ascend sierra tower with raal or Focal Aria 936

I had an extensive audition with a pair of Focal 936s, a local dealer was closing them out for $2k. I wouldn't call them bright, but they definitely have a cool tonal balance. If I hadn't known I was using a class AB amp with them, I would've assumed they were paired to a class D amp.

I can see why some like them, they're a decent speaker, but not at the price of $4k. IMO, the Monitor Audio Silver 8s (retail $2k) are better than the Focals.

I would look at speakers from Salk Sound.

I have owned both the MA Silver 8's and the Sierra towers with RAAL (bought slightly used for just under $2000). I did side by side conparisons in my room. The Silver 8's are fantastic speakers for the money, particularly the midrange of their 3-way design. The bass is plentiful (enough so that I had to use the port bungs). But they are a little closed/congested sounding - the tweeter/highs are ok - and the soundstage was pretty flat with no depth. That was always my struggle with them. And this is where the Sierra tower with RAAL ribbon comes in to play - far more open, airy and natural without being bright. The cabinets are extremely well made (and by hand in the USA) - much better than the MA's. They are a *little* light in the bass department (but do go down to 30Hz without issue) so if it's bass slam you want the Silver 8's might be a better choice. But I use a room correction convolution filter with a bass curve to even that out. I sold the Silver 8's and don't think I will need to look at speakers for a long time.

Haven't heard the Focal 936's but I have heard the standmounts and the upper end was good but not near the RAAL ribbon. I think you would have to spend a lot more to noticeably improve upon the Sierra towers with RAAL. Another other option might be Salk.

I also do think that there are savings to be had with the ID business model. My local Monitor Audio dealer says that wholesale for the Silver 8's is well under $1500 a pair - there is typically a 1/3rd markup on a lot of audio gear. Thus why one can often get a much lower price than msrp on this stuff from a dealer. This isn't like selling Apple Laptops where dealers have tiny margins of 10%. There is a lot of gravy in the audio dealer sales channel. So the $2000 msrp Silver 8's probably sell to the distributor for $1000+ who then sells to dealers for $1300+. Compare that to a pair of Sierra tower RAALs that msrp at $2800 and probably cost somewhere above $2000 to produce (complete guess). Of course, the only way that MA can sell speakers that cheaply into the dealer network is by producing in china, which does have economy of scale benefits and does not necessilarly mean that quality is any less ... 

IMO, if you want speakers that are non-fatiguing for long sessions, the best you can do for $4k is move to the BBC inspired brands from Harbeth, Spendor, Stirling, ProAc etc. I have yet to come across any floor standing models that aren't fatiguing after a couple hours. Sometimes the Brit speakers need a sub, depending on the room, but they're well worth the hassle.

I haven't heard the Sierra towers, but someone on A/V Forums did an extensive comparison between the Aria 936 and the Sierra towers and preferred the Sierras by a slim margin. However, I think he was using the conventional tweeter Sierras. 

Hopefully you'll keep us updated with your experience. 

nquery, interesting comparison with Monitor Audio.  When my dealer dropped the Paradigm line back around 2005, they went with Monitor Audio.

I've never thought that any speaker brand is a one size fit all proposition.  And of course, many differing tastes and preferences.  Some want a speaker to add plenty of bass and or have a hot top end.  A pair of Tannoys I have push the mid frequencies, and they are nice for some music.  But if one wants true accuracy, detail and resolution without coloring the sound, many brands need not apply.

The trick is finding speakers that inspire you, and then getting electronics that compliment them.  For accuracy and an ability to recreate the most difficult instruments without getting harsh sounding, Ascend with the Raal tweeter is one option.  The fact that they operate outside of the retail system seems to trouble some greatly.