One data point: We used an Outlaw 5000 and the Sierra 2s sounded GREAT in a ~20'x20' room, could really tell the difference between that and powering them with a Yamaha TSR-7810. No hesitation in recommending Outlaw stuff.
-
Get an exclusive sneak peek into our new project. >>> Click Here
-
Our native mobile app has a new name: Fora Communities. Learn more.
Powering Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2
I am looking to pickup a pair of Sierra 2s this weekend or next week. I currently have an Emotiva XPA5 and Marantz 1504. This will be a bedroom set up that originated with the equipment mentioned but with Klipsch KLF 20s and a C7 (still for sale if interested). This will be primarily a music system with the occasional movie thrown at it and for subs, I will be going with 1 or 2 DIY UM15s in a sealed enclosure. I plan to hold onto the Marantz for now but I'm on the edge about keeping the XPA 5. I have a line on two Outlaw Audio 2200 Monoblocks that he is willing to trade plus cash ($200 - $250) or a Parasound A23 that is $500 plus shipping from Florida so I'm guessing $50-$75 I know the XPA keeps me a little more future proof as far as having more channels (I also own another xpa5 in my main system) the Parasound is intriguing and has very solid reviews but is only rated at 125wpc. vs 200 of the Outlaws and 200-250 of Emotiva . Any help would be greatly appreciated as I do not have much experience with these Ascends and generally speaking, less efficient speakers as I am finally stepping out of my "Klipsch comfort zone"...
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
I've had my Sierra 2-EX hooked up to a couple of Outlaw 2200 monoblocks for about a week and am really enjoying the combo so far. The "music" detection setting on the monoblocks works well, and they don't seem to get super hot. I have them stacked on a shelf in my entertainment center with about 1" of breathing room on the sides and top. Source is a TV via toslink and Macbook pro via USB to an RME ADI-2 DAC (love this thing as a preamp since I only have digital sources.)
Either of those will power them no problem, they are about 85 db sensitivity and never drop below 6 ohms. 1-2 Watts of power will play them louder than most people listen.
I'm leaning towards the monoblocks at this point simply due to the fact that I already have an xpa5 and he's willing to trade for 2 x 2200 + $250 for the xpa5. I'm still intrigued by the Parasound as they seem to have a great following and the A23 reviews are pretty great. Feedback on the Outlaws being plenty for the Sierra's is really encouraging though and that $250 basically pays for another UM15 or can be put towards an inuke...
I realized I posted this on the "speakers" when I meant to put it in "amps and receivers"
I realized I posted this on the "speakers" when I meant to put it in "amps and receivers"
While I think a receiver could power those speakers just fine at moderate volumes, it would still take more than 1-2watts at a typical distance. Lets say he is pretty close at 10ft or so, even with room gain and boundary reinforcement 2 watts per speaker would leave him at 84.3dB peaks at the listening position. Too low. 100watts would give him 101.3 though...so 200 is 104.3, probably way more than needed.Either of those will power them no problem, they are about 85 db sensitivity and never drop below 6 ohms. 1-2 Watts of power will play them louder than most people listen.
I have the A23 and use it to bi-amp my center channel (rotated among 706c, HTM71s2, & BMR center speakers). I used it once for 2 ch while breaking-in. The A23's sound signature is on the neutral to warmish side. This only matters when you skip room correction (in a dedicated music rig). For HT use, an amp's sound signature doesn't matter coz Audyssey/YPAO/etc mask it.I'm leaning towards the monoblocks at this point simply due to the fact that I already have an xpa5 and he's willing to trade for 2 x 2200 + $250 for the xpa5. I'm still intrigued by the Parasound as they seem to have a great following and the A23 reviews are pretty great. Feedback on the Outlaws being plenty for the Sierra's is really encouraging though and that $250 basically pays for another UM15 or can be put towards an inuke...
I realized I posted this on the "speakers" when I meant to put it in "amps and receivers"
This will primarily be a music set up and the "warm" sound signature is what has me interested in the in the Parasound. I'll run it in 2.1/2.2 stereo for the most part. I guess my concern is the Emotiva or Outlaw having too bright of an influence on the Ascends.I have the A23 and use it to bi-amp my center channel (rotated among 706c, HTM71s2, & BMR center speakers). I used it once for 2 ch while breaking-in. The A23's sound signature is on the neutral to warmish side. This only matters when you skip room correction (in a dedicated music rig). For HT use, an amp's sound signature doesn't matter coz Audyssey/YPAO/etc mask it.I'm leaning towards the monoblocks at this point simply due to the fact that I already have an xpa5 and he's willing to trade for 2 x 2200 + $250 for the xpa5. I'm still intrigued by the Parasound as they seem to have a great following and the A23 reviews are pretty great. Feedback on the Outlaws being plenty for the Sierra's is really encouraging though and that $250 basically pays for another UM15 or can be put towards an inuke...
I realized I posted this on the "speakers" when I meant to put it in "amps and receivers"
If you're interested in a "warm" sound signature, it would be really interesting to do a head to head between the Sierra 2 and the new Wharfedale 4.2 which are actually 3 way books with an AMT and cost about $500 less...flat rate $10 return shipping with Crutchfield should be well worth it!This will primarily be a music set up and the "warm" sound signature is what has me interested in the in the Parasound. I'll run it in 2.1/2.2 stereo for the most part. I guess my concern is the Emotiva or Outlaw having too bright of an influence on the Ascends.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_336EVO42BK/Wharfedale-EVO4-2-Black.html
Emotiva and Outlaw shouldn't be "bright" as that would imply an inaccurate response, which would indicate a defective amp. Either one of those amps should be completely neutral and simply amplify the signal, not alter it. I think some "audiophile" amps are actually very low fidelity and do alter the signal on purpose or by design, but well designed, accurate amps will not.This will primarily be a music set up and the "warm" sound signature is what has me interested in the in the Parasound. I'll run it in 2.1/2.2 stereo for the most part. I guess my concern is the Emotiva or Outlaw having too bright of an influence on the Ascends.
If you want a "warm" sound, which simply mean less treble and/or more bass, a better solution would be to stick with an accurate, neutral amp, and simply turn your subs up a few dB, or use tone controls to lower the treble to taste. Having permanent, inaccurate eq baked into an amp(in the form of a colored response) seems like a bad idea to me.
Oofta, these are definitely an intriguing thought. The Sierra's I'm after are used, pristine condition, 3 years old and piano black for $875 which seems to be a decent deal from what I've found. I'm still tempted to do an A/B with the Evo 4.2s though. You guys are a bad influence 😂If you're interested in a "warm" sound signature, it would be really interesting to do a head to head between the Sierra 2 and the new Wharfedale 4.2 which are actually 3 way books with an AMT and cost about $500 less...flat rate $10 return shipping with Crutchfield should be well worth it!This will primarily be a music set up and the "warm" sound signature is what has me interested in the in the Parasound. I'll run it in 2.1/2.2 stereo for the most part. I guess my concern is the Emotiva or Outlaw having too bright of an influence on the Ascends.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_336EVO42BK/Wharfedale-EVO4-2-Black.html
Emotiva and Klipsch is all I've ever owned so I guess to be more accurate, I'm just looking for something a little different and more neutral which is where the Sierra's w/RAAL became of interest for the detail and clarity. As I stated, I have only ever owned Emotiva amps so I don't know any better but some people have said that the Emotivas and Outlaws can be bright.Emotiva and Outlaw shouldn't be "bright" as that would imply an inaccurate response, which would indicate a defective amp. Either one of those amps should be completely neutral and simply amplify the signal, not alter it. I think some "audiophile" amps are actually very low fidelity and do alter the signal on purpose or by design, but well designed, accurate amps will not.This will primarily be a music set up and the "warm" sound signature is what has me interested in the in the Parasound. I'll run it in 2.1/2.2 stereo for the most part. I guess my concern is the Emotiva or Outlaw having too bright of an influence on the Ascends.
If you want a "warm" sound, which simply mean less treble and/or more bass, a better solution would be to stick with an accurate, neutral amp, and simply turn your subs up a few dB, or use tone controls to lower the treble to taste. Having permanent, inaccurate eq baked into an amp(in the form of a colored response) seems like a bad idea to me.
I don’t have the amps in mention, but I power my Sierra 2’s(soon to be EX’s) and Horizon with a Monoprice Monolith 7X. These amps are made by ATI. It all sounds great and a neutral sound.
I don’t live too far away if you would ever want to hear my set up.
I don’t live too far away if you would ever want to hear my set up.
Based on the measurements I saw for the Klipsch RF-83, Ascend speakers will indeed be more neutral. The RF-83's appear to have a pretty broad dip from 700-2KHz.Emotiva and Klipsch is all I've ever owned so I guess to be more accurate, I'm just looking for something a little different and more neutral which is where the Sierra's w/RAAL became of interest for the detail and clarity. As I stated, I have only ever owned Emotiva amps so I don't know any better but some people have said that the Emotivas and Outlaws can be bright.
https://cdn.soundandvision.com/content/klipsch-reference-rf-83-speaker-system-ht-labs-measures
I use Philharmonic Audio BMR (Dennis' series) for 2.0 ch music and settled driving it with NAD 375 BEE integrated amp due to NAD's "house" sound and slightly rolled off highs. The BMR use"similar" RAAL ribbon tweeters as the Ascend Sierra 2/2EX. I mentioned "similar", because they are not the same model, although same manufacturer.This will primarily be a music set up and the "warm" sound signature is what has me interested in the in the Parasound. I'll run it in 2.1/2.2 stereo for the most part. I guess my concern is the Emotiva or Outlaw having too bright of an influence on the Ascends.
The A23 makes the BMR livelier, but I like NAD's better damping factor, which makes bass tighter. Don't generalize this among the other NAD models. The new series of NAD integrated amps are class-D while mine is class AB. Also the lower models but same series as the 375BEE sound darker and have slower bass...
I also have a Parasound HINT and drive the BMRs with it from time to time. The HINT is neutral and doesn't roll off the highs. It makes the BMRs sound analytical with the glorified frequency extension, which the RAALs can faithfully deliver. I prefer the HINT driving the L/R speakers in my HT setup for that matter.
Hope this helps.
That's a great price for a pair of S2, brand new they're about $1500. Hard to resist, indeed.The Sierra's I'm after are used, pristine condition, 3 years old and piano black for $875 which seems to be a decent deal from what I've found.
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
AVS Forum
A forum community dedicated to home theater owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, TVs, projectors, screens, receivers, speakers, projects, DIY’s, product reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Top Contributors this Month
View All
WilliamR
872 Replies
BASSAHOLIC
487 Replies
mrtickleuk
402 Replies
Recommended Communities
