New to me LSI15's in the House

aboroth00
aboroth00 Posts: 1,103
edited June 2017 in Speakers
I finally picked up my first pair of new to me LSi's, the LSi15's. I wanted a floor standing speaker in the living room so I wouldn't have to bother calibrating a sub. But before settling them into the living room, I took them into my (in progress) dedicated listening room alongside my Selah Tempestas to put them through the paces.

I was very impressed. They seem to do everything right. The mids, highs, bass are just right. I can see how it's very hard to complain about anything with these speakers. I guess my only complaint is that they're hard to drive and need a sturdy solid state to control the bass. The mids were luscious and soundstaging very clear. They're not the last word on detail especially compared to my Selah Tempesta's with the latest and greatest drivers, but considering what they retailed for, they certainly exceeded my expectations!

Love to hear more from Lsi owners and what they eventually moved onto and their comparisons!

ir20mof5z6u0.jpg
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Comments

  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    edited June 2017
    how far are they from the side walls?

    Just curious, we have our one pair located about where you have your stand mounted speakers and it made a nice improvement in sound quality, as far as clarity and reducing the upper bass boominess a decent bit.


    They have a slightly laid back upper mid and treble sound, that is super smooth to listen to and never tiring but on first impression they seem a big muted or lacking detail, but listen more and you will find the treble is very accurate and has great pinpoint accuracy.
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,103
    K_M wrote: »
    how far are they from the side walls?

    Just curious, we have our one pair located about where you have your stand mounted speakers and it made a nice improvement in sound quality, as far as clarity and reducing the upper bass boominess a decent bit.


    They have a slightly laid back upper mid and treble sound, that is super smooth to listen to and never tiring but on first impression they seem a big muted or lacking detail, but listen more and you will find the treble is very accurate and has great pinpoint accuracy.

    I agree that their upper end is more laid back than other speakers, but I think it as an advantage as you said less fatiguing. I don't doubt that the speakers are accurate, but there are better drivers out there now than the Vifa tweeter and as I said the LSi's while accurate aren't the last word on accuracy. New drivers such as ribbons, domes using exotic beryllium, diamond or unobtainium sound more accurate without being fatiguing. Switching from the Tempestas to the Lsi's it's easily heard. Then again the Raal tweeters cost more themselves than the pair of LSi's cost me.

    The room I have them in doubles as an extra bedroom so the layout isn't ideal. The left speaker is about 4ft from the left wall and right speaker 1ft from the right wall or so.

    2fx5pw8b1xeh.jpg
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  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    Are you powering them with the Crown amp?
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,103
    Airplay355 wrote: »
    Are you powering them with the Crown amp?

    That's actually powering the sub. I'm using the NAD C368 for the speakers. Does a pretty darn good job especially considering the smallish room. But I'm a big fan of the crown amp and wouldn't hesitate to use it for 2CH.

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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    The LSi15 is picky about placement but it looks like you will have plenty of breathing room and shouldn't be an issue. Do you have the woofer upgrade (DB840)? It does clean up the bass. I haven't done it yet but others report very good results upgrading the crossovers.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    K_M wrote: »
    how far are they from the side walls?

    Just curious, we have our one pair located about where you have your stand mounted speakers and it made a nice improvement in sound quality, as far as clarity and reducing the upper bass boominess a decent bit.


    They have a slightly laid back upper mid and treble sound, that is super smooth to listen to and never tiring but on first impression they seem a big muted or lacking detail, but listen more and you will find the treble is very accurate and has great pinpoint accuracy.

    I agree that their upper end is more laid back than other speakers, but I think it as an advantage as you said less fatiguing. I don't doubt that the speakers are accurate, but there are better drivers out there now than the Vifa tweeter and as I said the LSi's while accurate aren't the last word on accuracy. New drivers such as ribbons, domes using exotic beryllium, diamond or unobtainium sound more accurate without being fatiguing. Switching from the Tempestas to the Lsi's it's easily heard. Then again the Raal tweeters cost more themselves than the pair of LSi's cost me.

    The room I have them in doubles as an extra bedroom so the layout isn't ideal. The left speaker is about 4ft from the left wall and right speaker 1ft from the right wall or so.

    2fx5pw8b1xeh.jpg

    You say the right speaker is 1 ft from the right wall??

    Doesn't look like it from the drawing?

    1 ft is close.
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,103
    vmaxer wrote: »
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    K_M wrote: »
    how far are they from the side walls?

    Just curious, we have our one pair located about where you have your stand mounted speakers and it made a nice improvement in sound quality, as far as clarity and reducing the upper bass boominess a decent bit.


    They have a slightly laid back upper mid and treble sound, that is super smooth to listen to and never tiring but on first impression they seem a big muted or lacking detail, but listen more and you will find the treble is very accurate and has great pinpoint accuracy.

    I agree that their upper end is more laid back than other speakers, but I think it as an advantage as you said less fatiguing. I don't doubt that the speakers are accurate, but there are better drivers out there now than the Vifa tweeter and as I said the LSi's while accurate aren't the last word on accuracy. New drivers such as ribbons, domes using exotic beryllium, diamond or unobtainium sound more accurate without being fatiguing. Switching from the Tempestas to the Lsi's it's easily heard. Then again the Raal tweeters cost more themselves than the pair of LSi's cost me.

    The room I have them in doubles as an extra bedroom so the layout isn't ideal. The left speaker is about 4ft from the left wall and right speaker 1ft from the right wall or so.

    2fx5pw8b1xeh.jpg

    You say the right speaker is 1 ft from the right wall??

    Doesn't look like it from the drawing?

    1 ft is close.

    Give take. It's because of the opening to the doorway and plus i made the drawing in paint so...
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  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,103
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    Airplay355 wrote: »
    Are you powering them with the Crown amp?

    That's actually powering the sub. I'm using the NAD C368 for the speakers. Does a pretty darn good job especially considering the smallish room. But I'm a big fan of the crown amp and wouldn't hesitate to use it for 2CH.

    I see.
    skrol wrote: »
    The LSi15 is picky about placement but it looks like you will have plenty of breathing room and shouldn't be an issue. Do you have the woofer upgrade (DB840)? It does clean up the bass. I haven't done it yet but others report very good results upgrading the crossovers.

    I haven't heard about that upgrade. From my preliminary impressions was that the bass was a little loose down low but I attributed to that to not having as stout as an amp. I'm very happy with them in the living room for the time being so maybe when i'm feeling upgratitis hit, I'll get the new woofers.
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  • K_M
    K_M Posts: 1,627
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    Airplay355 wrote: »
    Are you powering them with the Crown amp?

    That's actually powering the sub. I'm using the NAD C368 for the speakers. Does a pretty darn good job especially considering the smallish room. But I'm a big fan of the crown amp and wouldn't hesitate to use it for 2CH.

    I see.
    skrol wrote: »
    The LSi15 is picky about placement but it looks like you will have plenty of breathing room and shouldn't be an issue. Do you have the woofer upgrade (DB840)? It does clean up the bass. I haven't done it yet but others report very good results upgrading the crossovers.

    I haven't heard about that upgrade. From my preliminary impressions was that the bass was a little loose down low but I attributed to that to not having as stout as an amp. I'm very happy with them in the living room for the time being so maybe when i'm feeling upgratitis hit, I'll get the new woofers.

    The upper bass is a bit boomy. This is fairly well known.
    It tends to make the Lsi15 sound muffled or heavy sounding, instead of open and clear.

    The woofer change will for the most part fix that, or moving them out a good distance from the side and rear walls, helps a good bit also.
    It is mostly all related to the side mounted woofer.

    When we tried ours on our comp system, with an EQ, found that bringing down the 125hz or 160hz band about 2-3 decibels has a similar effect to the new woofer sound.
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    I haven't heard about that upgrade. From my preliminary impressions was that the bass was a little loose down low but I attributed to that to not having as stout as an amp. I'm very happy with them in the living room for the time being so maybe when i'm feeling upgratitis hit, I'll get the new woofers.

    It tightens up the bass quite a bit IMHO. I've done it and it was a super easy mod. Its a drop in fit.

    Also while your in there add dynamat to the port tube exterior which you see once the subwoofer is removed. Thats the "full" mod and its super easy.

    Just make sure you get the db840 SVC (single voice coil) or it wont work.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    I haven't heard about that upgrade. From my preliminary impressions was that the bass was a little loose down low but I attributed to that to not having as stout as an amp. I'm very happy with them in the living room for the time being so maybe when i'm feeling upgratitis hit, I'll get the new woofers.

    It tightens up the bass quite a bit IMHO. I've done it and it was a super easy mod. Its a drop in fit.

    Also while your in there add dynamat to the port tube exterior which you see once the subwoofer is removed. Thats the "full" mod and its super easy.

    Just make sure you get the db840 SVC (single voice coil) or it wont work.

    I second that emotion.
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,103
    Ah duly noted! I googled it last night after it being mentioned by @skrol and it looks super easy so i'm not daunted. I think I want to live with it for a little while so when I do drop them in, i'll have that AHA! moment. I've been doing audio long enough to want to appreciate when I have a noticeable improvement for less $$$.

    For the time being, I've been focusing my research and funds on acoustically treating my more dedicated 2ch room.
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  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    aboroth00 wrote: »
    Ah duly noted! I googled it last night after it being mentioned by @skrol and it looks super easy so i'm not daunted. I think I want to live with it for a little while so when I do drop them in, i'll have that AHA! moment. I've been doing audio long enough to want to appreciate when I have a noticeable improvement for less $$$.

    For the time being, I've been focusing my research and funds on acoustically treating my more dedicated 2ch room.

    FWIW...I also crave that aha moment, but this wasn't one of those for me. I definitely heard a difference, but not an aha one.

    It was more of a 'the more I listened the better it was'.

    Your mileage may vary, and I think you are doing the right thing by spending time with them as-is.

    But IMO, the investment was definitely worth it.
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    I have the, "more I listen the better they are" thing too. I wasn't sure I liked them at first. It was mainly the bass. Everything else is very good. Placement is key but, unfortunately, I have placement limitations. I want to try some sound absorbing panels, maybe bass traps and XO upgrade.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601