Aerial Acoustics 7T / Serria Towers

[nino]

I was lucky enough to go over to a friends a couple hours away and listen to his new Aerial Acoustics T7s. I was truly blown away.On the drive home I kept thinking to myself I wonder how these compare to the Serria towers. Could anyone shed some light on this topic? I understand the T7s are 4 times the cost.

Cheers,
Nik

[Blutarsky]

It might be unlikely for someone to do a AXB comparison of the 7T and Sierra Tower, I think the Aerial 6T would be more of a fair fight.

I hadn't heard of the Aerial brand before and they look impressive. I am sure that I am not alone in wishing for an Ascend speaker similar to the 7T in driver sizes.

[N Boros]

It might be unlikely for someone to do a AXB comparison of the 7T and Sierra Tower, I think the Aerial 6T would be more of a fair fight.

I hadn't heard of the Aerial brand before and they look impressive. I am sure that I am not alone in wishing for an Ascend speaker similar to the 7T in driver sizes.

Here is a review and some measurements:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/aerial-acoustics-model-7t-loudspeaker#cKrKz2AYMhySgLfd.97

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRT/Ascend%20Sierra%20Ribbon%20Tower.pdf


I think the Sierra towers with the Raal ribbon tweeters measure better. Better off axis response. Or if you compare the impedance and phase angle or the cummlative sectoral decay.

[nino]

Here is a review and some measurements:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/aerial-acoustics-model-7t-loudspeaker#cKrKz2AYMhySgLfd.97

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRT/Ascend%20Sierra%20Ribbon%20Tower.pdf


I think the Sierra towers with the Raal ribbon tweeters measure better. Better off axis response. Or if you compare the impedance and phase angle or the cumulative sectoral decay.

Very interesting! Thanks for the info.

I was thinking after posting that the Ariel 6T would be a better comparison, but they are still triple the price of the serrias. I would love ascend to make a larger tower!

[N Boros]

Nino,

You are welcome. Unless you are inquiring about the Sierra towers for a gymnasium, cathedral, etc. I doubt they will be lacking in terms of output. Even I that case they might be okay. :) Check out this thread:

http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?6213-CMT-340SE-New-Revelation

Yes this is a different Ascend speaker, but I think they are pretty close in terms of output.

[nino]

N Boros,

I am not worried in terms of output , they will have plenty! With an in room sensitivity of 93db it is a very easy speaker to drive. Mine will see about 50 rms from a vintage Luxman.

The reasoning for asking for a larger tower with be the cover a larger frequency range, to possibly eliminate the need of a separate subwoofer. (Yes I know that a touchy topic)

[curtis]

How much larger do you want? The 7T is about 1.5" taller, 2" wider, and 5" deeper than an Ascend Tower.

Also, according the Stereophile measurements, the 7T less sensitive than the Tower. Ascend has always been honest with their measurements. So it would take more power to get the 7T's to the same given loudness as the Towers. 86.6 vs 89 NrT/90 RAAL.

[curtis]

N Boros,

The reasoning for asking for a larger tower with be the cover a larger frequency range, to possibly eliminate the need of a separate subwoofer. (Yes I know that a touchy topic)
Ahh...got it.

Yes...touchy topic. :)

[nino]

Ahh...got it.

Yes...touchy topic. :)

Yup! not trying to rub anyone the wrong way with this thread," curiosity kills"

More or less want to know if they sound similar /different and in what aspects.

[theophile]

Nino,

Neither the RAAL towers (34Hz) or the Aerial 7T's (28Hz-just 2 more whole tones lower than the Ascends) will fill in the full bottom octave for movies, orchestra, organ or electronic genre. A "good musical" Rythmik sub (or others) with a small footprint will fill in that bottom octave with solid subsonic bass and integrate well while relieving stresses to the floor standing monitors. You'll have all the ultrasonic top end with the 7T (25kHz) or the RAAL Towers (32kHz), but maybe the lowest musical Octave may not be of any interest for you? In my opinion, till you have a great integrated sub in your musical system, you'll not know what you are missing!

I'm sure the Aerial 7T's sound great, but to me, the Sonus Faber Olimpica III ($12K) is the best floor standing system I've ever heard. However, with the Ascend 30-day in home trial period, I'd certainly get the RAAL towers in my home listening room first to hear what they have to offer. I'm very confident if you did, you'd fine the music missing nothing (except 18 to 34 Hz)!

Ted

[Blutarsky]

Subs have a lot of fans, but not everyone needs one, especially for music. I have been perfectly happy with speakers that go down to 30 Hz. Subs need to be dialed in perfectly to sound as good as a floor stander. Not a lot of people can do this, especially for phase. A speaker that goes a little lower just increases listening options. Sub for HT and none for music as desired.

[curtis]

Subs have a lot of fans, but not everyone needs one, especially for music. I have been perfectly happy with speakers that go down to 30 Hz. Subs need to be dialed in perfectly to sound as good as a floor stander. Not a lot of people can do this, especially for phase. A speaker that goes a little lower just increases listening options. Sub for HT and none for music as desired.
Adjusting for phase integration is not hard, and easy with two people, sound level meter, and test tones.

A good sub will also have better bass sound quality in most cases, and the best placement for the bass source is usually not the same place where the mains are.

Now a floorstander may have other desirable qualities other than bass like increased mid-bass capabilities.

My 2 cents. :)

[davef]

I was lucky enough to go over to a friends a couple hours away and listen to his new Aerial Acoustics T7s. I was truly blown away.On the drive home I kept thinking to myself I wonder how these compare to the Serria towers. Could anyone shed some light on this topic? I understand the T7s are 4 times the cost.

Cheers,
Nik

Based on the Stereophile measurements of the 7T, they will likely sound quite similar to our towers (accurate, neutral), but I must state I am not a fan of the tweeter they are using and the RAAL ribbon is really in an entirely different league.

[nino]

Based on the Stereophile measurements of the 7T, they will likely sound quite similar to our towers (accurate, neutral), but I must state I am not a fan of the tweeter they are using and the RAAL ribbon is really in an entirely different league.

Thanks Dave!,

[Beave]

Based on the Stereophile measurements of the 7T, they will likely sound quite similar to our towers (accurate, neutral), but I must state I am not a fan of the tweeter they are using and the RAAL ribbon is really in an entirely different league.

Are you willing to share what it is about their Scanspeak Revelator tweeter that you don't care for? Is there a certain measured parameter that isn't up-to-snuff on that tweeter?

[davef]

Are you willing to share what it is about their Scanspeak Revelator tweeter that you don't care for? Is there a certain measured parameter that isn't up-to-snuff on that tweeter?

Hey Beave, that is not a Scan Revelator, it is a Scan Discovery ring radiator, an entirely different price class... That said, I have always found problems with the off-axis response of ring radiator tweeters, doesn't even matter what the model is, it is the nature of this type of dome. It is likely why you don't see these types of tweeters being used as often as they used to be.

[Beave]

Hey Beave, that is not a Scan Revelator, it is a Scan Discovery ring radiator, an entirely different price class... That said, I have always found problems with the off-axis response of ring radiator tweeters, doesn't even matter what the model is, it is the nature of this type of dome. It is likely why you don't see these types of tweeters being used as often as they used to be.

Yep, you're right, I meant Scan Discovery. For whatever reason, any time I type Scanspeak, the word Revelator just seems to follow, even in cases when it shouldn't.

Here is an off-the-shelf part very similar to what Aerial uses:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/ring-radiator-tweeters/scanspeak-discovery-r2604/8330-tweeter-dual-ring-radiator/

Agreed that the off-axis performance of it, and other ring radiators I've seen, is less than desirable.

Polk's LSiM series uses a ring radiator from a different manufacturer and also has the very narrow off-axis response in the top octave or two.

[nino]

Hey Beave, that is not a Scan Revelator, it is a Scan Discovery ring radiator, an entirely different price class... That said, I have always found problems with the off-axis response of ring radiator tweeters, doesn't even matter what the model is, it is the nature of this type of dome. It is likely why you don't see these types of tweeters being used as often as they used to be.

I just did some research on the tweeter. It is a rather cheap tweeter for such an expensive speaker. The midrange and Woofers are rather cheap also for a speaker with an MRSP of just under 11k.

[Beave]

I just did some research on the tweeter. It is a rather cheap tweeter for such an expensive speaker. The midrange and Woofers are rather cheap also for a speaker with an MRSP of just under 11k.

Aerial's cabinet aren't cheap, however. Nor is their markup or their dealer markup.

But always keep in mind that the price of a driver doesn't necessarily correlate with its performance. Some super-expensive drivers are so-so, while some cheap ones perform pretty well overall.

PSB uses a variation of the Vifa titanium dome in their speakers, from the Imagine XB ($500/pair) all the way up to the new Imagine T3 (which costs around $8k/pair if I remember right). That tweeter probably costs them $10-$15 each. But it performs quite well - except from about 18kHz and up. And I can no longer hear that high, so I'm not too concerned about issues in that frequency range.

And Aerial isn't the only offender, or near the worst offender, when it comes to using mid-price drivers in expensive speakers.

[davef]

Yep, you're right, I meant Scan Discovery. For whatever reason, any time I type Scanspeak, the word Revelator just seems to follow, even in cases when it shouldn't.

Here is an off-the-shelf part very similar to what Aerial uses:
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/ring-radiator-tweeters/scanspeak-discovery-r2604/8330-tweeter-dual-ring-radiator/

Agreed that the off-axis performance of it, and other ring radiators I've seen, is less than desirable.

Polk's LSiM series uses a ring radiator from a different manufacturer and also has the very narrow off-axis response in the top octave or two.

The Polk LSi used the original Vifa XT ring radiator, which I believe was the very first iteration of this type of tweeter.

[davef]

And Aerial isn't the only offender, or near the worst offender, when it comes to using mid-price drivers in expensive speakers.

Nowhere near the worst offender ;)

This is the reason you won't find RAAL ribbons in any typical retail speaker, at least that I have seen that are under $25K/pair. Most speaker manufacturers have surprisingly high margins (wish we did)...

I was an engineer for a very popular speaker / subwoofer manufacturer for ten years. This company was on the cutting edge of home theater sound and satellite/subwoofer technology but even they had high profit margins and often used parts that most would consider to be inexpensive. I either would have been fired or laughed at if I suggested using a $350+ tweeter. $20-$30 tweeter, sure -- but $350+? The tweeter alone would have totaled more than the entire BOM of all of the other parts combined...

[theophile]

Nowhere near the worst offender ;)

This is the reason you won't find RAAL ribbons in any typical retail speaker, at least that I have seen that are under $25K/pair. Most speaker manufacturers have surprisingly high margins (wish we did)...

Dave,

I applaud your energy, passion and love for your business, through which your perfection and commitment to offering superb dollar value products, helps so many more audiophiles to enjoy and cherish music reproduction!! For the Ascend development, research and product selection investment, I know of No Other Audio manufacture that has achieved such success in sharing his\her Love of this wonderful art medium!!!

When retirement comes, rest assured your satisfaction and hard work in this type of business endeavor will provide you with much joy and peace, just as it has the lucky purchasers of Ascend products!

I know you receive accolades every day...here's mine in appreciation for the great audio business model you've created! :cool:

Ted

[davef]

Dave,

I applaud your energy, passion and love for your business, through which your perfection and commitment to offering superb dollar value products, helps so many more audiophiles to enjoy and cherish music reproduction!! For the Ascend development, research and product selection investment, I know of No Other Audio manufacture that has achieved such success in sharing his\her Love of this wonderful art medium!!!

When retirement comes, rest assured your satisfaction and hard work in this type of business endeavor will provide you with much joy and peace, just as it has the lucky purchasers of Ascend products!

I know you receive accolades every day...here's mine in appreciation for the great audio business model you've created! :cool:

Ted

Ted,

Thanks so much for your kind comments :) I don't know what my retirement future has in store for me, but I honestly wouldn't mind kicking back every day and just listening to as much music as possible, even if in a retirement home or trailer :eek: Music is my means for relaxation and stress release.

As I'm sure you already know, this is a business where one gets involved because they are truly passionate about it, there really isn't much $$ to be made.