Ascend Acoustics

Decided to start an Ascend Acoustics thread since I've had these Sierra-1s playing for about a week and they're very impressive. Thanks to @RKML0007 for the sweet deal, and I'm happy to say that I'm probably done with bookshelves. Picture below are the speakers with my rig. For those who are not familiar with it:

Sources:
1) analog - Ortofon OM5e cart > U-Turn Orbit Plus TT > modded TC-750 phono
2) digital - PC / Toshiba DVD player > Modi Multibit

>> Parasound P/LD-1100 preamp > Parasound HCA-1000a power amp > Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 Speakers



Previously, I had a pair of Andrew Jones's ELAC Debut B6. They were great speakers for the money, but after my honeymoon phase with the speakers, the flaws became apparent. The worst offender was the shelved highs, which caused classical music to suck; I found myself constantly reaching for the HD650 when listening to classical. Secondly, the soundstage felt constricted, though I kept telling myself it was okay since the depth was extra deep. Fun speakers, nonetheless, but RKM had to give me an offer for the Sierras that I just couldn't refuse.

Since installing the Sierra-1's, I haven't once reached for the HD650.

 

• Bass contains greater punch and extension than the ELAC B6s. This came as a massive surprise, knowing that the ELAC Debuts are known for their bass. The Sierra-1s are just as bassy, not only that, but noticeably tighter as well. ELAC bass just feels "one-noted" in comparison. Even though still tighter and cleaner than the ELACs, there may be some excess bass bloom. Regardless, no real complaints here.
  
  
• Mids are definitely more clear compared to the B6s. Though, vocals do feel a bit recessed at times, just a tiny bit. Detail retrieval has increased; seems like a veil has been lifted. Compared to the B6 however, the vocals have somewhat less of a presence and feel less full. I'm not sure if this is due to some of the ELACs' bass bleeding into the mids and creating more of a haze/veil.
  
  
• Highs are the real winner for me. Present, smooth, and airy is how I would best describe them. This is where the Sierras are a league or two above the B6s. Classical is now listenable and damn it sounds good. Soundstage width has increased substantially; these speakers don't feel constricted at all, the B6s sound boxy in comparison. Definitely more holographic, thanks to the expansiveness of the stage. However, the B6s feel more deep... though I'm not sure if this is because soundstage has less width and feels deeper relatively.
  
  
• Imaging is more or less the same. The B6s never had a problem imaging, but the Sierras really sound cleaner and less veiled. Less veil always helps with imaging. There's a bigger sweet spot for these speakers. If I find myself off axis horizontally, or even vertically, they still sound amazing. I was stretching earlier on the floor and they sounded almost similar to my "listening spot".
  
  
• Tonally, I feel these are simply neutral. The B6 sounds warm in comparison. I knew beforehand that Ascends sounded pretty neutral and was worried that my Parasounds wouldn't play well with them (Parasounds tend to be neutral, they sound superb with warmer speakers such as the ELACs and from what I read Harbeths). However, the Parasounds are still a great match for them. I knew that my PLD-1100 preamp provides warmth/fluidity to the colder HCA-1000a amplifier, and thus, prove to be a great pairing with the neutral Sierra-1s.
  
  
• Did I mention that vinyl sounds boss on these? The lessened veil truly brings out more of the vinyl magic and plankton. In fact, I feel so spoiled with vinyl being played on the Sierras that digital just isn't the same anymore.
  
  
• Amazing speakers! Not perfect and as described previously, still room for minor improvements. However, I feel that these speakers do a lot of things right; way more things than they do wrong. Seriously, I can see myself being happy with these for a while. They are extremely versatile, play all genres well, smooth, and a pleasure to listen to. I will even say that these will end my search for bookshelf speakers, so I can start saving up for towers... cough @ohmaigulay.

 

After having spent some time with the speakers, there's actually a slight bass bloom that takes away from the mids (I was correct when I initially felt the mids a tad bit recessed), but I found a possible fix for this: http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?3781-Announcement-A-Sierra-1-add-on-enhancement!

Ascend offers port plugs (more specifically, the B-type) to help alleviate the bloom, tightening the bass more, bringing some of the mids more forward, all while "improving imaging and soundstage". I am definitely interested in these and will be ordering them soon, stay tuned for updates.

@Mystic, I saw that you also bought a pair of Sierras and wanted to give you a headsup. Let me know if you share the same experiences.

 

You might want to check out Home Depot for pipe insulation since that's what that foam port tube looks like (except for the price).

Anyway nice pick up, I always liked the original Sierra-1 though I wasn't so fond of the NrT version (too bright for me though obviously that's a matter of taste) and like the Philharmonics better in the Sierra-2's price range.

 

I'll definitely look into the Home Depot idea. Thanks for the input on the NRT version, I was wondering about that too.

I have even read that many people prefer the Sierra-1s over the Sierra-2s. As for my next upgrade, the philharmonics have caught my interest too. The BMRs look fantastic and I'm very much considering the Philharmonic Slims.

 

@Pyruvate glad you're enjoying your Sierra 1s and it was offered at an amazing price by @RKML0007. I was tempted myself to grab a couple to create a home theater for my own system.

Currently I own a pair of Ascend Sierra Towers. I was lucky enough to find them at around half price used and still under warranty and included was a HSU VTF-3 Subwoofer as well. Bass goes down very deep and tight on the towers that I feel the HSU sub, though good as it is, isn't necessarily needed. Contemplating getting the RAAL ribbon upgrade for the towers though I've yet to hear them. Does anyone have the RAAL setup? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.

Heard the Salk song 3s at the Schiit booth last year at The Show driven by the Rag with Yggdrasil. Personally I feel the Sierra Towers with my old Denon receiver and Modi Multibit are close enough.

I would like to eventually add a proper preamp and amp to my setup one day. A Freya with a pair of Vidars in mono sure are tempting. As well as an Yggdrasil..

 

Mine haven't been properly set up yet (first set of speakers for me, so it's a lengthy process). Still looking around for an amp, but I think I've settled on the Saga for my preamp.

Will post impressions when I get everything set up.

 

I bought the Horizon w/RAAL, no room for towers. I can't compare the NRT; but the RAAL is a very sweet sounding tweeter. Very nice highs without any harshness.

 

Is the ragnarok powering those speakers?

 

Nice setup! I've seen a couple of others who ended up using the horizon as their main speakers. I've heard the RAAL on Salks and they are quite smooth. I'm wondering though if they're worth the $700 upgrade. Apparently the Ascend RAAL is a custom model. Right now I'm leaning towards investing on a proper Preamp and Amp for my towers. Waiting on Vidar

 

I see an Yggdrasil as well!

 

It is, the Horizons have a 92db efficiency and get ear bleeding loud in a small room when driven by Ragnarok. Probably not enough power for a larger room; but it works well for my use.

Yep, incremental upgrades were killing me. I'm really liking my Schiit.

 

I have Sierra towers with raal. Love 'em

I have a horizon for my center. I'd have liked to do horizons for left, right, and center, but I'm a bit width constrained inn the room they're in.

 

Is there any competition for monoblock amplifiers that stiffen up to the Vidars or are the Vidars pretty much the best value you can get?

 

Monoblock Aegirs?

 

Ok,

Would those be compatible with Passive speakers of these specifications? :

Response +/- 3db 33Hz - 40kHz
Sensitivity 88db
Impedance 8 ohms
Amplification 50 watts

I know the Vidars are heavily powered for a variety of speakers that need it.

 

https://www.schiit.com/products/aegir

 

Been an Ascend fan forever. I've owned nearly all their speakers. CBM-170, 170SE, Sierra 1, Sierra 2, Sierra 1 NRT, Sierra 1 RAAL, Sierra RAAL Tower, now I've brought home the 800lb gorilla, the Sierra Diamond ;-)

 

I got a pair of Sierra Towers (w/RAAL) a little over 2 weeks ago. I have them paired with my new Rythmik F25 Servo sub, which I got about 3ish months ago (when I ordered the Towers; it took almost 3 months for them to get out of back order and ship). I run them off my Denon x4400h, which I used to run Audyssey XT32 room correction. I have my sub set to low extension (14 Hz) and high damping, and used "Line In" instead of LFE In to enable the faster (24 dB/octabe) rolloff, per Rythmik provided configuration guidance. My crossover is currently set to 80 Hz. I feed it content (primarily 16/44.1 FLAC files, with a handful of MP3's and 24-bit FLAC mixed in) by way of using my Oppo UDP-203 (4k UHD Blu Ray player) as a Roon Ready endpoint.

I'm really enjoying them. The dedicated mid-range driver is a major improvement over what I'd had previously, and despite this speaker having significantly less cone surface area than my previous speakers, there is a lot more authority, presence, and articulation in the mid-bass. I'm nothing close to a professional speaker reviewer, and as a result words fail me when it comes time to describe the RAAL ribbon tweeter. It mostly sits in the backseat and patiently waits its turn. But when called upon it confidently steps to the front and sounds effortless; there's an ease to it that's hard to describe. I really like it. I'm listening to a lot more piano with it; especially when paired with female vocals like Sara Bareilles, it really shows off the smooth transitions and interplay between the mid-range driver and the ribbon.

My old speakers would on occassion paint a pretty nice 2-dimensional soundstage, but these things seem to (occassionally) give off a 3rd dimensional feeling of "depth" that I can't explain; they're positioned no further out into the room than the old ones were, in roughly the same spot, and they're physically smaller speakers with a cabinet depth that is shorter. But yet, that feeling of depth to the soundstage is there in a way I've never had it before. That's been cool.

I know these are probably "mid-fi" by a lot of people's standards on here, but it represents a pretty major investment for me; I'd been eyeing these and waiting for the right (responsible) time for me to put this kind of skin in the game for literally more than 4 years. And it finally happened. And now they're in my living room. And I'm really enjoying it.

This is a fun hobby.