Swans D2.1-SE vs. Ascend Sierra 1

[el espectro]

Ok I know:

-to each his own
-everybody hears things differently, and has different gear, rooms, etc.
-"go out and buy what you like"
-etc.

HOWEVER. I have the Ascend Sierra 1's in my house right now and I am winding down a VERY long search process. I do not buy speakers without hearing them.

If given a chance to hear them (in-home trial), I'd consider the Swans D2.1-SE the last challenger to the Ascends for final purchase. So generally speaking, with the Ascend Seirras as a reference point. What can I expect out of the Swans D2.1-SE's?

EDIT: By the way, they're for 2.1 channel music at first, expanding to surround for HT. Music will always be more important. everything from jazz, classical, hip hop, rock, ambient, electronic . . . so everything but country.

 

[Demonster]

How'd they sound

How are the sierras? I am looking at picking up several for my B speakers and possibly surrounds. I have heard they are in between the B&W 704 and 804 lines as far as quality of sound. what do you think? I listened to the 804's today and they are definately going into the budget.

 

[el espectro]

How are the sierras? I am looking at picking up several for my B speakers and possibly surrounds. I have heard they are in between the B&W 704 and 804 lines as far as quality of sound. what do you think? I listened to the 804's today and they are definately going into the budget.

I like them a lot. They have a wonderful level of detail without over-emphasizing the high end. The mid-range is quite good in my opinion, and vocals sound great. The stereo imaging is very precise as well, and the overall presentation is very clean, with plenty of clarity . . . tons. The soundstage could go a bit deeper, but it is not flat by any means. They seem to lack some "shimmer" (not enough to really hurt them) but the sound is still engaging. To folks that are used to speakers which over-do the low and high ends of the spectrum these speakers may seem a bit laid back (in other words, the tweeters don't jump out to announce that they've arrived, which is a good thing to me), but you can really enjoy the finer nuances with these speakers. For just HT I MIGHT go for something with a little more pronounced high frequency output, but for music, they're great, which is all I can really attest to since I don't have an HT set-up yet. However I do plan on using them as my mains when I do.

 

[mazersteven]

EDIT: By the way, they're for 2.1 channel music at first, expanding to surround for HT. Music will always be more important. everything from jazz, classical, hip hop, rock, ambient, electronic . . . so everything but country.

You might want to include these.

MBS-01 - Bookshelf

http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-mts01.cfm