You have no items in your shopping cart.
* This page is to purchase a pair of speakers
* Package price discounts will display in the shopping cart
$3,298.00
Introducing our Flagship Loudspeaker
"The midrange on the Towers...is a main event. Inner detail is fantastic even on large-ensemble recordings, and they are free from distortion and retain a hefty amount of dynamic headroom when played at spirited levels."
-Enjoy the Music.com
Combining exceptional dynamics with high levels of detail and a smooth and musical presentation, the Sierra Tower has been designed to transport you into the concert venue, recording studio or movie theater.
Equally adept at music and home theater, this speaker is extremely neutral and balanced, reproducing the source material accurately with the ability to convey a true emotional response in the listener.
SIERRA TOWER DESCRIPTION
In theory, our goals for this loudspeaker were quite simple, create a compact floor-standing loudspeaker with performance that rivals and even surpasses some of the most highly regarded speakers at any price. Our bookshelf speakers have proven to be a huge success and far exceeded our expectations regarding happy customers and positive reviews. Tens of thousands of pairs later, there can be no doubt that our design formula works so our direction was clear – use our same performance formula to develop a compact floor-standing loudspeaker of the highest performance standard.
A full 2 ½ years later, we are proud to formally introduce our flagship product...
Featuring our exclusive fully custom neodymium ring magnet dome tweeter built for us by SEAS, the NrT provides high frequency extension to 28kHz with exceptional transient response. It provides crisp and airy highs with effortless dynamics and many layers of detail.
For those seeking even higher levels of details and transparency combined with improved soundstage width and imaging, we offer a tweeter upgrade using our customized version of the best true ribbon tweeter on this planet, the RAAL 70-20xr utilizing an amorphous core transformer (as opposed to iron/ferrite core.)
The midrange driver is housed in its own dedicated critically damped sealed enclosure within the cabinet and is designed to reproduce the critical midrange response. By isolating the midrange from the rest of the drivers, intermodulation distortion is greatly reduced and detail and separation between individual instruments is greatly improved.
Dual 5 ¼” long throw woofers handle the low end but don’t let the small size fool you, these woofers provide exceptionally tight and accurate bass reproduction well into the mid 30Hz range. Bass and mid-bass response are well balanced with surprising punch. The woofers hit hard and dig deep when required, but due to low mass and low stored energy combined with very low inductance levels, they are also detailed and subtle when need be. They will not gloss over notes that large diameter higher mass woofers can often miss.
All this combined in our exclusive minimal resonance layered bamboo cabinet and the results speak for themselves… This is a loudspeaker that simply must be heard to describe.
Our flagship product and a new performance standard – the Sierra Tower.
Hand assembled, tested and packaged in the USA, we are so confident of the component and build quality of the Sierra Tower that we are backing it by a comprehensive 7 year parts & labor warranty. Left / right pairs are matched by hand to within ± 1dB and we are including a printout of the actual production line response measurements of each speaker. We dare say it, but you simply can not find this type of quality control, care and pride from products that are fully assembled and tested in overseas manufacturing facilities.
At Ascend, it is all about performance and we have found a unique way to offer exceptional natural beauty that also offers documented performance improvements. Now you can have that renowned Ascend performance AND good looks, all in a product that represents the very best of what we have to offer while joining the growing trend towards environmental responsibility.
We thank you for your interest!
SIERRA TOWER FEATURES
- All Sierra Towers are hand assembled, tested and packaged at our factory in Orange County, CA.
- A serialized production line frequency response measurement is included with each speaker.
- 7 year manufacturer's warranty + 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Cabinet:
- Exclusive 3-ply vertically laminated bamboo cabinet construction dramatically reduces cabinet resonance for a cleaner, more detailed, and transparent performance.
- Cabinet is a stunningly beautiful natural hardwood finish, there are no veneers and as such, no need to be concerned about peeling veneers or wraps or veneer cracks.
- Cabinet is fully environmentally friendly as the bamboo we source is a completely renewable resource.
Bass Woofers:
- Injection molded mineral-filled polypropylene cone provides excellent stiffness and superior self-damping.
- Long-throw design for high power handling and extended bass.
- Cast aluminum frame for a exceptional rigidity and reduced resonance.
- Exceptionally large magnet system for improved damping and lifelike dynamics.
- Pure copper shorting ring to reduce distortion, linearize magnetic flux, and dramatically reduce inductance.
- Vented pole-piece and vented spider for enhanced air-flow and cooling, minimizing compression artifacts.
Midrange Woofer:
- Injection molded mineral-filled polypropylene cone provides excellent stiffness and superior self-damping.
- Extreme low mass design for improved transient reproduction and lower stored energy.
- Underhung voice coil for exceptional linearity and lower distortion.
- Large metal phase plug for improved dispersion and enhanced cooling.
- Inverted surround eliminates edge resonance.
- Pure copper shorting ring to reduce distortion, linearize magnetic flux, and dramatically reduce inductance.
- Vented pole-piece and vented spider for enhanced air-flow and cooling, minimizing compression artifacts.
RAAL 70-20 Ribbon Tweeter:
- Fully custom true ribbon tweeter manufactured by RAAL in Serbia to our specifications.
- True ribbon tweeter has no voice coil, the pure aluminum ribbon is the only electrical conductor and the only moving part.
- Extremely low moving mass design, typically less than 1/50th the mass of a dome tweeter, enabling near instantaneous acceleration / deceleration, and no stored energy all combined to provide near perfect transient reproduction.
- Class-leading horizontal dispersion width provides a huge soundstage and precise imaging.
- High powered neodymium magnets in a unique homogenous design (equal strength magnetic field throughout the entire ribbon area) provides lower distortion and less stress on the ribbon diaphragm.
- Critically damped rear chamber to absorb the back wave of the ribbon diaphragm, improving frequency response linearity and overall transparency.
- Amorphous core transformer as opposed to ferrite reduces saturation and compression for much improved micro-dynamics and detail.
NrT Dome Tweeter:
- 26mm high-definition soft dome custom manufactured by SEAS of Norway and exclusive to Ascend Acoustics.
- Integrated elastomer wave guide.
- Axially magnetized neodymium ring magnet with large damping chamber dramatically lowers the resonant frequency and effectively eliminates back-wave radiation.
- Underhung voice coil for reduced distortion and improved transient reproduction.
- Wide surround and low-viscosity magnetic fluid for higher power handling and improved transients.
Crossover:
- Large open topology with proper inductor spacing and orientation to reduce mutual inductance and saturation.
- Heavy gauge pure copper traces to reduce resistance and provide higher power handling.
- Featuring metallized polypropylene capacitors.
- Air-core inductors in the direct signal path.
SIERRA TOWER SPECIFICATIONS
| Typical In-Room Frequency Response | 34Hz - 27kHz |
| Typical In-Room Sensitivity | 93dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter |
| Nominal Impedance | 8 ohms |
| Max Continuous Power* | 300 watts |
| Max Short Term Peak Power* | 500 watts |
| Cabinet Detail | Exclusive V-LAM™ construction featuring 20mm thick vertically laminated bamboo, internally braced. Bass reflex via flared rear port tube |
| NrT Dome Tweeter Option | 26mm high-definition soft dome tweeter w/integrated elastomer wave guide. Axially magnetized neodymium ring magnet with large damping chamber and fully underhung voice coil, wide surround and low-viscosity magnetic fluid cooling. Fully manufactured by SEAS of Norway and exclusive to Ascend Acoustics |
| RAAL 70-20xram Ribbon Option | Custom made RAAL true ribbon tweeter featuring a 20mm wide pure aluminum ribbon with a total moving mass less than 1/100th of a gram, large rear damping chamber and Amorphous core transformer instead of ferrite |
| Midrange Woofer | Low mass 5.25” mineral-filled polypropylene cone woofer featuring an underhung voice coil with neodymium magnet system, vented pole-piece, vented spider and aluminum phase plug, inverted surround |
| Woofer | (2) Proprietary 5.25” long-throw mineral-filled polypropylene cone woofers. Features non-resonant cast aluminum frame, copper shorting rings, low-inductance motor assembly, vented pole-piece and vented spider |
| Connections | (2) gold plated all metal 5 way binding posts |
| Anechoic Frequency Response | 41Hz - 27kHz +/- 3dB |
| Anechoic Sensitivity | 90dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter |
| Dimensions H x W x D** | 43" x 7.5" x 10.5" |
| Speaker Weight (each) | 45 pounds |
| Shipping Weight (each) | 55 pounds |
| Minimum Recommended Power At Listening Position for Specific Speaker Distances | |
| 3 Feet or Less | 1 watts minimum |
| 9 Feet or Less | 8 watts minimum |
| 15 Feet or Less | 23 watts minimum |
| 21 Feet or More | 45 watts minimum |
| *Unclipped peaks | **Grille On |
SIERRA TOWER MEASUREMENTS
*All measurements taken using DRA Lab’s MLSSA system with RCAI, calibrated ACO Pacific 7012 ½” free field measurement microphone with associated pre-amp and power supply and an automated Outline turntable.
Detailed information about the RAAL ribbon tweeter upgrade
Full-range quasi-anechoic on-axis frequency response @ 1 meter unsmoothed speaker positioned vertically:
Horizontal and vertical off-axis graphs plus listening window:
Note: Listening window is the averaged response of 5 separate measurements, on-axis, +/- 15 degrees horizontal and +/- 15 degrees vertical. Due to the measurement technique, the response below 250Hz is invalid, as represented by the above and below horizontal green bars.
Polar Response:
5 degree increments from 0 degs to a full 90 degs off-axis. Note how the critical midrange response remains linear and consistent with uniformly decreasing spl as frequency increases. Also note the lack of tweeter bloom as far off-axis as 45 degrees. This represents an exceptional off-axis response.
Impedance and electrical phase:
Note the extremely clean impedance response (free from wrinkles which would represent various forms of resonances) and linear phase with minimal phase angles. The mild phase angles ensure that this speaker is an easy load for even basic receivers.
Energy Time Curve:
Note the extremely clean impedance response (free from wrinkles which would represent various forms of resonances) and linear phase with minimal phase angles. The mild phase angles ensure that this speaker is an easy load for even basic receivers.
Cumulative Spectral Decay:
This measurement is similar to the energy time curve but displays a 3 dimensional view such that we can examine the decay time with reference to frequency. It is an exceptional tool to reveal transient accuracy and indicate various problem areas with respect to resonance and stored energy. The CSD of the Sierra Tower is exceptionally clean with good uniformity.
SIERRA TOWER SUMMARY
The Sierra Tower offers massive performance in a compact and slim cabinet with about the same footprint as a pair of bookshelf speakers on stands. With high efficiency, startling dynamics and extremely wide dispersion, even larger rooms present no challenge.
Equally adept at music and home theater, but yet also suitable for the most discerning and critical listeners, Sierra Towers are a true end-game speaker and the highest performance loudspeaker we manufacture.
SIERRA TOWER GALLERY
RAAL Ribbon
RAAL Ribbon Black Bamboo Finish
RAAL Ribbon Black Matte Finish
RAAL Ribbon Natural Finish
RAAL Ribbon Satin Cherry Finish
RAAL Ribbon Satin Espresso Finish
NrT Dome
NrT Dome Black Bamboo Finish
NrT Dome Black Matte Finish
NrT Dome Natural Finish
NrT Dome Satin Cherry Finish
NrT Dome Satin Espresso Finish
Also Purchased
DUO LCR PAIR
Our No-Compromise Ultra-High-Performance Compact LCR Speaker With the success and overwhelming feedback from our Luna mini-monitor, it was time to take that same formula and apply it to a speaker...
$1,688.00
SIERRA-2EX PAIR
Our New Benchmark Bookshelf Ribbon Speaker Featuring our new proprietary 6" SEAS EXCEL Curv™ Woofer. With the development of this shockingly high-performance new woofer, we have improved upon every aspect...
From $1,648.00
SIERRA-LX PAIR
Our Latest And Greatest Bookshelf Monitor Class-leading bass extension, massive dynamics and midbass punch, high power handling, exceptionally wide and linear dispersion combined with some of the best measurements in...
From $1,398.00
LUNA MINI-MONITOR PAIR
Introducing Our No-Compromise High-Performance Mini-Monitor With the continuing success of our remarkable Sierra-2/2EX speakers, it was our goal to take that level of performance and offer it in a stunningly...
$1,248.00
SIERRA-1 PAIR
Our World-Renowned Reference Monitor Featuring our Exclusive Low Resonance Layered Bamboo Cabinet! "Innovation, performance, intensive quality controls and environmental-friendliness all precisely balanced in a truly unique loudspeaker." Over 4 ½...
From $848.00
