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SIERRA-1 CENTER

$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

Enjoy the Music Award Affordable Audio Award Reviewer's Choice Award

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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
Unlike MDF, our bamboo cabinets are formaldehyde free (nearly all speaker cabinets use MDF)

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	89dB @ 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	85dB @ 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 Amplifier Power Rating for Speaker Distance to Listening Position
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:
Sierra-1 Frequency Response Graph

Horizontal & Vertical Off-Axis + Listening Window @ 1 meter Unsmoothed:
Sierra-1 Off-Axis Graph

Horizontal & Vertical Off-Axis Symmetry @ 1 meter Unsmoothed:
Sierra-1 Symmetry Graph

Impedance + Electrical Phase:
Sierra-1 Bode Plot

Cumulative Spectral Decay:
Sierra-1 CSD Graph

Cabinet Resonance, accelerometer attached to side baffle, 7.5v input:
Sierra-1 Cabinet Resonance Graph

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