Just got my Sierra-1 NrT speakers (1,750) .... first impressions .... and pictures.

[Pianist718]

UPDATE:

I was going from a 12 year old HTiB system (Onkyo big speakers) ... $600 to the Sierras-1 NrT L/C/R


So my Sierra-1 NrT came yesterday and by the time I was done hooking them up it was 11pm so I couldn't turn the sound too loud. I expected more to tell you the truth, BUT I am not jumping into conclusions as they have not been played enough yet, I didn't listen to them at good volume, speaker stands are too tall (see pictures below) and I just want to give them a chance, PLUS, I'll be connecting my old HTiB speakers back to see if going back to original will show me just how bad the old speakers are.

Sound so far from speakers is nice. Sometimes too bright. Maybe it's the NrT upgrade that creates a "fake" highs. Don't know. After I did the auto calibration via my receiver and microphone, sound became a bit more spacious. Meaning that L/R speakers gained some volume while center was toned down a bit.

I have yet to check this with movies that on my old HTiB system gave me too much effect and not that great on voice/speech clarity. Will do more listening tonight.

I also feel the need for a good sub. I now hear that my HTiB sub-woofer is somewhat killing the overall sound.

Deciding if I should go 30" or 26" high speaker stands. See pics below ... those are 36". Too high.

For reference .... TV is 50".





P.S. Was I expecting too much from reading all the great reviews???

P.P.S. I loved the sound improvement when I went from sound from TV L/R to my Onkyo home theater 5.1 system and I expected that improvement to increase by two with better speakers that I am spending $1,750 on. Was I expecting too much???

[RicardoJoa]

Your room kinda look similar to mind. Looking at those couch, it seems to me those stands are way too high. Those couch look kinda low so you may consider stands that are shorter, other wise you would be hearing vertical off axis response too much. I would also pull the speaker out from the wall. Try some toe in for one, your speaker seems to be far away from each other with respect to listen position, and for two at least your speakers wont be firing direct to the back wall, you will still get those reflection anyway. I would disable you room correction as well. Since your subs are not contributing good sound , i would disconnect them as well.

[qwknuf6]

Ditch that sub , it will take some time for your ears to adjust , give it a few days .

[merrymaid520]

For starters, turn off any receiver auto calibration settings or EQ stuff. This is often the culprit. Sit back and acclimate yourself to them. Again, they will portray a different sound than you are used to and hopefully you feel its better

[Dark Ranger]

Hi Pianist,

First off, welcome to the Ascend family. The quality and performance of your new Sierra-1s are a huge step up. Let me also say that, objectively, there are many factors involved with how sound is perceived, including the room and one's own hearing. It's completely OK if, after some time with them, you don't find them to your liking. It's also possible that your previous system (speakers and/or room correction) rolled off the high frequencies so that now your new speakers sound bright.

Shorter stands will help with off-axis issues, but you're aware of that already. I'd also suggest pulling the L/R speakers forward a bit (at least to the edge of carpet) to give more room behind them. Toeing in could help, but I see you have a seat in the corner. Assuming that seat is used for watching TV/movies, adding toe in would compromise that position even more.

I would also echo some of the suggestions of others: for now, don't use the subwoofer since it does not provide a good match with your Sierra-1s. I'd also bypass any room correction software for now.

I agree with what's been mentioned so far: give yourself some time to adjust to the new, more accurate speakers. However, since it looks like you purchased these brand new, remember that you have 30 days to try them in your home. If you're not satisfied, simply send them back.

Please do keep us updated and we'll try to help where possible. If you would like additional tech support, I recommend you give Ascend a call and they can work with you to optimize your setup.

[Mag_Neato]

Agree with the comments thus far. Stands are way too tall. Tweeters should ideally be at ear level. Definitely pull the speakers as far forward as possible, perhaps just slightly in front of the tv screen to minimize reflections which can destroy imaging. Also, the positioning relative to the short/long walls is not optimum, but you have to work with what the room gives you. I have 30" tall stands for my NrT's and with the chair I am forced to use at present, are just a bit short. If I had a real easy chair rather than a wood kitchen table chair they might be too high. Play with toe-in/out. Mine are slightly toed-in but not aimed at the listening position.

Also, if you are not accustomed to a neutral, flat response speaker the sound can seem bright and/or lean at first since there is no rolling off of the high frequencies and no mid-bass bump to make the bass seem more powerful.

I generally leave Audyssey/EQ off when listening to music. I did run the Audyssey to get the basics set up, then turned off the EQ to listen to music.

[billy p]

I recall my expections when I ordered my Sierra's was very high and I'll admit...I wasn't awed from the outset but they sounded very nice. It wasn't until a few days later when I compared them to my other speakers I began to understand what the fuss was about. As the others have offered some great advice do some tweaking and keep us abreast of your progress & thoughts and we'll try & assit you it could be they aren't your cup of tea?

Good luck...btw I used top of my cabinet before I bought my stands you could try that and see if that helps change how they sound?

Bill

[Blutarsky]

I agree that they will need to come out, with a little toe in. The Q-Plugs might really help. I wound up with my Sierra-1's about 11" out with Q-Plug B.

They are terrific speakers, and worth tweaking. Try running Pure Audio 2 channel until you get the mains dialed in.

You will smile really big when you hit the sweet spot.

B.

[parimento1]

I am going to give you a few tips on how to set these up:

1. Lower stands, like 24-28 should be fine
2. put the receiver on "audio direct" or equivalent, with no tone controls or equalization crap.
3. Make sure you use at least a 12 gauge cable to hook them up or they will have little bass, making them sound "bright."
4. Experiment with toe in if you like, this can help you tailor the high frequency and midrange to your taste, as well as adjust the soundstage. There is no hard and fast rule for this, just adjust until they sound right to you.

[Pianist718]

I am going to give you a few tips on how to set these up:

1. Lower stands, like 24-28 should be fine
2. put the receiver on "audio direct" or equivalent, with no tone controls or equalization crap.
3. Make sure you use at least a 12 gauge cable to hook them up or they will have little bass, making them sound "bright."
4. Experiment with toe in if you like, this can help you tailor the high frequency and midrange to your taste, as well as adjust the soundstage. There is no hard and fast rule for this, just adjust until they sound right to you.

Yea, I'll go with the 26".
My receiver has options like "Direct" but also as "Standard" or "Straight". Which one do I go with, Usually I am on the later one I think.

My wires are 14 Gauge. Many said that 14 is good enough. When I was cutting the wires I did cut a bit too deep and maybe lost a little width on the wire. Is that a problem?