Polk LSiM705 at Home Theatre Shack $3000 Speaker Evaluation

SCompRacer

Not all evaluations up yet. Speakers were first selected by readers poll. Manufacturers that chose to participate supplied the speakers.

"This is not a shootout. Each speaker will be set up for its best sound in this room and evaluated on its own merits."


They compare:

• Axiom M100
• Phase Technology PC-9.5
• Polk Audio LSiM705
• PSB Imagine T2
• Salk Songtower SC
• Tannoy Precision 6.4

Linkage:

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-speakers/73340-official-3-000-speaker-evaluation-home-audition-event.html

rooftop59

Although none of those speakers will ever be in my price range, this still looks AWESOME and I will be very interested to read about the results...

hochpt21

This will be VERY interesting. I am very much looking forward to the reviews as they come out.

FastGame

"There are speakers that do not sound too bad close to the wall. But none, in our experience, can give a deep, engaging soundstage when too close to the wall. If one has to place a pair of speakers close to a wall, it would be better to save money and buy a pair for a few hundred dollars"

Look at their spec's for close to the wall....that eliminates a bunch of people from the joy, apartment dwellers, 1200 sq.ft to 2500 sq. ft. home owners unless you have finished basement and that would be pushing it...Look at what it took to get the Salks to sing...man-o-man how many people have rooms that large just for 2 ch setup ?

Oh well this will bid well with the wives that don't like our systems, they're right, we don't need what we buy, sell everything and get the $100 Pioneer SP-BS22-LR for our 16x25 rooms, call it a day

zane77

Thanks for the heads up, this looks like it will be a very interesting review.

eclypse

Wish they would gey.a.move on the results already! Dying to hear what they thought of the lsim705 with the difference up close to the way compared to way out in the room hehe.

HDTVAV

Subscribing to thread...

Want to see what the "verdict" is on the Polk 705...

eclypse

Polks 705 reveiw now up!! Zero toe in sounded best??

nhhiep

The whole review is all down to one word "Accurate". good or bad, your call.

FastGame

nhhiep wrote: »

The whole review is all down to one word "Accurate". good or bad, your call.

The whole review isn't in yet, the other two guys need to add their findings. If the other two guys think on the same line as the first then the Polks sound like real winners in the price class.

"These speakers sounded absolutely great right next to the wall"

That's a real plus +++++

cnh

Accurate and good close to walls? For $3000 I wouldn't say that's a glowing review. The problem...?

They're using an Onkyo Pre/Pro (admittedly their best), and Emotiva amplification. Anyone else troubled by that?

Certainly NOT what I would use to test a TWO channel system!

cnh

nhhiep

what is wrong with Onkyo, Emotiva and Polk all go together? These are all low budget, more bang for buck brand. if one spends more for the amp ($10k+), I think they will pair it with speakers that cost more than $3k. $3k is not that much really, consider it's the MSRP. Last yr, in one weekend, Polk sold it for 50% off.

BTW, I really enjoy my LsiM setup, but let's be honest. Polk, onkyo, emotiva is like toyota/honda, don't put it in the same line at BMW/MB

cfrizz

A few choice quotes.

"The LSiM705 war fairly easy to place, sounded quite good almost anywhere. Of course they had their soundstage sweet spot, but it was not super critical or terribly difficult to find like it can be with some speakers."

"I will not say that they blew me away. They did everything right and nothing wrong, all without flash, which can leave you feeling unimpressed at first. But considering their performance as a whole, the more I think about them the better I feel about them."

"As with most speakers close to the wall, I thought they sounded better in the zero-toe-in orientation. All in all, the LSiM705 handled being close to the wall incredibly well, making them an unusually flexible speaker. Kudos to Polk designers for carrying this off, it could certainly not have happened by accident."

"With Audyssey MultEQ, the LSiM705 were brighter, more lively, more appealing and engaging due to the high-frequency lift. Speaker matching was clearly improved, as were imaging and soundstage. Image clarity and depth acuity were also improved."

"Words like exciting and fun do not come to mind for the Polk Audio LSiM705, but words like exemplary and admirable do. They make me think of people I have known who are conscientious, honest, and totally trustworthy, hand them all your bank account info and your house keys and rest easy knowing they will be well cared for. The LSiM705 will deliver your audio simply and truthfully, and that means a lot."

This sounds like a great review to me!

eclypse

Actually yes.. but then u read the other speakers final thoughts and then what he said about the polks dont sound as good... almost like there so boring he cant say anything nice that makes me feel he wants to hear them again. Basicly finding something possitive to say but at the end of the day he would not buy them.

Anyone else see it that way?

WLDock

nhhiep wrote: »

what is wrong with Onkyo, Emotiva and Polk all go together? These are all low budget, more bang for buck brand. if one spends more for the amp ($10k+), I think they will pair it with speakers that cost more than $3k. $3k is not that much really, consider it's the MSRP. Last yr, in one weekend, Polk sold it for 50% off.
BTW, I really enjoy my LsiM setup, but let's be honest. Polk, onkyo, emotiva is like toyota/honda, don't put it in the same line at BMW/MB

I agree!
Oppo BDP-105 - $1199
Onkyo PR-SC5509 - $2499
Emotive XPR-5 - $2299

Regardless of what ones preferences are that's $6000 worth of front end or about $10K+ system with the speakers. Seems about right. Who cares what brand of pre and amp they use as everyone will use their own combo anyway...there has to be a million ways to skin a $10K system? Hell, is a home theater forum! No way to appease everyone....the "best" review is the one that takes place in ones own space with ones own choice of gear!

SCompRacer

There were some folks on their forum and other forums whom criticized the music choices and room as well.

I heard a pair of speakers like mine driven by an Emo amp and it sounded good enough to take my packed up speakers home. Of course I like my amp choice better. WL, you go to Salk and you'll most likely hear them on an Emo amp with Van Alstine pre.

eclypse

Another reveiwer is posting his thoughts tonight.

eclypse

Dont mean crap to me either im the end as i love my set.. was only interested in hearing from some qualified reveiwers on there thoughts of them and compaired to other speakers in the price range since u never read reviews on polks.

marvda1

my word is gospel!

WLDock

DSkip wrote: »

Spend that same money on dedicated 2ch gear and see how the results change. This test is more for the home theater/videophile crowd. Nothing wrong with that, but much like driving difficult cans with an iPhone, the results of this test severely limit not only the 705, but also every other speaker in the shoot out. The true character of the speakers would then be able to shine through more and actually show more of the limitations of a given speaker vs. the system.
I think its a useful review for their target audience, but the shoot out doesn't mean a damn thing to me.

I get that and I'm sure all would agree even the reviewers. However, that would mean in the nature of "true" 2 ch audio many equipment reviews are suspect...UNLESS the reviewers rolled an assortment of gear to find the best synergy for the given set of speaker. The same way they moved all the speakers around the room to find the best placement they should have had an assortments of preamps, amps, and cables, etc. and put their ears to work! If not, the potential of all might be limited? Maybe speaker A plays better with tube preamp B. Or Speaker B plays better with Solid state amp C, and so on and so on.

Does just having a minimalist dedicated 2 channel pre and amp with a name on it other Emotiva solve all of the issues and appease the very picky 2 channel audience? Or even if they kept it HT and put a Cary Audio A/V pre and a Bryston amp I seriously doubt it. The 2 Ch crowd is more picky than a Fashionista in a department store. Maybe its best they did not try to go all the way down that road or hole?

cfrizz

DSkip wrote: »

My point is if you really want to know what a speaker is capable of, you need a system that doesn't hold it back. The weak point in that chain was the Onkyo/Emotiva gear. There is nothing wrong with that, but those LSiM's outclass them. Considering the LSiM a Toyota is a bit of a stretch. I'd rather think of them as an Acura - they've still kind of got the feel of the Honda, but they are a higher end product.

I didn't say the review didn't have its place. I simply stated that it doesn't appeal to those who really want to know how the speakers compare for a dedicated 2 channel system - which is exactly how they were testing them.

99% of people who are interested in audio will think that the setups they were tested on are great, about half of those would say that they aren't spending that kind of money on any of it. Another 25% wouldn't know any difference at all, and the rest of us would jump at the chance to have that kind of system and be pleased as punch with it especially since it can be had for relatively good money that won't leave us in a hole of debt.

Your 1% spare no expense nut cases aren't who the article is directed at since there is simply NO pleasing you.

rooftop59

I have to say that while I see Skip's point I am with Cathy here. I could never bring myself to spend that much money on audio, but I would love to have the system as reviewed! Carry on!

rooftop59

Hey Skip I meant nothing personal hell I haven't even read the review because its just not relevant to me. All I am saying it that "she's outta my league"

WLDock

I think one has to take these for what they are worth. Home Theater Shack has Emotiva, Onkyo, Marantz, MiniDSP, OPPO, etc as sponsors. They used the best gear that they could get....I would guess the choice was to use what they had or not do anything at all. I say give credit for the effort. Maybe their effort was to find out how good or how bad the Onkyo/Emo would sound playing 2 ch?

cfrizz

DSkip wrote: »

Its a great review for those who use a true dual purpose rig, which is what I stated to begin with. It just means nothing to me as a '2 channel' shootout which is what they are presenting it as.

On the contrary, they specifically said that it was NOT a shoot out. Which was stated in the very first post. You have chosen to see it as a shoot out and reinterpretting everything said in that context. For the majority of people if they decided to give the set up away, people would jump all over it, knowing they would never buy another system again.

There was nothing negative said about the LSIMs, unless you take it as a negative that he wasn't "excited".

"This is not a shootout. Each speaker will be set up for its best sound in this room and evaluated on its own merits."

HDTVAV

Read some real reviews by professional reviewers who actually know what they are talking about - and don't use an Emotiva amp to power "reference-style" speakers...

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/polk-lsim707-surround-speaker-system

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/floor-standing-speakers/floor-standing-speakers-reviews/polk-lsim-system/all-pages.html

txcoastal1

It's and evaluation, but it also just an opinion. I also, believe by looking at the pictures that the spaces used were not adequate for some of the speakers.

You can only determine speakers best qualities when used in the right space. In the large HT room sure some speakers sounded better than others but none probably actually shined to the best of their abilities.

So even with diagnostic readings only tells you which speaker performed better in that space, not what would perform better in your space.

cnh

I think my response was basically the same a Dskip's and perhaps this is even "my" fault. But I agree, my reading of said review is that the neutrality is "duplicitous". It is not, in fact neutral, IMO.

Now, if your purpose is to review a HT system then don't DO a TWO channel shoot out. Do a surround review with a 5.1 or a 7.1 or .2 set up. In that case the Onkyo and the Emotiva are more than up to the task.

But if one wants to do a two channel review then please step up a "little". At least match the speakers to comparable level separates as Dskip suggests. This is not an argument for hooking everything up to the very best equipment available which few here can afford or even run. We're really not saying more than that.

When we first debuted the LsiM towers at a Polkfest, we had Mark's BBQ amp and Mike's (Face's) DAC unit--it's been a while but I sort of remember a Music Fidelity, perhaps--(and Lou's transport (can't remember, maybe an Oppo model?). The amp pushed the speakers quite well, had plenty of reserves, detail, and so on. And even the production model which was not 100 percent yet, impressed.

I don't really think we're disagreeing with each other, here.

cnh

Inspector 24

Good reading.

LSiM's look like a good option for anyone in a compromised listening environment/setup. Maybe Polk knew what they were doing when the built them.

WLDock

cnh wrote: »

I think my response was basically the same a Dskip's and perhaps this is even "my" fault. But I agree, my reading of said review is that the neutrality is "duplicitous". It is not, in fact neutral, IMO.
Now, if your purpose is to review a HT system then don't DO a TWO channel shoot out. Do a surround review with a 5.1 or a 7.1 or .2 set up. In that case the Onkyo and the Emotiva are more than up to the task.
But if one wants to do a two channel review then please step up a "little". At least match the speakers to comparable level separates as Dskip suggests. This is not an argument for hooking everything up to the very best equipment available which few here can afford or even run. We're really not saying more than that.
When we first debuted the LsiM towers at a Polkfest, we had Mark's BBQ amp and Mike's (Face's) DAC unit--it's been a while but I sort of remember a Music Fidelity, perhaps--(and Lou's transport (can't remember, maybe an Oppo model?). The amp pushed the speakers quite well, had plenty of reserves, detail, and so on. And even the production model which was not 100 percent yet, impressed.
I don't really think we're disagreeing with each other, here.

cnh

Yeah, no one is disagreeing about how amazing a minimalist 2 ch analog signal path can sound. However, the HT forum decided to test some speakers. They don't have any 2 ch sponsors that I can see....well Marantz has a Reference line ...but not sure that would change anything? Still, I know its hard to understand but....there are many that will buy a top of the the A/V Preamp and use it for movies and 2 ch and multi channel audio. I bet there are several forum members over there that have an Oppo player, that same Onkyo pre or the previous model, and the XPR-5 amp. Many may not be at a more progressive level with their 2 ch playback. So the review suits their reading audience.

The other thing is...even though diehard 2 ch guys would never do the above, how many have actually heard the equipment to know what it's capable of? Here is one review of the PR-SC5509 from just a guy that was looking for a better stereo sound than his current gear. The Onkyo gave him what he was after and he was surprised. In his own words:

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=96402

DavidH1 from DTV Forums wrote:

I think the important point I'd reiterate is that for 2 channel music, the Onkyo is fantastic and was at a level that far exceeded my expectations. For multichannel music, the Onkyo is fantastic although I'm not sure if it's the application of Audyssey or some other issue that makes the Oppo IMO superior via the analogue outs for music but not for movies. Again, in Pure Direct the differences are very small and I imagine many would prefer the Onkyo's presentation to that of the Oppo. In a 2.1 system, you'll could use Direct mode rather than Pure Direct to apply your bass management.

Plain and simple....some guys are farther along in their 2 ch journey. It doesn't mean that the HT guys can't enjoy the music and use good speakers along the way. Or kick back and test speakers playing music using the tools they have at their disposal. Their efforts should not be looked at as simply flawed....its all Rock and Roll, Blues, Jazz, Classical, and Pop.

Loud & Clear

They used the same gear for all of the speakers. And if anything, the onkyo and Emotiva combo would bring about a more excitable sound from the LSiMs than the high-brow gear some others may be using. Trying to blame the gear for a review that doesn't meet your expectations rings hollow. It is what it is. Would this review prevent me from getting a pair of 705s? No. But then I have the 703s and respect their sound. I can't imagine the 705s not being musically enjoyable. They're also extremely attractive, imo. If I were looking for a pair of towers for a home theater/music combo room, I'd be very interested in the 705s.