TSI500 or LSI9 or LSI25

easyrider

Before i get freaked on for trying to compare these 3 speakers let me explain......

heres what i have:

amp= Onkyo tx-nr906
center channel= JM Lab chorus lcr700

TV= Pioneer plasma PDP-4360
blue ray source= PS3
cd player=old school jvc

In the past my passion has been old school 2 channel tubes with huge towers.

Now i have to decided to put together a system to go with the plasma which i've had for 3 years.
It will be used for music and ht pretty much 50/50.
I know the LSI series is obviously better and i hate to say this but i'm sort of looking for bang for the buck and dont want to run an external amp.
These are the prices i can snag them for:
tsi500 600/pr
lsi9 800/pr
lsi25 1800/pr

With my amp and center channel, which ones would you guys go with?
i know with the 9's i would obviously need a power sub and maybe even with the 500"s but if i go with 25's theres no way i would want to run another sub. I bought the 500"s and it sounds ok but obviously not the high end imaging i'm used to. i still have the option of returning them and exchanging. The 25's only came into the mix because of the sweet deal i can get them for.
Is the LSI up there with the big boys of high end like focal, martin logan, psb?
Please keep in mind i don't want to run an external amp for at least a couple years. onkyo claims the 906 is 4 ohm stable but who knows.
let me know
thanks
ryan

cnh

The Onkyo though a GREAT AVR cannot properly power LSI-9s or the 25s without external amplification. It will send out a 4 ohm current but it attenuates that so that it is less than half the 8 ohm power rating of 145 watts?

That's not a problem with the lower end TSI-500s; that AVR will make those sing but they're not going to give you the 'musicality' of the LSIs.

It's your decision.

cnh

easyrider

cnh wrote: »

The Onkyo though a GREAT AVR cannot properly power LSI-9s or the 25s without external amplification. It will send out a 4 ohm current but it attenuates that so that it is less than half the 8 ohm power rating of 145 watts?

That's not a problem with the lower end TSI-500s; that AVR will make those sing but they're not going to give you the 'musicality' of the LSIs.

It's your decision.

cnh

So with the onkyo i have, the best sound i can create will come from the tsi500 out of the 3 sets?

wutadumsn23

easyrider wrote: »

So with the onkyo i have, the best sound i can create will come from the tsi500 out of the 3 sets?

Without a power amp to run the LSi's, Yes the 500's will be your safest bet. The Onkyo may say that it is 4 ohm capable, but rest assured that it will not drive those LSi's to their potential. I have a set I run as surrounds and they are a pretty darn good speaker. One thing I will recommend is to get a matching center, I know you have one already, but speaking from experience the 500's don't play well with center channels that aren't timbre matched. That's the reason I have them as surrounds, because they sounded terrible with my CS2. Look into the CS20, it is the one you need. Have you looked at the Monitor series? Specifically the Monitor 70's? I have a set of those too, and I actually prefer the sound of them over the TSi's. Not to mention they are about half the price as the TSi's. Just a thought. Welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff

asmd

wrt to running with the big boys..

i currently own lsi25s and focal 806vs and have also compared the big lsis to the martin logan source electrostat hybrids.

between lsis and the focal - the focals are brighter and tighter. but its sound is not as "big" as the lsis. bass is also not as extended. but its definitely more plug and play as the smaller focals are not that sensitive to placement (front ported). the big lsis played hell on me when i first go them but have over time.. about 6 months now, settled down with constant tweaks to placement ect. the lsis arent as detailed as the focals. the focals also have a more holographic image.. with everything pinpointed in space. the lsis are warmer/more laid back and i attribute its lack of detail relative to the focals is that the focals are brighter. between the two, there just completely different and preference will be down to your ear. some tracks sound better on the focals, others hold their own on the lsis. if it to came down to choosing, i would go for the focals.

wrt to the ml sources.. no contest. the lsis in my opinion betters it. maybe im just npt a fan of electrostats and their peculiar imaging properties.

hope this helps.

ben62670

Buy a used amp and use the Onk as a pre. Get the LSI's. If you can swing this you will be set for quite some time.
Ben

texas ed

Here is my two cents.I just replaced some older Polk 3.1TL's with new Lsi 15's.From 2003 to a short time ago I powered the 3.1's with the Onkyo 989 ver.2 receiver which is rated at 130x7 in 8ohms.They sounded okay but I knew they could handle so much more.You knew during extended action scenes in movies the 989 just could not keep up.I then bought an Emotiva XPA5 and found out what the Polks could really sound like.I used the Onkyo for the brain but with no HDMI on the 989 it was a short term fix.I just got the Emotiva UMC-1 and an Oppo 83.I know you are not looking to invest all kinds of money right now.To make a short story long,getting that amp and using your Onkyo to do the thinking would certainly be considered an upgrade.....

coolsax

also since you are considering the 25's you can get them from Polk's direct ebay store for 1399, instead of 1800, as refurbs with a warranty and use the difference to put towards a decent 2 channel amp to drive them.

bluecomet

I would buy the Lsi 25's used from the Polk outlet on ebay for around 1,200.00 and buy a used external amp for 400.00 using the onkyo as the brains of the HT system. It will be cheaper than spending 1,800.00 on new Lsi 25's. I love my Lsi 25's. I also have Lsi 9's which are great bookshelf speakers but I would not use them for mains. I guess I am used to the big floorstanders next to the T.V. I run my Lsi 25's with a micro sub 500. Awesome.

PSOVLSK

How about a pair of LSi15's?

I'd also recommend an external amp. This is not the reason for posting here, but I've got one I need to sell. If you'd like more details let me know and I'll shoot you a pm.