Sierra 2 box opening and setup

[Sivar]

I appreciate Ascend's assiduousness and thought I'd share just how seriously they take their products in seven photographs for those considering a purchase.

It starts with packaging. Box-within-box includes custom-molded stiff foam supports around the speakers. The foam is a soft, open-cell variety -- not the cheap expanded polystyrene stuff that can build a static charge and leave little white bits all over the room and product.

http://i.imgur.com/N3TrJTG.jpg

In addition to feet, notice the adhesive logos are optional. I'm not sure who wouldn't be proud to show their researching prowess by advertising the brand of their new speakers, but it is nice that we are given the choice.
Cotton gloves are included, which are a nice touch and help eliminate fingerprint & hand oil contamination.
Unfortunately (fortunately if you don't use the feet), the proper foot locations are unmarked, so you must make your own measurements when determining where to apply them.

http://i.imgur.com/L3Rq1r6.jpg

Each speaker is individually tested and matched within 1dB (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM2/srm2.html) with a personal sign-off.

http://i.imgur.com/F6mlp7A.jpg

That signature isn't a photocopy. This letter was hand-signed by the president of the company (and designer of the speakers!). The pen's indentations are clearly visible on the paper when looked at from an angle.

http://i.imgur.com/oONsUM9.jpg

Each speaker can be lifted out of the packaging using only the soft cloth bag ensconcing it, and can be placed upon that bag to protect its finish prior to application of the adhesive feet.

http://i.imgur.com/eVPWU4w.jpg

The tweeter appears to be mounted in vibration-deadening (I assume) cork. Click here (http://imgur.com/0B5FJg6) to see a closeup of the probable cork. Much higher resolution available photos in the Imgur album (http://imgur.com/a/2fhej).

http://i.imgur.com/t08bzER.jpg

Ascend Sierra 2 beside the outgoing Klipsch KSB 3.1.
While the klipsch is a few dB more efficient (0-3 in practice, 7+ by specs) and much larger, the Sierra 2 produces very obviously superior audio detail and is often superior in bass response despite the much smaller woofer.

http://i.imgur.com/CPuA1S8.jpg


Anybody can cheaply shower their new purchase with compliments to make themselves feel good, but my genuine impression is that abstemious component selection (http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?4978-Sierra-2-Development-Thread&p=43973#post43973) combined with the designer's genuine love for music (http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?3158-Ascend-Acoustics-Official-Music-Recommendation-Thread) form the perfect balance of engineering and art.

I've posted results of my detailed listening tests in the Verified User Reviews forum (http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/forumdisplay.php?29-Verified-User-Reviews) which will be visible once approved.
Its acerbic tone may be slightly off-putting but was meant to emphasize how hard I tried to avoid the insubstantial fluff so often associated with speaker reviews both amateur and professional.

[JustABrah]

Would love to see more pics of these black stain bamboo S2... They look great

[curtis]

Great stuff, Sivar.

Although I think Dave has put his kids to work signing those letters. :)

[okwchin]

Unboxing photos :cool:. I just unboxed a set not too long ago, and the experiences are not to different, the same care and attention to detail for everyone.


Wondering where the prismatic light is coming from in your photos?

[Sivar]

Although I think Dave has put his kids to work signing those letters. :)

Still a real signature, at least. :)


Wondering where the prismatic light is coming from in your photos?

My front door and the surrounding area has a bunch of stained glass that leads to weird colors at certain times of the day.



Would love to see more pics of these black stain bamboo S2... They look great
High-res photos can be found HERE (http://imgur.com/a/2fhej).

I thought this might be a quick, fun project but I ended up spending over an hour taking snapshots since I am a terrible photographer but picky about how pictures look. I don't care much about the finish (though I love the natural bamboo look) but I agree that the "black bamboo" is nice. It's obvious in-person that it isn't a cheapo laminate.
The lighting in my "home theater room" (just a re-purposed, open living room) has comically bad lighting, so I took all the shots in the back yard where, for a while, I had natural light.


Here's a sample photo:
http://i.imgur.com/7LoS8L3.jpg

[markie]

High-res photos can be found HERE (http://imgur.com/a/2fhej).


Perhaps the mustard bottle is an unconscious tip of the hat to okwchin's lovely new yellow S2's? That, and an unconscious message that finally you have speakers that pass mustard ?
;)
Also enjoyed your review Sivar, thanks.

[Mag_Neato]

First owner's pics of the cabinets I've seen showing the larger rear port and relief cut around the baffle. Nice!

[okwchin]

Nice pictures. Especially love the backyard shot - what a view!

I notice that the grille mounting is also a difference between the US and intl cabinets. The Intl cabinets (mine) has a rubber bung that sits proud of the face of the cabinet, while yours looks like a plastic insert that sits flush.

Also, what torch did you use. It looks like a smooth LED torch to me… (yet another hobby!)

[davef]

Great stuff, Sivar.

Although I think Dave has put his kids to work signing those letters. :)

Hey now -- I'm not even sure my kids can write cursive ;)

[davef]

Still a real signature, at least. :)



My front door and the surrounding area has a bunch of stained glass that leads to weird colors at certain times of the day.



High-res photos can be found HERE (http://imgur.com/a/2fhej).

I thought this might be a quick, fun project but I ended up spending over an hour taking snapshots since I am a terrible photographer but picky about how pictures look. I don't care much about the finish (though I love the natural bamboo look) but I agree that the "black bamboo" is nice. It's obvious in-person that it isn't a cheapo laminate.
The lighting in my "home theater room" (just a re-purposed, open living room) has comically bad lighting, so I took all the shots in the back yard where, for a while, I had natural light.


Here's a sample photo:
http://i.imgur.com/7LoS8L3.jpg

Love the hires photo's -- but seeing that mustard bottle on top made me miss okwchin's high gloss yellow pair. The US built cabinets do have slightly different cosmetics to them so that they perfectly match the towers.

We are actually building up photo samples of the US cabinets and I hope to have pics of these on the website within 1-2 weeks.

[Sivar]

Perhaps the mustard bottle is an unconscious tip of the hat to okwchin's lovely new yellow S2's?


but seeing that mustard bottle on top made me miss okwchin's high gloss yellow pair.

When I went inside to get something with color, the first thing I thought of was mustard, and yes it was because of the custom speakers. Normally I don't like yellow, but those things looked great.


Also, what torch did you use. It looks like a smooth LED torch to me… (yet another hobby!)This took me a second. An odd shibboleth of the U.S. is that we use the term "flashlight" instead of "torch". I think the latter is probably more descriptive, though we use it only for the old, wooden bits whose head is on fire.

Anyway, I just used the LED flash on my mobile phone and, in some pics, the stock flash that came with the camera (Sony NEX-5N).

[18inch]

awsome pics and review!! thx for sharing

[okwchin]

This took me a second. An odd shibboleth of the U.S. is that we use the term "flashlight" instead of "torch". I think the latter is probably more descriptive, though we use it only for the old, wooden bits whose head is on fire.

Anyway, I just used the LED flash on my mobile phone and, in some pics, the stock flash that came with the camera (Sony NEX-5N).

Ah yes! fair enough with the difference in terminology. On a smaller level, when I type about color, most of the time I now consciously have to spell it as color rather than colour, especially now that my OS performs autocorrect through the browser too, where I now need to counter-correct the auto-correct functionality for the sake of the audience.