Ascend Sierra 1 Reference vs. Era D5


Anybody familiar with these monitors who can compare their sound? Both are extremely well reviewed and similarly priced. I have a smallish listening room, about 15 x 13 with an 8 foot ceiling. I have good amplification: a Manley Shrimp tube pre, feeding a Bel Canto S300 (150 w/channel into 8 ohms).

I value detail, neutrality, soundstage and imaging. I don't listen to music incredibly loud. Steely Dan, James Taylor, Joe Jackson, Paul Simon, some orchestral stuff and jazz, a little rock. I have a pair of Ohm Walsh 100's that I'm quite happy with, but I've got the itch to hear what a pair of good monitors would sound like in my room.

Thanks for any insights.
rebbi

Showing 7 responses by rebbi

Loomis,
interesting and somewhat surprising, since the reviews are so good, but I don't doubt your impressions and appreciate your post.
I'm gonna shamelessly give this thread one more "bump" and then quietly give up. :-)

No other comments on either of these monitors?
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.
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. ;-)