. Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,

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Carl V

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Re: . Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,
« Reply #20 on: 28 Dec 2016, 04:50 am »
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I just fell hard for what Scanspeak brings to the table in terms of a clarity, tone, body, combination; as I have the revelator woofers and illuminator tweeters in my truck and love the sound.

No doubt thse are nice drivers and they ought to have a nice sound.
ACI had a nice glossy model with that mid-woofer Years ago
Salk Sound has a Nice Monitor with that same Scan Speak
Selah has used that same driver
amongst many other companies.

6 grand seems steep
3 is more in line.

regardless enjoy.

The mini T is a nice speaker as well.
is it still Vinyl wrap

Rocket_Ronny

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Re: . Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,
« Reply #21 on: 28 Dec 2016, 05:21 am »
They don't use off the shelf scan speaks but are specially made for the monitor. The tweeter uses an ultra light dome and woofer has a very long throw among other things.

I agree on the pricing you stated. It was a hurdle for sure. Bottom line is these are not a typical scanspeak speaker but something extra special. We will see.

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The Bryson Mini T 's don't need a sub.
  True they don't. You made a good choice. The SA don't need a sub either, which is amazing for a 5.5" woofer. But in my case, if I set them up in the living room will have the Rhythmiks at the party as well as a Behringer crossover to set the crossover high 120-180 hz.

Rocket Ronny

JLM

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Re: . Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,
« Reply #22 on: 28 Dec 2016, 12:37 pm »
A 2-way monitor is a near ideal solution for most.  My caveat is to make sure it provides mid-bass body as many current designs sound thin.  In my experience 6 inch mid-woofers are ideal.  Below that, best to turn the bass duties over to multiple dispersed subwoofers, ala Floyd Toole et al (swarm as per Duke LeJeune from AudioKinesis here at AC).  IMO too many designers are trying to go too deep with a mid-woofer which muddies the more critical midrange via thermal distortion and excessive x-max.  Trouble waits if you try to go much below 60 Hz with a small 2-way monitor.

According to Toole, the bass wave (versus mid/high ray) phenomenon occurs up to roughly 140 Hz (room dependent) where the multiple dispersed subwoofer/swarm theory applies.  This can be illustrated by moving a hand lengthwise in a shallow bath tub and watching the waves interfere as they travel.  The most effective solution for the entire room isn't treatment or EQ/DSP but semi-randomly dispersing multiple bass sources in the room.  However the ear can localize sound above 80 Hz, so some individual tailoring of each system (gear/room) is needed to optimize results.

My Dynaudio BM5 MkIII monitors ($1400/pair MSRP, 1"/7" drivers, F3 = 42 Hz, active design rated up to 118 dB) don't sound thin but run into trouble going deep at spirited listening levels in an average room (2100 cubic feet).  Fortunately they come with 60 Hz and 80 Hz cutoff settings for use with subwoofer(s) and I have DSP on hand to further tweak. 

Rocket_Ronny

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Re: . Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,
« Reply #23 on: 28 Dec 2016, 01:07 pm »
Well said and I agree in general terms.

Word has it that the SA Pandion 2s are the best sounding speakers in the store for overall musicality within it's frequency range. A store which sells PMC, Kef Blade, and Monitor Audio's new flagship PL500 II.

So yes, I am expecting the unusual out of those little guys. Hope I won't be let down.

Rocket_taking a bit of a risk_Ronny

timind

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Re: . Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,
« Reply #24 on: 28 Dec 2016, 01:31 pm »
Well said and I agree in general terms.

Word has it that the SA Pandion 2s are the best sounding speakers in the store for overall musicality within it's frequency range. A store which sells PMC, Kef Blade, and Monitor Audio's new flagship PL500 II.

So yes, I am expecting the unusual out of those little guys. Hope I won't be let down.

Rocket_taking a bit of a risk_Ronny

Curious how these sound. I'm sure you'll post your impressions once they fully on line. Oh, and don't forget the pics. :D

Rocket_Ronny

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Re: . Sierra 2's Ascend monitors,,,,,,
« Reply #25 on: 13 Jan 2017, 02:55 am »
Ran the SA Pandion 2s today for 20 minutes and listened to them on my computer rig near field, macbook - headphone out - Xindak integrated amp - speakers. My concern would be a lean wimpy bass due to 5.5 inch woofies. But they do speck out to 40 hz +- 1.5 db.

How do they sound. Fantastic, as they should for the exorbitant pricing. Utterly revealing and musical. Bass is super fast with impact like a 7 incher. They throw a tremendous sound stage as well. Only issue is highs can be a bit thin and slightly bright but I would look to the cheap cable I am running from the macbook to the amp.

Overall, very happy with the sound and these are going to bring a whole lot of happiness and audio fun. The ultimate small monitor? Well it is way up there and certainly world class. At least this is my first impression.

Rocket Ronny