# Ascend Sierra 1's



## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

Just found myself a smoking deal on a pair of Piano Black Sierra-1's in pre-loved condition. My thought is to make these part of my HT setup, I've heard nothing but good things about these speakers.

My plan is to add these as a seperate 2 channel audio set until I can get together a Sierra-1 Center, and suitable surrounds. These will be paired with my beloved PB12+/2, but since that is a cherry cabinet, I believe I'll have to take a serious look at eventually getting a PB13 Ultra in Piano Gloss to match. This will have to be a ways down the road as I have a few other family thinigs going on right now. But it's always nice to think ahead.

I have a few questions for those of you with experience with the Sierras.

1. If given a choice, would you use a standard Sierra-1 vertically or the Sierra-1 Center horizontally for the center. I can fit one vertically with a stand 13" or lower, 12" would be ideal.

2. I'm looking for a nice, fillable set of stands to accompany the Sierras. I'm thinking a piano black finish on these would be nice, but not absolutely necessary as long as they are a quality stand with a good quality finish. Any ideas for L/C/R? I'm thinking I'll need about a 12"-13" (vertical) or 16-19" (horizontal) center stand and a 24"-26" pair for L/R (38" seated ear height on my couch).

3. Any ideas on a suitable surround speaker. I'm thinking of the Ascend 170 SE's, but I'm not certain of the timbre match. I listen to mostly 2 ch music and HT, with very little multi-channel audio, so they don't have to be perfect, just close. Also considering a custom piano black on the surrounds, but doesn't have to be. Any ideas?

4. Considering the mirror finish of the Sierras, what would you use to couple the speakers to the stands without marring the surface. I've heard people use blue-tack, neoprene pads, etc. What are your thoughts on a preferred method. I'm leaning towards the blue-tack, but I'm open to suggestions.

Anyway this goes, I'm purchasing the L/R pair tomorrow, and hope to get some other issues out of the way quickly to allow me to purchase at least the center quickly. Surrounds and sub will most likely have to wait a while. Any thoughts on the upgrade path?

I also understand through the rumor mill that Ascend may be developing a bamboo cabinet subwoofer as well. Anyone else hear the same? I'm more than happy with SVS' offerings, but my next upgrade will be a bit down the road and I was wondering about the possiblility of this option.

Thanks.


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## jackfish (Dec 27, 2006)

The Dayton SSHM-24 speaker stands are $111 a pair at Parts Express. I am using the Dayton SSHM-12 and they work well filled with alternated sand and lead shot.


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## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

They are nice stands for the $$. I looked at those, but I'm not a big fan of the round foot look, nor the brass caps. But they do like like a great value.


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

Though not as pretty as the Sierra piano black finish, the Ascend TP-24 stands are a perfect fit for the Sierra mains and come with a piece to attach them to the stands using the threaded insert on the back of the Sierra. Probably not the best-looking option, but thought I'd mention it.



> I also understand through the rumor mill that Ascend may be developing a bamboo cabinet subwoofer as well. Anyone else hear the same?


I've only heard that as speculation based solely on the "Announcement coming" message that has been on the Ascend subwoofer page for over a year. It's not a bad guess though considering the reported bass performance of the Sierra-1.


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## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

The scary thing is that I actually really like the TP24 stands, they are simple, elegant and, when filled, are supposed to be fairly inert. I like the mini-tower look they give the speakers, it will shock some people when I explain that they are bookshelves on stands. I also like the attachment method, particularly with a 3 1/2 year old running around. I'd prefer a 26-29" stand, but 24" would do. Now if only I could get them in Piano Black...

Maybe I'll make a phone call to Ascend and see if that would be possible...


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

If nothing else, Ascend may be able to sell you an unfinished pair of the TP-24 that you could have an auto-body shop prime and shoot with a high gloss black.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I just ordered the LCR Sierra 1's in piano black with the CBM-170's as surrounds. No stands since these will all be on bookshelves.

I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on these.


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## Mitch G (Sep 8, 2006)

Sonnie, are the Sierras replacing something? Or are they for a new room? Just curious.

I have Sierras for my mains and I simply love them. 


Mitch


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

These will be new and for our great room to go in the entertainment center we just built. We are setting up a second system without a sub for the great room and need bookshelf speakers. These came highly recommended for my setup.


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## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

I'll let you know my thoughts when they get here. They're coming to NY from Cali, and they're shipping today, so sometime next week.

Just curious as to why you chose the 170's for surrounds. I'll be incorporating these into a 5.1 setup over time, as the funds allow. My thought was another Sierra-1 for center duties and was hoping for input on surrounds. Curious as to your decision process.


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## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

Well, bad news. The seller of the Sierras has advised me that in trying to buff out some minor scratches, he has damaged the finish of the speakers to the point that he no longer feels he can sell me the speakers in their current condition. As such, the plans are on hold again, and no Sierras are on their way. Sonnie, let me know your thoughts when you get yours, I'm very interested to find out your thoughts.

The Sierras are still in my upgrade path, I'll just have to wait a little longer for them.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Bummer... I will keep you posted. I should get mine first of next week.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

jr1414 said:


> Well, bad news. The seller of the Sierras has advised me that in trying to buff out some minor scratches, he has damaged the finish of the speakers to the point that he no longer feels he can sell me the speakers in their current condition.


Hmm...and he didn't offer you a price reduction to still take them? Smells like sellers remorse to me.


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## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

Sonnie, looking forward to your impressions once you get them broken in. From what I've read they actually sound pretty good out of the box, but 30 hours or so and they come alive.

As far as buyer's remorse, you may be correct. I've talked with him, however, and he seems quite reasonable. The biggest problem is the seller is in Cali, and I'm in NY. If I could just drive over, we could resolve this in an afternoon. The seller, to his credit, did refund my money promptly and he ate the PayPal fees and has communicated all along the way. 

I've made one more offer for him to ship the speakers for my inspection, and if I am not satisfied I'll ship them back. Worst case here is we're both out $50 or so for shipping, best case is that I'm satisfied with the speakers and the deal stands. 

As stated before, these are in my upgrade path so they will make it to my house one way or another. It was easy to get the pair at a discount past the finance comittee (my wife), but the full surround setup will take some lobbying. I thought if I could get the pair and she fell in love with them, then picking up the other 3 channels would be a cinch. I'd hat to purchase just a pair new and miss out on the discount structure at Ascend for buying 3 or more speakers at a time. Might have to go that route anyway though.


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## Josuah (Apr 26, 2006)

Decouple the speakers from the stands using reasonably-sized rubber bumpers or some other such. Blue tack will not do enough. Also make sure the stands are massive. If metal, flick them and make sure they don't vibrate or fill them with mass to prevent vibrations. If wood, you really need to make sure you've decoupled well enough.

Stands that are vibrating with acoustical energy have a very audible negative effect on the sound.

As for questions #1 and #3, I'd post on Ascend's forums or ask them directly for the best answer. I don't recall if the Sierra 1 center's tweeter has a particular orientation associated with its implementation.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Josuah said:


> I don't recall if the Sierra 1 center's tweeter has a particular orientation associated with its implementation.


Yes... the center tweeter is designed for horizontal placement of the speaker. If one wanted to place it vertical, they would need to purchase one of the left or right speakers and use it as a center.


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## jr1414 (Nov 28, 2007)

According to DaveF, the only difference between the center and the L/R speakers is the orientation of the tweeter. If you wanted to try both vertical and hroizontal placement of the center, you would only have to rotate the tweeter, there are no other differences in the speaker or the crossover network. The reason for rotation is the waveguide around the tweeter.


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## conchyjoe7 (Aug 28, 2007)

Don't know if you're still looking for stands, but I would check this out if I were you. http://www.audioadvisor.com/products.asp?dept=54 They're a VERY reputable company and will price match if you find it veriably less expensive. I have dealt with them many times and so can you...with full confidence!
Cheers,
Konky.


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Sonnie said:


> I just ordered the LCR Sierra 1's in piano black with the CBM-170's as surrounds. No stands since these will all be on bookshelves.
> 
> I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on these.


I run this setup myself, except I have the Sierras in Natural.


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Sonnie said:


> Bummer... I will keep you posted. I should get mine first of next week.


Did you receive these yet?
If so, what are your thoughts on them.


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Sonnie,

Did you get the Sierra's yet?

If you didn't like them, and thought they sounded awful, that's fine...
I just haven't seen anything regarding your listening tests yet.

m


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Sorry about that muzz. 

Yes... I have had them for a couple of weeks now and from what I have heard they are definitely staying in the system. Very nice sound!

I plan to do more extensive listening and testing, but between being swamped and sick, I just have not had time.

I will post a formal review hopefully in the next 30 days or so.


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Glad to see that you got them, was worried that something bad happened in transit!!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, since you have some really nice speakers already (obviously not asking if they sound "better" than your ML's, that's not fair to any Bookshelf speaker, never mind lesser Floorstanders) to use as baseline.

I thought about this, cuz I'm watching "The Wall" on DVD right now(at 115"-5.1 of course!!)!!

Edit: Hope ya feeling better soon!!

Thanks,

m


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## chas (Jan 28, 2007)

I've also been waiting for your review Sonnie. I have a pair of piano black coming next week. Hope you're feeling better.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Thanks guys... I am feeling a whole lot better right now. I had a cold that I had just about gotten rid of and then along came about the worst bout with allergies that I have experienced in years. I felt like cutting my head off to kill the pain. :blink:

I will say that as far as speakers I have heard that I really liked a lot, I would rank them in this order: ML's, Sierra 1's, SBS-01's, PSB Image. All others have been either just average or unacceptable.


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

muzz said:


> I run this setup myself, except I have the Sierras in Natural.


This is exactly the setup I'm considering. Would you mind giving a mini review? Also, what sub do you use?
I'm wavering between the Sierra's as fronts or the 340's. They will be in a 16x18x9 dedicated HT.

Thanks,
Doug


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## Mitch G (Sep 8, 2006)

FWIW, I vote for getting the Sierras.
If you're worried about being able to fill your room, I don't think you'll have any trouble. I have a 15x20 room with a vaulted ceiling plus it opens up to the kitchen. I have yet to run out of loudicity when listening to music or watching movies.

(My set up is a pair of Sierras for mains, a Paradigm CC-170 center (it fits in the TV stand) a pair of Paradigm atoms as surrounds and a SVS 25-31 PC-plus sub.)


Mitch


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Agree... our great room is even larger and the Sierra 1's do very well. :T


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Well Doug, I'm not much of a writer...
I HAD the 170se's up front, with a 340SEC before I got the Sierra L/C/R.

When going to a matched system(exact same speakers across the front), I noticed that the front soundstage sounded much smoother, which of course makes sense regardless of what folks say about "Similar" voicing.
The same should always sound smoother if there are quality standards.

I feel the Sierras up front sound smoother than the 170's did, especially in 2 channel, much better bass, and the highs seem a bit smoother as well.

For MY use of the 170SES, they are perfectly fine, if not a bit overkill as surrounds IMO, as I don't listen to SACD or DVDA, but they handle the 5.1 Concert DVDS I watch without issue, and sound very good doing it.

My XO is set at 80(I have run it at 60 as well), and my sub is a DIY Rythmik DS12-Sealed.

Considering the $ spent, I feel the system sounds VG, and would not hesitate to recommend them to people that want decent quality audio on a reasonable budget (for average wallets).

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but writing about stuff is really not my thing I guess.

m


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## DougMac (Jan 24, 2008)

Thanks to all who replied to my question regarding the Ascend Sierra's vs 340's. Your replies are very similar to the responses I received at the Ascend forum.

The consensus from folks who have owned both gives the nod to the 340's for HT applications and Sierras if any degree of music will be played. 

I leaning hard towards the Sierras. Here's my reasoning:

We listen to a fair amount of music. When I recently bought my second hand "classic" Ascend HTM-200's that will end up as the rears in the HT, I found myself sitting and listening to them for extended periods. I'm sure Sierra's will entrance me that much more.

My wife and I watch more classic and dialogue driven movies than action movies. While we watch our share of LOTR and Star Wars movies, we rarely watch movies with gunshots, explosions, attack helicopters, car chases and other forms of mayhem.

We don't crank. I measured both movies and music at the loudest levels we use and my readings were in the ~78-80 db range with peaks hitting 88-90db. I don't think I saw >90db. When we go to the Centraplex, I often find the volume uncomfortably loud. I've even considered bringing my SPL meter to check! :hush:

Doug


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Sonnie,

Any thoughts with a months use?


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

I was thinking about that last night... I have got to get my review done.

I have been thoroughly pleased with the Sierra 1's thus far. I am not sure I can say enough good about them.

I hope I can get the review done shortly. Sorry for the delay... I have had just absolutely too much going on.


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## muzz (Nov 30, 2006)

Well it sounds like you really like them to me.
I actually expected that myself, as they are fabulous speakers IMO.
I have a pretty decent Rythmik 12" sealed sub, and I keep debating what frequency to set it....
This is because of the Sierras.........I think OK I have it....then I'm not so sure...

I HAVEN'T been watching alot of movies lately, so I set them as large W/Sub............
Sound great.
The Sierras are shining, and that's a pretty good sub for music.
Sometimes I wonder.......


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## z_accoustics (Mar 1, 2007)

Oh humble narrator. I solicit thee for a bonafide, and much belated once over of these fine specimens.


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