We Saved The Best For Last!

[davef]

Hi
First time poster and fan of Ascend.

I've heard the ELX and was very impressed. I wonder if anyone has tried to "stack" a Sierra 2 EX V2 on top of a Sierra ELX Tower and run them concurrently as one speaker.

I ask because I'm currently doing that with my Aerial Acoustics 8. To get more of the midrange and highs at less than reference volume, I stack my M&K S1-C on top of the Aerial Acoustic 8.
Plenty of power on both - 600+wpc from bridged Mcintosh MC7270 on the Aerial Acoustics 8, and 500+wpc on the M&K S1-C.

Seems to deliver that extra ooomph in the mid-range and tweeter and lower volumes.
I can do this because Krell Pre-amp has dual pre-outs. I stack them to minimize phase or any other delays.

I get the effect of many types of post-200ish 2 part speakers - with additional tweeters and midrange above the main body.

Thoughts?

From an objective standpoint, this is definitely not recommended as it will introduce comb filtering as well as destroy the highly optimized directivity of the speaker, which leads to the ELX's near textbook perfect estimated in-room response.

From a subjective standpoint, hey - if you like the way it sounds, that is all the matters.

wish it was that easy. It is not. It is about the # of drivers, the # of wpc, and lots of other things that DIRAC, MEN, Room Perfect, Lyngdorf do not solve. I can adjust EQ all day and not solve that.

Can you?

Solve what? What are you trying to solve?

[luvchampagne]

Many higher end speakers have that detached "look" or actual "detached" upper body upper mid range plus tweeter design. Wilson. Focal. Revel, etc. I was experimenting and came across this combo.

I could look at a minidsp 8 channel solution to tell me what I'm experiencing. All that will tell me is what I'm hearing which is very positive. Having the upgrade itch, was looking to see if Ascend has something like that.

[davef]

Many higher end speakers have that detached "look" or actual "detached" upper body upper mid range plus tweeter design. Wilson. Focal. Revel, etc. I was experimenting and came across this combo.

I could look at a minidsp 8 channel solution to tell me what I'm experiencing. All that will tell me is what I'm hearing which is very positive. Having the upgrade itch, was looking to see if Ascend has something like that.

From the standpoint of science, there is no advantage to that "detached" look. None whatsoever.... But, I do understand if you prefer that aesthetic. That stated, there is an advantage to having the drivers closer together, and there is plenty of science to back that up.

What you seem to be confusing is a speaker that has multiple tweeters, multiple mids with simply stacking another speaker on top of an existing speaker. That is completely different as the speaker on top of the tower is going to playing the same frequencies as the speaker beneath it. As I mentioned, doing so will create a host of audible problems - now these issues might sound different to you, and you might even prefer it, but we are after accurate sound reproduction, and this fully goes against accurate sound reproduction.

The only advantage multiple tweeters gives you in the same speaker is the potential for greater dynamic range, higher power handling and lower distortion at extreme volumes, at the expense of directivity and comb filtering issues.

I have worked on and been involved with many designs with multiple tweeters. Typically, when this design is chosen by a company that knows what it is doing, it is to create narrow dispersion or a specific type of pattern control.

What you heard when placing another speaker on top of your Ariel 8's is a boosted frequency response in the range that the speaker you placed on top is capable of reproducing. This can easily be simulated by EQ without destroying the directivity of the main speaker or creating comb filtering, and this is the proper method.

Revel no longer manufactures even a single speaker with that detached aesthetic. Why? Because of the reasons I stated. There is science behind what you hear and what sounds good...

To disregard our ELX because you prefer a different aesthetic is absolutely understandable, but from the standpoint of performance, you would be making a rather large mistake.

Hope this makes sense!