Ascend Sierra 1 Reference vs. Era D5

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.

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.

Re-reading my post from 11-06-12 I would like to add one thing should anyone still be reading these threads and it is this: the D5 needs quality electronics with which to be partnered. At a price of $999, I am afraid the D5 will be partnered with midfi equipment. These need a topnotch tube or solid state amp or integrated. These are relatively inefficient speakers and need some solid power behind them, at least 60 watts of tube or 70-75 watts of solid state, and from quality manufacturers. I would even say one would be better served with 100WPC. I run mine with 150WPC tubed monoblocks and I love what I get from the D5s. My wife has threatened me if I even speak about selling the D5s, and honestly, I cannot imagine ever doing that. I am evening think of buying a spare tweeter and mid-woofer to keep on hand in case one of my speakers fails or just gets old. I am amazed at these speakers, and will always consider myself lucky to have come across a speaker that performs as these do for a price that is so reasonable, at least in the high end.