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$468.00
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 years in development, the Sierra-1 is the culmination of thousands of man-hours of research and the collaboration of various global partnerships all brought together for a single goal, development of what we consider to be one of the highest performance loudspeakers ever offered.
Follow the development of the Sierra-1 from beginning to end:
Sierra-1 Development
SIERRA-1 DESCRIPTION
Our objective was to follow a less is more philosophy to achieve accurate sound reproduction. Less cabinet resonance, less distortion, less diffraction and reflections and fewer phase errors -- in other words, a major reduction of all the negative characteristics the loudspeaker itself imparts on the source material.
Don’t let the good looks of the Sierra-1 fool you, this loudspeaker was designed from the ground up to deliver exceptional performance. Every component of the Sierra-1 is fully optimized for a single purpose, clean and accurate sound reproduction. From the vertically laminated solid bamboo cabinet designed to reduce both resonance and energy-loss, to the advanced crossover optimized for phase and off-axis response accuracy, this loudspeaker is destined to become the reference by which all other bookshelf monitors are judged, regardless of price.
Hand assembled, tested and packaged in the USA, we are so confident of the component and build quality of the Sierra-1 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, this is the world's most affordable bamboo loudspeaker.
We thank you for your interest!
SIERRA-1 FEATURES
- All Sierra-1 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 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.
Woofer:
- Fully custom 5.25” woofer with injection molded mineral-filled polypropylene cone for high stiffness and excellent damping.
- Long-throw design for high power handling and extended bass.
- Cast aluminum frame for exceptional rigidity and reduced resonance.
- Pure copper upper and lower shorting rings to reduce distortion, linearize magnetic flux, and dramatically reduce inductance.
- Vented pole-piece and open spider for enhanced air-flow and cooling, minimizing compression artifacts..
Tweeter:
- 26mm high-definition pre-coated fabric dome manufactured to our specifications by SEAS of Norway.
- Fully integrated slightly elliptical wave guide made from elastomer to reduce diffraction and control off-axis response.
- Integrated wide surround for reducing resonance and break-up modes.
- Low viscosity magnetic fluid for improved power handling and damping.
- Pole piece damping chamber to absorb back-wave reflections and lower the resonant frequency.
- Exceptionally clean spectral decay and low distortion for greater detail and improved accuracy.
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-1 SPECIFICATIONS
| Typical In-Room Frequency Response | 39Hz - 22kHz |
| Typical In-Room Sensitivity | 90.5dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter |
| Nominal Impedance | 8 ohms |
| Max Continuous Power* | 200 watts |
| Max Short Term Peak Power* | 350 watts |
| Cabinet Detail | Exclusive V-LAM™ construction featuring 20mm thick vertically laminated bamboo, internally braced. Bass reflex via flared rear port tube |
| Tweeter | 26mm high-definition soft dome tweeter w/integrated elastomer wave guide, wide surround, low-viscosity magnetic fluid cooling, pole-piece damping chamber. Fully manufactured by SEAS of Norway |
| Woofer | Proprietary 5.25” long throw mineral-filled polypropylene cone, 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 |
| Inserts | 1/4-20 threaded insert for securing to our TP-24 stands |
| Anechoic Frequency Response | 44Hz - 22kHz +/- 3dB |
| Anechoic Sensitivity | 86.5dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter |
| Dimensions H x W x D** | 7.5" x 14.25" x 10.5" positioned horizontally |
| Speaker Weight (each) | 20 pounds |
| Shipping Weight (each) | 21 pounds |
| Minimum Recommended Power At Listening Position for Specific Speaker Distances | |
| 3 Feet or Less | 2 watts minimum |
| 9 Feet or Less | 15 watts minimum |
| 15 Feet or Less | 40 watts minimum |
| 21 Feet or More | 80 watts minimum |
| *Unclipped peaks | **Grille On |
SIERRA-1 MEASUREMENTS
*All of the measurements you see below are unsmoothed and use a 5dB/division scale where appropriate. It is common for loudspeaker manufacturers to publish measurements that have been smoothed to 1/3 octave (meaning 3 graph points per each octave) and use a 10dB/division scale. This has a tendency to make the graphs look smoother than they are.
We have chosen to be different.
Quasi-Anechoic On-Axis Frequency Response @ 1 meter Unsmoothed:
Horizontal & Vertical Off-Axis + Listening Window @ 1 meter Unsmoothed:
Horizontal & Vertical Off-Axis Symmetry @ 1 meter Unsmoothed:
Impedance + Electrical Phase:
Cumulative Spectral Decay:
Cabinet Resonance, accelerometer attached to side baffle, 7.5v input:
SIERRA-1 SUMMARY
With bass and dynamics rivaling many floor standing loudspeakers combined with the accuracy and detail of the finest bookshelf sized loudspeakers, the Sierra-1 simply offers unparalleled performance!
Renowned Ascend performance and quality, plus astonishing good looks, combined with environmental responsibility... The Sierra-1 is a crowning achievement.
Rather than mention performance, we feel it necessary to highlight the effort involved in bringing the Sierra-1 to market. This was an intense project with many highs and lows. Being a small company where performance, support and quality are our focus, a project of this scale requiring intensive research and development combined with global partnerships seemed an impossibility at times.
We never lost focus, never looked back and we are extremely pleased to be able to offer you a loudspeaker that at this price point, is in a class by itself. If the introduction of our CBM-170 sent tremors throughout the audio world, the Sierra-1 will most certainly create large scale earthquakes.
The performance of the Sierra-1 speaks for itself and if you are the least bit curious, we encourage you to contact us or, better yet, try a pair in your own home.
SIERRA-1 GALLERY
Natural Finish
Black Bamboo Finish
Satin Cherry Finish
Satin Espresso Finish
Center
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