Can a pair of Sierra LX really replace towers for me? Pic of room attached.

[reforminded]

Howdy all--
I currently have a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 703 S2 Towers, being powered by either a 150 wpc modern Marantz or a (bench tested) 250 wpc vintage McIntosh MC2205. I have an open plan living/dining area that is roughly 17x22, with the speakers 8 feet apart on the 17 foot wall. Room is carpeted with lots of furniture so not to much sound bouncing around. Overall I like the B+W, as they have clear and defined bass and articulate (if a little elevated) highs. The mids are very strong and clean, with vocals coming through naturally. They easily fill the room with sound and do not distort at all even when I crank it up.

What I don't love is that they are big dark monoliths that are a bit visually overwhelming in the space. I don't have a dedicated listening room, and my wife and I like to sit in the living room and listen (various spots on the sofa, so not perfectly on axis), as well as sit at the dining table and listen (further back, also off axis). I am thinking that visually the natural bamboo Sierra LX on some thin profile, light wooden stands would be much less overwhelming (even at the same height), and based on the specs it seems like they sound good from all sorts of angles whether sitting or standing, on axis or off (Compared to the Sierra with ribbon tweeters which really requires specific on axis listening?). Based on what I have read it sounds like the bass extension might actually be better than my B+W, so I am really looking for input from owners of the Sierra LX Bookshelves.

Has anyone moved from full towers to Sierra LX and found the same deep, clean room filling sound? Am I silly chasing bookshelves for this application? Would the ribbon tweeter version be better for my music (Jazz, Classical, acoustic, and some rock) or would I really miss the extra "oomph" from the LX? Any advice is appreciated--pic attached!

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[racrawford65]

My main speakers are the ELX RAAL Towers (upgraded from the v1s). My room is 16x12x11 but opens to the den on the left (20x22x10) and dining room behind (16x12x11). I also bought a pair of LXs (in my office) but I did run them as mains for a week or two when first received.

The LXs do not lack bass - I don't think you need to be concerned about that. The Titan dome is also very very good. That said, I do prefer the RAAL even though I listen mostly to rock, occasional jazz, blues, classical. Plus the dedicated mid in the Towers is another plus.

Horizontal dispersion of the RAAL is excellent. It's the vertical that's narrower. So, do lose a bit when standing/walking around.

So, I think the LX will work well for you. Or maybe consider the Towers with Titan (or RAAL) in same light/natural bamboo. They would probably blend well in your decor.

[davef]

Howdy all--
I currently have a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 703 S2 Towers, being powered by either a 150 wpc modern Marantz or a (bench tested) 250 wpc vintage McIntosh MC2205. I have an open plan living/dining area that is roughly 17x22, with the speakers 8 feet apart on the 17 foot wall. Room is carpeted with lots of furniture so not to much sound bouncing around. Overall I like the B+W, as they have clear and defined bass and articulate (if a little elevated) highs. The mids are very strong and clean, with vocals coming through naturally. They easily fill the room with sound and do not distort at all even when I crank it up.

What I don't love is that they are big dark monoliths that are a bit visually overwhelming in the space. I don't have a dedicated listening room, and my wife and I like to sit in the living room and listen (various spots on the sofa, so not perfectly on axis), as well as sit at the dining table and listen (further back, also off axis). I am thinking that visually the natural bamboo Sierra LX on some thin profile, light wooden stands would be much less overwhelming (even at the same height), and based on the specs it seems like they sound good from all sorts of angles whether sitting or standing, on axis or off (Compared to the Sierra with ribbon tweeters which really requires specific on axis listening?). Based on what I have read it sounds like the bass extension might actually be better than my B+W, so I am really looking for input from owners of the Sierra LX Bookshelves.

Has anyone moved from full towers to Sierra LX and found the same deep, clean room filling sound? Am I silly chasing bookshelves for this application? Would the ribbon tweeter version be better for my music (Jazz, Classical, acoustic, and some rock) or would I really miss the extra "oomph" from the LX? Any advice is appreciated--pic attached!

2717

2718

Based on the measurements of the 703 S2, they have a rather massive bass boost at around 80Hz and the overall neutrality and off-axis dispersion isn't impressive.

https://www.soundandvision.com/images/archivesart/1004bw.fig1.jpg

The LX is a considerably more neutral speaker, with wider dispersion. Bass extension between the 2 is actually very similar, but the 703 is going to sound like it has more bass due to that rather massive bass bump at 80Hz, which from an objective viewpoint, shouldn't be there.

The LX has lower sensitivity so it will require more power than the 703 to fill your space, but you have plenty of power so no concerns there.

In summary, yes - I absolutely feel the LX will fill your space and provide you with plenty of the oomph you are looking for, while also delivering a much more neutral (accurate) response.

[reforminded]

Thank you for the detailed insight. I am saving up to get some Sierra LX! As a follow up question, would these stands be a good match? Height should be good based on tweeter position given the height of my sofa, but I was wondering about an all wood stand like this vs the metal ones I see, in terms of sound quality. The WAF factor is much higher on the wooden stands!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1616610645/stratus-hardwood-maple-speaker-stands-2

[racrawford65]

Those wooden stands are nice. I don’t think they would negatively impact sound quality versus the metal ones.

[davef]

Thank you for the detailed insight. I am saving up to get some Sierra LX! As a follow up question, would these stands be a good match? Height should be good based on tweeter position given the height of my sofa, but I was wondering about an all wood stand like this vs the metal ones I see, in terms of sound quality. The WAF factor is much higher on the wooden stands!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1616610645/stratus-hardwood-maple-speaker-stands-2

Those stands are beautiful and I don't see any issues with them.

[reforminded]

Based on the measurements of the 703 S2, they have a rather massive bass boost at around 80Hz and the overall neutrality and off-axis dispersion isn't impressive.

https://www.soundandvision.com/images/archivesart/1004bw.fig1.jpg

The LX is a considerably more neutral speaker, with wider dispersion. Bass extension between the 2 is actually very similar, but the 703 is going to sound like it has more bass due to that rather massive bass bump at 80Hz, which from an objective viewpoint, shouldn't be there.

The LX has lower sensitivity so it will require more power than the 703 to fill your space, but you have plenty of power so no concerns there.

In summary, yes - I absolutely feel the LX will fill your space and provide you with plenty of the oomph you are looking for, while also delivering a much more neutral (accurate) response.

Just to follow up a bit as I prepare to place my order. I downloaded an app on my phone and measured the DB levels I generally listen at. For background listening I was in the 60-63ish range, and for the volumes I like to listen at when I am really getting into the music I was in 79-84 range, with a few (but uncommon) spikes above 90 (I hit 96 once but it was too loud for my ears when it happened). Measurements were taken centered, about 8 feet from the speakers. Knowing the levels I am looking for and the wattage I have (200+ WPC), I just want to make sure I will be in the "sweet spot" of these speakers in terms of getting the accuracy you talk about at those volumes, without pushing into the distortion zone. Looking at the estimated in room response graph, it looks like I will be getting down into the 30 hz range which would mean deep full bass even at the lower volume levels? And with the gentle downslope as the frequencies get higher towards the end of the graph it won't end up sounding too bright? I am still learning what all these graphs mean (and I have a TON to learn) so please correct me if I am doing it wrong. Thank you for your expertise!

[davef]

Just to follow up a bit as I prepare to place my order. I downloaded an app on my phone and measured the DB levels I generally listen at. For background listening I was in the 60-63ish range, and for the volumes I like to listen at when I am really getting into the music I was in 79-84 range, with a few (but uncommon) spikes above 90 (I hit 96 once but it was too loud for my ears when it happened). Measurements were taken centered, about 8 feet from the speakers. Knowing the levels I am looking for and the wattage I have (200+ WPC), I just want to make sure I will be in the "sweet spot" of these speakers in terms of getting the accuracy you talk about at those volumes, without pushing into the distortion zone. Looking at the estimated in room response graph, it looks like I will be getting down into the 30 hz range which would mean deep full bass even at the lower volume levels? And with the gentle downslope as the frequencies get higher towards the end of the graph it won't end up sounding too bright? I am still learning what all these graphs mean (and I have a TON to learn) so please correct me if I am doing it wrong. Thank you for your expertise!

With 200 watts, at your listening distance of only 8 feet from the speakers, you will have the capability of reaching peak SPL's of ~ 105 dB. To reach a peak of 96dB, it would only require a bit less than 30 watts into each speaker.

Also, speakers are linear devices, the speakers will perform the exact same at all volume levels until you reach either their thermal or mechanical limits, which you will not even be close to approaching. What does change at different volume levels is your hearing. Please Google "Fletcher Munson Curve" if you are curious about this.


And with the gentle downslope as the frequencies get higher towards the end of the graph it won't end up sounding too bright?

No, a bright sounding speaker would show just the opposite, it won't have that downward sloping estimated in-room response.

You are good to go, please trust me.

Thanks!

[wreckchic]

Room size - Tower speakers tend to perform better in larger rooms by providing deeper bass extension and wider sound dispersion.

[davef]

Room size - Tower speakers tend to perform better in larger rooms by providing deeper bass extension and wider sound dispersion.

Just some minor corrections to your post. Tower speakers typically offer higher sensitivity compared to a bookshelf speaker, due to the use of multiple woofers. Our LX have deeper bass than the majority of towers out there. In addition, dispersion characteristics (wide or narrow) are unrelated to the physical size of the speaker cabinet (tower or bookshelf). In fact, it is generally easier to achieve wider dispersion with a bookshelf speaker compared to a tower that uses many drivers.