Honestly not sure it can lol
| MAXIMUM CONTINUOUS OUTPUT (1% THD) | MRX 1140 | MRX 740 | MRX 540 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channels 1-5, Two Driven into 8 Ohms | 140 W | 140 W | 100 W |
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Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX Review
- Thread starter Narek
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Kylo Ren Amamiya
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Have any of you owned or currently own the Sierra 2EX v2? I’m curious what your experiences have been like, particularly for those with smaller rooms, and/or compared to the LX.
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You have to order it at Ascend. As I understood, there will be no reseller in Europe because this would increase the price considerably. Just contact them by E-Mail, they are very responsive!
Ok I'll try ... thanks.
Pareto Pragmatic
Senior Member
I've upgraded my source, and it is open window season so I have been playing at higher volume (sometimes very loud when I am in the kitchen), so a brief update. And some info that might help with bass management. Because the bass on these...
I went from a dac/amp combo with SINADs of 88/88 to one with 120/106. I also took out all my A/B cables and switches, I've had a dedicated power line for a while, but did go ahead and get a couple Furman strips, one dedicated to 2 channel.
So everything I said before? Moreso. WAY better in every area! No listening fatigue, and I don't find myself wishing for a bit more, or less, of anything in playback. They leveled up for sure. As accurate speakers should.
And one notable addition. Sound stage separation. That is one aspect that has been hard for me to get in my room, and this was SO clear, it blew me away. Still does for that matter. The level of control these have over things is tight.
Is is laser like focused? No, to use a visual analogy, it's like 360p resolution, not HD. I blame the room. I credit the LXs for the ability to overcome the room that much.
So, the accuracy is a big part of that separation, but it also allowed me to figure out how that port is working in my room, which led me to nailing down the last bit of adjustment needed in my room. The difference between excellent and magic!
Quickly: 13'x33' room, speakers 4' from side walls and 9' out, port 8' out, AV speakers 4' behind the ports which comes into play later. Due to need for a slightly asymmetrical set up to correct for some architecture, one speaker is always toed a bit closer to an AV speaker. Lots of room gain. Just 1' further out and I lose base from back wall reinforcement, 1' closer to the wall gives a bit too much room at listening volumes.
So, I was sweeping the rear wall to see what the tweeter was doing to see if I could shape those reflections a bit more before eq. As one does. Not paying a bit of attention, just changing toe a few times. Looked, saw what I expected, then decided to see if I wanted to eq any infrequent toe angles. So to the bass!
First I looked at the toed out almost all the way response. Yep, long room axis = bloomed bass, but starting at 200? I'm used to seeing 100. But port, cool. And the distortion is.... and the waterfall? Worst possible set up!
Then I looked at full toe in, which since the ports were pointed at the middle of the AV speakers, showed Heresy resonances. As to be expected, and not listened to. That was on top of "no Heresies" room issues, btw.
But the middle toe measures are not lining up like I would expect. Hmmmm.
I did some thinking, and that's the moment when I wondered just how concentrated the energy from those ports was. I really had not thought about it, given knowing before purchase they would be way out into the room. Then I looked at the last measurement, in "the spot" toe. Good, but I've seen better. I looked at the speaker closer to the AV speaker.
The port was centered on the very edge of the AV speaker cabinet. I toed it out just a bit, and there was the magic! How much? Now the edge of the port flare was lined up with that spot; so the entire flare was outside the cabinet. I think that speaks to how tight the main force of that port is at 4'.
What to do, other than pull them out or plug ports (and shove them very close to the wall if you close the ports)? Or eq the heck out of it (I am rolling off bass -2b btw). Or try the many things already suggested in the thread.
What I am doing is changing the angle that the port hits the wall at, to get more support in certain frequencies which levels my bass out a lot. So try further apart and more toe, closer and less. See if they engage the room in a different way.
A bit lower and a bit tilted up would send more port to the lower part of the room so it got more furniture based treatment. Even just a touch might help more than one would think.
Any treatment behind would likely need to be redirecting and diffusing. I can see how cardboard or other materials could prototype some ideas as proof of concept. A panel to send sound toward the floor/sides should be easy to test.
I usually think of speakers as a system, but in this case thinking just about the port helped me a lot. I hope it is of use to others.
I went from a dac/amp combo with SINADs of 88/88 to one with 120/106. I also took out all my A/B cables and switches, I've had a dedicated power line for a while, but did go ahead and get a couple Furman strips, one dedicated to 2 channel.
So everything I said before? Moreso. WAY better in every area! No listening fatigue, and I don't find myself wishing for a bit more, or less, of anything in playback. They leveled up for sure. As accurate speakers should.
And one notable addition. Sound stage separation. That is one aspect that has been hard for me to get in my room, and this was SO clear, it blew me away. Still does for that matter. The level of control these have over things is tight.
Is is laser like focused? No, to use a visual analogy, it's like 360p resolution, not HD. I blame the room. I credit the LXs for the ability to overcome the room that much.
So, the accuracy is a big part of that separation, but it also allowed me to figure out how that port is working in my room, which led me to nailing down the last bit of adjustment needed in my room. The difference between excellent and magic!
Quickly: 13'x33' room, speakers 4' from side walls and 9' out, port 8' out, AV speakers 4' behind the ports which comes into play later. Due to need for a slightly asymmetrical set up to correct for some architecture, one speaker is always toed a bit closer to an AV speaker. Lots of room gain. Just 1' further out and I lose base from back wall reinforcement, 1' closer to the wall gives a bit too much room at listening volumes.
So, I was sweeping the rear wall to see what the tweeter was doing to see if I could shape those reflections a bit more before eq. As one does. Not paying a bit of attention, just changing toe a few times. Looked, saw what I expected, then decided to see if I wanted to eq any infrequent toe angles. So to the bass!
First I looked at the toed out almost all the way response. Yep, long room axis = bloomed bass, but starting at 200? I'm used to seeing 100. But port, cool. And the distortion is.... and the waterfall? Worst possible set up!
Then I looked at full toe in, which since the ports were pointed at the middle of the AV speakers, showed Heresy resonances. As to be expected, and not listened to. That was on top of "no Heresies" room issues, btw.
But the middle toe measures are not lining up like I would expect. Hmmmm.
I did some thinking, and that's the moment when I wondered just how concentrated the energy from those ports was. I really had not thought about it, given knowing before purchase they would be way out into the room. Then I looked at the last measurement, in "the spot" toe. Good, but I've seen better. I looked at the speaker closer to the AV speaker.
The port was centered on the very edge of the AV speaker cabinet. I toed it out just a bit, and there was the magic! How much? Now the edge of the port flare was lined up with that spot; so the entire flare was outside the cabinet. I think that speaks to how tight the main force of that port is at 4'.
What to do, other than pull them out or plug ports (and shove them very close to the wall if you close the ports)? Or eq the heck out of it (I am rolling off bass -2b btw). Or try the many things already suggested in the thread.
What I am doing is changing the angle that the port hits the wall at, to get more support in certain frequencies which levels my bass out a lot. So try further apart and more toe, closer and less. See if they engage the room in a different way.
A bit lower and a bit tilted up would send more port to the lower part of the room so it got more furniture based treatment. Even just a touch might help more than one would think.
Any treatment behind would likely need to be redirecting and diffusing. I can see how cardboard or other materials could prototype some ideas as proof of concept. A panel to send sound toward the floor/sides should be easy to test.
I usually think of speakers as a system, but in this case thinking just about the port helped me a lot. I hope it is of use to others.
rheology
Member
Got a few hours of listening in and the sound is intoxicating. I am coming from listening to a pair of Focal Aria 905's for many years. With the Aria's there was always a certain point where the top end got too hot for my ears and I had to turn them down or get up and walk around the room and the bass was lacking a certain punch. The difference was subtle at first and I felt they were missing something but after a little time the LX's smooth out the top end and provide such rich and articulate bass I can't help from turning them up higher and higher. The bass integrates so much better with my subwoofer as well. Looking forward to getting home from work to listen some more! Cheers.
How much toe-in do ya'll use on the LX? I'm enjoying the sound, but I'm not blown away yet and I'm not getting that holographic sound the R3 Meta had. One thing I do like though, is that the soundstage seems a bit more cohesive between the LCR and they seem to almost dissapear; with the R3 Meta the sounds from each speaker don't blend as well when panning, etc. its clear what's coming from where and they don't disappear. The bass is phenomenal, and definitely good enough to where I wouldn't need a sub. I'm still in the 'burn-in' phase but they're def growing on me, and I'm not experiencing any fatigue,etc. They're really power hungry, and I'm having to turn the receiver up a lot more than I did with the R3M. It's going to be a hard decision for sure, but I need another week or two before I can make a better comparison. I'm going to run ARC this weekend and see how they sound with some EQ on the bass region.
ExPerfectionist
Active Member
Yeah they're a little low on the sensitivity so you have to turn the volume dial up a little higher.
For toe-in, I have them aimed at a spot behind me, basically if I lean 14-18" to the left or right, the inside side of the speaker disappears and I see that corner/edge straight on. I experimented with straight at LP and further out toe angle, got to this angle by tonality of Norah Jones' voice on a reference CD I use. Aimed directly at the LP, the voice is higher pitched and brighter than I'm used to and than I think she's supposed to sound. Soundstage and imaging are still great, and I have absorption panels in my room as well.
This angle is also the same angle, more or less, as I used to have for my Ascend 340-SEs.
After spending more time with these, I am extremely impressed and 99% sure I will keep them. I have experienced 0 fatigue, even during really long game/tv sessions. I've watched some movies recently where the sound these are throwing is so incredibly detailed and immersive. I've never experienced sound so good!
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Fantastic..Congratulations. i wish that i could hear the magic.
Livnmuskoka
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I ordered mine in February, also non magnetic grills. A little disappointing.
Although I've had them for 4 months, I've only used them for about 15 mins to make sure the speakers and my new amp work. Then I packed them up again.
Our basement should finally be finished in a couple weeks to set it all up.
I emailed Ascend last week about shipping them back for ELX towers, and got no response.
It was probably just overlooked or maybe they're on vacation or something.
I haven't pursued it further because the room they're going to be in isn't ideal for any speakers, especially the ELX towers.
But we are moving one more time in 2 or 3 years when that house is built, and I'll invest more into the room.
So I'll probably do a nearfield system with the LX's for now.
But now I wish I had the LX's in the natural finish with magnetic grills, which won't be used, instead of the satin cherry with grill holes.
Audio Science Pal
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Maybe you could sell them and place a new order for the natural finish you want? I recently bought some satin cherry with the grill pegs and leave the grills on all the time. Someone else might do the same.
KyleBarnhart
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I wanted to say I've been really happy with the Sierra-LX. I've had them for about 2 years. I've been surprised that they get so few reviews. I've been watching many speaker reviews here and elsewhere and never have been tempted to replace them. I use them almost everyday. I have used them in a home theatre in the basement for a few months. They were really good for that too. A year ago I move them to the living room for stereo listening.
However, I've never used them without a sub, so I can't comment on them without a sub. Now I mostly use Amazon HD into a MiniDSP Flex Digital with Dirac Live room correction and crossover to two SVS SB-2000 Pro subs. The Flex goes to Topping 90SE DAC and then to 2 mono Topping LA90 to the Sierra-LX. I put in a couple different profiles in the Flex so I can pick a slightly different sound with one of the 4 pre-sets on remote.
I was aiming for the best preference score I could get with bookshelf speakers w/sub w/eq. The Sierra-LX seemed to do the best without spending too much. I basically looked at something like this 2 years ago. https://www.spinorama.org/scores.html?quality=High&sort=scoreEQWSUB&count=1000
However, I've never used them without a sub, so I can't comment on them without a sub. Now I mostly use Amazon HD into a MiniDSP Flex Digital with Dirac Live room correction and crossover to two SVS SB-2000 Pro subs. The Flex goes to Topping 90SE DAC and then to 2 mono Topping LA90 to the Sierra-LX. I put in a couple different profiles in the Flex so I can pick a slightly different sound with one of the 4 pre-sets on remote.
I was aiming for the best preference score I could get with bookshelf speakers w/sub w/eq. The Sierra-LX seemed to do the best without spending too much. I basically looked at something like this 2 years ago. https://www.spinorama.org/scores.html?quality=High&sort=scoreEQWSUB&count=1000
Livnmuskoka
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I was thinking about that, but with only listening to them for about 15 minutes so far, I'm not sure if I'll like them enough to want to lose money and buy more. Although my initial impressions were very good.
And with my recent luck, I'll get sent more without magnetic grills. And shipping to Canada is very expensive. The $1,500 LX's end up at $2,540 CDN with exchange rate, shipping and tax.
What I'd really like are slightly bigger Ascend bookshelf speakers with the 6" excel woofer and the 70-20 xram tweeter. Or better yet, a 3-way bookshelf like the ELX towers with 1 less woofer. Maybe have the woofer on the back or side to save some space.
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ShadowBoxer
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Ascend has a trade-in program? News to me.
Livnmuskoka
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No, but they do have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. And considering I've had these for 4 months but they've only been used for about 15 minutes, maybe an exception could be made.
Especially since I'd be paying to ship them back, and I assume they'd make much more profit from me for buying towers.
And if they aren't interested, I'm hoping they would just say so, considering all of their open and honest communication in the past.
That's why I said it was probably just overlooked.
It's probably for the best anyway right now. I'm working on making my biggest and final audio purchases, and I'm not completely sure of what I want yet. I can buy any speakers I'd like, but I'm still trying to make wise decisions. I'd like to be happy with my endgame system, so I can focus more on setting up my kids, then traveling again.
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ShadowBoxer
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Correct. And you didn't avail yourself of it, apparently. These 30-day return windows are "time in possession", not time used. Just like Amazon etc.
Livnmuskoka
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Yes, I realize the 30 day period is over.
Would you lose $200 from a customer if you could then make $800 from that customer?
Or would you stick with your rules and make $200, but lose out on $600 more?
These numbers aren't real, they're just an example, because I'm positive that's where you'd go next if I didn't say so.
I'm just trying to explain things in a very simple way for you.
And by making sure a customer is happy, they'll be more likely to buy more products in the future.
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