Warning: This is long. I try to be thorough.<\/p>\n
The goal of this was not to declare a winner; I did not go in with the assumption that one speaker would be universally better. My goal was to identify how these two speakers are different.<\/p>\n
This is where I stand on the things I least like to have compromised, and the places where I\u2019m most willing to cut speakers some slack.<\/p>\n
Things I\u2019m looking for:<\/p>\n
Things I care less about (at least for this comparison):<\/p>\n
Oh, and a word on measurement: thanks to a bunch of people now having Klippels, we are currently awash in measurements. I think this is a net positive. Measurements are important, even if our understanding of how measurements relate to human perception is imperfect. It\u2019s also far from zero, though, so I think measurements are a useful tool. They may not be the final word, but they are a key part of understanding what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n
Finally, for those who are not already vested in the Ascend community, when I say \u201cDave\u201d I\u2019m referring to Dave Fabrikant, the head honcho at Ascend Acoustics.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to read reviews of audio gear if the reviewer is just naming music you\u2019re not familiar with. \u201cWow, the vocals on track X are amazing\u201d is an utterly useless piece of information if I have never even heard of track X. (This is a pet peeve of mine.) I can\u2019t possibly listen to everything so I just have my own particular list, which won\u2019t match yours. However, I will try to (mostly) stay away from naming particular tracks and try to focus on what\u2019s in the music that differentiates the speakers. Full track list in the Appendix\u2014yes, there\u2019s an appendix. I warned you this is long.<\/p>\n
I will talk about genres a bit, though, because it\u2019ll help set context. My two main genres are rock (and things that are rock-adjacent) and classical. There\u2019s a smattering of other things: EDM, soundtracks, some world, some acoustic guitar and piano, some new age, little bits of blues and jazz. Not much metal (outside of Tool). Zero country. The classical does not include opera. The rock includes almost no soft rock. My taste in classical runs more toward quartets and chambers, but there\u2019s still symphonies in there.<\/p>\n
I listen to music essentially all the time that I can possibly get away with it. At home and at work, my real-world two-channel listening has four primary use cases:<\/p>\n
I posted this already to the Ascend forum but want to keep everything complete, so here that bit is again:<\/p>\n
First thing: if you\u2019re standing such that your ears are noticeably above the plane of the tweeters, it\u2019s no contest\u2014the LXs are clearly better. The difference in vertical dispersion is quite pronounced. When my son first came into the room he immediately liked the LXs much better. I had him sit down and he decided maybe he jumped to conclusions. If you\u2019re putting these in your HT and you care what it sounds like when you stand up, you\u2019ll want the LXs. (This is my current minor annoyance with my HT, which uses Duos. Sounds great when you\u2019re sitting, but when you stand up, you really notice the dropoff.)<\/p>\n
So far\u2014but let\u2019s note that it\u2019s really, really early\u2014I don\u2019t universally prefer one over the other one. Some tracks it\u2019s a wash (in fact, frankly, for some tracks it\u2019s hard to hear much difference at all), some tracks sound better on the LXs, and some sound better on the EXs. Note that \u201cbetter\u201d in many cases is hair-splitting. There were also some where a difference was apparent, but preference wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
I think treble detail retrieval and transients are indeed still better on the EX. It\u2019s not dramatic but if you listen in the right places it\u2019s there. Cymbals are just a teensy bit crisper, stuff like that. Part of it might be that the EXs seem a just a little bit brighter. Not a lot, but I can tell it\u2019s what I\u2019m used to. LXs are probably more neutral overall. (What really needs to be broken in here are my ears; I\u2019m just used to the EX sound.)<\/p>\n
I concur with everybody else who\u2019s said anything about the bass on the LXs. When I first heard the EXs, I declared that Dave had broken physics getting that much bass out of a bookshelf speaker with a 6″ woofer. Well, I guess he merely bent physics with the EXs, because the LXs are another notch (or two) past that. Absolutely bananas for a bookshelf speaker. If you went to an audio show 20 years ago and put these behind a screen, nobody\u2014including probably Dave himself\u2014would guess how small they are.<\/p>\n
So, what held up over more extensive testing?<\/p>\n
Since I kind of need to have the house to myself to really do this properly, and my wife is still mostly working from home, it took me a while to get through the enormous playlist I used to test. In between the more serious listening, I had the LX\u2019s on for all my \u201clistening while working\u201d time. This was to get me more used to the LX sound, since I had so much experience with the EX sound.<\/p>\n
For the actual testing, I typically listened at around 80dB continuous. First, that\u2019s loud enough that the Fletcher-Munson curve is pretty flat so I\u2019m really hearing the full range. Second, it\u2019s not loud enough to have hearing damage be a concern. It\u2019s a little quieter than reference level, which is fine because I rarely listen that loud anyway.<\/p>\n
I listened to every track in its entirety, switching back and forth between the speakers every so often. I often went back and listened to specific passages multiple times when I wanted to get a better sense of a specific difference. I took notes on every single track, but that\u2019s way to long for this.<\/p>\n
Overall, the first thing that needs to be said is that in a lot of cases, the differences between the two were pretty small. More than once when I switched between the two speakers, I had to re-check to make sure I had actually switched, so sometimes this was a bit of a hair-splitting exercise. Sometimes, however, it was not. I\u2019m going to focus more on the places where it was not, but keep in mind that depending on what you listen to, the differences may not be particularly large. With that, a small disclaimer: these are both excellent speakers, so please take anything that sounds negative here with a grain of salt\u2014this is negative relative to another excellent speaker, not in an absolute sense.<\/p>\n
The differences that I came to think of as \u201cthe big three\u201d were these:<\/p>\n
Honestly, you can pretty much get this off the spins for the respective speakers. The LX measures incredibly flat, and that\u2019s what you hear. It\u2019s just more neutral than the EX. Switching from LX to EX was often most noticeable in the bump to the treble the EX has relative to the LX\u2014it sometimes sounded almost like an EQ was turned on. The EXs measure brighter, and they most definitely sound brighter. This relative equality of mids and treble often makes the LX sound like they have a fuller midrange, but there were instances when the brightness was subjectively pleasing to my ears. Most times the neutrality of the LX was a clear advantage. If you have a negative response to a little brightness, the LX will be much more up your alley.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also something volume-dependent about this, as one might expect. In general, the quieter you listen, the more the highs and lows are de-emphasized (this is the Fletcher-Munson curve in action). Every once in a while I turned the volume down, and when I did that, the (relative) treble boost in the EX became less apparent. The louder you listen (up to a point), the larger the advantage is for the LX.<\/p>\n
And, of course, some people like a little V-shaped EQ in their audio world. In general, if that\u2019s something you want, I wouldn\u2019t be trying to get it out of the speakers, I\u2019d just EQ it in. This is what the loudness control is for. But I can certainly see how, if that V is your thing, especially in a short listening session, you might see less advantage for the LX. There were a few tracks that I did think sounded a bit better with the extra brightness.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t actually move around much during testing and sat mostly with the tweeters exactly at ear level, so I mostly didn\u2019t hear it\u2026 but when I did stand, well, my initial impression in this regard held. The LX just wipes the floor with the EX here. I didn\u2019t do any really near-field testing, but I bet the LXs are better in that context because of this.<\/p>\n
Not only is the bass extension better, but the LX is just a more visceral speaker, even when level-matched. The LX is the window-rattler that really hits you in the chest. When the kick drum and bass are slamming, when the timpani are thundering, you want the LX. They really do sound much bigger than the EXs. The EX is a great bookshelf speaker, no doubt, and it actually delivers really impressive bass for a modest-sized bookshelf speaker. I was not previously unhappy with the bass from the EX, and always thought the bass was the biggest improvement of the EX over the regular Sierra-2. But the LX just sounds like something else entirely. I kind of want the rest of the family to go out of town for a day or two so I can set up the LXs in my living room and crank them up, just to hear them in a bigger space. I have never had this urge with the EXs.<\/p>\n
One has to be careful with this, though. I mean, it\u2019s not like they go down to 20Hz or something so don\u2019t let your expectations get too carried away here, but they really do handle bass in a way the EXs simply do not. It\u2019s quite something. If you don\u2019t have the space for towers or a sub, these are a great way to go.<\/p>\n
Then the \u201csmall two\u201d differences:<\/p>\n
This is the one place where I think the EX has an edge, though it\u2019s a small one. The fact that Dave (and my other favorite speaker designer, Dennis Murphy) have been using RAAL tweeters for a long time is not accidental. The new Titan dome is, however, really impressive. But the RAAL still has some advantages, and here\u2019s where those are.<\/p>\n
As a result, the EX (narrowly) carries this category. For example, in one of the classical pieces that\u2019s primarily a string quartet, there\u2019s occasionally a harpsichord quietly in the background. This sounded better and clearer on the EX. Cymbals are a little crisper on the EX. (Interestingly, I only found this to be true for real cymbals. This was much less apparent with the EDM\/soundtrack stuff that clearly uses a drum machine.) Violins, acoustic guitars, and the upper range on electric guitars all sound just a little bit more pleasing on the EX. I found overall slightly better separation between instruments with the EX. The EXs also have more airiness. There is something lovely about the RAALs that the LXs don\u2019t quite always get. But, to be clear, they are very close. There is a difference, to be sure, but not a large difference.<\/p>\n
I think a very substantial fraction of the perceived difference is also a phantom. It took me a while to realize what was going on here. Part of the reason the top end on the EXs sounds clearer because is because it is louder relative to the midrange. That is, the relative brightness of the EX makes the high end seem even better, simply by virtue of less masking by the midrange. The more I listened, and listened closely, to the LX, the more I realized that most of the time it really is just as good at most of this, it\u2019s simply not as bright. There is something real about the RAAL, but I think the actual advantage here is perceptually inflated by the brightness. Still an edge to the EX, but it\u2019s a small advantage indeed.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t planning on writing a section on this but it\u2019s enough of a difference between the two speakers that it\u2019s worth talking about. First, let me say that I\u2019ve heard both the EXs and the Ascend RAAL Towers side-by-side in the Ascend listening room. The Towers have slightly better bass (not by as much as I had expected), but for me the real separator between those two speakers to my ears is the midrange. Mids are more clear and open-sounding on the Towers. A lot of the early commenters on the Ascend forum commented that the LXs are more \u201ctower-like\u201d than the EXs. I think that\u2019s true, and it\u2019s not just in the bass.<\/p>\n
That is, the LXs have not only more midrange relative to the highs, but I think the mids are again more clear and open-sounding on the LXs. (I\u2019d have to listen to them side-by-side with the Towers to comment meaningfully on how they compare there.) I would say the difference here is again pretty small, but it\u2019s there. (Humorously, I just looked back at my review of the S2EXs after upgrading from the base S2s, and I said almost exactly the same thing there about the change in midrange with that upgrade. I guess this really is just the next step for the Sierras.)<\/p>\n
This led to some interesting results. I like the EX slightly better for violins, and if there were pieces that were just violins I\u2019d probably take the EX\u2014but once the cellos come in, the advantage for the EX vanishes, because the LX midrange is better. Flute solo? EX. Full orchestra? LX. Acoustic piano pieces are be better on the EX when just working the high keys, but once the left hand gets in there, the advantage generally flipped to the LXs.<\/p>\n
A few other areas worth commenting on:<\/p>\n
As I noted above, I found the EXs to be very slightly better with violins. I think this was generally true for most instruments where the bulk of what you care about is at the high end. Flutes, too, are challenging instruments and marginally better on the EXs.<\/p>\n
I went hard into listening closely to female vocals kind of late in testing when I had a pretty clear sense of how the two speakers compared, and even then I was a little surprised on this one. The extra air in the EXs didn\u2019t really do all that much for female vocals, and even with high-pitched singers (e.g., Kate Bush)\u2014the stronger midrange of the LXs compensated. I have to call this one a draw.<\/p>\n
Overall both speakers do this really well, with soundstages that are both wide and deep. Since the EXs have the slightly clearer high end, I kept expecting the soundstaging to be better on the EX. Even when I was looking for it, I couldn\u2019t find it. Now, I know it\u2019s weird say instrument separation on the EX is marginally better but not the soundstaging. It\u2019s hard to explain. The EX did a better job of making two instruments sound distinct, even if both speakers put those instruments in the same place. I have to call this a tie.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve owned the EXs for years with no fatigue ever. The good news here is I didn\u2019t have any with the LXs, either. Whew.<\/p>\n
Horizontal dispersion is pretty much a wash. There may be some difference between the speakers on that score, but the combination of my room and my ears was not precise enough to distinguish them. I can\u2019t vouch for a bigger room being further away, though.<\/p>\n
Dave and has commented several times that the LXs are designed to be \u201cfun,\u201d and folks on the forum seem to generally agree. First, I think it\u2019s awesome that someone who\u2019s spent countless hours fiddling with a Klippel still has that perspective\u2014good on you, Dave. More important, though, is the question of whether the LXs are, indeed, more \u201cfun\u201d and if so, what is it that makes them fun?<\/p>\n
Honestly, I was a little skeptical about this because I\u2019ve never had a problem with the \u201cfun\u201d level of the EXs, but I have to agree that the LXs are more fun. I think that can be attributed to a couple things.<\/p>\n
First, the better vertical dispersion. You can move around more without feeling like the treble has gone AWOL. There\u2019s a certain freedom to that, which is fun.<\/p>\n
The other one is the better bass performance. There\u2019s just more slam, more of that bass thump that you can feel as much as hear. It\u2019s not just bass extension (though that\u2019s improved, too)\u2014the LXs just feel like they hit you harder even when not pushing the lowest of the low end (and again, I worked to make this comparison level-matched). Like I said before, they\u2019re just more visceral. And as a bassist, I think I\u2019m contractually obligated to believe that\u2019s more fun.<\/p>\n
Also, I have to say, there\u2019s something fun about watching the LX woofers do their thing when the bass is loud. All woofers move, but not all woofers move like these do. The EX woofer looks better with that cool shiny phase plug and all, but when the LXs are cranking you it\u2019s fun to see the crazy high excursion.<\/p>\n
Power handling might be part of it, too, for some people. Since I\u2019m in a small room I can easily hit over 100dB with the amp turned barely past noon, I can\u2019t really comment directly on that.<\/p>\n
As I expected, neither speaker was universally better than the other\u2014but it was a near thing. The LX is almost always better. I wasn\u2019t going to crown a winner but honestly I do think overall that the LX is a superior speaker. The LX is better at more things, and for some of those things, the difference is pretty large. Where the LX it\u2019s worse, it\u2019s not much worse. (Someone on the Ascend forum said that when the ES is better, it\u2019s 20% better and when the LX is better, it\u2019s 80% better. It\u2019s hard to argue with that.) The fact that the LX is cheaper is the deal-sealer. If you don\u2019t already own Sierras and are in the market, go buy the LXs now, before Dave raises the price!<\/p>\n
I mean, I guess I can imagine cases where the EX would be the preferred choice over the LX. First, you know you will have your ear level with the tweeter; going vertically off-axis wipes out the EX (in a relative sense). Second, you really prioritize high-range clarity. For me, it would be if I listened primarily to sparse acoustic music, e.g., solo acoustic guitar. (I preferred the EXs for Michael Hedges and Rodrigo y Gabriela, for example.) Third, you either don\u2019t care as much about bass extension or have a well-integrated sub to handle that. Fourth, you listen a low to moderate volume levels. It\u2019s kind of a weird set of things all together, so I\u2019m not sure how many people are in that situation. For most folks I\u2019d say if you have to choose between them, get the LXs.<\/p>\n
The LXs are also cheaper, which is bananas. What I really don\u2019t understand is Dave\u2019s strategy from a marketing perspective\u2014I cannot imagine the LXs won\u2019t wildly cannibalize sales of the EX. That\u2019s Dave\u2019s problem, though, not mine.<\/p>\n
The much more tricky one for me would be \u201cif you already own EXs, should you upgrade to LXs?\u201d As of this writing I haven\u2019t seen pricing on the upgrade, but I\u2019m going to guess it\u2019ll be around $900 for a pair of speakers. The LXs are mostly better, but are they that much better? Assuming I\u2019m in the ballbark, I\u2019d probably only recommend that you do it if you really care about the bass or if you find yourself listening vertically off-axis. If my HT mains were EXs, I would definitely upgrade them to LXs just to get the better vertical dispersion\u2014the other advantages are just freebies. In particular bass extension is less of a concern for HT because that\u2019s with a sub anyway. (Side note: I have to wonder if Dave is going to produce Duos with the Titan tweeter. This would probably also mean new woofers for the Duos, but I would almost certainly make that upgrade.)<\/p>\n
So, for my small room where I sit perfectly tweeter-level pretty much all the time and only rarely listen loud? I would probably not spend the money to do the EX to LX upgrade. The EXs are still great speakers and I would be perfectly happy just keeping those in my study, despite having heard and preferring the LXs. If someone forced the issue and said in my study I could only keep the EXs or the LXs, but it would cost me $900 to keep the LXs, I\u2019d probably stick with the EXs. Fortunately I\u2019m not in that situation.<\/p>\n
So, there you have it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll just quote myself from my review of the S2 (coming from the S1 NrT):<\/p>\n
I was originally trained as an engineer and while I\u2019m not one now (nor was my training in speakers or acoustics), I do enjoy a bit of wild speculating from an engineering perspective. I\u2019ll be the fist to admit I\u2019m not really qualified here, but when has that ever stopped anyone on the internet?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When, indeed. So here goes. I\u2019ve been thinking about the design of the EX vs the LX and the idea of compromises, or maybe trade-offs. Dave has said several times on the Ascend forum why he likes the RAAL tweeters: low moving mass, wide and linear horizontal dispersion, no break-up modes, and essentially zero stored energy. These are all highly desirable properties, to be sure.<\/p>\n
But that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t come without some downsides, too. The RAALs are expensive, don\u2019t have great vertical dispersion, and generally need to be crossed over higher than domes. That last one in particular leads to other compromises. To really get the midrange, you either have to ask an awful lot from the woofer (the 2EX approach), or you just have to grit your teeth and go with a three-way design (the approach taken with the Towers and the Philharmonic BMR). Of course, if you\u2019re locked into cabinets with only two openings\u2014and bless Dave for sticking with that, giving us all the chance to upgrade, which I personally have done many times, thank you\u2014you\u2019re stuck with a two-way design (unless you want to go to concentric drivers, which is another set of tradeoffs). The EX woofer is great and handles this really well, but it\u2019s a big ask. I think the EX woofer is amazing given how wide a frequency range it has to cover and how well it does so. I have to think part of the motivation for the LX was to not ask the woofer to go so high.<\/p>\n
In fact, to me, Dave\u2019s description of the Titan tweeter in the LX announcement thread is essentially \u201cI wanted a dome tweeter that had as much of the positive aspects of the ribbons as possible, but being a dome, wouldn\u2019t have those downsides.\u201d That frees up the woofer from having to do the upper mids, so the woofer can be pushed lower.<\/p>\n
As far as I can tell from listening, the Titan tweeters are indeed a big leap in this direction. I don\u2019t think they quite get all of the advantages of the RAALs, but they\u2019re pretty close, while simultaneously skirting the downsides. Still, there is a little something lost, and I can certainly hear that loss when I\u2019m really listening for it, but there\u2019s so much more gained. I think overall it\u2019s the right tradeoff to make. The measurements certainly suggest that\u2019s the case, and my ears agree.<\/p>\n
My guess, and this is completely unsubstantiated speculation (feel free to laugh at me, Dave), is that the Titan tweeters also cost less than the RAALs. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me if the LX woofers were also slightly less costly than the EX woofers. Both drivers being cheaper = less expensive speaker. $250 less for a pair of LXs might be the most amazing part of the whole thing.<\/p>\n
Gear Notes<\/h3>\n
The room (one of the more important pieces of gear) is my study, which is basically a 9′ x 11′ room with ceilings that slope up to 12′ high. It is thankfully not quite rectangular, and has a mixture of different treatments in various places, from 1\/2″ tiles to 4″ panels. It\u2019s not recording-studio quiet, but if you\u2019re having a conversation and you walk in from another room, you immediately notice a big drop in reverb.<\/p>\n
The speakers are normally separated by a little less than six feet center-to-center and I sit about six feet away. (The speakers were a little closer together for this because I had all four speakers in the room at the same time, the EXs to the left of the LXs.) The EXs normally sit on custom 38″ high stands so that my ears are exactly level with the EX tweeters. I bought a second pair of height-adjustable stands and had one of each speaker on each stand type to even that out, all height-matched.<\/p>\n
The source is an iMac Pro running Audirvana Origin. When I\u2019m working and not listening carefully it\u2019s just Apple Music playing back my library (mostly ALAC, mostly 16\/44.1 but a few 24\/96), but when I\u2019m really paying attention it\u2019s Audirvana, so that\u2019s what I used for all testing.<\/p>\n
I normally use two DACs which I call the subjective DAC and the objective DAC. The \u201csubjective\u201d DAC is a 1st-gen Schiit Bifrost that got sent in for the R2R upgrade. You might remember a bit of a kerfuffle about this DAC when ASR first reviewed it because it did not measure well\u2014but of course a lot of people like how it sounds. I have kind of a love\/hate relationship with it. Just depends on the material. The \u201cobjective\u201d DAC is an SMSL Sanskrit 10th Mk2, which is an inexpensive DAC based on the AKM 4493 that measures amazingly well, particularly for the price. I did my main test listening here with the Sanskrit just to avoid any weird DAC interactions.<\/p>\n
Amp is a Yamaha A-S500 integrated amp, rated at 85wpc into 8 ohms. This is more than enough in my little room\u2014it easily hits over 100dB just past 12 o\u2019clock on the volume knob. I don\u2019t listen that loud hardly ever, but I did want to check. I had both the LXs and the EXs hooked up, one as the A and one as the B. No room correction or EQ, amp on Pure Direct. This was a test of the speakers, not the other electronics.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not a huge believer in break-in but I do like to get things a little warmed up so when I first get new speakers or headphones I run them hot for about an hour with something that has a lot of bass, the TRON:Legacy<\/em> soundtrack and a couple other bass-heavy tracks. Wow do the LX woofers move! Amazing amount of excursion.<\/p>\n
In my room with the door open, the EXs are louder with pink noise by a little less than 3dB. For a lot of music, it was closer to to 2dB though it depended a little on the music. When I switched back and forth between A and B I also adjusted the volume in software to keep them pretty much level-matched. It\u2019s not perfect because different material interacts with the room somewhat differently and so sometimes the LXs seemed a little louder and sometimes the EXs seemed a little louder, but it was always close and not a consistent advantage for either speaker.<\/p>\n
Also possibly relevant: my first Ascend speakers were Sierra-1s which I bought in 2010. I have upgraded them to NrTs, then to 2s, then to 2EXs. I still have S1s in my office on campus (2.0), and S1 NrTs in the master bedroom (2.1 for the occasional TV or movie). My home theater setup is Ascend Luna Duos for LCR and Philharmonic Mini Philharmonitors (the RAAL ones) as surrounds, QAcoustics 3020i as front heights (needed white for WAF reasons) with a Rythmik L22 sub. I have PSB Image series speakers (circa 2001) in the upstairs home theater, Philharmonic AA monitors in the garage, and Ascend HTM-200s in the kitchen. Yes, essentially every room in the house where I spend significant time has a pair of speakers in it.<\/p>\n
Full Song List<\/h3>\n
\u201cIl Pleure (At the Turn of the Century)\u201d by The Art of Noise from The Seduction of Claude Debussy<\/em>
\n\u201cInto the Void\u201d by Nine Inch Nails from The Fragile (Right)<\/em>
\n\u201cStinkfist\u201d by Tool from \u00c6nima<\/em>
\n\u201cWild Flower\u201d by The Cult from Electric<\/em>
\n\u201cStart of the Breakdown\u201d by Tears for Fears from The Hurting<\/em>
\n\u201cBreakfast in the Field\u201d by Michael Hedges from Live on the Double Planet<\/em>
\n\u201cHanuman\u201d by Rodrigo y Gabriela from 11:11<\/em>
\n\u201cSpring Creek\u201d by George Winston from Summer<\/em>
\n\u201cConcerto No.2 \u201cL\u2019estate\u201d, RV 315; III. Presto\u201d by Janine Jansen from Vivaldi – The Four Seasons<\/em>
\n\u201cConcerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D minor, BWV. 1043: I. Vivace\u201d by Hahn\/LA Chamber Orchestra\/Kahane from Bach \u30fb Concertos<\/em>
\n\u201cSome Like It Hot\u201d by The Power Station from The Power Station<\/em>
\n\u201cLittle Speaker\u201d by Underworld from A Hundred Days Off<\/em>
\n\u201cRoot Beer\u201d by Thomas Newman from American Beauty<\/em>
\n\u201cOasis\u201d by Shadowfax from The Odd Get Even<\/em>
\n\u201cPrecious Things\u201d by Tori Amos from Little Earthquakes<\/em>
\n\u201cEvery Little Thing She Does Is Magic\u201d by The Police from Ghost in the Machine<\/em>
\n\u201cStrength to Dream\u201d by Propaganda from A Secret Wish<\/em>
\n\u201cThe Happiest Days of Our Lives\u201d by Pink Floyd from The Wall (Disc 1)<\/em>
\n\u201cEscape Artist\u201d by Zoe Keating from Into the Trees<\/em>
\n\u201cAn Dio\u201d by Rene Lacaille & Bob Brozman from Dig Dig<\/em>
\n\u201cThe Chain\u201d by Fleetwood Mac from Rumours<\/em>
\n\u201cHomeless\u201d by Paul Simon from Graceland<\/em>
\n\u201cDriven to Tears\u201d by Sting from Bring on the Night (Disc 1)<\/em>
\n\u201cCame Back Haunted\u201d by Nine Inch Nails from Hesitation Marks (Audiophile Mastered Version)<\/em> (24\/48)
\n\u201cView From a Stairway\u201d by Deepsky from In Silico<\/em>
\n\u201cMoney\u201d by Pink Floyd from Dark Side of the Moon (MFSL)<\/em>
\n\u201cBodyrock\u201d by Moby from Play<\/em>
\n\u201cThe Pot\u201d by Tool from 10,000 Days<\/em>
\n\u201cThe Game Has Changed\u201d by Daft Punk from TRON: Legacy<\/em>
\n\u201cViolin Concerto in D, Op.77: 3. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace – Poco pi\u00f9 presto\u201d by Janine Jansen [Violin], Orchestra dell\u2019Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia [Orchestra] & Antonio Pappano [Conductor] from Brahms: Violin Concerto; Bart\u00f3k: Violin Concerto No.1<\/em> (24\/96)
\n\u201cHaydn: Symphony #95 In C Minor, H 1\/95 – 4. Finale: Vivace\u201d by Colin Davis; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Haydn: The London Symphonies [Disc 1]<\/em>
\n\u201cHandel: Water Music Suite #1 In F, HWV 348 – Minuet For The French Horn\u201d by Bamberg Philharmonic Orchestra from Handel: Water Music Suite, Etc.<\/em>
\n\u201cSaving Buckbeak\u201d by John Williams from Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban<\/em>
\n\u201cHelm\u2019s Deep\u201d by Howard Shore from The Two Towers<\/em>
\n\u201cPossible\u201d by Zoe Keating from Snowmelt (EP)<\/em> (24\/96)
\n\u201cSat in Your Lap\u201d by Kate Bush from The Dreaming<\/em>
\n\u201cBlinding\u201d by Florence + The Machine from Lungs<\/em>
\n\u201cRollercoaster\u201d by Everything but the Girl from Like the Deserts Miss the Rain<\/em>
\n\u201cSuper Blaster\u201d by Curve from Cuckoo<\/em>
\n\u201cThe Working Hour (2014 Steven Wilson Mix)\u201d by Tears For Fears from Songs From the Big Chair<\/em> (24\/96)
\n\u201cPneuma\u201d by Tool from Fear Inoculum<\/em> (24\/96)
\n\u201cDiscipline\u201d by Nine Inch Nails from The Slip<\/em> (24\/96)
\n\u201cTime\u201d by Pink Floyd from The Dark Side of the Moon (Immortal Edition)<\/em>
\n\u201cJoy Joy\u201d by Kinga Glyk from Feelings<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Warning: This is long. I try to be thorough. Goal The goal of this was not to declare a winner; I did not go in with the assumption that one speaker would be universally better. My goal was to identify how these two speakers are different. Background This is where I stand on the things … Continue reading Ascend Acoustics Sierra-LX vs. Sierra-2EX Comparison<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":709,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707\/revisions\/709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrneweb.com\/sunburn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}