Ascend Sierra 1 Reference vs. Era D5

hey loomis no squall at all. I merely was surprised at the tinny and such comments as that is maybe the first time I've heard that particular comment associated. Now as I am not tied to my speakers and am a big boy I take criticism of them as it is given and considering the factors involved one mans treasure is another's garbage. I was just puzzled, thats all. Other that that I could not agree more with the listen to everything ethos, especially while removing all the variables that it is possible to remove.

i've made a mental note to audition the eras again to ascertain whether i'm delusional, which is certainly possible. when i heard them previously, they were paired in a dealer showroom with a really good integrated (i believe a classe) and music server, so i don't think the associated gear or room setup was the issue, but obviously system synergy can be quirky. paulsax et. al., feel free to rip me any time--after most of my marriages, public pillorying would seem like club med.

Rebbi - If all you want to do is satisfy your curiousity, try to find someone local who owns decent monitors and have them bring them over to your place.

That said, I highly doubt you're gonna have any kind of an epiphany when you go from the Ohms to a small, inexpensive monitor, unless that epiphany is what an incredible value the Ohms are, and that there is no replacement for displacement, even in modest sized rooms. I also doubt you'll find any speaker, of any size, under $5K, with better detail retreival that is not fatiguing and overly-bright. Just MHO, YMMV, of course.

Bondmanp,

You may very well be right, especially since I upgraded my electronics, which have the Ohms singing at a new level. But I am curious. This audiophile thing is as much a disease as a hobby sometime, as you know.

I think you should copyright the phrase "there's no replacement for displacement" now, before somebody else grabs it. ;-)

Well, this is a reply to what is an old thread but all I can say is that I find the D5's to be a phenomenal performer for their price. The fit and finish is very good. I find the D5s to do all the things that a monitor speaker is supposed to do and do them well; imaging,soundstage, pinpoint accuracy, and very musical. I would tend to call them a touch on the warm side, but then again I use these with tubed amps. I once had some Totem Model 1s for many years and had regretted selling them. I find the D5s fill that void left by the Totems and yet, are somewhat better than the Totems. By this I mean I (to me anyway)got a feeling at times that the metal tweeter was a little too hard sounding; the D5 gives me a warmer sound but not at the expense of being involving or with a loss of detail. My D5s replaced some very expensive floorstanding speakers, and by expensive I mean 5X what I paid for the D5s. I have never missed the floorstanders and I listen more now, and longer to the music than I did with the floorstanding speakers. There are times in the land of Audiophilia that a giant-killer comes along, or at least a product that is an over-achiever. I consider the D5 to be one of those products. I have had mine for almost two years now and I have not thought about replacing them; a rare event in my house! Go give them a listen, or even buy a pair. You will not regret it.
Equipment: LP12 w/ Ittok arm, Acurus P10 phono preamp, CJ Premier 16 preamp, Lumley Signature 150W monoblock amps, CJ MF2200 amp, Naim CD5 CDP with Flatcap, Analysis Plus and Morrow Audio cables. Listening room: 13.5 w x 18 l x 10 h. Music preferences vary but mostly female vocals, classical, anything with a piano.
I hope this helps someone.