Just received my Sierra's Friday morning before going away for the Thanksgiving weekend. Got back last night and was able to hook them up.
First impressions? The build quality is absolutely amazing. The bamboo finish is beautiful - my wife even commented how beautiful they are. So WAF is high... They're also much more imposing looking than the Sttafs. For bookshelf speakers, these are quite large. They look the Sttafs look diminutive by comparison. They're quite heavy too.
I got a chance to listen to them for about 3 hours last night, so they're not fully broken in - I suspect the sound will open up a bit given time.
They sound very different from the Totem Sttafs that I was using in this rig. The bass is just a little bit tighter than the Sttafs. They don't image as well as the Sttafs (I think some of this may be placement - Ascend recommends toe-in, which I didn't do yet). But they make up for this in the mid-range. The mid-range on the Sierras is really, really good - amazing, actually. I was hearing things that I hadn't heard before on some of my favourite songs.
Sweet Dave. Nice looking bookshelves - and appreciate the many shots from different angles. Interesting about the enhance detail in the midrange over the Sttafs. If anything the midrange may just improve as they break-in. We'll have to get a full review once broken in. Are you leaving them running day and night or are you just going to break them in while listening to them? The bamboo grain is neat. Congrats!
$111 for duty? Shipping was included in the price? Sounds pretty good. I think you've done well. I'd like to hear where they sit in comparison to your Sttafs and the RS6's. Are you building a 5th system now?
Nope, the 111 was on top of shipping, but shipping was pretty reasonable. So I guess with the price of the speakers, shipping, duties and exchange they cost me over 1k. Not including the 200 I paid for the stands.
No 5th system, George. I'm evaluating these in my 2 channel right now to see how they stack up against the Sttafs. Whichever I like better will stay in my 2 channel.
Dave, I guess you've got two sets of speakers to break in. The woofers on the Sttafs and the Ascends. It will be interresting to hear which the winner is. It is a bit of an apples to orange given that one's is a column and one's a bookshelf but maybe you'll find out which type you prefer for two channel. Many people do like the bookshelves for critical listening. Nick: what model of PMC are you looking at?
Truth be told George, I think I like the Sttafs the better. I know this isn't really a fair statement since the Sierras aren't broken in it. They're very different sounding speakers from eachother. While I do enjoy the more pronounced mid-range in the Sierras I found that over time this can be a little bit fatiguing. I'm very used to the very transparent, silky smooth presentation of the Sttafs, I guess.
I'll give it more time to break in the Sierras and then re-evaluate. Either way, I'll probably keep them (even if the Sttafs win the slot for the 2 channel system). I can put the Sierras int the dining room. My wife really likes them...
Nice man. Whats in the dining room at the moment Dave? The Atoms? or Energy's?
I am going to burst if you don't try a Bryston pre amp soon.lol. I just had a NAD 162 pre amp here for the last few days that belongs to a friend in which he wants me to sell it for him. I sold it, and before shipping it I threw it in the two channel system to double check my friends word on it being in perfect order. It completely ruined my two channel system. It made such a big difference for the worse. Guitars in Eric Claptons Unplugged went from Acoustic Guitars to Banjo's.lol The music sounded slow, dull, and boring. I also have a C272 power amp(friends as well) which I through in the mix and while it was definitely not as good as the 3B, by far the biggest difference was switching out the pre amps. Hey!!, I know I was surprised as well.
The Atoms are in the dining room. They're nice little bookshelves, but nothing I'd ever consider for serious 2 channel listening.
The pre-amp is part of the master upgrade plan. Still working to scrape together enough to pay my corporate taxes for the fiscal year. I'll be there soon.
David, I would blow a nut if you were to bring the MA RS6's downstairs for a three-way steamy gang bang competition. And then post the differences between the three in the same setting with the same gear. I might even send you a gift, something like a 20 pound X-Mas turkey or some home made Jam. LOL!!!!! Come onnnnn, please?
So with the Ascend's taking the living room duty, what are you doing with the Atom's? Are they on garage duty or are they looking for a new home? I'd welcome a try - truly a shame I don't live next door, for me that is. Your dog would love me.
The Ascends are in my dining room now. The Atoms have moved down into my basement into my 3rd system. They're replacing a pair of Tannoys that I just sold to a buddy of mine.
Yeah, too bad we don't live closer. We could trade out gear all the time.
Yup. They lost out. I'm actually enjoying them in my dining room right now while I type this. They're good speakers, but an altogether different sound than the Sttafs. The Sttafs are warmer sounding, and much, much smoother. If I had never heard the Sttafs in my 2 channel and started out right of the bat with the Sierras, I'm sure they'd still be there.
