interested at what casino I go to is Windstar World Casino (http://winstarworldcasino.com/), the largest casino in the world.

[TheHolyCannoli]

Congrats on the win....casino takes my money EVERY time. Before adding anything else, I think you need to decide what is it, specifically, that you are looking to improve?

It seems as though volume is already sufficient considering people are having a difficult time talking to each other, but at the same time are not complaining about things being too loud. If you are concerned about having to really turn up the volume control to get sufficient SPL's, then perhaps you should consider amplification. I believe your Denon does something like 140watts, but with only 2 channels being driven....you are driving 9 channels.

[Harro]

I think on the most part is the clarity of the dialogue I would like to improve upon. Then maybe midrange punch a little more. With reading the whole Horizon thread and Dave saying that they would make good HT speakers really have me thinking I could improve upon both mid and dialogue with them. Other concern or maybe improvement that could be had with the horizon's is I would hope I could turn down the volume and still maintain everything else. Where with the 340's I might be turning up the volume just to increase clarity of the dialogue. I have the center channel +3dBs up from where Audyssey has set it.
The other thing is if my 340's and 170's sound this good, what am I missing compared to the flagship models?

[petmotel]

I think on the most part is the clarity of the dialogue I would like to improve upon. Then maybe midrange punch a little more. With reading the whole Horizon thread and Dave saying that they would make good HT speakers really have me thinking I could improve upon both mid and dialogue with them. Other concern or maybe improvement that could be had with the horizon's is I would hope I could turn down the volume and still maintain everything else. Where with the 340's I might be turning up the volume just to increase clarity of the dialogue. I have the center channel +3dBs up from where Audyssey has set it.
The other thing is if my 340's and 170's sound this good, what am I missing compared to the flagship models?

After having directly compared my new set of Sierra-2s with a pair of RAAL equipped Towers, I was truly amazed at how close the performance of the Twos is comparatively speaking.

I actually think the Sierra-2 will provide the vast majority of the performance for less expenditure. I recommend trying a pair of the Sierra-2s for front left, and right, and see what you think. If they provide what you are wanting, then you can finish with more of them. Otherwise you can use them for surrounds if you decide on the Horizons for the front stage.

Jay

[Harro]

I like your idea and I think I should call and see what the "masters" at Ascend would recommend.

I still appreciated others input on what they think, helps me understand what is possible.