NEW! Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2 Review

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[@ErinsAudioCorner]

A simple request: If any of you find yourselves shopping for anything sold by the retailers below please consider using my generic affiliate link. These can earn me a small commission which goes a long way toward helping me review items and make content. It is a great way you can help me continue doing what I enjoy doing without costing you anything extra. It is truly appreciated! Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov Audio Advice: www.audioadvice.com/?referral=erins-audio-corner Best Buy: howl.me/ck2IPpcOp1h Crutchfield: shop-links.co/cgZmmT81jmh Newegg: howl.me/ck2IQg52L5b Samsung: howl.me/ck2IQ5qe16w Target: howl.me/ck2IRDNsIqn Emotiva: shorturl.at/pBEU9 Monoprice: bit.ly/3yAY6NH Arendal Sound: arendalsound.com/store/?refer=hardisj If you are shopping at any of the above stores then please consider using my generic affiliate links above to make the purchase through. Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn't matter if it's a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!

[@EduardoGarciaTarmac]

,

[@marto2006]

This is the evidence that capable designers with a Klippel NFS can design an objectively good speaker under USD$1000 per pair. Cheers to ASCEND ACOUSTICS and thanks Erin!

[@ThomasDercole2230]

I have the big brother sierra lx. They play down to 38 hz in the same size cabinet. Love them

[@nhennessy6434]

Great review Erin. Just a couple of years ago it would have been unthinkable to see a speaker with this kind of quality at this price point. I think it shows that the spotlight you and others have put on the manufacturers of these products with your very thorough measurements and reviews are pushing them toward giving us far better products. Keep up the great work. I hope that at some point we will see a Sierra LX review. Perhaps with the larger 6.5" midwoofer we will see better performance in distortion and compression measurements at higher volumes. Again, this review answers a lot of questions in my mind about whether Ascend has stepped up and is competitive with the Kefs and the Revels of the world. Short answer: It is!

[@NaregChakhbasian]

I have the lx, God damn, it beat my $6.5k focal aria 948s, both in clarity and in the depth of bass. Their elx is an end game for sure. Hopefully one day I can afford to spend another 5k on a pair of speakers. But even if I don't, the LX with true high end subs like Rythmik Lv12m or F12 and you have sound that can only be matched by $10k to $15k floorstanders. It's pretty crazy the breakthroughs Dave is making for the consumer market.

[@nhennessy6434]

Perhaps you could lend Erin your pair for testing? @@NaregChakhbasian

[@briansmith4241]

Erin, you have to get an Ascend Acoustics in with the RAAL to measure. Many people would enjoy a review of the new ELX towers and center. Make it happen!

[@commanderrussels2612]

It would be super interesting for you to compare this with the ones that have RAAL ribbons. Thanks for this review, Ascend has made some really nice speakers over the years. I'm especially impressed that when one speaker had a bad Kippel result the owner went out of and BOUGHT one and went through his entire line updated them all. This speaker shows the results of that effort to make his product better.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Great suggestion!

[@NaregChakhbasian]

The raal are very accurate, probably the closest to the real instrument and notes. The dome however is much smoother for a wider range of music.

[@elongatuspiranha]

Finally an Ascend Acoustic speaker! I have their top tower ELX and love them!

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

Their Sierra-LXs are some of the best sub $5000 Bookshelves money can buy

[@ChicagoRob2]

My friend has a pair. They are incredible.

[@vettesweetnos]

Agreed

[@TheDutchSandwich]

Man, these speakers are simply gorgeous. They are so simple they are almost iconic looking. I have several pairs of speakers and have always wanted to try a pair of Ascend’s bookshelfs.

[@imelstevo]

Thanks for the great review, this company is very interesting. Would love to see a review of the Sierra-LX, am very curious if the 50% higher price is worth it and whether you enjoy it as much as these Sierra-1 V2's.

[@mattmarceau8156]

Thanks for reviewing these, hoping you can get the LX model in soon. Maybe even the ELX floorstanders :)

[@Goose_Lord]

Damn, Ascend is legit!! Thats the best looking in room response yet. Would love see your take on the more affordable speakers in their lineup as well. Thanks Erin!

[@commanderrussels2612]

I bought their cheapest home theater speaker (HTM-200) as a temporary speaker pair while redoing my theater, figuring I'd just sell them when finished. I never did sell them, I'll just keep them forever - now using them in my bedroom. Great little compact, inexpensive, bookshelves. I just looked them up on their website and they still sell them and they are still very reasonably priced.

[@Goose_Lord]

@@commanderrussels2612 That's awesome , I am personally very interested in using those in a budget home theater application. I'd love to see them on a klippel. Very versatile based on their size and reported output capabilities.

[@matt34003434]

Great review, Ascend Acoustics has always been a safe bet when recommending a quality speaker to others.

[@lukeselker5175]

Yeeeesss! Ive been waiting for Ascend reviews on the NFS! Thanks Erin! Id love to see more of their V2 models tested!

[@mp88mp88mp88mp88]

In the future if possible perhaps more speakers from ascend. The cheaper floor stander might be of interest to a lot people. Great review!!!

[@paultravisano9403]

And the center channel!

[@JosephTongret]

I'm hoping for the same. I've been personally going back and forth between the Sierra LX bookshelfs and the Sierra Tower v2. Even though Dave goes above and beyond providing many useful measurements right on the product page, I appreciate Erin's inclusion of distortion measurements and his personal subjective impressions. I'm sure many people feel the same, but the fact that Dave purchased a Klippel in response to ASR's reviews left me with a very positive opinion of him and his company.

[@KforConstant]

Their theater line of speakers, too

[@NaregChakhbasian]

​@JosephTongret I really anticipated a review for their newer speakers. Why you went for their orders models doesn't make much sense to me. A review of either the lx or exv2 would have been appreciated.

[@Cyclonecgs]

@@NaregChakhbasianthis is a review of an updated speaker, and is the newest from Ascend.

[@fmottnar01]

Excellent review. So nice to see a changing landscape that is moving in the right direction. And of course excellent engineering at this level of consideration and detail. I hope this means you are reviewing the Revel M16s as well. The ASR review leaves a lot of open questions about the bass performance, particularly with respect to distortion, and it would be great to see it get your thorough treatment.

[@johnyang799]

Still rocking my R3 and Linton. Good enough for me.

[@ubacow7109]

Finally a professional review on Ascend speakers

[@mattholland315]

Erin, this is a superb review. In fact I think it’s so good that it should be used as a gold standard for a speaker review. The balance of subjective impressions to objective reality is perfect. Add in the tongue-in-cheek comments around subjectivist hyperbole and the focus always on the measurements and what actually matters for performance accuracy, you nailed it. I used to enjoy a lot of subjective KZbin reviewers but now I realise (also courtesy of Audio Science Review) that it’s all BS. Peace ✌️

[@FOH3663]

Well done, ... both Erin and Ascend.

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

Impressive linearity in room. I think it would be interesting for you to do some videos on speaker theory. Like beaming in a dome tweeter, or maybe tweeters in general. I know you touched on it here but more detail into what it is, why does it happen, how can it be mitigated, what are the tradeoffs. If looking at tweeters generally you could compare and contrast the qualities of dome vs. ribbon, etc. I think that would be an interesting series of videos to help fill in some information for technically minded audio enthusiasts.

[@shipsahoy1793]

The Sierra’s are to my liking ..a pair of those on stands with a nice sub (in a small room) or two in a larger one, either case set up right would probably do the trick on a budget conscious quality stereo. I don’t need any of that stuff right now, but I always like to know what options are available, and a bit of insight into how they roll. As always, thanks Erin, good job.

[@MRPC5]

Had my phone in my pocket and you got me with the intro. I laughed.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

😂😂

[@khurram88]

Interested in seeing your review of their speakers with the RAAL tweeter. I’m curious to hear your impressions on their imaging and soundstage.

[@okay1904]

I am so so glad that speaker opinions have now been democratised and made fully objective, rather than listen to a bunch of opinions. I value this channel, the associated web site, and the AudioScienceReview a whole lot.

[@JamesArvizu-nu5in]

one of the better videos I have seen today

[@Casey.S.]

Nice speakers. Thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@avnut5517]

Excellent review!!! Thank you for all the effort you put into doing these. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thank you. And happy Thanksgiving to you as well!

[@4tv914]

I like the comparison in the last part of this video. Great job and thanks, Erin! Would share more thoughts about how it compares with Kef R3 Meta?

[@stevengagnon4777]

The five and a quarter is a good sweet spot for the one inch dome. If you try to get that extra bass extension it seems to compromise near the crossover. Just use a sub and cut out the very bottom end (near the f3 it's starting to struggle there already)of the mid woofer and you'll get good overall results with nice vocals.

[@rob21]

Looking forward to the review of their LX speakers, if it's on your list.

[@iamamadman6542]

The LX are awesome speakers!

[@ChicagoRob2]

@@iamamadman6542 I’ll put the LX against anything up to $5K/pair.

[@Sham-84-]

Hi Erin, are you going to review their Sierra LX anytime soon?

[@JC-bl9bo]

Excellent review, this manufacturer really flies under the radar. Please, please do the new design CMT340 2 speakers.

[@CC-xu2yz]

Would love to see Erin review this speaker.

[@Azzy_Mazzy]

thank you for the review and the comparison at the end.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ryanr6240]

I've been going down the rabbit hole for the last week or so, I've never watched so many tv and speaker reviews. I feel like I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Since you say most center channels suck I'm taking your advice and going 3 bookshelves LCR. These look amazing. I emailed the company to ask if I could buy a pair and a single and I mentioned your video review.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Good idea (about going vertical LCR). :)

[@Tunnelsnakes]

If you ever get the chance, please review the new Ascend Acoustics ELX Towers as well, I heard they measure great!

[@jerrybuffington6473]

Thank you for the nice review. I've been using 5 of the original Sierra-1's for about 15+ years in a modest 5.2 setup used for HT and 2 channel. Have toyed around with the idea of upgrading over the past few years years. Maybe if Ascend releases an upgrade kit to the V2 then that could be a fun little project and an upgrade at the same time.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mikef5659]

That Revel M16 is one seriously good sounding speaker. Beats everything I've heard in the $1000 range. Would love to hear the Ascend with the RAAL. I think that would be my go to upgrade over the M16.

[@WestonWill]

I was really close to buying a set of the V1 a few years ago, they were a "non-mainstream" option that was highly recommended by the community. I went with the Focal Chora 806 because I got a good deal locally. I may have to pick up a set of V2 now!

[@WestonWill]

Just ordered a pair! Thanks again Erin!

[@318ishonk]

Great review, thumbs up Sir!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Much appreciated!

[@handymadness]

Dave and Dina are a great family business and as stand up as it gets. I have their Sierra towers with raal tweeter and horizon center channel with raal. I use their htm200 for surrounds. This is in my dedicated music/movie room. I have six SI 18”’s. It sounds ridiculous with music or movies. I use Sierra 2 with raal and center in my family room with one 18”. Smaller brothers and don’t fill my giant room as well but waf prevented more towers.

[@andres77fj]

Got mine a week ago and they sound incredible, they reveal every detail even better than my Beyerdynamic dt770 headphones. I agree with everything you said. These pair of speakers are the best I've heard in the price range, and are suitable for audio mixing.

[@ChicagoRob2]

I got to hear these with a Schiit Aegir continuity amp and was gob-smacked.

[@timh6510]

Another excellent review. I was pretty sure from your preview crossover photo that is was going to be Ascend. I have the Sierra 2 EX V2s. I love them. I'm just guessing that you might say those have too wide of a horizontal tweeter dispersion, and it is wide. I ended up adding some room treatment to tame down the side wall reflections, and the sound is (IMHO) amazing now.

[@rickg8015]

The midwoofer cone design reminds me of the classic Celestion SL6/12si series..

[@davesnider8375]

This is really helpful...thank you.

[@dan_hitchman007]

Happy Thanksgiving, Erin!!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Same to you!

[@officialchill1706]

Given the slight issues in on axis linearity do not manifest in the EIR, does that suggest this would be better suited for mid and far field? Thanks !!

[@user-bl7oe2md4p]

Ascend makes very good speakers at a pretty affordable price 1K which in today's market is high value! Indeed if I were buying a system today I probably would go with the Ascends for mains stereo or music and home theater surround. I hope that a matching center channel is available as well. If you want wide bandwidth explosive dynamics it might not be the best choice. For those on a budget maybe the orbs.

[@briandunn957]

Get a third of the same one. MTM designs have some lobing issues if you have a far (from speaker) and/or wide seating area, for people further to the left and right. I have 3x Sierra-LX for my LCR and have one on its side for my center channel. The vertical dispersion is really good, which is the horizontal dispersion when it's placed on its side. If I had a bigger room and the TV or screen was up higher, I'd put the center vertical.

[@MechAdv]

Endgame near field speakers for me. I’ll make sure to use your affiliate link after I save up!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Oh, I don’t have an affiliate account with this manufacturer. But it might behoove me to ask them about it.

[@MechAdv]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Yeah I was just perusing their products and everything looks stellar. I might get their Signature Edition bookshelf pair, the measurements on that one look incredible for only 350$. I like that they source parts from SEAS. The excel drivers in my towers have been excellent for my living room needs.

[@Mr123gggg]

Hey Erin have you looked into any Open Baffle Speakers? They seem to be gaining traction. Pure Audio Project, LiiSong Audio, and Spatial Audio

[@horrorfan6710]

I just ordered these today, can't wait to get them.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I just boxed em up to send back. For a split second I considered emailing them to ask if they would be willing to sell them to me but the last thing I need to be doing is buying stuff right now.

[@horrorfan6710]

@@ErinsAudioCorner So I've had these for over a week and I like them more then my DBR62s. I thought I really liked the DBR62s but now find them kind of muddy and I don't like the boost in bass either. I guess my only question is I've watched this video twice but it doesn't suggest how much I should have the Sierra-1 V2 toed in or not. The graph that shows the estimated in room response at the 10:08 mark looks about the same for 0 degrees and 30 degrees. What would be preferable cause right now I have them pointing right at beside my shoulders.

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

@@horrorfan6710 yeah, with these speakers there isn’t a LOT of change with aiming other than slightly trading off imaging with width and a small bit of upper treble extension.

[@horrorfan6710]

Thanks responding so fast. So does that mean if they don't change much on or off-axis that means that's a sign of good engineering then, vs other speakers that are affected more when changing the axis?

[@ChicagoRob2]

@@horrorfan6710 The DBR62s are good speakers, but sound colored next to the Sierra.

[@zefrog7482]

Nice, that's an impressive speaker, especially for the price.🙂 Top notch review as always, much appreciated.🙂

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Thanks! 👍

[@slyfoxx8540]

Sierra 2 v2? You could make comparisons for the money and improvements?

[@64493552]

The score is almost identical to the Reference One Meta. Erin what is your honest opinion between these 2?

[@mikesimpson7323]

Great review Erin, I'm lucky enough to live within driving distance from Ascend they make some killer speakers. Any chance you'll get the ELX Towers or even the Sierra LX bookshelfs?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Possibly!

[@celstark]

I just noticed they’re just down in San Clemente! That’s only a half hour from me. Clearly, given that they will give you Klippel results of speakers you buy (for a fee), this is a key component of their design process.

[@vettesweetnos]

May get a pair of the LX, I have the sierra lunas for my desktop setup with a rythmik f12 sub. Theyre fantastic for near field gaming and music. Great review.

[@briandunn957]

The LX are great! I have LX with an F12SE for my music and home theater. It might be questionable if the LX would be necessary over the 1-V2 if you're using a sub and not listening super loud, as the main benefits of the LX above these are the bass depth and heft, and the loud dynamics.

[@Sham-84-]

Thanks Erin, how would you rate it against Elac DBR62?

[@tpn8402]

But Erin, wasn't the Elac DBR62 you tested +/-70 degrees horizontal radiation with a waveguide?

[@jeffreybritton3338]

Revel m105 on sale for $1154. I wonder how it compares. Spinorama has Revel m105 tonality: 5.8 Sierra1 v2 tonality: 6.7 I think mainly because the Sierra plays lower.

[@pulDag]

Nice results, but I would say they are where they are due the very low sensivity, isn't it?

[@leodesforges161]

Hey Erin, could you say a few words about the sierra vs the Philharmonic Ceramic Mini? Thanks a ton. Nearly the same specs and size.

[@DBravo29er]

Have heard both. Would give a slight nod to the Sierra-1

[@carlom.3737]

Great to see third party confirmation of Ascend Acoustics quality. I have their ELX tower (with the RAAL 70-20 option) which I auditioned in person (I'm about 70 miles from them) and Dave and Dina were great hosts. They were very patient and accommodating, letting me audition them extensively before making a purchase decision. Great video as always, Erin!

[@chinmeysway]

Holy cows. Just bought Sierra v1 recently, must have been one of the last persons to get them now replaced by v2. You show a couple measurements of v1 - are those your measurements? So many questions- could I just gift you say 30 usd to answer like 4 q’s via email? Ascend has published klipple measurements and would be interesting to compare the two. And to discuss lower sensitivity and long throw drivers.

[@user-xt8yx4tz8x]

For the Love of God do his entire line! Dave does not get the credit he deserves.

[@stevewathen5909]

Do you recommend these over the Elac DBR62?

[@vintageflanker7096]

Thanks, Erin ! 🙏 This EIR is absolutely insane for a passive speaker, without even a waveguide. Really shocked how good this is for a sub-1k$ bookshelf. Definitely, a well deserved "NFS Optimized" sticker ! 😉

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Absolutely. The listening I did was a treat and it’s really neat to see an objectively incredible speaker at just under $1k/pair.

[@vintageflanker7096]

@@ErinsAudioCorner The only issue there is with Ascend: No distribution in Europe (or outside NA for that matter)...

[@authenticNL2]

Hi, I'm in a conundrum between the M16 and the Sierra 1. In nearfield listening, and in a small room, does the Revel M16 have a better soundstage and imaging capabilities better than the Sierra 1 V2?

[@danemoreno88]

Very nice speakers

[@luke9822]

I wish Ascend had a more modern living room friendly aesthetic (higher WAF) to their speaker design. I've always wanted to try them out based on their performance. Particularly, because I live nearby.

[@briandunn957]

What would that entail for you, for more "aesthetic" design? I think white cabinets would be interesting. I have Sierra-LX in piano black, but I was also looking at the Arendal speakers for sound quality and white cabinets.

[@CC-xu2yz]

The ELX and Sierra series look pretty good to me.

[@deathbykungfu]

I need you to specifically start comparing every speaker to the Wharfedale Lintons, which I own lol (great review as always tho, thx)

[@ChicagoRob2]

I have Lintons and Sierra -1 V2s. Love them both(the Lintons are in my daughter’s system - lucky girl). I’m running the Lintons with a Schiit Vidar2, and the Sierra -1 V2 with a Musical Fidelity M3SI.

[@TylerStout]

Looks like a pretty amazing speaker. Only issue for me is the sensitivity is too low for home theater, specifically once you have 6 of these + a center you're going to need quite a bit of power out of an amp and these things probably laugh an built in AVR amp. For two channel this would be hard to beat tho.

[@antoniomarsicola8608]

Hi Erin, is this speaker a better all-rounder than the Wharfedale Linton? Is there any use case where Lintons are better? Ps. We want the Ascend towers at this point :-)

[@ChicagoRob2]

The Sierra-1 V2s are more neutral.

[@nmnate]

Dammit Erin... you've got me looking at ELX towers now. Hell ascend sells Rythmik subs too. Ugh! 🤣

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I didn’t know they sold rythmik. Interesting!

[@chinmeysway]

Big fan of Ascend for sound and use of sustainable bamboo! It’s actually stronger than everything else. No way these will look gross and broken in 25 years or 2 how mdf / everything else will. Been enjoying the v1’s. Listen to Thom Yorke if you want some intense bass / want to see some speakers chuck air before your eye.

[@rickg8015]

Hi Erin.. How easy are these to drive in terms of getting subjective dynamics out of them? On paper they are on the low side of the efficiency scale, but they are true 8 Ohm speakers impedance-wise… It’s gonna be placed in my sister’s medium sized apartment living room..

[@MsSgent]

If you look at the chart at time 7:30 it shows the minimum impedance to be 7 ohms which is very good for this size speaker --- many "8 ohm" speakers have minimum impedances of 4-5 ohms for brief transients.

[@rickg8015]

@@MsSgentThanks.. Yeah, would work well with amps that have a relatively lower DF..

[@JosephTongret]

This is the one I've been waiting for Erin, the new Sierra LX (or Tower v2)! I currently have two 2-channel systems running Dynaudio Evoke 20 and Arendal 1723 Monitor. I really enjoy both for different reasons and I plan to keep them, but I've been interested in the new Sierras since they were first announced. If not for a significant financial expense that surprised us a couple of weeks ago, I most likely would've been pulling the trigger on a pair under the guise of a X-mas gift for myself, lol! Now I have to take care of some responsibilities first, but it'll only make the reward that much sweeter when I get them. Thank you so much for the contributions you make to our hobby, I really do sincerely appreciate it. I'm almost embarrassed to say I'm not a monthly supporter to you (or anyone) because it's really a small fee for what you provide. However, I just have to closely monitor all the monthly micro-payments or they just add up quickly to a significant sum. I know it's not much, but just something I can give to let you know I'm conscious of your work. Happy Holidays to you and your Daughter and I hope you make some great memories this season! Edit: I commented before watching, I see it's the V1. However, all of what I said still applies! I have a tendency of pretending I know what I don't yet know, lmao🤣

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Hey! Thank you for the kind words and the donation. I really appreciate it.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Very nice =)

[@x-techgaming]

Seems nice for the price! But not enough bass to be a complete speaker

[@tpn8402]

Man... Sounds sweet but I can't fully shake my prejudice towards metal dome tweeters from my own (possibly deluded) listening experiences. Would be very interested in seeing you review the original Sierra 1 (as well as the NRT upgraded version). I've been curious about that speaker since like highschool..

[@ChicagoRob2]

Not to worry. I borrowed my friend’s pair and ran them with my Yamaha A-S1200. Incredible sound, loads of detail, and zero harshness/hardness.

[@johnwicker7783]

How do these compare to the Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary speakers? These were my top based off your review, but maybe I can save some bucks and go with these.....

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

Wharfedale is a 3-way design that has higher sensitivity and gets a little lower. Ascend is a bit smoother in-room. The Wharfedale can play louder with lower distortion. Ascend is a good deal smaller. Both have reasonably wide radiation but Wharfedale is a bit wider.

[@johnwicker7783]

Thank you for that! Since it's a fairly large open space I think I will stick with the Wharefedales!@@ErinsAudioCorner

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

@@johnwicker7783 if you decide to go with the wharfedales and don’t mind, please use my affiliate link below. It earns me a small commission but doesn’t cost you anything extra. It would be appreciated. Crutchfield: shop-links.co/chzSjggEcbv

[@caidNL]

Great review Erin! After looking at the manufacturer website all I can wonder is, why didnt they also ship you the Sierra LX? Website says those go down to 28 hz!

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

I think one of the reasons is because he wanted to verify my measurement process by comparing our measurements of this new speaker. But they might send me some more in the future and maybe that will be one of them.

[@caidNL]

@@ErinsAudioCorner thanks for the response looking forward to it! His website says to reach out for international transport I fear it's possibly a dreadful fee to ship to the Netherlands from west coast. Am looking for a bookshelf that doesn't need a sub and those are few to come by.

[@sudd3660]

they say 28hz extension in room, but the data shows a graphs calles "estimate in room response" where you can clearly see the bass drops of fast at 55hz, '15db at 28hz. in my room i need a rise in response to get low bass, and this speaker fall of early.

[@caidNL]

​@@sudd3660i see it. Anechoic reaponse -3db at 43 hz. Extension to 36 hz for -6 db. Hence curious for Erin's view on those :-)

[@chinmeysway]

Holy cows n wows. Just bought Sierra v1 recently (tons of bass; never seen a speaker move so deeply), must have been one of the last to acquire them now replaced by v2. You show a couple measurements of v1 - are those your measurements? So many questions- could I just gift you say 30 usd to answer like 4 q’s via email? Ascend has published klipple measurements and would be interesting to compare the two. And to discuss lower sensitivity and long throw type drivers that sierras have. Love your scientific approach. And ascend is awesome.

[@word2RG]

👍

[@celstark]

Loved the intro 😂

[@blaze2051]

these look nice, wish they were $650 for the pair

[@ratingsdad]

I wonder how these compare to the Heco Celan Revolution 3? Those can be had for $1150 on audioadvice. Two years ago I compared the original Sierra 2s with RAAL tweeter versus the Heco Celan and the Celan crushed it. Just a more complete speaker than the Sierra 2. Both were bright which I liked, but the Celan was better overall. If these can beat the Celan, I’d be interested in trying them.

[@user-mz6lt2pr9s]

Happy Thanksgiving! Who wears pants and eats all of their thanksgiving dinner. Nobody lol.

[@gokhanersan8561]

Better than Arendal monitors?

[@CC-xu2yz]

Probably.

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

Thanks for this great review. How do they compare to the SVS Ultra? What amp did you use to drive them? What is the sweetspot power rating of the amp to get the best out of them? Happy Thanksgiving to you, Sir.

[@pulDag]

From directivity and frequency response there is no contest. Sierra-1 V2 are miles better. Where Ultras have upper hand are in distortion when playing higher SPL levels 96dB+ (under 250Hz) and Dynamic Range above 86dB SPL(compression). Sierra-1 V2 are best for lower level stereo listening, Ultras are more of a home cinema speaker with brighter sound and a need of a subwoofer.

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

@@pulDag Many thanks for your comprehensive reply. I shall have to get a pair to test against my SVS Ultras.

[@danemoreno88]

@@pulDagthey don’t need a Subwoofer lol

[@CC-xu2yz]

@@danemoreno88They both need subwoofers.

[@khoi83]

How can the Dynaudio bookshelfs cost 7K??!!! That,s the real question

[@ec6843]

Superlative estimated in-room response. Such a shame they have ugly peg holes for the grilles on the face -- it's 2024 after all! Looks matter too!

[@d.s.6268]

I don't get it - I clicked on 3 links from your list - Amazon, Best buy, Crutchfield - and none of them link to these speakers. Moreover, while searching those websites they don't even seem to carry them or know what they are. And your video is from like 2 days ago ? Ha ?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

The links are generic if you’re shopping at those retailers. I have no affiliate link with the manufacturer of this particular speaker. But I do appreciate the feedback.

[@d.s.6268]

@@ErinsAudioCorner Thank you. As I said - I tried to search for those speakers on each site and it seemed like they just didn't have them. Was trying to support the channell while buying them :) Thanks for the reply !

[@laurentkoehl771]

For once, a quality consistent speaker throughout its parts 🎉

[@DBravo29er]

Great speakers. Owned several. Cannot stand the owner. Thanks Erin!

[@cristobalhansu]

They need to start offering white finishes

[@chinmeysway]

Yuck nooooo!!! Hahaa

[@JosephTongret]

I'm a fellow fan of white speakers! I don't get why they aren't more popular. Especially those who prefer black in piano gloss, at least white hides fingerprints and dust much better. I can see the beauty of real wood finishes but I just love the simple, elegant and minimal aesthetic of a white speaker.

[@monkoosbob0]

Yes please, or alternative veneers like Walnut.

[@CC-xu2yz]

I would bet that the demand for white speakers is extremely low.

[@CC-xu2yz]

@@monkoosbob0 Walnut is one of my favorites.

[@ACM1000000PT]

as far as i know, bamboo>mdf?

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

TBH, I’m not sure what the property differences are.

[@bbfoto7248]

​@ErinsAudioCorner Bamboo is classified as a grass species, not as a wood (tree) species. Just one of bamboo's advantageous properties is that it physically expands and contracts significantly less than wood when there are wide temperature fluctuations. This is mostly due to it not absorbing or expelling moisture. Due to this, it is also less prone to rot & decay compared to most woods. Due to sensitivities to airborne allergies and the problems that forced-air HVAC can exacerbate, the home that I designed and built uses in-slab/in-floor radiant heating (a mild H2O/glycol fluid that is circulated through PEX tubing "loops" that are distributed within the concrete slab foundation, and subfloor on the 2nd level). Each room or area of the house is on its own "circuit" or "loop", and the temperature can be controlled independently in each area by valves which regulate the amount of flow to each circuit or loop. I love traditional wood floors, but there can be issues (buckling or gaps, bowing or cupping, drying/cracking/splitting) when combined with radiant floor heat due to temperature expansion & contraction, so I've used beautiful bamboo flooring throughout the house which eliminates those potential issues. Bamboo also has excellent damping properties. It is quite soft when used in its horizontal grain orientation, but much harder and stronger when multiple layers are laminated in its vertical grain orientation. I used a "strand-woven" type of bamboo flooring in my home which is even harder and stronger than solid oak, but the bamboo doesn't suffer from expansion/contraction. Strand-woven bamboo also has a more typical wood-grain look that you won't immediately recognize as being bamboo flooring. I haven't done it yet, but I have considered buying more strand-woven wide-plank bamboo flooring to construct the cabinets/enclosures for my DIY speaker projects. Hope that wasn't too nerdy, LOL. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

[@Clobercow1]

You should have went off camera long so we would wonder if the next 16 minutes of the video would have been of your empty chair.

[@JosephTongret]

Your subjective description had me until you mentioned "inner detail". When a speaker reveals the inner detail it becomes too much of a distraction from the macro and micro details and ultimately destroys the conveyance of emotion in the music. Hard pass.😝(sarcasm implied)😂

[@ChicagoRob2]

Your loss

[@ErinsAudioCorner]

😂😂😂. You had me going for a second …