New to the audio world... considering moving from ELAC uni fi to ascend

[Mjt8]

Hi all,

Im reaching out (after browsing these forums for awhile) because Im unhappy with my current setup and considering a speaker from the ascend sierra lineup as a replacement.

I have Elac UF5's: the Elac Uni-fi towers, and a denon x1300w reciever powering them.

They do some things very well- they sound really musical and full- but there is something definitely missing. They sound too smoothed out, like a lot of the natural brittleness and texture of acoustic guitar plucking have been filtered out. When watching movies, they never fully excite at those climactic moments where the music swells and things are dialed up to 11.

I am going through a process of demoing speakers right now and I really, really want to try the Sierra 2EX or Sierra towers... but its expensive to demo them over here on the east coast if I decide I need to return them, so I'd like to ask you guys for your take before I take that plunge.

I currently have a pair of Martin Logan 35 XTI bookshelves on demo. They are a night and day improvement in the "exciting" category, and they reintroduce that texture I was looking for. However they sound thin- a bit tinny- and far less musical than the UF5. I could imagine this is a function of being bookshelves vs towers but they are paired with a SVS PB1000 sub.

Im looking to blend the best of both of those- and also improve on the clarity of the top end. I'd like a speaker that sizzles on the top end with a very musical body.

I hear a lot of people refer to the sierra lineup with RAAL as having "sparkle" and "air" on the top end. Its hard to know what that means over the internet. Is this that excitement, texture, and bite Im looking for? If so, do they retain a musical sound?

For reference, these are the speakers Ive tried in the past:

Klipsch R15 (I think...): these werent musical, had mediocre presence, and were shrill to listen to.

ELAC UF5: Very musical, good bass/body/full sound, but lack grit and excitement at the top

Martin Logan 35XTI: Finally scratches the excitement/texture itch! But theres also some lost detail and the mids/lows seemed thin. Sort of tinny sounding in comparison to the ELACs.

Will the ascend Sierras or towers give me the best of both worlds? The MLs use a ribbon tweeter, so Im hoping the RAAL also scratches the itch but can be better everywhere else.

Speakers that are about to arrive:

Klipsch RP8000F towers
B&W 706s2
Focal Aria 906 and 926

Thanks all!

[natetg57]

I had a similar experience a few years ago. I had at the time Sierra-1's which I really liked but helped a friend pick out a pair of Martin Logan's with a similar tweeter to the one's you have. (Not a true 'ribbon' btw) I didn't care for the rest of the sound that much but I wanted that sparkle and presence at the high end. Eventually, Ascend and Raal developed the smaller tweeter as part of the Sierra-2 and I have been very happy. It'll have the airiness you want without being harsh or tiring. If the towers with Raal are in your budget than I'd suggest ordering them while you have the others to compare. I'd be surprised if you didn't like them the best. Have fun!

[Mag_Neato]

Agree with Nate with 1 exception...

I'd order the Sierra-2EX's rather than the towers. They will give you nearly the identical sound as the towers but will save considerably on shipping if you decide to return them. If you do like them best and have the budget for the towers you can still return the EX's at a much lower shipping cost($80 round trip) vs the towers($272$ round trip), then order the towers!

[picasso]

Tell us where you live. There might be one of us nearby who'd be willing to demo their Ascend setup.

[Mjt8]

Thanks for the replies! I’m in the Washington DC area.

[Mjt8]

Agree with Nate with 1 exception...

I'd order the Sierra-2EX's rather than the towers. They will give you nearly the identical sound as the towers but will save considerably on shipping if you decide to return them. If you do like them best and have the budget for the towers you can still return the EX's at a much lower shipping cost($80 round trip) vs the towers($272$ round trip), then order the towers!

To say that bookshelves sound almost identical to the towers is an incredibly strong endorsement!

I have a relatively small room, but I was interested in the towers for the potential midrange performance in particular. I’ve heard that guitar and male vocals sit in the upper midrange, which is where I think some of the Martin Logan’s presence might(??) be coming from. So if the 2EX could approach the tower I’d be very interested.

[Mag_Neato]

To say that bookshelves sound almost identical to the towers is an incredibly strong endorsement!

I have a relatively small room, but I was interested in the towers for the potential midrange performance in particular. I’ve heard that guitar and male vocals sit in the upper midrange, which is where I think some of the Martin Logan’s presence might(??) be coming from. So if the 2EX could approach the tower I’d be very interested.

Keep in mind.... I've never heard the towers. However, from those who have heard both they report that they are more similar than not. The towers will have the advantage in absolute terms, higher sensitivity, greater dynamics, better mid-range due to the dedicated mid driver. The 2EX's will give you most of the tower flavor, so if you like those than you will most certainly like the towers.

[Mjt8]

So I just tried out the Klipsch rp8000f. I didn’t care for them at all. The treble is definitely kind of shrill. The “s” sound in vocals was magnified and they sounded very metallic to my ears. I don’t think I’m a fan of horns.

[Mag_Neato]

The RAAL ribbon is in another league in the world of tweeters. The best I've owned.

[white_darren]

So I just tried out the Klipsch rp8000f. I didn’t care for them at all. The treble is definitely kind of shrill. The “s” sound in vocals was magnified and they sounded very metallic to my ears. I don’t think I’m a fan of horns.

Especially a horn combined with the metal (titanium) tweeter. Never heard a Klipsch that I liked although they have their fans.

You're gonna absolutely love the Ascends.

[Jaybeez]

I had a chance to listen to the EXs recently. Incredible bass from a bookie. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set instead of the towers, the low end is that close. That said, funds permitting I would go towers in the front, and EXs for surround and multi channel music duties.

[j0nnyfive]

Mjt8! Whad'ja do? Where'd he go? I wanna hear the end of the story!

[Shazb0t]

I own both the RAAL Towers and UB5 bookshelves. I agree that the UB5 are a darker speaker without eq. The highs are definitely rolled off. With the RAAL towers they don't need that bump in the highs to sound right. They are not bright at all either. They have a nice balanced sound. I think you'll be happy if you make the change.

[Mark6088]

So I just tried out the Klipsch rp8000f. I didn’t care for them at all. The treble is definitely kind of shrill. The “s” sound in vocals was magnified and they sounded very metallic to my ears. I don’t think I’m a fan of horns.

My current fronts are Klipsch RP-280fs, which are the predecessor to the RP-8000fs and there is not much difference from what I can tell. I have really enjoyed them, but I can confirm to you that they can be bright in the upper end....almost harsh at times, especially to my aging ears (pushing 60). That is why I am upgrading to the Sierra Towers w/Raal. They will arrive in just a couple days. Can't wait!

[Mjt8]

Hey, still here! I’m in talks with Dave, and he suggested the towers with RAAL are going to be my best bet. So I’m going to take a bit of a risk and order them.


For those interested (and those coming after me) I’ve tried a number of other speakers.

Focal Aria 948: I actually ordered the 926’s but got these by mistake! These are truly stunning speakers. Objectively, they have highest quality sound I’ve heard so far. Theyre absolutely crystal clear, and the highs are very sweet. However, I think it’s obvious these were designed for large spaces and distant listening positions. They sound kind of thin at low volumes.

Def tech 9060: after a trip to bestbuy I decided to try these. The active powered woofers provide lots of bass, but that bass is kind of smeared and poorly synced with the rest of the sound signature. These sound decent at low volume to my ears, but the small drivers show their limits when you try to turn them up. Also these speakers, the upper range isn’t particularly exciting.

B&W 607: these were my least favorite speaker by far. They sounded anemic, tinny, and artificial. To me, they had all the flaws of the ELACS with none of the positives.

The only speakers that have delivered that texture have still been the Martin Logans, so I’ve ordered a few more speakers With AMT tweeters and I’ll have the final shootout between them and the sierras. (Final because the wife is pretty over this little speaker adventure lol)

The three speakers are going to be:

ELAC Carina towers
Tannoy revolution xt6f
Dali Opticon

[Mjt8]

Awesome, would love to hear your impressions!

[mjlav]

I had a chance to listen to the EXs recently. Incredible bass from a bookie. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set instead of the towers, the low end is that close. That said, funds permitting I would go towers in the front, and EXs for surround and multi channel music duties.

This is what I just did when WFH forced my EXs out of my work office and into my HT. I’ve been buying and loving 5.1 SACDs and DVDA discs!

[pepperjack]

Hey, still here! I’m in talks with Dave, and he suggested the towers with RAAL are going to be my best bet. So I’m going to take a bit of a risk and order them.


For those interested (and those coming after me) I’ve tried a number of other speakers.

Focal Aria 948: I actually ordered the 926’s but got these by mistake! These are truly stunning speakers. Objectively, they have highest quality sound I’ve heard so far. Theyre absolutely crystal clear, and the highs are very sweet. However, I think it’s obvious these were designed for large spaces and distant listening positions. They sound kind of thin at low volumes.

Def tech 9060: after a trip to bestbuy I decided to try these. The active powered woofers provide lots of bass, but that bass is kind of smeared and poorly synced with the rest of the sound signature. These sound decent at low volume to my ears, but the small drivers show their limits when you try to turn them up. Also these speakers, the upper range isn’t particularly exciting.

B&W 607: these were my least favorite speaker by far. They sounded anemic, tinny, and artificial. To me, they had all the flaws of the ELACS with none of the positives.

The only speakers that have delivered that texture have still been the Martin Logans, so I’ve ordered a few more speakers With AMT tweeters and I’ll have the final shootout between them and the sierras. (Final because the wife is pretty over this little speaker adventure lol)

The three speakers are going to be:

ELAC Carina towers
Tannoy revolution xt6f
Dali Opticon

Hoping to hear the conclusions, also dissatisfied with my UB5 and am looking at other optiosn for the front and put them as rears for now. Carina and Sierra 2EX are definitely on the list so would love to hear how this played out.

[Qman]

Perhaps you might try some other source electronics before blaming it all on the speakers. Yes, speakers should be where most of the money is spent, but that Denon may be holding some things back. Worth trying, I'd say.

[Mag_Neato]

Perhaps you might try some other source electronics before blaming it all on the speakers. Yes, speakers should be where most of the money is spent, but that Denon may be holding some things back. Worth trying, I'd say.

I'll argue against this....

True, better/different electronics can have an effect on the sound, however, those effects will be subtle changes to the basic character of the speaker's overall sonic signature. You want to find a speaker that has the basic flavor you like, then you can start messing with the upper food chain.

[Qman]

I'll argue against this....

True, better/different electronics can have an effect on the sound, however, those effects will be subtle changes to the basic character of the speaker's overall sonic signature. You want to find a speaker that has the basic flavor you like, then you can start messing with the upper food chain.

Ed, You're not really arguing against it, since i agree with what you say. My point is that the OP *might* try some different electronics, as in borrow an amp from a friend, just to eliminate the possibility that there might be some sonic character, a missed setting, or even a malfunction of the Denon receiver. Thanks.
Qman

[Mag_Neato]

Ed, You're not really arguing against it, since i agree with what you say. My point is that the OP *might* try some different electronics, as in borrow an amp from a friend, just to eliminate the possibility that there might be some sonic character, a missed setting, or even a malfunction of the Denon receiver. Thanks.
Qman

Ah, I gotcha. If he can borrow and swap components without too much fuss that could prove useful. Playing with the Denon's settings, such as switching Audyssey off, etc. may yield positive results.

I still believe the speakers will be the key to finding the basic sound characteristics he is looking for, but I could be proven wrong.