New: Sierra-2EX V2!!!

[davef]

We are most pleased to announce the new V2 version of our Sierra-2EX!

Taking full advantage of the most advanced loudspeaker R&D available today, we have developed a new crossover topology to best integrate the RAAL true ribbon tweeter with our EX woofer.

From an objective standpoint, measurements are greatly improved, most specifically in overall directivity and estimated in-room response. In fact, the directivity measurement of the V2 is flat-out remarkable and horizontal dispersion, as indicated in the beamwidth measurement, is class-leading.

From a listening standpoint, the Sierra-2EX V2 sounds more spacious, with slightly warmer and more detailed mids and there is about ½ dB more midbass energy.

While this new crossover is more expensive, we are holding firm on pricing with Sierra-2EX V2 retailing for the same as the original Sierra-2EX at least through this year.

A full suite of Klippel NFS measurements for Sierra-2EX V2 are now published on our main website and customers can now order actual NFS measurements like we offer for the LX.

Please contact us if you would like to upgrade your Sierra-2EX to Sierra-2EX V2.

We continue to be fully committed to providing our customers with the best performing products utilizing the latest and most advanced technologies available today.

Enjoy!!!

[rifmon]

Wow Dave, Thanks! What a surprise to wake up to! I have the EX and have been considering the LX kit. Now I will be considering this upgrade. Possibly another Christmas upgrade!

A comment from an earlier post comparing the EX and LX stated;

"when the ES is better, it’s 20% better and when the LX is better, it’s 80% better."

I can only imagine that this crossover upgrade may change that percentage to; when the ES is better, it’s 40% better and when the LX is better, it’s 60% better. It may depend on the user’s listening habits..HT, Jazz, Classical, Rock etc..

Very exciting!

[theophile]

Dave,

Great news! Although with my new amp, an Orchard Audio Starkrimson Stereo Ultra (see HERE), my 2EX has really opened up in the midrange/mid-bass regions, would be very interesting to hear what further improvements the new xover could make!!!

Ted

[racrawford65]

Nice review on the amp, Ted.

[davef]

Dave,

Great news! Although with my new amp, an Orchard Audio Starkrimson Stereo Ultra (see HERE), my 2EX has really opened up in the midrange/mid-bass regions, would be very interesting to hear what further improvements the new xover could make!!!

Ted

More spacious sounding, a bit warmer with more detailed mids, and a slight touch of added midbass

[N Boros]

More spacious sounding, a bit warmer with more detailed mids, and a slight touch of added midbass

I have a pair of Sierra 2's and I am trying to decide between an LX upgrade kit or a 2 EX V2 upgrade kit. I love the Sierra 2's, since they allow me to enjoy music and home theater at healthy volumes without producing listening fatigue. With my previous pair of speakers my ears would be ringing the rest of the day if I simply watched a movie at -30dB for 2 hours. Now with the Sierra 2's I can do movie marathons at -20dB to -15dB without any such listening fatigue! For my listening habits it is 95% home theater and 5% blu-ray concert videos. Would you suggest sticking with the ribbon tweeter and upgrading to the 2 EX V2? Or will the LX also be fine as far as not giving me listening fatigue? I'm not sure what is wrong with my ears, but the Sierra 2's have seemed to fix the problem and I don't want to upgrade and end up with listening fatigue all the time.

[SunByrne]

Or will the LX also be fine as far as not giving me listening fatigue?

Only you know for sure how your ears will respond, so my experience may not match yours. For me, the LX domes are the first metal domes I've ever heard that didn't give me at least some level of listening fatigue. I have some PSBs with aluminum domes that do quite well, but even with those I notice a little ringing if I listen too loud for too long. I listened long and loud to the LXs as part of that review before I made them my main daily speakers and so far all is well.

Personally, for HT I definitely think the LXs are the better speaker than the EX V1, but I haven't heard the V2 yet.

[Blingleberry]

I have a pair of Sierra 2's and I am trying to decide between an LX upgrade kit or a 2 EX V2 upgrade kit.

I thought LX's were a totally different series with different cabinets but just realized that's wrong and there are two choices to upgrade an S2.

Probably this is a Dave question but why would someone upgrade a S2 or S2EX to an LX? What's the criteria for deciding to go from an S2EX to an LX instead of a V2?

I saw your answer re Rock then LX vs Jazz&classical then V2, but honestly speaking, that's extremely subjective. If most of my music is rock&jazz&classical&electronic what then?

I suppose for marketing purposes choices are good, but to me if one sounds better and is measurably better, then the other is obsolete.

FWIW, I'll try the V2 upgrade because a) I'm already invested in the S2EX and b) I'm somewhat skeptical. Also, if the V2 crossovers are of value to an original S2, then I can give the old crossovers to my brother.

Thx :-)

[davef]

Or will the LX also be fine as far as not giving me listening fatigue? I'm not sure what is wrong with my ears, but the Sierra 2's have seemed to fix the problem and I don't want to upgrade and end up with listening fatigue all the time.

LX will definitely NOT cause you any listening fatigue. While the Titan dome is a metal dome tweeter, it is an Aluminum / Magnesium alloy. The addition of Magnesium, which is extremely stiff and light, pushes the breakup modes (ringing) to nearly 30kHz, well out of the range of human hearing. This characteristic is what makes Beryllium tweeters so popular (a true Be dome pushes the resonance mode to about 35kHz).

Combining that characteristic with its extremely wide dispersion - this tweeter sounds more like a RAAL ribbon than even other brand ribbon tweeters. If you don't experience listening fatigue with your Sierra-2, you definitely won't with LX

[SunByrne]

A comment from an earlier post comparing the EX and LX stated;

"when the ES is better, it’s 20% better and when the LX is better, it’s 80% better."

That might have been me—if it wasn't, it's certainly consistent with how I feel about the comparison.

I do think overall one of the things that makes the LX better is overall flatter FR—it doesn't have so much brightness baked in. If the new crossovers in the EX addresses this, well, that'd be something indeed.

I suspect the EX V2 still won't have the slam of the LX—there's only so much the EX woofer can do with that high crossover. Still, would be fun to check it out.