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Since you demand my opinion I'll give it. I think chocolate ice cream is always the best. It can only be made better by putting more chocolate in it, flakes, pieces, swirls, whatever, more chocolate is always better.
I think that you'd be better off with the Philharmonicaudio.com BMR.
try it. Don't they give a 30 day trial ? Not sure ,,
The upgrade kit to go from 2 to 2EX is available for $368 each from Ascend Acoustics. For an extra charge they'll do the work for you.According to their site: it includes new crossover and the "EX" woofer "which dramatically improves bass extension, mid-bass punch, midrange detail and improves overall power handling."I've owned the original CBM-170 for 20 years and still love them (use them in FL/FR positions in my AV system). Like the company's methods for online shopping, high content value including individual loudspeaker testing, and upgrade paths. Did have the HTM-200 for use as a center channel but it was a dud, finally replaced it with CMT-340SE as movies changed from left/right front channel emphasis to center channel emphasis when I replaced my TV.
I also find the BMRs interesting, also using a RAAL tweeter. Perhaps the kit from Meniscus at some future time.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but not necessarily better. If you "dearly love" the Sierra 2, why jump ship completely?
Better do your kits soon because inflation is coming. Components' prices will be going up - a lot.
Because sometimes the grass actually is greener and better! I dearly loved my original Dali IV speakers too in 1985, but I would have sorely missed out on so many better things if I had not forged forward over the years.
To answer-ish your original question I demo’s the 2EX and really liked them but ultimately went with Salk Supercharged Song Surrounds. The 2EX low end occasionally surprised me and overall sound, build quality, and value were well balanced. I would never discourage anyone from trying Ascend but since someone introduced BMR into the mix I will say the BMR is in another class - at least the generation I own.I have a pair of the originals in Salk boxes. I cannot imagine a better value. Read any review or thread. You’ll not find a negative comment. Nothing but praise for the product and Dennis Murphy. That said, my BMR use a 7” Scan Speak woofer compared to the current 6’ SB Acoustics. I can’t compare low end grunt, but one reason I love the BMR is one of the reasons I bought the Songs;Dennis’ cross over magic.What sets Dennis’ speakers apart may be less about what you hear and more about where you hear it. What I mean are subtle but very noticeable sound stage details.Either way you can’t go wrong. Dave and Dennis are passionate about their product and the people who enjoy them.
I have the Sierra 2 EX and like them a lot. I can’t comment on how they compare to the Sierra 2 as I haven’t heard them. This is what the website says the improvements the SEAS midrange brings. With the development of this shockingly high-performance new woofer, we have improved upon every aspect of our award winning Sierra-2. Truly stunning bass extension and midbass punch, mids are cleaner - smoother and more detailed, improved dynamics and better composure at higher volume levels.As you mention, a lot of the magic of the Sierra 2’s is in the RAAL tweeter. My pair was custom ordered with the RAAL 70-20 XR upgrade which I think takes them to another level.So if you like the speaker I would say the upgrade is probably worth it. Although only you can decide if the upgrade kit yields enough improvement for the money.
