Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
davef
Hi Pogre,
Very happy to hear that you have been enjoying the Sierra-2. Reference level at a 15 foot listening distance with a speaker rated at 86-87 dB sensitivity is very problematic. To reach 85dB from one speaker at this distance requires only about 20 watts of power into the speaker. The problem is that there is 20dB of headroom, such that reference level peaks = 105dB. To be able to reproduce these peaks at your listening distance with speakers rated at this sensitivity requires a massive 1600 watts of power. Your receiver or amplifier does not have that kind of power (nor can a speaker handle anywhere near this), thus you run the very real risk of causing your amp/receiver to clip badly. This can cause extensive damage to your speakers that is not covered under warranty.
At your listening distance, I highly recommend going with our towers, which have much higher sensitivity and can also handle more power.
Hope this makes sense!
Okay, thank you! Yes, it makes perfect sense. More cabinet volume and more drivers make for better power handling and sensitivity in the towers. I have no idea what to expect from the EX kit, but I think you sufficiently answered my questions there. No matter what, it's still a bookshelf speaker and not meant for reference levels in large rooms! Towers it is then! I need a little more time to get the budget together, but you can expect to be hearing from me soon!
I'm not playing them at reference for the reasons you stated above. -5 (-10 to -15 most of the time) is about as much as I'm comfortable with, even then only for maybe a song and only when crossed over to my subs. Am I still pushing the limits when using an 80 hz crossover at that volume? I have a Monolith 7, using a SR6011 as a pre pro and Audyssey calibrated for mlp.
I'd never push them that hard at full range. Last thing I wanna do is break my new favorite toys!
Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pogre
Okay, thank you! Yes, it makes perfect sense. More cabinet volume and more drivers make for better power handling and sensitivity in the towers. I have no idea what to expect from the EX kit, but I think you sufficiently answered my questions there. No matter what, it's still a bookshelf speaker and not meant for reference levels in large rooms! Towers it is then! I need a little more time to get the budget together, but you can expect to be hearing from me soon!
I'm not playing them at reference for the reasons you stated above. -5 (-10 to -15 most of the time) is about as much as I'm comfortable with, even then only for maybe a song and only when crossed over to my subs. Am I still pushing the limits when using an 80 hz crossover at that volume? I have a Monolith 7, using a SR6011 as a pre pro and Audyssey calibrated for mlp.
I'd never push them that hard at full range. Last thing I wanna do is break my new favorite toys!
Adding a subwoofer and high passing the speakers does not change the numbers I provided you previously. The issue is your listening distance in combination with the sensitivity of the speaker and the volume levels you want to play at. To be able to reproduce the 20dB peaks in movie soundtracks without clipping, the "math" indicates that you should not go over 80dB. I would say this is the "safe" range at your listening distance, giving you ~ 15dB of headroom.
Re: Sierra-1 NrT: Next phase?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
davef
Adding a subwoofer and high passing the speakers does not change the numbers I provided you previously. The issue is your listening distance in combination with the sensitivity of the speaker and the volume levels you want to play at. To be able to reproduce the 20dB peaks in movie soundtracks without clipping, the "math" indicates that you should not go over 80dB. I would say this is the "safe" range at your listening distance, giving you ~ 15dB of headroom.
Understood. I've been mainly listening to music and my normal range is well below reference. I haven't done any real movie watching with them yet. I usually switch back to my towers for that anyway since everything else is voiced to match.
Appreciate you jumping in and preventing me from potentially driving off a cliff tho, so thank you! I'd be gutted if I blew something up.
I'm on your site right now, reading up on the towers with the Raal upgrade...