Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 LX Quick start guide

ASCEND ACOUSTICS, INC. www.ascendacoustics.com
1062 Calle Negocio Suite G, San Clemente, CA 92673 [phone]
Email: [e-mail] Fax [phone]
Sierra-1 LX Upgrade Instructions
Recommended Tools:
Phillips head screwdriver
1/2" Hex Nut Driver (1/2” socket)
Nail or small, thin-shaft screwdriver
Stubby handled Phillips head screwdriver (short handle)
Included Parts:
Sierra-LX Tweeter & Gasket
Sierra-LX Woofer and Gasket
Sierra-LX Crossover
Sierra-LX Product Label
1 Remove the Tweeter
a) Gently lay the speaker back so the front of the speaker is facing upward.
b) Using the Phillips head screwdriver, carefully remove the (4) screws from around the
perimeter of the tweeter and set them aside.
c) Lean the speaker forward and carefully remove the tweeter and gasket from the cabinet.
d) Gently remove each female wire connector from the tweeter’s male terminals. You will need
to gently wiggle the connector to remove it from the terminal. Do not apply too much force or
you will risk damaging the tweeter and/or the connector itself.
2 Remove the Woofer
a) Using the Phillips head screwdriver, carefully remove the (4) screws from around the
perimeter of the woofer and set them aside.
b) Lean the speaker forward and carefully remove the woofer from the cabinet. A useful trick to
help remove the woofer is to insert one of the Phillips head screws you just removed into one of
the woofer’s mounting holes. Angle the screw downward (or upward) so that the threads of the
screw grip the basket frame and pull on the screw. If still stuck do this same procedure in a few
of the other mounting holes. If you still can’t get the woofer out, please call us.
c) Gently remove each female connector from the woofer’s male terminals. You will need to
gently wiggle the connector to remove it from the terminal. Do not apply too much force or you
will risk damaging the woofer and/or the connector itself.
3 Remove damping material and disconnect the crossover lead wires
a) Reach inside the cabinet, fold the white Dacron batting material in half and then pull it from
the cabinet.

b) Using the 1/2" Hex nut driver, carefully remove the securing nut from each of the two binding
posts on the inside of the cabinet and set these aside.
c) Using your fingers, remove the lock washer that is underneath the nut you just removed and
set these aside. The crossover lead wires should now be free.
d) Remove the red and black crossover lead wires from the binding post terminals.
4 Remove the old crossover
a) Examine the crossover board which is secured on the bottom of the speaker cabinet. Locate
the (4) securing screws at each corner of the crossover board.
b) Using the stubby handled Phillips head screwdriver, carefully remove each of the (4) screws
and set these aside. Please be careful to avoid damaging any of the crossover components.
c) After all (4) screws have been removed, remove the crossover from the speaker cabinet.
5 Install crossover screws
Using the same screws that you removed from the original crossover, insert these into the (4)
screw holes in the Sierra-LX crossover.
6 Install Sierra-LX crossover into speaker cabinet
a) Look inside the speaker cabinet and find the (4) screw holes on the bottom baffle.
b) Place the Sierra-LX crossover inside the cabinet such that the mounting screws are lined up
with each corresponding screw hole/insert. Align the crossover such that the two crossover lead
wires (2 wires) are in the back of the cabinet and the woofer and tweeter wires (4 wires) are
towards the front of the cabinet.
c) Using the stubby handled Phillips head screwdriver, gently tighten down each mounting
screw, making sure that each screw is tightening down in the screw insert. The crossover board
must not bend so take your time.
7 Attach crossover lead wires to binding posts
a) Place the crossover lead wires back onto the binding post terminals. Please make sure to
keep red to red and black to black.
b) Install the lock washers that were removed in step 3, part c.
c) Install the nuts that were removed in step 3, part c.
d) On the back of the cabinet, locate the binding posts. Unscrew the plastic knob on both the
positive and negative terminals.
e) Insert your nail or thin-shaft screwdriver into the hole in the red positive brass terminal and
grasp it there for counterforce while you perform the next step.

f) Using the 1/2” Hex nut driver, tighten down from within the cabinet the securing nut of the red
positive terminal. This should be tightened so that the binding posts on the back of the speaker
are secure and will not twist or turn, and so that the nail or screwdriver lever remains as close to
vertical as possible.
g) Repeat steps e) & f) for the black negative terminal of the binding post.
h) Inspect the holes in the brass terminals of the binding posts to ensure they are vertical. Once
satisfied, rescrew the plastic covers of the binding posts.
8 Reinstall the damping material
a) Grab the woofer and tweeter crossover wires and position them so that they hang outside the
speaker cabinet.
b) Fold the damping material in half and place it back into the cabinet.
c) Unfold the damping material such that it now covers the internal walls of the cabinet.
9 Install the new tweeter
a) Grab the red and black crossover wires and insert them through the opening in the shelf
brace and then out through the tweeter opening.
b) Gently push the plastic insulation covers down the length of the wire exposing the female
terminals.
c) Place the tweeter gasket into the tweeter cutout and position it such that all (4) screw holes
are aligned.
d) As you hold the tweeter with the male terminals facing you please note that engraved into the
back of the faceplate, you will see a “+”next to one terminal, and a “-“next to the other. “+”=
the positive terminal, “-“= the negative terminal.
e) Using the red and black crossover wires, gently push the female terminals back onto the
corresponding male terminals on the new tweeter. Red wire to the positive terminal and the
black wire to the negative terminal. It is critical that the polarity is correct, or the speaker will not
perform properly. We also recommend gently tightening the terminals with a pliers before you
install them onto the tweeter terminals, you must ensure that these connections are tight before
closing up the speaker.
f) Slide the plastic insulation covers back over the female terminals.
g) Place the new tweeter back into the speaker cabinet.
10 Install the new woofer
a) Grab the brown and black crossover wires and pull them outside the speaker cabinet through
the woofer opening.

b) Gently push the plastic lead covers down the length of the wire exposing the female
terminals.
c) Place the included gasket in the cutout with the holes in the gasket aligned with the screw
holes.
d) Using the brown and black wires, gently push the female terminals back onto the
corresponding male terminals on the woofer. You may also gently crimp the terminals with a
pliers. Regardless, you must ensure that the connection is tight before closing up the speaker.
e) Slide the plastic lead covers back over the female terminals.
f) Place the woofer into the speaker cabinet ensuring the screw holes are aligned.
11 Insert the woofer and tweeter securing screws
a) Using your hands, manipulate the positioning of the woofer and tweeter such that the screw
holes in each component align with the screw holes in the loudspeaker cabinet.
b) Insert the (4) woofer mounting screws and (4) tweeter mounting screws. Note, these use the
same screws. Hand tighten each screw.
12 Tighten all screws
a) Using a Phillips head screwdriver, securely tighten down all (8) screws. Do not over tighten!
Congratulations, you are finished!
Please send us an email if you would like to return the old parts back to us. We are not offering
credit for the returned parts, but we may offer to provide a pre-paid return shipping label. Thank
you!