Ascend vs. SVS. vs. Onkyo

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   I purchased the SIERRA-2EX V2 Raal center with Sierra 1 pairs. I also picked up some SVS Ultra speakers, (center and Ultra nano bookshelves. Only slightly smaller than the Sierra 1’s) so that I could compare and contrast the two. I developed an ascend bias the last couple months so I'm hoping ascend wins. I'm pairing them with the Roger's 10E subwoofer and my older Denon. Using 14 guage copper wire. I’ve had the speakers 7 feet apart (better for my room) and 10. (sounds better but I’ll need to do a seperate post to figure it out long term)

I tested SVS for two weeks and was generally underwhelmed compared to the cost. They were better than my Onkyo but not startlingly so. I did still have that sense that I could hear the speakers behind the audio. That subtle electronic noise. Don’t love the giant center and piano black.

This week, I recieved the Ascend set up and I’ve only spent a few days with them. They look beautiful and clearly used higher end parts.

The music sounds beautiful. I could definitely hear more hiding in the music than I could hear before. I also didn’t hear the sound of speakers as I could in my other set ups. Although I do sometimes feel a tad underwhelmed. Not sure why. I put them head to head with my Onkyo’s and I could definitely hear a difference. Far more differentiation of sound and clarity with better vocals. They were a clear upgrade.

I then tried watching the new Iron Heart TV show which has some difficult to understand dialogue. I played clips on both speaker systems.
Ascend: The dialogue seemed really quiet. I had to really crank up the volume on the center vs. the sides. I have the center 4-5 decibals louder at the moment. Watching with Ascend you could clearly see that different things were intended to be at different volumes. The problem is, while I could understand 98%, the dialogue was often too quiet to hear. I had to get the volume up to at least 65+ decibels during the calm parts, but when something really exciting happens it gets uncomfortably loud. I really prefer to keep the overall volume below 70db.
Onkyo: The dialogue was louder but less clear. All the sounds were at a similar volume so background sounds were lost. It’s like all the sounds were recorded on the same tracks. The dialogue was loud and obvious with maybe 96% understanding.

I’m wondering if this is normal for high quality speakers and I’m just not used to it. I’m worried I’m going to have to change the volume as I watch TV and movies. I want to be able to punch up the dialogue further without explosions giving me a headache. I need tips. I feel like I should be able to get these to a point where I don’t need subtitles.

I plan to watch more with the ascend this week. I also plan to do a head to head comparison between the svs and the ascend.

If you have any set-up tips, feel free to send them my way. I’ve also only had the sub woofer for 24 hours, so I’m trying to get that adjusted to my liking as well.

I have until the end of the month to figure this out. My anxiety is cranked. Part of me wants to buy a third set. It’s not healthy.

Thanks.

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Fiduciary Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 10 June 2025 Status: Offline Points: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote Fiduciary Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Ascend vs. SVS. vs. Onkyo Posted: 09 July 2025 at 5:13am
	I purchased the SIERRA-2EX V2 Raal center with Sierra 1 pairs. I also picked up some SVS Ultra speakers, (center and Ultra nano bookshelves. Only slightly smaller than the Sierra 1’s) so that I could compare and contrast the two. I developed an ascend bias the last couple months so I'm hoping ascend wins. I'm pairing them with the Roger's 10E subwoofer and my older Denon. Using 14 guage copper wire. I’ve had the speakers 7 feet apart (better for my room) and 10. (sounds better but I’ll need to do a seperate post to figure it out long term) I tested SVS for two weeks and was generally underwhelmed compared to the cost. They were better than my Onkyo but not startlingly so. I did still have that sense that I could hear the speakers behind the audio. That subtle electronic noise. Don’t love the giant center and piano black. This week, I recieved the Ascend set up and I’ve only spent a few days with them. They look beautiful and clearly used higher end parts. The music sounds beautiful. I could definitely hear more hiding in the music than I could hear before. I also didn’t hear the sound of speakers as I could in my other set ups. Although I do sometimes feel a tad underwhelmed. Not sure why. I put them head to head with my Onkyo’s and I could definitely hear a difference. Far more differentiation of sound and clarity with better vocals. They were a clear upgrade. I then tried watching the new Iron Heart TV show which has some difficult to understand dialogue. I played clips on both speaker systems. Ascend: The dialogue seemed really quiet. I had to really crank up the volume on the center vs. the sides. I have the center 4-5 decibals louder at the moment. Watching with Ascend you could clearly see that different things were intended to be at different volumes. The problem is, while I could understand 98%, the dialogue was often too quiet to hear. I had to get the volume up to at least 65+ decibels during the calm parts, but when something really exciting happens it gets uncomfortably loud. I really prefer to keep the overall volume below 70db. Onkyo: The dialogue was louder but less clear. All the sounds were at a similar volume so background sounds were lost. It’s like all the sounds were recorded on the same tracks. The dialogue was loud and obvious with maybe 96% understanding. I’m wondering if this is normal for high quality speakers and I’m just not used to it. I’m worried I’m going to have to change the volume as I watch TV and movies. I want to be able to punch up the dialogue further without explosions giving me a headache. I need tips. I feel like I should be able to get these to a point where I don’t need subtitles. I plan to watch more with the ascend this week. I also plan to do a head to head comparison between the svs and the ascend. If you have any set-up tips, feel free to send them my way. I’ve also only had the sub woofer for 24 hours, so I’m trying to get that adjusted to my liking as well. I have until the end of the month to figure this out. My anxiety is cranked. Part of me wants to buy a third set. It’s not healthy. Thanks.