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Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 vs. Dynaudio Focus 140/160

I am putting together a new system which will consist of an Audio Research SP14, McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe, and a new set of smaller speakers, which I will look for on the used market. The McCormack is on its way and I’m currently looking for a good SP14 and speakers. The plan is to use these speakers in a smallish space while I take care of my elderly and ill Father. I will eventually relegate these ‘new’ smaller speakers to a bedroom system and get larger towers for the new system. I do have a set of Klipsch Heresy IIIs, and a much older set of Klipsch Cornwalls, which I may try out before opting for a new(er) set of towers.

I understand that the Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 is a fantastic option and is an extremely detailed and musical speaker, and I’m confident I’d be very happy with them. Other than the RAAL tweeter, the Dynaudio Focus 140, or possibly a 160 is very similar in that regard. The Dynaudio has an impedance of 4Ω, while the Sierra 2 is 8Ω. The McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe does 330 at 4Ω, so I will need to be mindful not to crank the volume, but I am unlikely to do so. Luckily, the SP14 has an attenuation knob, which will certainly help in this regard.

I should mention that I have not listened to either speaker as I do not have an option to do so, but I have read numerous reviews and both seem to be stellar options.  I also have never listened to a ribbon tweeter.

Budget is $1.2K, or thereabouts, but I certainly wouldn’t be adverse to saving some money since I’m spending ~ $3K on the SP14 and the McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe.

I have wanted both of these speakers for quite some time. I am leaning just a bit towards the Sierra 2. My quandary is that I have found what I believe to be a pretty danged good deal on the Dynaudio Focus 140. Sierra 2s are somewhat difficult to find and will likely cost around $4-500.00 more than this deal I found on the Focus 140s.

I also considered the Revel M22, but again, they are difficult to find, more expensive than the pair of Focus 140s I found and the reviews aren’t quite as good. Any other speakers I should be considering? Also, I am not in any particular hurry, but that deal on the Focus 140s won’t last for too long.

At any rate, I’d be happy to read your comments on these options as well as any other suggestions you may have. The one non-negotiable requirement is that I am not interested in any speakers manufactured in china.

Thank you.

 

1911
1911 OP
13 posts
 

SMc confirmed that my DNA-1 Deluxe does indeed have the upgraded R1 driver board.  Good news for sure.

soix
9,456 posts
 

Yup. Patrick is awesome and a great source of information. He upgraded my DNA 0.5 RevA to their latest and greatest — the only remaining parts from my original amp are the chassis and the transformer. Other than that, it’s basically a totally new amp. I sadly haven’t gotten to listen to it yet, but it’s my forever amp and can’t imagine replacing it with anything else. I wish you the best of luck with your DNA-1, and at some point, if you like its sound, you might likewise consider doing some of SMcAudio’s upgrades to transform it into a SOTA amp. I will write a review here once I get some hours on the amp, but to me $2700 for a whole new amp is quite a bit of a bargain. Your Deluxe version already has some of the upgrades I’d think so you might save some $$$ if you go the upgrade route. The others I considered were the newer GaN amps from AGD and AtmaSphere, but they were quite a bit more expensive so I went with the SMcAudio upgrade. But, GaN amps are clearly on the rise and likely the future of SOTA amps. Just my $0.02 FWIW. Let us know how the DNA-1 works out. Great amp!!!

1911 OP
13 posts
 

@soix: Sounds like you have quite the upgraded amp there. I look forward to reading your review once you get a chance to fully test it out. I will certainly consider upgrading my DNA Deluxe in the future.

When I was researching amps, I had it narrowed down to the Odyssey Khartago, Classé Fifteen, and the Audio Research D240 MKII. I am confident I made the correct choice, but time will tell. I will certainly update the forum on my impressions of the DNA-1-(R1), but I must first obtain a good Audio Research SP14.  I’ve got my eye on one now, so hopefully it won’t be too long until I get one.

I also have decided to try my hand at building a set of high performance bookshelf speakers. A feller with nearly 70 years of speaker design experience graciously offered to design me a set and I am now in the process of researching speaker cabinets builds, so it will be a bit a’fore I have a chance to listen to the new system.

Thanks again!

 

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