Ascend Sierra-1's vs. RBH MC-6C's [Archive] - Audioholics Home Theater Forums

Reorx

05-24-2007, 06:54 PM

Tex-amp

05-25-2007, 10:28 AM

I am torn between the Sierra-1's and RBH MC-6C's.
They are both around the same price, RBH being a little more expensive.

Per spec's, it looks like the Sierra's will go down to 40hz, whereas the MC-6C's will only go to 60mhz. Of which wont really matter if I xover at 80hz, but would possibly if I xover'd at 60hz.

Any thoughts?

Reorx

How much music do you listen too? A couple of the guys that have the Sierras already are reporting that they like music better with their subs turned off and the Sierras run full range.

Reorx

05-25-2007, 12:33 PM

I watch movies more then listen to music. My wife listens to music more then she watches movies. So I'd have to say overall...50/50.

For the last month though, it's been 100% music, 0 movies. We put hardwood floors in, TV broke, and we threw out the entertainment center. We are essentially remodeling our living room. Floors, rug, sectional, paint, Samsung HLT-5087 or 5089, HD-DVD, TV and speaker stands.

My plan is to use the Ascends or RBH in a 5.1 maybe a 7.1 setup. Initially though, I won't have a sub. Mine is broken, and $1700-$2000 for speakers is stressing my wife out a little. If I threw in a $500 sub at this time, she'd cause my 6'9" 250 lb butt ALOT of physical pain. Beware the 5'1" latin women, who are personally trained to cage fight against men by the Gracie family. So I'll probably buy a sub around xmas.

Are the Ascends a bright speaker?

I am planning on listening to them in LA this weekend, so that will be exciting.
But I have a feeling that my hearing will be a little screwed up, since I am primarily going there for a Salsa dancing convention, and will be partying, dancing, and drinking for 2-3 20-24hr days in a row. btw, if you dont know how to dance, learn to salsa. Women dig it, it's a aphrodisiac, and they'll start throwing themselves at you.

silversurfer

05-25-2007, 02:03 PM

Are the Ascends a bright speaker?

I don't think so, and remember the room can have a lot of influence on this. I am hoping to hear Sierras soon as well.

My understanding is symmetrical dispersion pattern that the Sierras have, helps most in reflective rooms. There has been one post that seems to affirm this.

gene

05-25-2007, 02:54 PM

I have a very detailed review of the RBH MC-6C's coming out shortly. These speaker rock! Although they are rated down to 60Hz, you cannot bottom them out by design. I ran them full range at ear bleeding levels and they were virtually bulletproof.

Asends is sending us their new speakers and I am planning a Mega bookshelf face off in June after all the speakers that will be in the face off are first formerly reviewed.

jake5717

05-25-2007, 03:00 PM

I have a pair of MC-6C's and they work great for me. I don’t ever play them very loud but there have been occasions where I can’t stand to just look at them sit there so I crank them up for a min and the louder I play them the better they sound.

billy p

05-25-2007, 03:03 PM

Can't wait for that Gene!:)
Reorx, is your wife attending with you?:p JK

silversurfer

05-25-2007, 05:06 PM

Excellent!

Reorx

05-29-2007, 02:05 PM

Well, Sunday the wife and I went and listened to the sierra-1's.

It's hard to put into words how they sounded.
We liked their sound over: $1700+ Martin Logans, Paradigm's, and Focal's that we've listened to in the past week.

We listened to: A Brazilian Jazz DVD-a, Steely Dan (FLAK), some Cello solo CD. Nothing was bloated. The bass, mid, and tweeters were extremely well balanced. They are clear, detailed, and have an excellent sound stage. The instruments and voices sounded the way they were supposed to! The whole time my wife thought the sub was on, but it was actually off. :p I knew better. Though, it was very easy forget about the sub being off, and to get lost in the music. With the Brazilian jazz and Cello cd, I could actually hear the musician's fingers on the pegboards of their instruments.

Today, I am hoping that we'll get a chance to listen to the RBH speakers.

Tex-amp

05-29-2007, 03:37 PM

My Sierras arrived this morning I've checked twice to make sure the sub was off so far. :D

Reorx

05-29-2007, 03:44 PM

My Sierras arrived this morning I've checked twice to make sure the sub was off so far. :D
What speakers did you have before?
What speakers have you compared to the Sierra's before you bought?
How do you feel they sound?

Reorx

Tex-amp

05-29-2007, 03:53 PM

They are replacing Ascend 170SE in my 2 channel rig and 340 Classics in my HT.
I've owned; Paradigm Atoms, Titans, Mini-monitors ; Maggies(that I had of my brothers for a few years while he was traveling), Yamaha NS1000s that someone gave me(I had no idea what I had or I wouldn't have passed them on when I no long had the space), and a few others. I've heard many other speakers.

To my ears the Sierras are a much bigger step up from the Ascend SE then the SEs were from the Classics. I've only had a couple of hours to listen so I'll wait awhile before posting more.

MUDSHARK

05-29-2007, 08:53 PM

Mine will not ship until tomorrow thanks to Chase.:mad: I don't charge that much and the amount of the charge apparently threw up a red flag that I had to call (menus of course) to have the account cleared. Sheesh you'd think I was charging some Watt Puppies. Likely will not get here until next Monday now.

If I read one more best thing since canned beer comment by those that already have them I'm gonna scream.:)

Jason Coleman

05-30-2007, 12:32 AM

It's not the amount of the charge that's in question...it's an out-of-the-blue electronics purchase from a relatively unknown company in California that probably caused the red flag. My bank did the same thing and called me the afternoon that my Sierras shipped (and I was charged) to make sure that there wasn't some tomfoolery goin' down. A little added protection is worth a day or two wait I think...:)

J.

Jason Coleman

05-30-2007, 12:34 AM

If I read one more best thing since canned beer comment...
We all know there's nothing better than canned beer...:D Mmmmmm....beer.....

J.

gene

05-30-2007, 01:30 AM

I just posted my review of the RBH MC-6C speakers if anyone is interested.

RBH Sound MC-6C Speaker Review (http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/bookshelf/rbh-sound-mc-6c-bookshelf-speaker-review)

Reorx

05-31-2007, 01:53 AM

Read it and posted a comment.
It seems to me that the 2 speakers are going to be very very close.
I think people will be hard pressed to choose between the two of them.
Either way I suppose, the customer will be happy. They have 2 choices for great bookshelf speakers.

AVRat

05-31-2007, 01:34 PM

For most people the Sierras will be easier to demo and purchase though.

silversurfer

05-31-2007, 02:17 PM

It seems to me that the 2 speakers are going to be very very close.
I don' think you can come to that conclusion by reading about one of them and hearing the other.

Reorx

05-31-2007, 03:26 PM

I don' think you can come to that conclusion by reading about one of them and hearing the other.
True. It wasnt ment to be a definitive comment. I just think they are going to be close to each other. They both have an excellent soundstage, and can accurately produce instruments. They are both clear and detailed. That right there set's both these speakers apart from many many others.

I am planning on listening to the MC-6C's this weekend.
But desipite that, since I cannot A/B them, in the room, at the same SPL, same equipment, and within a short period of time...It would be very difficult to say which is better, unless there are night and day differences.

When Gene and crew do their bookshelf speaker showdown, I trust that they will be A/B'ing the equipment, make sure things are properly calibrated, and be objective. RBH has set a pretty high standard for itself, and is a favorite; so any competitor will have a uphill battle to face.

Gene, have you received or heard the Sierra's yet?

Tom Andry

05-31-2007, 03:42 PM

There is talk of a review but as far as I know we haven't had any review samples shipped yet.

MUDSHARK

05-31-2007, 03:56 PM

I received notice that mine were shipped yesterday. It will likely take a few weeks for Ascend to catch up to orders. Wonder if Steven succeeded in geting some for audition?

silversurfer

05-31-2007, 04:10 PM

I am planning on listening to the MC-6C's this weekend.
But desipite that, since I cannot A/B them, in the room, at the same SPL, same equipment, and within a short period of time...It would be very difficult to say which is better, unless there are night and day differences.

What you should do is get a pair of Sierra for trial, and take them with you. Unless there are things that really standout, audio memory is very short.

muzz

05-31-2007, 09:31 PM

Mine will be here Wednesday!!
I got Sierra L/C/R to replace 170SE L/R,and a 340SEC

I suspect I will need a diaper while listening, but I will let you all know what I think of them.

Even if I am a bit "Damp"

If they aren't a big upgrade, I will CERTAINLY say so.

gene

05-31-2007, 11:20 PM

When Gene and crew do their bookshelf speaker showdown, I trust that they will be A/B'ing the equipment, make sure things are properly calibrated, and be objective. RBH has set a pretty high standard for itself, and is a favorite; so any competitor will have a uphill battle to face.

Gene, have you received or heard the Sierra's yet?

The face off review will be very similar to how Ray did our last one though this one will be conducted by a panel of 3 listeners and all speakers will be measured.

Ascends is shipping us a pair of speakers next week.

billy p

06-01-2007, 12:21 AM

The face off review will be very similar to how Ray did our last one though this one will be conducted by a panel of 3 listeners and all speakers will be measured.

Ascends is shipping us a pair of speakers next week.

Ascend Acoustics seem to be a great company. Their owner (Dave F) is a real stand up guy. He always takes the time to help out or answer question directly and puts alot of effort in customer satisfaction. Judging by all the feedback I am fairly sure, Dave knows how good this speaker is and it should knock your panels socks off;).

Looking forward to this and thanks, Billy p:)

Reorx

06-01-2007, 01:07 AM

emorphien

06-01-2007, 01:09 AM

We all know there's nothing better than canned beer...:D Mmmmmm....beer.....

J.

bottled beer!

Reorx

06-01-2007, 01:12 AM

bottled beer!

Keg beer, in a keg-o-rator

Tex-amp

06-01-2007, 10:14 AM

Keg beer, in a keg-o-rator

Home brew!

emorphien

06-01-2007, 11:59 AM

bottled beer!
Keg beer, in a keg-o-rator
Home brew!

All are better than most canned beer :)

STRONGBADF1

06-01-2007, 02:47 PM

FREE BEER!!!:p

Can't wait to see the reveiw. Should help the OP and some others to get going in the right direction.

SBF1

Grayson73

06-01-2007, 03:06 PM

Reorx

06-01-2007, 03:49 PM

Is there a Address available for Audioholics, so we can show our appreaciation to you guys by sending you beer?

Jason Coleman

06-02-2007, 12:10 AM

FREE BEER!!!:p
Shame on me and my beer influences...:D

BTW, got my Sierras on Wednesday, but haven't had a chance to hook them up yet. Shame on me again, I know, but the end of the school year + Master's Degree coursework + 2 year old child = very, very busy. I hope to get them hooked up on Saturday temporarily mounted on some old Sanus stands that I have. First impressions of the speakers are very positive, though I was a bit disappointed to find a fairly obvious defect on the top, back, left of one of the speaker cabinets where the veneer hadn't joined properly and the gap was filled with acrylic or whatever they finish their cabinets with. It's a bit ugly and I'll probably contact Dave to see what he wants to do, but otherwise the speakers look gorgeous. Now I've got to find some reasonable bamboo veneer or plywood to fashion some appropriate stands.

J.

silversurfer

06-02-2007, 12:55 AM

I thought they didn't use veneer on the speakers, just a bamboo laminate. Did you get A or B stock?

muzz

06-02-2007, 01:29 AM

Shame on me and my beer influences...:D

BTW, got my Sierras on Wednesday, but haven't had a chance to hook them up yet. Shame on me again, I know, but the end of the school year + Master's Degree coursework + 2 year old child = very, very busy. I hope to get them hooked up on Saturday temporarily mounted on some old Sanus stands that I have. First impressions of the speakers are very positive, though I was a bit disappointed to find a fairly obvious defect on the top, back, left of one of the speaker cabinets where the veneer hadn't joined properly and the gap was filled with acrylic or whatever they finish their cabinets with. It's a bit ugly and I'll probably contact Dave to see what he wants to do, but otherwise the speakers look gorgeous. Now I've got to find some reasonable bamboo veneer or plywood to fashion some appropriate stands.

J.

NO cheesy Veneer there bud, thats solid Bamboo laminate.

Reorx

06-06-2007, 03:02 PM

I am going to listen to the LSR4300 Studio Monitors, and RBH MC-6C's this weekend. Can you tell us what other speakers are in the showdown? or is it a secret? I might be able to find some local dealers, listen to them, and form an opinion before reading your showdown.

I think you would suprised, and would really shake things up if you added the JBL LSR4300. They are in the same price range, and sound pretty awesome. plus being powered, builtin EQ's, and self room correction.
/sigh. An Unexpected visit by the in-laws last weekend. Followed by a all day kid's EXPO, kinda put the speakers on the back burner. I'm kinda bummed out about it. Since I had to make special arrangements because most the installers only work M-F 8-5.

On a side note, looks like more people have received their speakers and are putting up reviews. I dont think I've heard a bad review yet.

muzz

06-06-2007, 10:53 PM

I got my L/C/R Sierra naturals today..
They look sweet
They sound sweet
The bass surprises me.

I ran them Large-2 channel mostly

Upgraded from 170SE Mains, and a 340SE center, and IMO it was a very worthwhile upgrade...
Need more time to crank'm up though, only had about 2 hrs to do that today.... tommorrow is another day though!!

Very Happy so far! :D

Reorx

06-18-2007, 06:57 PM

It's been almost 2 weeks since it was mentioned that review speakers were on the way to Audioholics.

Just curious to know what the initial impressions were, and if the speakers were given the recommended break in period.

Reorx

Tom Andry

06-18-2007, 07:26 PM

They showed up the day I left out of town for a week. I've just returned and it'll be a few days before I can even open the box. I know you all are anxious so it is high up on my to do list.

STRONGBADF1

06-18-2007, 09:53 PM

They showed up the day I left out of town for a week. I've just returned and it'll be a few days before I can even open the box. I know you all are anxious so it is high up on my to do list.

Hi Tom,

I know your busy but......Get crackin' my man!!!;)

Thanks ahead of time.

SBF1

Tex-amp

07-15-2007, 10:23 PM

They showed up the day I left out of town for a week. I've just returned and it'll be a few days before I can even open the box. I know you all are anxious so it is high up on my to do list.

So where does the bookshelf shootout stand?