Sierra Tower for theater

[theriddler07sms]

Looking to uograde my speakers in my theater and want to move to tower speakers for my left and right. Currently own Klipsch Rp160s and have had Sierra 2s, Sierra 1s in a theater setup but sold them to redo my theater in all Klipsch.

I was looking at the Klipsch Rf7-iii for my new left and right and keep coming back to the sierra towers with RAAL since theyd be very similar in price.

I know the klipsch are more sensitive so would play a bit louder but was planning on buying an Emotiva amp for my front 3 anyway so power wouldn't be an issue.

My question is, are the sierra towers overkill for strictly theater use? I like the idea of being a 3 way design so i feel they would sound better than the Klipsch with 10" woofers.

[N Boros]

Looking to uograde my speakers in my theater and want to move to tower speakers for my left and right. Currently own Klipsch Rp160s and have had Sierra 2s, Sierra 1s in a theater setup but sold them to redo my theater in all Klipsch.

I was looking at the Klipsch Rf7-iii for my new left and right and keep coming back to the sierra towers with RAAL since theyd be very similar in price.

I know the klipsch are more sensitive so would play a bit louder but was planning on buying an Emotiva amp for my front 3 anyway so power wouldn't be an issue.

My question is, are the sierra towers overkill for strictly theater use? I like the idea of being a 3 way design so i feel they would sound better than the Klipsch with 10" woofers.

How loud do you listen, when watching movies? How far away from the left and right speakers would your main listening position be?

[theriddler07sms]

How loud do you listen, when watching movies? How far away from the left and right speakers would your main listening position be?

Ive never actually measured the SPL levels when watching movies but my reciever is usually between -20 and -10 with seating roughly 12ft away from screen

[N Boros]

Ive never actually measured the SPL levels when watching movies but my reciever is usually between -20 and -10 with seating roughly 12ft away from screen

Just comparing the Sierra tower vs. the Klipsch, as far as sensitivity, you don't need that extra sensitivity that the Klipsch will provide you. In fact, your receiver can likely drive the Sierra towers to that same level no problem, without any external amplification. The extra sensitivity of the Klipsch speakers would be nice if you, say liked to listen closer to 0 dB and were 20 feet away and didn't want to get external amplification.

So I would not consider the difference in sensitivity with those two speakers at all. Make the decision based on other attributes. It sounds as if you already like the sound of the Ascend speakers with the RAAL ribbon tweeter, so I would head in that direction. They will meet your output needs no problem.

[theriddler07sms]

It sounds as if you already like the sound of the Ascend speakers with the RAAL ribbon tweeter, so I would head in that direction. They will meet your output needs no problem.

I like the sound of them both which is hard. Im wondering if the dedicated mid range and raal tweeter make that much of a difference for movies over something like the rf7-iii

[N Boros]

I like the sound of them both which is hard. Im wondering if the dedicated mid range and raal tweeter make that much of a difference for movies over something like the rf7-iii

I only have the Sierra 2's, so I can't tell you that. I am strongly considering upgrading to the Towers with the Raal ribbon tweeters and moving the Sierra 2's to another location, not because I need the output but because of the very wide dispersion that you get from the dedicated midrange. Maybe someone with towers and Sierra 2's will come along to tell you what they think about the dedicated midrange.

[white_darren]

What are you looking to improve upon relative to your current setup? Or do you just have an itch to upgrade? Do you have or intend to run one or more subs?

I can tell you I am running RAAL towers, custom low profile RAAL Horizon center and Sierra-2s with a Rythmik E15HP sub for combination home theater and music and absolutely love the setup. I can't offer any comparison to the Klipsch speakers you reference.

[theriddler07sms]

What are you looking to improve upon relative to your current setup? Or do you just have an itch to upgrade? Do you have or intend to run one or more subs?

I can tell you I am running RAAL towers, custom low profile RAAL Horizon center and Sierra-2s with a Rythmik E15HP sub for combination home theater and music and absolutely love the setup. I can't offer any comparison to the Klipsch speakers you reference.

I feel theres something missing with my setup but cant pinpoint it or explain it. maybe dynamic is the word. its not as dynamic as id like.

i have a rythmik fv15hp and will probably be upgrading to JTR subs before too long. looking at the s2 and cap 2400

[mikesiskav]

The Sierra Tower will have plenty of dynamics for your listening levels while having much more detail and clarity than the Klipsch. At your listening distance and with the right amplification, you can hit reference volume if you wanted too. (Basically 270 watts to hit 105dB). If you listen at -10dB which is 95dB, you only need 27 watts (pretty much any receiver can do that).

[theriddler07sms]

The Sierra Tower will have plenty of dynamics for your listening levels while having much more detail and clarity than the Klipsch. At your listening distance and with the right amplification, you can hit reference volume if you wanted too. (Basically 270 watts to hit 105dB). If you listen at -10dB which is 95dB, you only need 27 watts (pretty much any receiver can do that).

i run a denon x1300w now looking to upgrade to a 6400w soon for the added channels and an emotiva 3 channel amp for my front 3 speakers.