Ascend Sierra 1 Reference vs. Era D5

rebbi what i like about the d5's is that they deliver IMO better controlled and thicker base than any bookshelf I've heard (of that size, price, etc) the veneers (mine is rosewood) are great and the size is manageable. I find they are fairly neutral in character (like the era family) and can punch up when given the power. That is sort of why the boxy, tinny thoughts that Loomisjohnston noted surprised me. Unfortunately some folks sort of hang their ego on their stuff. I'm not one of them but given that I did have a budget and am not made of money. I could have done better but I believe that I would have had to spend much more money. I suspect that LJ is either more experienced than me, is more particular, heard a bad system, or something like that. Let us know if you get something and your thouhts if you audition stuff. Also I 2nd the totem thoughts that someone already mentioned. I liked them as well. I thought the paradigms were OK but prefered the D5s.

I have D4s in my desktop rig and am very pleased. I haven't heard any of the speakers that Loomis listed, so maybe I'm missing out. I A/B'ed them with Paradigm Studios and chose the Era's because I thought they sounded a little smoother and looked a little better.

But I've always been curious about the Sierra's. Let us know what you decide on, and your impressions.

Ryan

looks like loomis disliking the eras unleashed a little squall ...actually, while i do enjoy flapping my jaw now and again, i've got no personal stake in dissing your tastes, or hyping my own--hell, i'm not crazy about some of the gear i've bought and still own. i still stress, however, that choice of speakers (which, in my view, is as important as choice of spouse) shouldn't be made in a vacuum. now, a couple of months ago some yokel off of craigslist came to my office to buy some bose cubes i'd picked up at a garage sale. i set 'em up and played 'em for him, and he was rhapsodic--he couldn't praise 'em enough. until, of course, i connected and played my proac responses, whereby his jaw dropped, he got all gloomy and left bose-less. caveat emptor.

Everybody,
I so appreciate this thread and all of your thoughtful responses, including Loomis. I've never had a pair of small monitors in my room and am very curious about how they'd sound.
There was a time when I'd never have bought any piece of gear without an in person audition, but the existence of Audiogon (you can always sell later and recoup some of your investment) as well as the lack of dealers to hear a lot of good stuff makes that "rule" hard to adhere to.
Although I know that all reviews, even the professional ones, have to be taken with more than a grain of salt, the fact that the pro reviews of the Ascends and the Eras have been so glowing made me interested in them.
I've also thought of Dynaudios, but they're out of my budget, new, and on the used market, there are so many older models floating around out there that I kind of got discouraged about figuring out what to look for.

The Sierra 1s are a much better speaker than the 340 or 340SE.
They do both have a very neutral sonic signature. If you like the British sound they aren't for you.

I haven't heard the D5 to give you a comparison.