donaldekelly
09-21-2014, 03:43 PM
To buy or not to buy (Sierra 1s)
Sorry for all the naval gazing but maybe you all can help with my decision process or at least correct any misinformation I have.
I am going through my 2-3000 piece cd collection and selling off most of it slowly as I will never listen to most of them again. But I still like music so what to do? Upgrade my speakers. I have CBM 170s classic. They sound pretty good but I have read that there is better for not too much more. But I have several hoops to jump through before I lay out $700-800 for a used or B-Stock pair.
Hoop 1: Social responsibility sorry to be so introspective or philosophical but I can be appalled at rich people who spend all their time making money and buying toys when not far away people dont have enough to eat. And I live and work with social justice types so for many reasons I want to do what is right with my money. One of them types is my wife.
But the most recommended book on simple living Your Money or Your Life makes the point that one can simplify successfully not by forbidding any pleasure in life, but by not wasting money on things that dont really matter to you. You spend only on things that are important to you and have money left over to give away or to allow flexibility in employment. Anyway, a long way of saying that it is not very practical to deprive oneself of all pleasures but much better to allow the things that really matter to you like speakers in my case.
Added to this is the fact that buying ascends is already being thrifty, and if one has old speakers to sell the total lay out can be less than $500. And by downsizing my cd collection I may break even or better. I think I have jumped through hoop 1.
Hoop 2: Room acoustics. Reading here and on AVS and GearSlutz has convinced me that room acoustics are probably more important than speaker quality. Forum member FirstReflection started me down this path actually. Someone on AVS said that the only factor that trumps room acoustics is WAF. Funny but true! So I have invested in some bass traps three so far. The sound has definitely improved in my listening room. But like a lot of people I am running out of places to put traps that will look okay and running straight into the omnipotent WAF in trying to find more bass trap places. Plus traps are cheaper than speakers so I can always add a few more later if I find a reasonable place for them. (And I really need to measure the room before buying anymore rather than treating blindly or on faith.) The room may be more important but I may have optimized that as much as I can. Rooms are much more critical for recording or mixing. I just buy and listen. Made it through hoop 2.
Hoop 3: Value. A no brainer from reading all around Sierras get amazing reviews across the boards. No one seems to have a bad word about them. 98% glowing reviews. In fact I dont remember a bad review by a professional or a consumer. I am sure there must be some.
Reviews not from this forum are particularly convincing. One would expect people who bought Ascends to think they are great. But AVS and other places give them resounding compliments. Great quality for a lower than expected price. And compared with my 170s much better than an already highly rated speaker.
Hoop 4: WAF. Again a no brainer the speakers are smallish and stylish. Better looking than the 170s which the spousal unit already thinks are fine. And the money aspect of it is just shifting from what I already had to something different with money left over in all likelihood.
Hoop 5: My own ignorance. I feel confident that the Sierras are as good and likely better than anything else I can get for the same price.
*But what is a 1) RAAL and what is a 2) NRT? I think I got the gist of that NRT is the $300 upgrade, the RAAL probably more costly but better sound. I assume the Sierra 1s can be upgraded to RAAL? And one can then add a better woofer to make them Sierra 2s? (In all cases the crossover needs upgrading too).
*What is shipping in case I get the 1s and try them out what am I going to have to pay if I dont think they are worth the cost? Can one really ship back to California for $36? Not a bad price to be guaranteed of satisfaction.
Conclusion - So I guess having tried to think it all out - it makes sense to buy a pair with the basic tweeters, indulge upgraditis later on when needed with the NRT upgrade. Maybe one day sell them and get Sierra 2s. And hope David F doesnt come up with Sierra 3s that sound even better. (I suppose the towers are the Sierra 1.5s or 2.5s for those not needing bookshelves.)
Sorry for all the naval gazing but maybe you all can help with my decision process or at least correct any misinformation I have.
I am going through my 2-3000 piece cd collection and selling off most of it slowly as I will never listen to most of them again. But I still like music so what to do? Upgrade my speakers. I have CBM 170s classic. They sound pretty good but I have read that there is better for not too much more. But I have several hoops to jump through before I lay out $700-800 for a used or B-Stock pair.
Hoop 1: Social responsibility sorry to be so introspective or philosophical but I can be appalled at rich people who spend all their time making money and buying toys when not far away people dont have enough to eat. And I live and work with social justice types so for many reasons I want to do what is right with my money. One of them types is my wife.
But the most recommended book on simple living Your Money or Your Life makes the point that one can simplify successfully not by forbidding any pleasure in life, but by not wasting money on things that dont really matter to you. You spend only on things that are important to you and have money left over to give away or to allow flexibility in employment. Anyway, a long way of saying that it is not very practical to deprive oneself of all pleasures but much better to allow the things that really matter to you like speakers in my case.
Added to this is the fact that buying ascends is already being thrifty, and if one has old speakers to sell the total lay out can be less than $500. And by downsizing my cd collection I may break even or better. I think I have jumped through hoop 1.
Hoop 2: Room acoustics. Reading here and on AVS and GearSlutz has convinced me that room acoustics are probably more important than speaker quality. Forum member FirstReflection started me down this path actually. Someone on AVS said that the only factor that trumps room acoustics is WAF. Funny but true! So I have invested in some bass traps three so far. The sound has definitely improved in my listening room. But like a lot of people I am running out of places to put traps that will look okay and running straight into the omnipotent WAF in trying to find more bass trap places. Plus traps are cheaper than speakers so I can always add a few more later if I find a reasonable place for them. (And I really need to measure the room before buying anymore rather than treating blindly or on faith.) The room may be more important but I may have optimized that as much as I can. Rooms are much more critical for recording or mixing. I just buy and listen. Made it through hoop 2.
Hoop 3: Value. A no brainer from reading all around Sierras get amazing reviews across the boards. No one seems to have a bad word about them. 98% glowing reviews. In fact I dont remember a bad review by a professional or a consumer. I am sure there must be some.
Reviews not from this forum are particularly convincing. One would expect people who bought Ascends to think they are great. But AVS and other places give them resounding compliments. Great quality for a lower than expected price. And compared with my 170s much better than an already highly rated speaker.
Hoop 4: WAF. Again a no brainer the speakers are smallish and stylish. Better looking than the 170s which the spousal unit already thinks are fine. And the money aspect of it is just shifting from what I already had to something different with money left over in all likelihood.
Hoop 5: My own ignorance. I feel confident that the Sierras are as good and likely better than anything else I can get for the same price.
*But what is a 1) RAAL and what is a 2) NRT? I think I got the gist of that NRT is the $300 upgrade, the RAAL probably more costly but better sound. I assume the Sierra 1s can be upgraded to RAAL? And one can then add a better woofer to make them Sierra 2s? (In all cases the crossover needs upgrading too).
*What is shipping in case I get the 1s and try them out what am I going to have to pay if I dont think they are worth the cost? Can one really ship back to California for $36? Not a bad price to be guaranteed of satisfaction.
Conclusion - So I guess having tried to think it all out - it makes sense to buy a pair with the basic tweeters, indulge upgraditis later on when needed with the NRT upgrade. Maybe one day sell them and get Sierra 2s. And hope David F doesnt come up with Sierra 3s that sound even better. (I suppose the towers are the Sierra 1.5s or 2.5s for those not needing bookshelves.)