Want to build an LSi system

Gonzo

Hi folks, new here. I am looking to build a 2 channel system and the LSi series has caught my interest. I am essentially starting from scratch.

I am on somewhat of a budget so I am currently looking at getting a refurbished set of speakers from Polk Direct on eBay. Right now I am primarily looking at the 25's since that is all that is in stock, however if 15's show up I might prefer them.

For power I was thinking about possibly picking up two outlaw 2200's, using one per speaker obviously.

I am pretty much at a loss as far as a receiver. I have an budget Sony stereo receiver lying around but knowing for instance, that the Outlaw 2200's have balanced inputs, I am not sure if it would be advantageous to get a receiver that has compatible outputs.

Thanks for any advice, info, and suggestions! I am pretty much new to all this but would love to get a quality 2 channel system for music. I had the opportunity to stop by a local audio shop and while they don't have any Polk speakers I did get to demo some Dynaudio Focus 2200's and was bitten by the stereo bug even harder.

dkg999

While the price point of the Outlaw 2200's is attractive, based on past experience they wouldn't be the best match with the LSi's. I would also opt for the LSi15's if you are planning on a music focused system. The LSi's aren't the most compatible with receivers due to their 4 ohm impedance rating. A set of separate pre-amp and power amp are preferred, or a good integrated amp. If you go easy with them volume wise and get a good receiver from one of the major brands, you can get by, you just won't get all the LSi's are capable of.

Welcome to the forum.

Gonzo

Thanks for the recommendations. Of the amp families you mentioned the Emotiva XPA-2 could possibly be wedged into by budget, but I have heard some less than positive things about their CS. The Adcom GFA-5500 is a little bit harder of a pill to swallow but it looks like you can get them for about $900 which might be doable.

dane_peterson

May I also recommend a Sunfire amp. I used a Cinema Grand 200x5 with my LSi9s back in 2008 and really liked the combination. Used, a 2-channel Sunfire should show up for under $900.

Gonzo

Well I am currently looking at possibly either the XPA-2 or a pair of UPA-1's.

I will also need a Preamp or receiver as well as a quality DAC in there somewhere. My goal will be to play most of the music through an Airport Express with the toslink connection. Budget for the rest of the system (Preamp/Receiver and DAC) I think would be around $800.

mdaudioguy

A lot of people go for Emotiva, because it's affordable NEW gear. Keep in mind that there are a lot of people with used gear to sell who take VERY good care of it. I've found some great deals out there on used stuff. I used to have an XPA-2. Now, I don't. I was able to resell it for what I paid, and I can't believe how much nice stuff I was able to buy with that money. I have an Adcom that I bought used, and I could lie to you and say I bought it new, and you wouldn't know the difference.

ohskigod

Mdaudio brings up a valid point, your companies like outlaw and Emotiva make good gear for a good price in the new market, but don't fear the used market either. There are many hardy usd amps out there with a ton of bang for the buck, and believe me, every LSi in the line will reward every bit of quality amplification you can get on them.

the used market is also fantastic for preamps, which in my experience are a far better route than a reciever with pre outs. if you can get a pre and amp used for less than an emotiva amp alone new, that is an epic win.

In regards to the LSi15/25 debate, I have researched both and like the 15's better. if you said you were doing home theater it wouldn't even be a debate in my eyes, but for 2 channel, the annoyance of dialing the built in powered subs of the 25 will not be as tedious as blending them with another sub in a theater environment.

the 15's are sweet, and cost less. I just don't think the extra cheddar for the 25 is worth it in my eyes (even for 2 channel, but especially for home audio)

Every amp upgrade I put on my 15's really opened my eyes to what they can do.

Gonzo

Thanks for the information you two. I'll check out some classifieds to get an idea of what used equipment fits in my budget so that I might be able to get more bang for my buck.

As far as the LSi15's go, for now I am holding tight on word from Polk to see if they will have any in stock on their ebay store. As of right now they only have the 25's available.

A local shop is closing it's doors as well and are selling a number of amps but they either don't seem to have the juice to run the LSi's or are just too expensive even if the deals are pretty good.

ohskigod

yeah, supply might be limited as the new LSi's are suposed to hit sometime, it's close enough to where I am certain they are not making the old LSi's anymore, but I could be wrong. if the 25's are available at a good price, get em. Like I said I think the 15's are a better choice but the 25's will not do you wrong.

in theory, the 25's will be easier on amplification as the amp wont be pulling all the low frequency duty on the 25's like it will on the 15's

dkg999

xcapri79 wrote: »

The LSi25's are better than the LSi15's so I would get then while you still can.

Statements like this (and the internet is full of them) are why you should strive to listen for yourself and make a judgement based on your tastes, music, HT, and what your ears prefer. There's no single reference point for "better" when comparing speakers so you have to provide the reference point that justifies your investment in gear.

Jetmaker737

xcapri79 wrote: »

The LSi25's are better than the LSi15's so I would get then while you still can.

If you've only hooked up emotivas to your 15's you might think so. When I switched from Emo to my Aragon the improvement in bass output and quality on my 15's was astounding.

ohskigod

the LSi line across the board rewards amp upgrades like no other speaker I have owned. it's a testament to how good the speakers are in my eyes, though also a weakness, as what you would spend on amplification to get the most out of them (in the new market) would be quite high compared to what you pay for the speakers themselves.

this is why I always mention used amplification in every "i wanna go LSi" thread, as the bargains you can get in that arena kind of balance out the above mentioned imbalance.

you have your bargain bang for the buck new retail amp makes like Outlaw and Emotiva that help if you have to go new, but even then you're still at a point where you have to upgrade amp well before you upgrade speaker.....and the only way you're upgrading from Emo or Outlaw without hocking an internal organ is to go the used route.

remember, higher number does not always mean better speaker. I know some very discerning ears who adore the LSi7 over all the line. he Lsi7 hapenned to be the first LSi I ever heard and truth be told, I was stunned at what they can do.

I have a pair of LSi9's that I have used in 2 channel, and in a smaller room would use the 9's over the 15's for 2 channel, though I like the 15 better overall.

don't fret though, like I said, you're not going wrong anywhere with the LSi line.

ohskigod

Jetmaker737 wrote: »

If you've only hooked up emotivas to your 15's you might think so. When I switched from Emo to my Aragon the improvement in bass output and quality on my 15's was astounding.

I'm looking to replicate this at Polkfest. I know someone said they are bringing an Emo to Polkfest after the great Emo wars of 2009 went down (:D )

in all seriousness, I wanna see what the hulabaloo is all about, I'm sure we'll have a broad spectrum of amps for comparison. and it's not like I dont have some LSi's floating about the casa

Gonzo

Whoops, forgot to check my own thread. (Epic FAIL I know...)

Thanks for the continued input. As many of you know Emotiva has just started a pretty nice sale, prices have been lowered and free shipping all around. This makes the case for Emotiva's stronger.

Regardless I did some poking around on Audiogon. There are a few Adcoms available within my budget. Does anyone have feelings about the 5800 or GFA 5500 by chance? Someone is also selling a 585 Limited but a Google search's top hits are all about problems with it

Thanks again for all the help everyone!

dorokusai

xcapri79 wrote: »

The LSi25's are better than the LSi15's so I would get then while you still can.

I believe the LSi15 is a better overall loudspeaker and I've owned both. I'm not a fan of built-in subwoofers and have yet to hear one that's awesome. If you have a solid, dedicated subwoofer, than it becomes equally more useless.

cnh

+1, I've heard all of the LSi- line and my favorites are the bookshelves...The LSI-9 first followed by the LSI-7...with a good sub? But Doro is the 'man' when it comes to this judgment...so I defer to him!

cnh

dorokusai

It's just opinion....and as long as you have heard all the models, I'm game for another . There's nothing wrong with a change in perspective.

I'm with you CNH, as the bookshelves are REALLY good. The OP stated a LSi15 vs LSi25, kinda situation and I would pick the LSi15 if I had a decent subwoofer.

Bookies? Well, that's a whole new can of worms but I recently changed my judgement from LSI7 to LSi9 based on the recent Capital Area Audiofest.

bluecomet

I would take the Lsi 25's over the 15's and the 9's over the 7's all day long. If your into big bass add a sub with the 25's and it will blow you away. I love all of the Lsi line as you can see from my signature.

NewHTguy

It always seemed to me that having the ability to tweak the woofers on the 25s was a plus, though some people seem to not like having that option. If I had not already owned my Velo sub when I got my 25s I would have never bought it. For music the 25s bass is plenty for me. One thing that I would suggest is that there is no point in pairing a weak sub with the 25s, unless you're doing HT. So, if you can't swing a very musical sub, just go with the 25s and enjoy them.

Gonzo

Hello all, thanks again for all the information. It has definitely been a help.

I thought I'd deliver an update.

Emotiva's sale+free shipping proved too tempting, I ended up ordering a USP-1 and an XPA2. I think the added value of the sale and convenience was worth it. I also picked up a V-Dac on open box discount and an Airport Express on sale so I can use Airtunes connected to the V-Dac.

I had been waiting for the Polk Ebay store to have LSi15's in stock as each time I messaged them they kept saying just a little while longer. Two months later nothing... Fortunately I took everyone's advice and kept poking around on Audiogon. One day I searched nearby zip codes and was shocked to see someone selling a pair of LSi15's less than 10 miles from me for a very decent price. That evening I shot him an email and the next morning I was loading them into my car.

I had definitely been enjoying them, but also felt a need for a little more low end. I read some reviews and impressions of Emotiva's new 12 inch sub and figured the intro price+sale price+free shipping would make it hard to lose. Indeed I have been pretty happy with it. Dunno that I would have gone for it at its normal price when I could pick up an SVS or something, but for $360 I think it was a good buy.

I originally had the system set up in our living room. My dad nearly balked at the idea of having all these speakers but once he heard them he began to warm up to the idea. Ironically our living room is not a very comfortable place so I've moved them downstairs to our old TV room since it is a better environment to sit down and relax in. I do wonder if that was a bad move just as my dad was getting used to having them so accessible...

I think I got a lot of audio for the money. Overall the LSi15's, XPA-2, UPA-1, Cables, V-DAC, Airport, Ultra 12, and an IR repeater came out to about $2,444.

At any rate, if they end up staying in the old TV room, I am toying with the idea of getting a whole set and turning it into a dual purpose 2.1/5.1 system. Though we still only have old tube TV's in our house, and I am thinking that might be a necessary upgrade if I am looking at a new home theater system. But alas, fund are short. :rolleyes: Guess I'll just have to keep trying to snag good deals.

Thanks again for all your help everyone. It is great to finally have a decent stereo!

madmax

I had the 7's and 9's. To me the 9 was a great loudspeaker, however the 7 was magical.
madmax

markmarc

Congrats on your setup and the $$ spent, you've done well. Beyond the HT business, I would start saving up to modify the x-overs in the LSi15's. You'll be amazed at the difference when truly high performance x-over parts are matched up with the drivers and cabinet.

cfrizz

You've put together a great system, congratulations, enjoy!

JimAckley

Heck of a buy man! I got my LSi25s and PSW1000 at a pretty good price and they've been a helluva system since day one. I found for me that having the 25s stop at 45Hz and letting the PSW1000 do the last bit gave them the best sound with that setup.

I know some of the guys in here will cringe at what I'm about suggest, but maaaaybe look into the crossover modificatiosn for the LSi15s. I always felt the only weakpoint in my 25s was that the tweeter sounded a bit dull. This mod should wake them up a bit. Anywho, congrats and enjoy!