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Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX Review

Are These $1600 Speakers Worth It_ 10-27 screenshot.png



LMM summary of the key points from the Ascend Audio Sierra LX speaker review video (with timestamps):
  • (00:00) Introduction: The Ascend Audio Sierra LX speaker review—list price about $1,600—specs include an 8 Ω nominal impedance, 350 W max continuous power, cabinet made of internally braced 20 mm laminated bamboo.
  • (00:26) Design: Vented cabinet with flared rear port; customized Titan dome tweeter; proprietary 6-in woofer by Seas of Norway.
  • (00:58) Setup nuance: Direct on-axis listening can sound lacking in upper mid-range; slightly toe-out (10–20° off-axis) brings more clarity and presence—particularly helpful in large rooms with minimal sidewall reflections.
  • (02:46) Tonal balance and efficiency: Very neutral sound with bass extending to ~40 Hz, but sacrifices sensitivity—measured around 81 dB @ 2.83 V/1 m.
  • (03:36) Amplifier demands: Due to low sensitivity, these speakers require a powerful amplifier. Mid-range distortion becomes audible at moderate listening levels (~82–83 dB at 10 ft).
  • (04:50) Soundstage: Wide radiating pattern (~±60°), balancing enveloping experience and decent imaging; sweet spot depends on room and listener preference.
  • (06:08) Listening height matters: Significant tonal shift if the listener’s ears are not at tweeter height—typical two-way bookshelf speakers don’t usually have this sensitivity.
  • (06:38) Amp-dependency: Speakers’ response can vary by ~2 dB in mid-range depending on amplifier output impedance/damping factor—older or high-impedance amps may alter the sound.
  • (08:19) Frequency response: In-room measured F3 around 47 Hz, F10 ~38 Hz. Flat ±1.5 dB aside from a pronounced notch near 3.5 kHz.
  • (09:36–10:20) Manufacturer transparency: The reviewer contacted Ascend’s owner about measured discrepancies. The owner provided replacement woofers, addressing issues noted in the video’s CA-2034 measurements.
  • (11:17–12:27) Distortion & SPL limits: Mid-range distortion increases notably at elevated SPLs. Using a subwoofer (crossover ~80 Hz) reduces compression issues; short-term compression insignificant under ~96 dB.
  • (12:50) Impedance and amplifier load: Minimum impedance ~5.5 Ω, close to the nominal 8 Ω, so most amps handle the electrical load—though low efficiency remains a factor.
  • (13:38) Amplifier influence: High-impedance amps can shift the speaker’s frequency response by up to ~2 dB mid-range and ~1.5 dB in highs—low-output-impedance, high-damping amps yield more accurate results.
  • (14:09–14:36) Tolerances: Two units measured showed up to 3 dB variation at 20 kHz—driver tolerance is typical for this price and finish level—reviewer emphasizes he did due diligence.


Overall Verdict: These Ascend Audio Sierra LX speakers deliver a neutral, extended bass performance but demand thoughtful setup and robust amplification. Critical setup considerations include toe-in angle, listening height, and careful pairing with a capable amp to avoid distortion and preserve tonal fidelity. If driven properly and positioned well, they offer a rewarding listening experience, though their low sensitivity and mid-range distortion at higher SPLs may limit appeal for those seeking louder playback or using low-powered systems.
 
I own the LX's and thought something was wrong with me that noticed the tonality shift of the tweeters if not ear level. Now we have the science.

As someone who uses these for home theater, that's a bit of a bummer because I sit offside on occasion. Anything else of this caliber, without the minuses?
 
The LX seems to get all the attention and reviews, the 2EX V2 gets no attention or love. This review makes me want to see a review on the 2EX model reviewed all the more!
 
robh said:
I own the LX's and thought something was wrong with me that noticed the tonality shift of the tweeters if not ear level. Now we have the science.

As someone who uses these for home theater, that's a bit of a bummer because I sit offside on occasion. Anything else of this caliber, without the minuses?
Click to expand...
Erin has vids of recommended speakers at different $ points. Search his channel.
 
Erin seemed lukewarm at best with regard to this speaker. Low efficiency and high multitone distortion in the midrange are the two club feet of the speaker. Small FR variability like a 2-3 db trough in the upper mids/lower treble is fixable with eq. Ultimately, though, they won't play as loud as most people thought. Anyone who expects to be getting a Revel M126 be for a bargain price will, I think, be disappointed.
 
phoenixdogfan said:
Erin seemed lukewarm at best with regard to this speaker. Low efficiency and high multitone distortion in the midrange are the two club feet of the speaker. Small FR variability like a 2-3 db trough in the upper mids/lower treble is fixable with eq. Ultimately, though, they won't play as loud as most people thought. Anyone who expects to be getting a Revel M126 be for a bargain price will, I think, be disappointed.
Click to expand...
Agreed. He was more enthusiastic in his review (and recommendation) of the AsciLab C6B for cheaper, although it won't reach as deep bass extension. Though both should use a subwoofer or two.
 
phoenixdogfan said:
Erin seemed lukewarm at best with regard to this speaker. Low efficiency and high multitone distortion in the midrange are the two club feet of the speaker. Small FR variability like a 2-3 db trough in the upper mids/lower treble is fixable with eq. Ultimately, though, they won't play as loud as most people thought. Anyone who expects to be getting a Revel M126 be for a bargain price will, I think, be disappointed.
Click to expand...
This is my only gripe with this speaker. You have low sensitivity so you want something powerful to drive them (I used a Buckeye Hypex Nc502mp), but then you quickly feel the limits of such power due to distortion in the mid-range. So then it’s like “arggggh why did I spend this much money on a powerful amp?” and feel like you are leaving something on the table, whether that’s true or not. Obvious there are physical limitations of the enclosure to keep in mind.

I do think for the room I had them in they were great, and they rank as the best passive pair of bookshelves I’ve had/heard. The bass response plays a large part of that.

But now I’m even more interested in getting a pair of C6Bs to see how they perform.
 
Wg916 said:
This is my only gripe with this speaker. You have low sensitivity so you want something powerful to drive them (I used a Buckeye Hypex Nc502mp), but then you quickly feel the limits of such power due to distortion in the mid-range. So then it’s like “arggggh why did I spend this much money on a powerful amp?” and feel like you are leaving something on the table, whether that’s true or not. Obvious there are physical limitations of the enclosure to keep in mind.

I do think for the room I had them in they were great, and they rank as the best passive pair of bookshelves I’ve had/heard. The bass response plays a large part of that.

But now I’m even more interested in getting a pair of C6Bs to see how they perform.
Click to expand...
While I doubt there could be any meaningful difference (for me, myself), I understand that we are somewhat biased towards reviews.
I run mine with 3e A7 and pretty loud for me, I haven't had any issues at all except the bass had to be tuned down with port plugs when I moved it to smaller room.
When I received mine, I had Elac DBR62, Elac F6.2 and Revel M16 with me. I decided to keep Sierra-lx after long long listening.

It would be interesting what Dave @AscendDF thinks after this 3rd party review, he has also published data on his website after all and I would be interested in hearing him as well if he agrees/disagrees or what!
 
I would be interested in Ascend's response too. I bought these speakers specifically for their claimed high SPL capability, combined with the neutrality of the regular Sierra, and they just arrived and are sitting in the box next to me. I'll obviously try them out myself, but would be disappointed if they turned out to have audible distortion. I don't listen as loud as Erin (woo... 80dB A weighted is a lot), but I was hoping to use them in a new house I will getting in the future with a long room connected to the kitchen, and turning them up loud for that. I'll be running them with a sub crossed over at 80Hz though, so maybe it won't be a big deal.
 
Matias said:
Agreed. He was more enthusiastic in his review (and recommendation) of the AsciLab C6B for cheaper, although it won't reach as deep bass extension. Though both should use a subwoofer or two.
Click to expand...

No doubt over simplified, but in a 2 way book shelf speaker, you have to make choices, either the mid driver delivers more bass extension and mids suffer, or you get tighter more accurate mids and less base extension, specially when/if you push them above specific SPL levels. I know there's lots of potential nuances and context to such a general statement (price point, size of the cabinet, driver sizes, ported or not, etc, etc), but that seems the physics and realities of it to me in real world settings. Add subs, allow 2 way to focus on the 80Hz and above, and great things can happen, or look to well designed 3 ways?

He did rave about those AsciLab C6B vs a lukewarm review of those LX other than a few caveats, such as again, SPL and mid base limitations.
 
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I've always felt that the "weak" point of these speakers was somewhere in the upper midrange. I've mentioned it here before (probably in this thread). I consider it more of a sensation of leanness/constraint as is not atypical of smaller 2-ways, but I wonder how much of that is due to IMD as it certainly doesn't take crossing into 80dB+ average listening levels to notice. Otherwise, I've no issues at all with the speakers given their size and price point. I've gotten them cooking pretty loudly and they stay impressively composed as long as they're crossed to subs. The C6B is certainly a very strong alternative.
 
mj30250 said:
I've always felt that the "weak" point of these speakers was somewhere in the upper midrange. I've mentioned it here before (probably in this thread). I consider it more of a sensation of leanness/constraint as is not atypical of smaller 2-ways, but I wonder how much of that is due to IMD as it certainly doesn't take crossing into 80dB+ average listening levels to notice. Otherwise, I've no issues at all with the speakers given their size and price point. I've gotten them cooking pretty loudly and they stay impressively composed as long as they're crossed to subs. The C6B is certainly a very strong alternative.
Click to expand...
This makes so much sense now. The upper mids is why I ended up returning them before the 30 days was up. Some songs just sounded too lean and became uncomfortable to listen to. I had an 11ft+ listening position, so if I tried to listen loud it was likely just pushing them too hard. I couldn't figure it out, because it didn't show up in the frequency response.
 
muad said:
This makes so much sense now. The upper mids is why I ended up returning them before the 30 days was up. Some songs just sounded too lean and became uncomfortable to listen to. I had an 11ft+ listening position, so if I tried to listen loud it was likely just pushing them too hard. I couldn't figure it out, because it didn't show up in the frequency response.
Click to expand...
Another reason why the multitone measurements are helpful. The THD data doesn't show this.
 
Not sure how loud you would play for this speaker. For those who won't be using a subwoofer, I still don't see any other practical alternatives for the price range.
 
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